Church Order: Worship, Sacraments, and the Lord's Supper

Preaching as Entertainment

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2017-11-05

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Ezekiel 33:30-33, showing that the Judahites came to hear Ezekiel not to obey God's word but to be entertained. He warns that when preaching does not lead to repentance and obedience, it becomes mere amusement. Applications urge self-examination to ensure hearing results in doing, lest the preached word become only a diversion.

[John Weaver] Okay, Ezekiel chapter 33, and we're going to be reading verses 30-33. Ezekiel 33, beginning there with verse 30. The Bible says, Also thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses. And speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them.

[John Weaver] For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. For they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, lo, it will come. Then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."

[John Weaver] The title of the message today is Preaching as Entertainment. Just stop and think about that title, Preaching as Entertainment. I can assure you that any God-called preacher and God-ordained preacher would be visibly upset and highly offended if you offered him a compliment and said, Pastor, I found your sermon very entertaining. God's men, of course, are not called to entertain. They're called to preach, to teach, to counsel, to instruct, to command, to warn, to comfort, but not to entertain. Also, any serious-minded Christian who really, genuinely wants to obey the Lord and honor Him would also be highly offended and upset if the pastor asked them, did you find the message entertaining today? Of course, you understand that entertainment is not a ministry of the church, and it should not be the goal of preaching. I think one of the sins of modern-day Christendom is the fact that preaching has become no more than entertainment for most people. And I think that you will understand this just a little bit later.

[John Weaver] Professing Christians these days are asking for services to be short, sweet, and entertaining. And of course, the truth of the matter is, they're not really interested in biblical preaching and teaching. They're not really interested in biblical and scriptural worship. They want to just simply get in, get a sermon in, and get out, and get on with their lives. It's just that simple. I know I've told you this in times past, but in light of this message, years ago, Alice and I were down in Florida, in Tampa, Florida, And my son-in-law was taking us out to supper, and we passed this Baptist church.

[John Weaver] And out on the marquee was this sign. I've never forgotten it. It said, Come to our early morning service, in by eight, out by eight-thirty.

[John Weaver] Now just stop and think about that. In by 8, out by 8.30. You know a Baptist church is going to sing a couple of songs. You know they're going to take an offering. You know they're going to pray. And then they're going to have another song in closing and another prayer. So that probably meant five to ten minutes of preaching at the absolute most. And so all it was was just something simply to stab the consciences of people as they were going to the beach and spend their day at the beach. When you think about entertainment, if you will take the time and look up the word entertainment, you will find this definition. Listen carefully.

[John Weaver] The act of entertaining, agreeable occupation for the mind, diversion, amusement, something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement. Now, entertainment and amusement are closely related. and are often used interchangeably, and they are probably synonymous as well. But as you know, the word news is in our Bible. The word news actually means to think. It means to meditate. It means to turn it over in the mind, much like a cow chews the cud. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles, first of all, if you would please, to Psalm 143 and verse 5. And then we'll go to Luke chapter 3. Notice if you would, Psalm 143 and verse 5. Look what David said. Psalm 143 and verse 5. David said, I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works. I muse on the work of thy hands. I am used on the work of thy hands." If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Luke 3 and verse 15. Luke 3 and verse 15.

[John Weaver] And here's what is said concerning John the Baptist. Notice if you would, Luke 3 and verse 15. The Bible says, And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John whether he were the Christ or not." So people were thinking and meditating and turning it over in their mind as to whether or not John the Baptist was actually the Messiah. And of course, he was not. But they were thinking that. You know, of course, when you put the alpha or the A in front of the word muse, it negates it.

[John Weaver] So if to amuse means to think and to meditate, to amuse means that you do not think and you do not meditate. You see, entertainment and amusement bypass the brain and go straight to the emotions and straight to the desires. When someone is being amused, there is no cognitive ability necessary. You don't actually have to think. You don't have to do anything except just sit there and quote, unquote, enjoy your amusement or your entertainment. It's that simple.

[John Weaver] So if you look back in the book of Ezekiel chapter 33, because that's where I'm going to be dealing with this passage, we're going to find that in our text, God reveals to Ezekiel that which the people really and truly thought of his preaching. I'm going to show you that momentarily, but let me tell you about Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet. Ezekiel prophesied to the Judahites in Babylon. He prophesied to them before, during, and after the fall of Jerusalem. If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 1 and verse 3, you will find that Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet. Notice in Ezekiel 1 in verse 3, the Bible said,"...the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Kebar. And the hand of the Lord was there upon him." But note, if you would, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest.

[John Weaver] Ezekiel had a very interesting life and a very interesting ministry. And it was not just his preaching and his teaching that were important. Things that he went through and things that he experienced were a sign not only to the Judahites that were in Babylon, but also to the Judahites that were in Jerusalem. For instance, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 4, if you would please. And of course, Ezekiel had to portray a siege against Jerusalem. Look, beginning there with verse 1. God says, Now also, son of man, take the attial, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city of Jerusalem. So, draw a little outline of the city of Jerusalem, and lay siege against it.

[John Weaver] and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it. Set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover, thou shalt take unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city, and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it."

[John Weaver] Now look what he says, this shall be a sign to the house of Israel. So here Ezekiel basically had to play army. I mean, he wasn't playing, but that's basically what he did. He built a little fort. He built battering rams. And God says, this is a sign. This is what's going to happen. And of course, he had to lie on one side for a certain number of days and lie on another side for a certain number of days as he portrayed this siege. So people would ask, what in the world is going on? If you will look at Ezekiel 12. Ezekiel 12.

[John Weaver] Notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. Look what he says. The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes that see and see not, they have ears that hear and hear not, for they are a rebellious house. Therefore thou, Son of man, prepare these stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight And thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight. It may be they will consider though they be a rebellious house. Now watch carefully. Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff are removing, and thou shalt go forth and even in their sight as they go forth into captivity. Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight. Thou shalt cover thy face that thou seest off the ground. For I have sent thee for a sign to the house of Israel."

[John Weaver] So notice if you would, Ezekiel has to break into his own house. He digs through the wall. He takes his furniture out. He takes his personal property out. And then he has to carry it to another place. because he is portraying and he is a sign that this is exactly what's going to happen to these people who are still in Jerusalem. So his life is entirely a sign. Look at Ezekiel 24.

[John Weaver] It's not just his preaching that's important, it's what happens to him. Do you realize that in Ezekiel chapter 24, God takes away his wife? And then God commands him not to weep, not to cry. Look at it. Ezekiel 24 and verse 15, also the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke, that is, his wife. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. bind the tower of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

[John Weaver] So I spake unto the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, the temple, and that which your soul pitieth in your sons and your daughters whom you have left shall fall by the sword.

[John Weaver] And you shall do as I have done. You shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tire shall be upon your head, and your shoes upon your feet. And you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one for another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign. According to all that he hath done shall you do.

[John Weaver] And when this cometh, you shall know that I am the Lord." And by the way, did you know that even after Ezekiel had prophesied and preached. There was a time that God said to Ezekiel, you're going to be mute. You're going to be dumb. You're not going to be able to speak until someone escapes from Jerusalem and tells you that Jerusalem has fallen. Look down in the same chapter, Ezekiel 24, and notice, if you would please, at verse 26. He says that,"...he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears, that is, Jerusalem is fallen. In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb, and thou shalt be a sign unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord." Now, Ezekiel was an individual who had a very interesting ministry, to say the least.

[John Weaver] His life, as well as His words, spoke volumes not only to those Judahites who were already in Babylon, but also to those Judahites who were left in the land of Judea. And the interesting thing is, God told Ezekiel before he ever began preaching that the people were not going to listen. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 2. Ezekiel 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 3, and listen carefully to what God tells Ezekiel. Ezekiel 2, verse 3, And He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me.

