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Understanding, The Key To Compassion
I. Ezekiel's call to the ministry. Vs.11
A. The importance of the call of God.
1. Jesus said to His disciples, "You have not chosen Me,
but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should
be My disciples."
2. Paul wrote, "Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus
Christ by the will of God."
3. The ministry is not an easy task, their will be many
discouragement's.
a. The people will not always want to hear the
message of God. "Tell them thus saith the Lord,
whether they will hear or forbear."
b. Sometimes people are angry with God, they
falsely blame God for some calamity that has
taken place in their lives. They will often
seek to take our their anger on the servant of
God.
B. The specifics of the call. He was to go to those in captivity
in Babylon and speak to them the word of the Lord.
1. The primary duty of a minister is to give to the
people the word of the Lord.
a. In many of the pulpits across the country the
word of the Lord has been replaced with the
words of psychologists.
b. The popular subjects for the pulpit are "How
to get what you want out of life, or becoming
a better you.
c. Jung, Freud, Maslov, and Pavlov are quoted more
often than the scriptures.
2. As Paul wrote, he said, "That which I have received
from the Lord, I also delivered unto you."
a. I am to bear God's message to the people.
b. Why do men turn from teaching the word of God
to relational teaching?
1. Some do not believe that the word of
God is actually the word of God.
2. Many people do not want to hear the
word of God, but as Paul said, they
have itching ears, and only want to be
entertained.
3. Love or compassion is the only true motive for
the ministry.
A. Paul said that the love of Christ constrained him.
B. Understanding is the key to compassion.
1. Many times a persons actions are repulsive to us, and
we are prone to react in negative ways.
2. Quite often their is a reason for their repulsive
behavior.
a. Directing summer camps in Arizona.
C. Ezekiel said, "I sat where they sat."
1. Before he sought to bring them the word of the Lord,
he sat down with them and was speechless for seven
days.
2. What a wonderful way to gain insight and understanding.
3. Sit where they sit, walk in their shoes.
4. When I hear the stories of the difficulties some of
these single moms are going through, my heart goes out
to them. I try to put myself in their place, and wonder
just what I would do.
5. When I hear the stories of the abuse that some of these
children are being subjected to, I find my heart
breaking for them, and a strong desire to take them
under my wing, and be to them the kind of parent that
would truly represent a Godly example to them.
6. Put yourself in the other persons place.
a. You husbands try to in your mind put yourself
in your wife's place.
1. First of all having to live with you,
and put up with your moods and
attitudes.
2. Spend the day supervising the home,
seeing the kids are off to school with
a good breakfast and clean clothes.
3. Watching the babies that are still to
young to go to school. Cleaning the
house, making beds, and planning
dinner.
4. Being nurse, comforter, and sometimes
referee for the daily bumps and bruises
of this junior world that she must
oversee.
5. When you come home and plop down in
front of the T.V. as you wait for your
dinner to be served, she is often
longing for adult conversation, a
sounding board to unload some of the
daily frustrations upon. All she gets
from you is grunts that indicate your
total lack of interest or concern.
6. Think of it, all day long baby talk,
coo, ta ta, then when you get home,
ugh, O, ah.
b. In the same token you wives try to put yourself
in your husbands place.
1. Heavy pressure to perform on the job.
2. Miserable drive home in the rush hour
traffic.
3. Bone tired, worried, weary he falls
into the chair and seeks a moments
diversion to help switch gears to
forget the problems of the day, and
immediately he hears of how Johnny
threw a ball through the large window
of the neighbor's house who will be
over later to see how you intend to pay
for it.
c. Before you react or respond, try to first put
yourself in their place, sit where they sit
for a while, discover the pressures that they
are experiencing. This is what Ezekiel did.
III. The responsibility of the ministry.
A. God holds your responsible to watch over His flock and to give
them His word.
1. Ezekiel was to give them warnings from God.
2. When God said to the wicked that they were going to
die, He was responsible to warn them.
a. Hell is a very unpopular topic.
b. In our soft society we do not like to speak of
punishment.
c. We are reluctant to hold a person responsible
for their actions.
1. This begins with childhood. One of the
great problems with our society is that
so many parents were influenced by
Dr. Spokes recommendation for slackness
in the disciplining of the child.
2. This also influenced the public
schools.
3. The Biblical warnings were ignored that
declared that a child left to himself
would bring a reproach to his parents.
4. These undisciplined children have grown
up to be the monsters in our society.
d. If God has prepared a place of punishment and
torment for Satan, and all who will follow in
his rebellion against God, a place where in the
words of Jesus there is weeping and wailing,
and gnashing of teeth, where the fire is not
quenched, and I fail to warn people of that
horrible fate that awaits all who do not
receive God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ,
then I will be held responsible by God for my
failure as His minister for not warning them.
B. As the overseer of the flock of God I am held responsible by
God to warn the flock, and in so doing, I deliver my soul.
1. When Paul was speaking to the elders at Ephesus for
possibly the last time, he said, "I want you to record
this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men,
for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the
counsel of God. For the space of three years, I
ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."
2. The reason why I have chosen to go straight through the
whole Bible year after year, not skipping any part, is
that when my ministry comes to an end, and I stand
before God to give an account, I want to be able to
say, I have declared to them Your whole counsel, I
have not withheld any truth, I warned them night and
day.
3. I desire then to hear His words, "Well done, you have
been a good and faithful servant, enter into the joys
of Your Lord.
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