[John Weaver] They and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. For they are impotent children and stiff-hearted. I do sin even unto them, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house, yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them. neither be afraid of their words, though byres and thorns be with thee. And thou dost dwell among scorpions, be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee, be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee." So God is telling him that the people to whom he's going to preach and teach are impudent, stiff-hearted, and rebellious.

[John Weaver] Now if you'll skip over to chapter 3 and begin looking there at verse 4. Ezekiel 3 and verse 4. Then he said unto me, Son of man, go get thee into the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

[John Weaver] Now watch verses 5 and 6. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of a hard language, but of the house of Israel." In other words, you don't have to learn a foreign tongue. "...not to many people of a strange speech, or of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand." And look what God now says,"...surely had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee. For they will not hearken unto me. For all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.

[John Weaver] Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads, as an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead. Fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears, and go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear."

[John Weaver] Now, here's twice in two chapters that God has basically told Ezekiel, you're going to be preaching to your own people. You don't have to learn a foreign language. But let me just explain this to you. The people to whom you're going to be preaching are rebellious and stiff-hearted. They're not going to hear. They're not going to listen to you. So here's my question. How many preachers do you know would really enjoy having a ministry in which nobody listened to them? There were no converts. There was no revival.

[John Weaver] Which, by the way, ought to teach us something. Success in God's eyes does not deal with numbers. It deals with faithfulness. Ezekiel was faithful to the ministry that God gave him. And he was successful in the eyes of God. Now, here's my question. We're going to be looking at Ezekiel 33. And I'm going to try to be expounding that passage. But in light of the fact that God has called Ezekiel, and God has told Ezekiel that the people are not going to listen to you, they're not going to repent, they're a rebellious house. If they are not going to listen, and if they're not going to obey, why would they continually come to hear Ezekiel preach and teach. Go back to Ezekiel chapter 33, and let's begin at verse 30.

[John Weaver] I want you to see this. Look, if you would, what was actually happening. You see now God has called him. His whole life is a sign. His ministry is to his own people. Look what God says in verse 30. Ezekiel 33, He said, Also thou son of man, the children of thy people are still talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses.

[John Weaver] And speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord." Now, notice if you would how God talks to Ezekiel. I find it interesting, He says in verse 30, Also about son of man, the children of thy people. He didn't say my people or my children. God is not acknowledging them as His people at this particular point. He says they're the children of thy people. In other words, they might be your fleshly brethren, but they're certainly not mine. So that's exactly what He's telling him in verse 30. And then He says they are talking against thee by the walls and by the doors of the houses." Actually, while they were talking about Ezekiel and concerning Ezekiel, they were actually talking against Ezekiel. Interestingly, it is by the walls and the doors.

[John Weaver] I want to give you a quote from John Gill. John Gale hits the nail on the head when he's explaining verse 30. He says this, These speak against the prophet. They could not say that he was no prophet. He had his credentials and commissions from the Lord, which were well known, and many of his prophecies had been fulfilled. They could not speak against his doctrine, which was of God.

[John Weaver] nor against his conversation or conduct which was agreeable to his character and office. But they said some things in a ludicrous and jovial manner, in a sliding and contemptuous way, as showed that they had little reverence and respect for him. They were careless and indifferent about hearing him, at least had little regard to this matter, or the subject of his ministry, which they had no great value for.

[John Weaver] And this they did still. They had been long at it. It was their common talk and constant business, though the prophet knew nothing about it. And though they had the greatest respect for him, speaking fair to his face, or thought they had the greatest respect for him, speaking fair to his face and behaving with decency toward him, But the Lord knew it, and resented it, and informs him of it.

[John Weaver] And this they did continually from time to time by the walls, and in the doors of the houses, privately and secretly. By the walls, that is where they used to get together and sun themselves, and pass away their time by talking against the prophet. And when they did, they would place themselves against the walls that nobody might overhear them. And they would sometimes stand in the porches of their houses, and as their neighbors and acquaintances passed by, would call them in and hold a chat about the prophet, and jeer and laugh at him, and what he had said, and speak one to another, every man to his brother, saying, Come, I pray

[John Weaver] you, and hear what is the word that cometh from the Lord. Let us go and amuse ourselves for an hour or two with the prophet. Perhaps we shall hear some new thing which may be pleasing and diverting. They came, not for their spiritual profit, but to have their ears tickled and their fancies pleased. Oh, John Gill hit it right on the head. They were talking about him. They were talking against him.

[John Weaver] They were actually making fun of him, that he actually believed what he was preaching. Now, I want you to turn to Ezekiel chapter 20 because this may have been one of the complaints that they talked about him because even Ezekiel acknowledges this. In fact, this is what Ezekiel says. Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 49,"'Then said I, O Lord God, they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

[John Weaver] In other words, they're saying, well, I understand what he's saying. He's speaking in parables. Well, he may have been speaking plainly. But you know what our Lord said concerning the Pharisees in John 8 and verse 47? He said it like this. He that is of God, heareth God's words. You, therefore, hear them not because you're not of God. Isn't that amazing? He that is of God heareth God's words. You therefore hear them, not because you are not of God." So, these people who certainly were not of God would not understand however plainly Ezekiel spoke. But if they wanted to complain that he's speaking in parables, and he was hard to be understood, I want you to look at chapter 21, verses 1-3, because God gives him a word that is very plainly understood.

[John Weaver] And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked." I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty plain to me.

[John Weaver] And certainly that would give them something a little more to talk about, I am sure. Now, interestingly, let's go back to Ezekiel 33, because you see now in verse 30, they're just simply talking against Ezekiel. They're making fun of him. I want you to look at verse 31. God is still talking about the same people. He says,"...they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them.

[John Weaver] For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Now, let me point something out that I think it's important for you to consider. These people, were not troublemakers. They were not rabble-rousers. They were not defiant. They were not shaking their fists in the face of Ezekiel and threatening Ezekiel. No! They were coming and sitting respectfully, listening to everything that he had to say. Wow! Remember, if you look back in verse 30, What is it they say in the last?

[John Weaver] Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord." So here is a group of people who are coming now and sitting there and listening to everything that Ezekiel has to say. However, there's a threefold problem. First, although they heard the word of God, they refused to obey. He says, And they hear thy words, but they will not do them. So here was a stubborn, rebellious people who heard, but they refused to obey.

[John Weaver] They would not apply the truth. They would not practice the truth. They just refused to obey. Secondly, they were hypocrites. He said in verse 31, For with their mouth they show much love. In other words, they were all talk. There was nothing in their life that was genuine and sincere. There was no substance to their lives. Just simply talk. If you would hold Ezekiel 33, but look back in your Bibles to Isaiah 29 and verse 13, you'll see Isaiah dealt with this same problem. And by the way, Isaiah 29, verse 13 is also quoted in the New Testament by our Lord. Here's an apt illustration of what is happening in Ezekiel 33, verse 31. Watch Isaiah 29, verse 13.

[John Weaver] Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but remove their heart far from me, And their fear toward me is taught by the preceptive man." So God said, here's a people that know how to talk the talk. They know the lingo. They can say, yes, the Lord is gracious. Yes, the Lord is true. Yes, the Lord is alive. Yes, the Lord is the real sovereign God of heaven and earth. They know how to talk. They can use their lips, they can use their mouth, but their heart is far from Him, and the only thing they know about God is what they have been taught by man. God has never taught them.

[John Weaver] They've been raised in church, they've been raised in a Christian school, so to speak. They've hurted all their lives for men. God's never dealt in their hearts. And so He says, they talk a good talk with their mouth, but their heart is far from Him. That is exactly what is happening in Ezekiel 33 and verse 31. So, first of all, they refused to obey. Secondly, they were hypocrites. And thirdly, the reason they refused to obey is because they were idolaters. Look in verse 31 again, the latter part, He said, but their heart goeth after Their covetousness. Their heart goes after their covetousness. You know what covetousness is? Covetousness is when you desire something that is not yours, and it's contrary to God, or something that you place above God.

[John Weaver] For instance, let's suppose that Gary was a multi-millionaire. Now, he's not, but let's suppose he was. Multi-millionaire. And I sit here and I think, oh man, man, man, I'd love to have his money. Oh, that man's got money coming out of his ears. If I'm sitting here coveting his money, that's sin. That's wickedness. I can covet a man's wife. I could covet a man's automobile.

[John Weaver] Let me show you the problem with covetousness. Remember now, He says, their heart goeth after their covetousness. Okay? Hold Ezekiel 33. Turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and look at verse 5. Colossians 3 and verse 5. Here is the problem with covetousness. Colossians 3 verse 5. God says, mortify, that means to make dead. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry." Now, how can covetousness be idolatry? Well, it's very simple. If God says, Thou shalt not steal, and I scheme and plan to take some of Gary's money from him, I'm violating the commandment, thou shalt not steal. And I'm placing myself and my desires ahead of God and his commandments. Thus I'm an idolater. Hey, that's exactly what God is saying about these people. He says they won't obey. They're all talk. And the reason they won't obey and the reason they won't talk is because they're covetous and their covetousness is idolatry.

[John Weaver] They don't really worship me. They don't really know me. They have no desire for me. So here is the important thing. Look what he says again in verse 31. Ezekiel 33. He says, And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee, as My people, notice, and they sit before Thee as My people." So here then were these people who would come, professing to be God's people, sitting respectfully, listening to all that Ezekiel had to say, And with their mouth they showed much love and much adoration. They were nice and pleasant, respectful, but their hearts were far from God and far from Ezekiel. As a Septuagint puts it, it's because of lies in their mouth. They said they loved God, but of course they did not.

[John Weaver] They were hearers of the word, but not doers. And by the way, I hope you understand that is basically the sad state of modern-day Christendom. People go to church all the time. They hear all the time, but they do not obey. They do not bring their lives into conformity to the Word of God. I've preached for 53 years, soon to be 54. I have no idea how many churches I've preached in in my life.

[John Weaver] traveling all around this country. But an interesting thing is this. When you preach, you get to looking at the congregation. And there are some people that are sitting there kind of like this. It's just a blank stare. And you wonder, is anything registering? And then others are kind of looking out the window. Did that bird just lie on that limb? Or some little kid gets up and goes to the bathroom and everybody watches him all the way, like they've never seen a kid go to the bathroom before. I mean, you know, you just sit there and you think, that person's daydreaming.

[John Weaver] That person is not listening. That person is sitting there planning his whole week. It's true. All you have to do is just kind of look around and look at people, and you will find they're just sitting there. Wow! Well, here's what God said. God said, sooner or later, they're going to find out that a prophet had been among them. He gave them the Word of God. They should have heard. They should have listened.

[John Weaver] They should have obeyed, but they did not. And everything that they had heard and everything that they should have obeyed is now going to be for their condemnation and not their blessing. So I want you to look at verse 32. Because when you get to verse 32, God reveals why these people kept coming. Remember, they refused to obey. They were all taught and they were idolaters. So why would they keep coming? Well, look at it in verse 32. God says to Ezekiel, And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument.

[John Weaver] For they hear thy words, but they do them not. Wow! They came to hear Ezekiel. not to be instructed, not to be warned, not to be taught, not to be counseled, not to be encouraged, not to be comforted. They came to Ezekiel to be entertained. It was a pleasant way to pass the time and receive a little amusement. Matthew Henry in his commentary said this, on this passage. Listen.

[John Weaver] Thou art unto them a very lovely song. Ezekiel's matter was surprising, his language fine, his expressions elegant, his similitudes apt, his voice melodious, and his delivery graceful, so that they could sit with as much pleasure and hear him preach, as if I may speak in the language of our times, to see a play. or an opera, or to hear a concert of music. Ezekiel was to them as one that had a pleasant voice, and could sing well or play well on an instrument."

[John Weaver] And then he adds this, note,"'Men may have their fancies pleased by the word, and yet not have their consciences touched, nor their hearts changed, the itching ear gratified, and yet not the corrupt nature sanctified.'" Hmm. You know, it's interesting that that is true today. I usually have to make a confession. When I first started preaching, I did not stand behind a pulpit as such. I would start behind the pulpit, but I would move around.

[John Weaver] I would be on this side of the auditorium, that side of the auditorium. I was preaching. And I was quite active. Of course, I was younger, had a lot of energy, and I was very enthused about what I was saying. And I remember in one little town in Alabama, after I got through preaching, one lady came up to me after service and said, if you could let me know, if you're ever within a hundred miles of this area, I would like to come hear you preach. She said, I would drive a hundred miles just to watch you jump around and hear you talk. I said, Lady, I don't think it will do you a bit of good, but...

[John Weaver] You say, well, how did you learn to stand still? Well, that's when cameras came out. And one of my pastor friends said, you've got to make up your mind whether you want to be on a camera or not. He said, if you're going to be on a camera, you've got to stand still. I said, okay, I'll stand still. But I'm just simply pointing out, that's the way it is with people. You know, easily entertained. and anything that will entertain them, whether it's spiritual or not, is immaterial, they'll go for entertainment. I'm afraid that is where most of our churches are today, just simply for entertainment.

[John Weaver] Now, look in verse 33. Ezekiel 33, verse 33, God says, And when this cometh to pass, and lo, it will, because God had prophesied it, God told it, Ezekiel preached it, then they shall know that a prophet hath been among them." In other words, they will know that here's a man we should have listened to, we should have heard, we should have obeyed, but we did not. It will be too late for them, it will not benefit them, but they will know that a prophet of God had been among them.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to make some applications. And I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say, because my first application is the whole point of this message. Okay? I preached everything that I've preached just to say this. Do not miss this point. When one does not hear, when one does not obey, when one does not heed the preached Word of God, practically speaking, All the service has been is entertainment. A diversion.

[John Weaver] Something that affords you a little bit of pleasure and an opportunity to pass some time. That's what he's saying to Ezekiel. They just come to sit before you not to obey, but to be entertained. I've heard people say, I just love to look at those stained glass windows. Oh, I love to see the choir in those robes and hear that beautiful choir music. Or I love to hear that special music. I just enjoy hearing my preacher preach. Really.

[John Weaver] But the question is, has your life been changed? Have you become more obedient? Have you become more repentant? Have you become more conformed to the Word of God and to the Lord Jesus Christ? In other words, if the preaching of the Word of God does not bring repentance and obedience and faith in your life, you've just been entertained. That's it. Matthew Henry said this, Those have arrived at a great pitch of profaneness, who can make so great a privilege and so great a duty as the preaching and hearing of the Word of God a matter of sport and ridicule, yea, though it be not done publicly, but in private conversation among themselves.

[John Weaver] Then it says serious things should be spoken of seriously. Now what is Matthew Henry talking about? Well, I learned early in my ministry, and all of you probably know this, that there is a term that goes around that's called roast preacher. In other words, when people don't like what is being preached, they usually attack the preacher. They talk about him in some way. And it's not whether I agree or disagree. Oh, they'll talk about that as well. It's not whether or not something is biblical, whether something is scriptural. Well, I just disagree with him. Well, I don't like the way he said it. It doesn't matter that it's biblical. They just get intent over the way something was said.

[John Weaver] I never will forget years ago, I was preaching and I was giving an illustration that I heard In fact, I was there. There were four young men who were making fun of the preacher and of the worship service. Four young men. And they weren't heathen either. They were professing Christians. But anyhow, the preacher got upset with them. And he said, young men, he said, you came in here, if you came in here to worship And to honor the Lord, you're welcome to stay. But if you came in here just to mock and to make fun and ridicule, there are four doors here. You can hit either one of them on the way out. And I just use that as an illustration. And my point was, when you come to church, you come to worship.

[John Weaver] Well, if I remember correctly, we probably had about 120, 130 people in the congregation that day. And so after service was over, this one man came running up to me and he said, very upset, why do you want me to leave the church? I said, what are you talking about? I don't want you to leave the church. Well, he said, you were looking right at me when you said, there are four doors here. You didn't even want them all the way out. I said, sir, first of all, I didn't even see you. Secondly, I would have to be looking at somebody when I said it. You see what I'm talking about? My goodness! It's not whether something is biblical or right. It's just whether we like it or we don't like it. I preached in a little church in Oglotney, Georgia. The church service started at 11.

[John Weaver] They sang until 15 to 12. And they were telling me how much they loved singing. Well, I stood up to preach. And I said, I love singing as much as anyone, but I think the Word of God has to have the preeminence. And I said, I've got a little rule. Always preach at least twice as long as the congregation sings. So I preached for an hour and a half that morning. Well, I was invited to go home with the family afterwards because I was going to preach there that night and have dinner. And oh, the woman was very upset, and she let me know very curtly that the roast was burned because I preached past twelve o'clock.

[John Weaver] She had it set to be done at twelve, and she didn't get out till one or after. You see, people come to get out. They never come to get in. If you ever got in with God, you wouldn't care what time you got out, but that's okay. And so anyhow, that night when I went back to preach, they sang five minutes and quit. They really, really loved to sing, you can tell. But I preached an hour anyhow. I mean, I'm pointing out, this is exactly what was happening in Ezekiel's time.

[John Weaver] They're talking about the And Matthew Henry is saying, man, you have to reach the epitome of profaneness to take something as serious as the preaching and teaching of the Word of God and turn it into sport and ridicule. Here's another thing. Listen to this. He said in verse 31, And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as mine people. Do you realize that worship is far more than behaving yourself decently and reverently in a public assembly? You may not be whispering, you may not be laughing or gazing about or sleeping, but if you sit there listening to that sermon wishing, everything would be over and you could get out and get on with your life and do what you need to do You haven't worshipped God at all. Just because a people come and sit respectfully and listen reverently does not mean that they have worshipped God. These people had their heart far, far from Him. If you'll look in verse 33, he says it like this, and when this cometh to pass, and lo, it will come to pass, then they shall know that a prophet hath been among them.

[John Weaver] One thing is for sure, that sooner or later you will discover, as did the Judahites, that the word of God is true and should be obeyed. You may discover it too late, yet you will discover it. Here's my admonition. Do not place yourself in the position of these Judahites. I want you to turn back to the book of Jeremiah chapter 6 and look, if you would please, at verse 10. In light of everything that I've preached today, let this admonition remain with you. Jeremiah 6 and verse 10. Jeremiah asked this question,"'To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear?

[John Weaver] Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken. Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach. They have no delight in it.'" You have to make sure that the Word of God is not a reproach in your life. You have to make sure that you delight in it. And the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it and apply it and bring your life into greater conformity to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] May I remind you, according to Romans chapter 8 and verse 29, we've been predestinated to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And if we're conformed to His image, if we're made to liken Him, it's going to be through obedience to the Word of God. If we are not obeying what is taught, preaching is nothing more than entertainment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for the life of Ezekiel. And I ask, Father, that You would help us to learn and help us to obey and bring our lives into conformity to Your Word. Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.

Preaching as Entertainment

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1115172211598
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Worship, Sacraments, and the Lord's Supper
Genre	Sermon
Date	2017-11-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 039: Church Order and Worship - Volume 1 — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	68

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Okay, Ezekiel chapter 33, and we're going to be reading verses 30-33. Ezekiel 33, beginning there with verse 30. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:30-33

"Also thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses. And speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them." "For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. For they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, lo, it will come. Then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."

Introduction: The Offense of Entertainment in Preaching

Weaver asserts that God-called preachers are not entertainers, and serious Christians should not seek entertainment from sermons. Modern Christendom has reduced preaching to amusement.

The title of the message today is Preaching as Entertainment. Just stop and think about that title, Preaching as Entertainment. I can assure you that any God-called preacher and God-ordained preacher would be visibly upset and highly offended if you offered him a compliment and said, "Pastor, I found your sermon very entertaining." God's men, of course, are not called to entertain. They're called to preach, to teach, to counsel, to instruct, to command, to warn, to comfort, but not to entertain. Also, any serious-minded Christian who really, genuinely wants to obey the Lord and honor Him would also be highly offended and upset if the pastor asked them, "Did you find the message entertaining today?" Of course, you understand that entertainment is not a ministry of the church, and it should not be the goal of preaching. I think one of the sins of modern-day Christendom is the fact that preaching has become no more than entertainment for most people. And I think that you will understand this just a little bit later.

Defining Entertainment and Amusement

Entertainment is defined as diversion or amusement. The word 'muse' means to think; adding 'a' negates it, so amusement bypasses the mind and appeals to emotions.

The act of entertaining, agreeable occupation for the mind, diversion, amusement, something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement. Now, entertainment and amusement are closely related, and are often used interchangeably, and they are probably synonymous as well. But as you know, the word "muse" is in our Bible. The word "muse" actually means to think. It means to meditate. It means to turn it over in the mind, much like a cow chews the cud. Let me show you.

Look in your Bibles, first of all, if you would please, to Psalm 143 and verse 5. And then we'll go to Luke chapter 3. Notice if you would, Psalm 143 and verse 5. Look what David said. Psalm 143 and verse 5. David said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 143:5

"I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works. I muse on the work of thy hands."

If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Luke 3 and verse 15. Luke 3 and verse 15.

And here's what is said concerning John the Baptist. Notice if you would, Luke 3 and verse 15. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Luke 3:15

"And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John whether he were the Christ or not."

So people were thinking and meditating and turning it over in their mind as to whether or not John the Baptist was actually the Messiah. And of course, he was not. But they were thinking that. You know, of course, when you put the alpha or the "a" in front of the word "muse," it negates it.

So if to muse means to think and to meditate, to amuse means that you do not think and you do not meditate. You see, entertainment and amusement bypass the brain and go straight to the emotions and straight to the desires. When someone is being amused, there is no cognitive ability necessary. You don't actually have to think. You don't have to do anything except just sit there and, quote unquote, enjoy your amusement or your entertainment. It's that simple.

Ezekiel's Ministry and the People's Rebellion

Ezekiel was a priest called as a prophet to rebellious Judahites. God told him they would not listen, yet he was to be faithful regardless of response.

So if you look back in the book of Ezekiel chapter 33, because that's where I'm going to be dealing with this passage, we're going to find that in our text, God reveals to Ezekiel that which the people really and truly thought of his preaching. I'm going to show you that momentarily, but let me tell you about Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet. Ezekiel prophesied to the Judahites in Babylon. He prophesied to them before, during, and after the fall of Jerusalem. If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 1 and verse 3, you will find that Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet. Notice in Ezekiel 1 in verse 3, the Bible said,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 1:3

"...the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar. And the hand of the Lord was there upon him."

But note, if you would, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest.

Ezekiel had a very interesting life and a very interesting ministry. And it was not just his preaching and his teaching that were important. Things that he went through and things that he experienced were a sign not only to the Judahites that were in Babylon, but also to the Judahites that were in Jerusalem. For instance, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 4, if you would please. And of course, Ezekiel had to portray a siege against Jerusalem. Look, beginning there with verse 1. God says, "Now also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city of Jerusalem." So, draw a little outline of the city of Jerusalem, and lay siege against it.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 4:1-3

"And build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it. Set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover, thou shalt take unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city, and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it."

Now look what he says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 4:1-3

"This shall be a sign to the house of Israel."

So here Ezekiel basically had to play army. I mean, he wasn't playing, but that's basically what he did. He built a little fort. He built battering rams. And God says, "This is a sign. This is what's going to happen." And of course, he had to lie on one side for a certain number of days and lie on another side for a certain number of days as he portrayed this siege. So people would ask, "What in the world is going on?" If you will look at Ezekiel 12. Ezekiel 12.

Notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. Look what he says. "The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes that see and see not, they have ears that hear and hear not, for they are a rebellious house. Therefore thou, Son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight. And thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight. It may be they will consider though they be a rebellious house." Now watch carefully. "Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing, and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight as they that go forth into captivity. Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight. Thou shalt cover thy face that thou see not the ground. For I have set thee for a sign to the house of Israel."

So notice if you would, Ezekiel has to break into his own house. He digs through the wall. He takes his furniture out. He takes his personal property out. And then he has to carry it to another place, because he is portraying and he is a sign that this is exactly what's going to happen to these people who are still in Jerusalem. So his life is entirely a sign. Look at Ezekiel 24.

It's not just his preaching that's important, it's what happens to him. Do you realize that in Ezekiel chapter 24, God takes away his wife? And then God commands him not to weep, not to cry. Look at it. Ezekiel 24 and verse 15,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:15-24

"Also the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke,"

that is, his wife.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:15-24

"Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men."

"So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword." "And ye shall do as I have done. Ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet. And ye shall not mourn or weep, but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign. According to all that he hath done shall ye do."

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:26-27

"And when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord."

And by the way, did you know that even after Ezekiel had prophesied and preached, there was a time that God said to Ezekiel, "You're going to be mute. You're going to be dumb. You're not going to be able to speak until someone escapes from Jerusalem and tells you that Jerusalem has fallen." Look down in the same chapter, Ezekiel 24, and notice, if you would please, at verse 26. He says that,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:26-27

"...he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears,"

that is, Jerusalem is fallen.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:26-27

"In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb, and thou shalt be a sign unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord."

Now, Ezekiel was an individual who had a very interesting ministry, to say the least.

His life, as well as His words, spoke volumes not only to those Judahites who were already in Babylon, but also to those Judahites who were left in the land of Judea. And the interesting thing is, God told Ezekiel before he ever began preaching that the people were not going to listen. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 2. Ezekiel 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 3, and listen carefully to what God tells Ezekiel. Ezekiel 2, verse 3,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 2:3-8

"And He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiff-hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house, yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee."

So God is telling him that the people to whom he's going to preach and teach are impudent, stiff-hearted, and rebellious.

Now if you'll skip over to chapter 3 and begin looking there at verse 4. Ezekiel 3 and verse 4.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"Then he said unto me, Son of man, go get thee into the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them."

Now watch verses 5 and 6.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of a hard language, but of the house of Israel."

In other words, you don't have to learn a foreign tongue.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"...not to many people of a strange speech, or of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand."

And look what God now says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"...surely had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee. For they will not hearken unto me. For all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted."

"Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads, as an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead. Fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears, and go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear." Now, here's twice in two chapters that God has basically told Ezekiel, "You're going to be preaching to your own people. You don't have to learn a foreign language. But let me just explain this to you. The people to whom you're going to be preaching are rebellious and stiff-hearted. They're not going to hear. They're not going to listen to you." So here's my question. How many preachers do you know would really enjoy having a ministry in which nobody listened to them? There were no converts. There was no revival.

The People's Hypocritical Attendance (Ezekiel 33:30-31)

The people spoke against Ezekiel privately but came respectfully to hear him. They heard but refused to obey, showed love with their mouths, but their hearts pursued covetousness (idolatry).

Which, by the way, ought to teach us something. Success in God's eyes does not deal with numbers. It deals with faithfulness. Ezekiel was faithful to the ministry that God gave him. And he was successful in the eyes of God. Now, here's my question. We're going to be looking at Ezekiel 33. And I'm going to try to be expounding that passage. But in light of the fact that God has called Ezekiel, and God has told Ezekiel that the people are not going to listen to you, they're not going to repent, they're a rebellious house. If they are not going to listen, and if they're not going to obey, why would they continually come to hear Ezekiel preach and teach? Go back to Ezekiel chapter 33, and let's begin at verse 30.

I want you to see this. Look, if you would, what was actually happening. You see now God has called him. His whole life is a sign. His ministry is to his own people. Look what God says in verse 30. Ezekiel 33, He said, "Also thou son of man, the children of thy people are still talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses."

"And speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord." Now, notice if you would how God talks to Ezekiel. I find it interesting, He says in verse 30, "Also thou son of man, the children of thy people." He didn't say "my people" or "my children." God is not acknowledging them as His people at this particular point. He says they're the children of thy people. In other words, they might be your fleshly brethren, but they're certainly not mine. So that's exactly what He's telling him in verse 30. And then He says they are talking against thee by the walls and by the doors of the houses. Actually, while they were talking about Ezekiel and concerning Ezekiel, they were actually talking against Ezekiel. Interestingly, it is by the walls and the doors.

I want to give you a quote from John Gill. John Gill hits the nail on the head when he's explaining verse 30. He says this, "These speak against the prophet. They could not say that he was no prophet. He had his credentials and commissions from the Lord, which were well known, and many of his prophecies had been fulfilled. They could not speak against his doctrine, which was of God. nor against his conversation or conduct which was agreeable to his character and office. But they said some things in a ludicrous and jovial manner, in a sliding and contemptuous way, as showed that they had little reverence and respect for him. They were careless and indifferent about hearing him, at least had little regard to this matter, or the subject of his ministry, which they had no great value for.

And this they did still. They had been long at it. It was their common talk and constant business, though the prophet knew nothing about it. And though they had the greatest respect for him, speaking fair to his face, or thought they had the greatest respect for him, speaking fair to his face and behaving with decency toward him, but the Lord knew it, and resented it, and informs him of it. And this they did continually from time to time by the walls, and in the doors of the houses, privately and secretly. By the walls, that is where they used to get together and sun themselves, and pass away their time by talking against the prophet. And when they did, they would place themselves against the walls that nobody might overhear them. And they would sometimes stand in the porches of their houses, and as their neighbors and acquaintances passed by, would call them in and hold a chat about the prophet, and jeer and laugh at him, and what he had said, and speak one to another, every man to his brother, saying, Come, I pray

you, and hear what is the word that cometh from the Lord. Let us go and amuse ourselves for an hour or two with the prophet. Perhaps we shall hear some new thing which may be pleasing and diverting. They came, not for their spiritual profit, but to have their ears tickled and their fancies pleased." Oh, John Gill hit it right on the head. They were talking about him. They were talking against him. They were actually making fun of him, that he actually believed what he was preaching. Now, I want you to turn to Ezekiel chapter 20 because this may have been one of the complaints that they talked about him because even Ezekiel acknowledges this. In fact, this is what Ezekiel says. Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 49, "Then said I, O Lord God, they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?"

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 20:49

In other words, they're saying, "Well, I understand what he's saying. He's speaking in parables." Well, he may have been speaking plainly. But you know what our Lord said concerning the Pharisees in John 8 and verse 47? He said it like this: "He that is of God heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." Isn't that amazing? "He that is of God heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." So, these people who certainly were not of God would not understand however plainly Ezekiel spoke. But if they wanted to complain that he's speaking in parables, and he was hard to be understood, I want you to look at chapter 21, verses 1-3, because God gives him a word that is very plainly understood.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 21:1-3

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked."

I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty plain to me. And certainly that would give them something a little more to talk about, I am sure. Now, interestingly, let's go back to Ezekiel 33, because you see now in verse 30, they're just simply talking against Ezekiel. They're making fun of him. I want you to look at verse 31. God is still talking about the same people. He says, "...they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them.

For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Now, let me point something out that I think it's important for you to consider. These people were not troublemakers. They were not rabble-rousers. They were not defiant. They were not shaking their fists in the face of Ezekiel and threatening Ezekiel. No! They were coming and sitting respectfully, listening to everything that he had to say. Wow! Remember, if you look back in verse 30, what is it they say in the last?

"Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord." So here is a group of people who are coming now and sitting there and listening to everything that Ezekiel has to say. However, there's a threefold problem. First, although they heard the word of God, they refused to obey. He says, "And they hear thy words, but they will not do them." So here was a stubborn, rebellious people who heard, but they refused to obey. They would not apply the truth. They would not practice the truth. They just refused to obey. Secondly, they were hypocrites. He said in verse 31, "For with their mouth they show much love." In other words, they were all talk. There was nothing in their life that was genuine and sincere. There was no substance to their lives. Just simply talk. If you would hold Ezekiel 33, but look back in your Bibles to Isaiah 29 and verse 13, you'll see Isaiah dealt with this same problem. And by the way, Isaiah 29, verse 13 is also quoted in the New Testament by our Lord. Here's an apt illustration of what is happening in Ezekiel 33, verse 31. Watch Isaiah 29, verse 13.

"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but remove their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." So God said, here's a people that know how to talk the talk. They know the lingo. They can say, "Yes, the Lord is gracious. Yes, the Lord is true. Yes, the Lord is alive. Yes, the Lord is the real sovereign God of heaven and earth." They know how to talk. They can use their lips, they can use their mouth, but their heart is far from Him, and the only thing they know about God is what they have been taught by man. God has never taught them.

They've been raised in church, they've been raised in a Christian school, so to speak. They've heard it all their lives from men. God's never dealt in their hearts. And so He says, they talk a good talk with their mouth, but their heart is far from Him. That is exactly what is happening in Ezekiel 33 and verse 31. So, first of all, they refused to obey. Secondly, they were hypocrites. And thirdly, the reason they refused to obey is because they were idolaters. Look in verse 31 again, the latter part, He said, "but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Their heart goes after their covetousness. You know what covetousness is? Covetousness is when you desire something that is not yours, and it's contrary to God, or something that you place above God.

For instance, let's suppose that Gary was a multi-millionaire. Now, he's not, but let's suppose he was. Multi-millionaire. And I sit here and I think, "Oh man, man, man, I'd love to have his money. Oh, that man's got money coming out of his ears." If I'm sitting here coveting his money, that's sin. That's wickedness. I can covet a man's wife. I could covet a man's automobile.

Let me show you the problem with covetousness. Remember now, He says, "their heart goeth after their covetousness." Okay? Hold Ezekiel 33. Turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and look at verse 5. Colossians 3 and verse 5. Here is the problem with covetousness. Colossians 3 verse 5. God says, "Mortify," that means to make dead.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:5

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry."

Now, how can covetousness be idolatry? Well, it's very simple. If God says, "Thou shalt not steal," and I scheme and plan to take some of Gary's money from him, I'm violating the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." And I'm placing myself and my desires ahead of God and his commandments. Thus I'm an idolater. Hey, that's exactly what God is saying about these people. He says they won't obey. They're all talk. And the reason they won't obey and the reason they won't talk is because they're covetous and their covetousness is idolatry.

Preaching as a 'Lovely Song' (Ezekiel 33:32)

God reveals that to the people, Ezekiel was like a singer with a pleasant voice—they came for entertainment, not to heed the word.

For they hear thy words, but they do them not." Wow! They came to hear Ezekiel, not to be instructed, not to be warned, not to be taught, not to be counseled, not to be encouraged, not to be comforted. They came to Ezekiel to be entertained. It was a pleasant way to pass the time and receive a little amusement. Matthew Henry in his commentary said this, on this passage. Listen. "Thou art unto them a very lovely song. Ezekiel's matter was surprising, his language fine, his expressions elegant, his similitudes apt, his voice melodious, and his delivery graceful, so that they could sit with as much pleasure and hear him preach, as if I may speak in the language of our times, to see a play or an opera, or to hear a concert of music. Ezekiel was to them as one that had a pleasant voice, and could sing well or play well on an instrument."

The Certainty of Judgment (Ezekiel 33:33)

When the prophesied judgment comes, they will know a prophet had been among them, but it will be too late for their benefit.

Now, I want to make some applications. And I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say, because my first application is the whole point of this message. Okay? I preached everything that I've preached just to say this. Do not miss this point. When one does not hear, when one does not obey, when one does not heed the preached Word of God, practically speaking, all the service has been is entertainment. A diversion.

Application: When Hearing Becomes Entertainment

If preaching does not produce repentance, obedience, and conformity to Christ, it has been only entertainment. True worship requires more than respectful attendance.

Something that affords you a little bit of pleasure and an opportunity to pass some time. That's what he's saying to Ezekiel. They just come to sit before you not to obey, but to be entertained. I've heard people say, "I just love to look at those stained glass windows. Oh, I love to see the choir in those robes and hear that beautiful choir music. Or I love to hear that special music. I just enjoy hearing my preacher preach." Really.

But the question is, has your life been changed? Have you become more obedient? Have you become more repentant? Have you become more conformed to the Word of God and to the Lord Jesus Christ? In other words, if the preaching of the Word of God does not bring repentance and obedience and faith in your life, you've just been entertained. That's it. Matthew Henry said this, "Those have arrived at a great pitch of profaneness, who can make so great a privilege and so great a duty as the preaching and hearing of the Word of God a matter of sport and ridicule, yea, though it be not done publicly, but in private conversation among themselves.

Admonition: Delight in God's Word Through Obedience

Using Jeremiah 6:10, Weaver urges that the word must not be a reproach; delight comes by obeying and applying it, being conformed to Christ's image.

Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken. Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach. They have no delight in it.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29

" You have to make sure that the Word of God is not a reproach in your life. You have to make sure that you delight in it. And the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it and apply it and bring your life into greater conformity to the Word of God. May I remind you, according to Romans chapter 8 and verse 29, we've been predestinated to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And if we're conformed to His image, if we're made to liken Him, it's going to be through obedience to the Word of God. If we are not obeying what is taught, preaching is nothing more than entertainment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for the life of Ezekiel. And I ask, Father, that You would help us to learn and help us to obey and bring our lives into conformity to Your Word. Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Preaching as Entertainment

Summary: When hearers do not obey, preaching becomes mere amusement, a diversion rather than a means of transformation.

Evidence: God tells Ezekiel, 'thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice' (Ezekiel 33:32). Weaver states, 'if the preaching of the Word of God does not bring repentance and obedience and faith in your life, you've just been entertained.'

Hearing Without Doing

Summary: The Judahites heard Ezekiel's words but refused to obey, illustrating a disconnect between listening and living.

Evidence: Ezekiel 33:31: 'they hear thy words, but they will not do them.' Weaver emphasizes this as the sad state of modern Christendom.

Hypocrisy in Worship

Summary: Outward respect and verbal praise can mask a heart far from God, driven by covetousness and idolatry.

Evidence: Verse 31: 'with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.' Weaver links this to Isaiah 29:13 and Colossians 3:5.

Faithfulness Over Numbers

Summary: Success in God's eyes is measured by faithfulness, not by visible results or converts.

Evidence: Weaver notes that Ezekiel was told the people would not listen, yet he was successful because he was faithful to his calling.

The Certainty of God's Word

Summary: God's prophetic word will come to pass, and those who ignored it will eventually recognize its truth, though too late.

Evidence: Ezekiel 33:33: 'when this cometh to pass... then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.'

Key Arguments

Entertainment bypasses the mind and negates meditation.

Summary: Amusement (a-muse) means not to think; it appeals to emotions rather than engaging the intellect, making it unsuitable for preaching.

Evidence: Weaver defines 'muse' as to meditate (Psalm 143:5; Luke 3:15) and explains that adding 'a' negates it, so amusement requires no cognitive effort.

The people came to Ezekiel for entertainment, not instruction.

Summary: Despite their rebellion, they attended because his preaching was like a pleasant performance, not because they intended to obey.

Evidence: Ezekiel 33:32: 'thou art unto them as a very lovely song...' John Gill's commentary is cited: they came 'to have their ears tickled and their fancies pleased.'

Covetousness is idolatry and the root of disobedience.

Summary: The people's hearts went after covetousness, which Colossians 3:5 equates with idolatry, explaining why they would not obey God's word.

Evidence: Weaver cites Colossians 3:5 and explains that placing desires above God's commands is idolatry.

Respectful attendance does not equal true worship.

Summary: Sitting quietly and listening reverently is not worship if the heart is far from God and there is no intent to obey.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'if you sit there listening... wishing everything would be over... you haven't worshipped God at all,' referencing Ezekiel 33:31.

Obedience is the only antidote to making preaching entertainment.

Summary: To prevent the word from becoming a reproach, one must delight in it by obeying and applying it, conforming to Christ.

Evidence: Jeremiah 6:10 and Romans 8:29 are cited; Weaver says, 'the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 33:30-33

Context: Primary text: the people talk against Ezekiel, come to hear as a lovely song, but will not obey; when judgment comes they will know a prophet was among them.

Psalm 143:5

Context: David says, 'I muse on the work of thy hands,' illustrating that 'muse' means to meditate.

Luke 3:15

Context: The people 'mused in their hearts' about John the Baptist, showing 'muse' means to think or ponder.

Ezekiel 1:3

Context: Ezekiel was a priest called to be a prophet to the exiles in Babylon.

Ezekiel 4:1-3

Context: Ezekiel portrays a siege against Jerusalem as a sign to the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 12:1-6

Context: Ezekiel acts out going into captivity as a sign to the rebellious house.

Ezekiel 24:15-24

Context: God takes Ezekiel's wife and commands him not to mourn, as a sign of the coming desolation.

Ezekiel 24:26-27

Context: Ezekiel will be mute until a fugitive reports Jerusalem's fall; then he will speak and be a sign.

Ezekiel 2:3-8

Context: God sends Ezekiel to a rebellious nation, telling him they will not listen but he must speak anyway.

Ezekiel 3:4-11

Context: God tells Ezekiel the house of Israel will not hearken because they are impudent and hard-hearted; he is to speak whether they hear or not.

Ezekiel 20:49

Context: Ezekiel reports that the people say of him, 'Doth he not speak parables?'

John 8:47

Context: Jesus says those who are of God hear God's words; the Pharisees do not hear because they are not of God.

Ezekiel 21:1-3

Context: God gives a plain word of judgment against Israel, drawing His sword against the land.

Isaiah 29:13

Context: The people draw near with their lips but their hearts are far from God; their fear is taught by human precepts.

Colossians 3:5

Context: Covetousness is idolatry; believers are to mortify earthly members including covetousness.

Jeremiah 6:10

Context: Jeremiah asks to whom he can speak; their ears are uncircumcised, and the word of the Lord is a reproach to them.

Romans 8:29

Context: Believers are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Historical References

John Gill's Commentary on Ezekiel 33:30

Context: Weaver quotes Gill extensively, describing how the people spoke against Ezekiel privately, making fun of him, and came only to amuse themselves.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 33:32

Context: Henry compares Ezekiel's preaching to a lovely song or a concert; men's fancies may be pleased without their hearts being changed.

Matthew Henry on profaneness in making preaching sport

Context: Henry says those who turn preaching into ridicule have reached a great pitch of profaneness.

Septuagint rendering of Ezekiel 33:31

Context: Weaver mentions the Septuagint says 'because of lies in their mouth' regarding the people's false love.

Important Quotes

I can assure you that any God-called preacher and God-ordained preacher would be visibly upset and highly offended if you offered him a compliment and said, 'Pastor, I found your sermon very entertaining.'

Significance: Establishes the central premise that preaching is not for entertainment and that true preachers reject such a notion.

Entertainment and amusement bypass the brain and go straight to the emotions and straight to the desires. When someone is being amused, there is no cognitive ability necessary.

Significance: Explains the danger of amusement in spiritual contexts—it avoids thoughtful engagement with truth.

Success in God's eyes does not deal with numbers. It deals with faithfulness.

Significance: Key principle for ministry: faithfulness, not visible results, defines success before God.

They came to hear Ezekiel, not to be instructed, not to be warned, not to be taught, not to be counseled, not to be encouraged, not to be comforted. They came to Ezekiel to be entertained.

Significance: Summarizes the indictment of the Judahites and the core problem of treating preaching as amusement.

If the preaching of the Word of God does not bring repentance and obedience and faith in your life, you've just been entertained.

Significance: The main application: the test of whether preaching has been received as God's word or mere diversion.

You have to make sure that the Word of God is not a reproach in your life. You have to make sure that you delight in it. And the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it and apply it and bring your life into greater conformity to the Word of God.

Significance: Practical admonition on how to truly value Scripture—through obedience and application.

Discussion Questions

In what ways might modern church services unintentionally promote entertainment over genuine worship and obedience?

Context: Weaver describes how people want services to be 'short, sweet, and entertaining' and gives examples like the 'in by eight, out by eight-thirty' sign.

How does the definition of 'amusement' (a-muse, not to think) challenge the way we approach listening to sermons?

Context: Weaver explains that amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to emotions, requiring no cognitive effort.

Why is it possible to sit respectfully through a sermon and still not truly worship God?

Context: The Judahites 'sat before thee as my people' but their hearts were far from God; Weaver says respectful attendance alone is not worship.

What does it mean for covetousness to be idolatry, and how does that relate to disobedience to God's word?

Context: Weaver links Ezekiel 33:31 with Colossians 3:5, explaining that placing desires above God's commands is idolatry.

How can we evaluate whether we are truly delighting in God's word or merely being entertained by preaching?

Context: Weaver says delight comes through obeying and applying the word, not just enjoying the delivery or music.

Applications

Examine your heart's response to preaching.

Summary: Ask whether you come to church to be entertained or to hear and obey God's word. If your life is not changed, you have merely been amused.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'if the preaching of the Word of God does not bring repentance and obedience and faith in your life, you've just been entertained.'

Pursue obedience, not just hearing.

Summary: Delight in God's word by obeying it and applying it, bringing your life into conformity to Christ.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it and apply it.'

Guard against hypocrisy in worship.

Summary: Ensure that your outward reverence matches an inward love for God, not a heart pursuing covetousness or idolatry.

Evidence: Ezekiel 33:31 and Isaiah 29:13 are cited; Weaver warns against 'talking the talk' while the heart is far from God.

Value faithfulness over visible success.

Summary: In ministry and personal walk, measure success by faithfulness to God's calling, not by numbers or applause.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Success in God's eyes does not deal with numbers. It deals with faithfulness.'

Do not treat preaching as a performance.

Summary: Avoid evaluating sermons based on delivery style or entertainment value; focus on the truth and your response to it.

Evidence: Weaver recounts being told someone would drive 100 miles to watch him 'jump around,' illustrating misplaced focus.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T13:08:46Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T23:50:05Z

Clean Transcript

Preaching as Entertainment

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Okay, Ezekiel chapter 33, and we're going to be reading verses 30-33. Ezekiel 33, beginning there with verse 30. The Bible says, "Also thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses. And speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them."
#1 | 0:00 to 0:38 | cleaned
"For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. For they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, lo, it will come. Then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."
#2 | 0:38 to 1:00 | cleaned
The title of the message today is Preaching as Entertainment. Just stop and think about that title, Preaching as Entertainment. I can assure you that any God-called preacher and God-ordained preacher would be visibly upset and highly offended if you offered him a compliment and said, "Pastor, I found your sermon very entertaining." God's men, of course, are not called to entertain. They're called to preach, to teach, to counsel, to instruct, to command, to warn, to comfort, but not to entertain. Also, any serious-minded Christian who really, genuinely wants to obey the Lord and honor Him would also be highly offended and upset if the pastor asked them, "Did you find the message entertaining today?" Of course, you understand that entertainment is not a ministry of the church, and it should not be the goal of preaching. I think one of the sins of modern-day Christendom is the fact that preaching has become no more than entertainment for most people. And I think that you will understand this just a little bit later.
#3 | 1:02 to 2:21 | cleaned
Professing Christians these days are asking for services to be short, sweet, and entertaining. And of course, the truth of the matter is, they're not really interested in biblical preaching and teaching. They're not really interested in biblical and scriptural worship. They want to just simply get in, get a sermon in, and get out, and get on with their lives. It's just that simple. I know I've told you this in times past, but in light of this message, years ago, Alice and I were down in Florida, in Tampa, Florida, and my son-in-law was taking us out to supper, and we passed this Baptist church.
#4 | 2:21 to 3:01 | cleaned
And out on the marquee was this sign. I've never forgotten it. It said, "Come to our early morning service, in by eight, out by eight-thirty."
#5 | 3:03 to 3:13 | cleaned
Now just stop and think about that. In by 8, out by 8:30. You know a Baptist church is going to sing a couple of songs. You know they're going to take an offering. You know they're going to pray. And then they're going to have another song in closing and another prayer. So that probably meant five to ten minutes of preaching at the absolute most. And so all it was was just something simply to stab the consciences of people as they were going to the beach and spend their day at the beach. When you think about entertainment, if you will take the time and look up the word entertainment, you will find this definition. Listen carefully.
#6 | 3:15 to 3:52 | cleaned
The act of entertaining, agreeable occupation for the mind, diversion, amusement, something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement. Now, entertainment and amusement are closely related, and are often used interchangeably, and they are probably synonymous as well. But as you know, the word "muse" is in our Bible. The word "muse" actually means to think. It means to meditate. It means to turn it over in the mind, much like a cow chews the cud. Let me show you.
#7 | 3:52 to 4:34 | cleaned
Look in your Bibles, first of all, if you would please, to Psalm 143 and verse 5. And then we'll go to Luke chapter 3. Notice if you would, Psalm 143 and verse 5. Look what David said. Psalm 143 and verse 5. David said, "I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works. I muse on the work of thy hands." If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Luke 3 and verse 15. Luke 3 and verse 15.
#8 | 4:34 to 5:23 | cleaned
And here's what is said concerning John the Baptist. Notice if you would, Luke 3 and verse 15. The Bible says, "And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John whether he were the Christ or not." So people were thinking and meditating and turning it over in their mind as to whether or not John the Baptist was actually the Messiah. And of course, he was not. But they were thinking that. You know, of course, when you put the alpha or the "a" in front of the word "muse," it negates it.
#9 | 5:23 to 6:07 | cleaned
So if to muse means to think and to meditate, to amuse means that you do not think and you do not meditate. You see, entertainment and amusement bypass the brain and go straight to the emotions and straight to the desires. When someone is being amused, there is no cognitive ability necessary. You don't actually have to think. You don't have to do anything except just sit there and, quote unquote, enjoy your amusement or your entertainment. It's that simple.
#10 | 6:08 to 6:45 | cleaned
So if you look back in the book of Ezekiel chapter 33, because that's where I'm going to be dealing with this passage, we're going to find that in our text, God reveals to Ezekiel that which the people really and truly thought of his preaching. I'm going to show you that momentarily, but let me tell you about Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet. Ezekiel prophesied to the Judahites in Babylon. He prophesied to them before, during, and after the fall of Jerusalem. If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 1 and verse 3, you will find that Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet. Notice in Ezekiel 1 in verse 3, the Bible said, "...the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar. And the hand of the Lord was there upon him." But note, if you would, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest.
#11 | 6:46 to 8:02 | cleaned
Ezekiel had a very interesting life and a very interesting ministry. And it was not just his preaching and his teaching that were important. Things that he went through and things that he experienced were a sign not only to the Judahites that were in Babylon, but also to the Judahites that were in Jerusalem. For instance, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 4, if you would please. And of course, Ezekiel had to portray a siege against Jerusalem. Look, beginning there with verse 1. God says, "Now also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city of Jerusalem." So, draw a little outline of the city of Jerusalem, and lay siege against it.
#12 | 8:04 to 8:59 | cleaned
"And build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it. Set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover, thou shalt take unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city, and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it."
#13 | 9:01 to 9:22 | cleaned
Now look what he says, "This shall be a sign to the house of Israel." So here Ezekiel basically had to play army. I mean, he wasn't playing, but that's basically what he did. He built a little fort. He built battering rams. And God says, "This is a sign. This is what's going to happen." And of course, he had to lie on one side for a certain number of days and lie on another side for a certain number of days as he portrayed this siege. So people would ask, "What in the world is going on?" If you will look at Ezekiel 12. Ezekiel 12.
#14 | 9:22 to 9:53 | cleaned
Notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. Look what he says. "The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes that see and see not, they have ears that hear and hear not, for they are a rebellious house. Therefore thou, Son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight. And thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight. It may be they will consider though they be a rebellious house." Now watch carefully. "Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing, and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight as they that go forth into captivity. Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight. Thou shalt cover thy face that thou see not the ground. For I have set thee for a sign to the house of Israel."
#15 | 9:59 to 11:07 | cleaned
So notice if you would, Ezekiel has to break into his own house. He digs through the wall. He takes his furniture out. He takes his personal property out. And then he has to carry it to another place, because he is portraying and he is a sign that this is exactly what's going to happen to these people who are still in Jerusalem. So his life is entirely a sign. Look at Ezekiel 24.
#16 | 11:08 to 11:36 | cleaned
It's not just his preaching that's important, it's what happens to him. Do you realize that in Ezekiel chapter 24, God takes away his wife? And then God commands him not to weep, not to cry. Look at it. Ezekiel 24 and verse 15, "Also the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke," that is, his wife. "Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men."
#17 | 11:36 to 12:23 | cleaned
"So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword."
#18 | 12:24 to 12:54 | cleaned
"And ye shall do as I have done. Ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet. And ye shall not mourn or weep, but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign. According to all that he hath done shall ye do."
#19 | 12:55 to 13:15 | cleaned
"And when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord." And by the way, did you know that even after Ezekiel had prophesied and preached, there was a time that God said to Ezekiel, "You're going to be mute. You're going to be dumb. You're not going to be able to speak until someone escapes from Jerusalem and tells you that Jerusalem has fallen." Look down in the same chapter, Ezekiel 24, and notice, if you would please, at verse 26. He says that, "...he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears," that is, Jerusalem is fallen. "In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb, and thou shalt be a sign unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord." Now, Ezekiel was an individual who had a very interesting ministry, to say the least.
#20 | 13:16 to 14:16 | cleaned
His life, as well as His words, spoke volumes not only to those Judahites who were already in Babylon, but also to those Judahites who were left in the land of Judea. And the interesting thing is, God told Ezekiel before he ever began preaching that the people were not going to listen. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 2. Ezekiel 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 3, and listen carefully to what God tells Ezekiel. Ezekiel 2, verse 3, "And He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me.
#21 | 14:18 to 15:12 | cleaned
They and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiff-hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house, yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee." So God is telling him that the people to whom he's going to preach and teach are impudent, stiff-hearted, and rebellious.
#22 | 15:13 to 16:22 | cleaned
Now if you'll skip over to chapter 3 and begin looking there at verse 4. Ezekiel 3 and verse 4. "Then he said unto me, Son of man, go get thee into the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them."
#23 | 16:23 to 16:37 | cleaned
Now watch verses 5 and 6. "For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of a hard language, but of the house of Israel." In other words, you don't have to learn a foreign tongue. "...not to many people of a strange speech, or of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand." And look what God now says, "...surely had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee. For they will not hearken unto me. For all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted."
#24 | 16:37 to 17:18 | cleaned
"Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads, as an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead. Fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears, and go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear."
#25 | 17:19 to 17:54 | cleaned
Now, here's twice in two chapters that God has basically told Ezekiel, "You're going to be preaching to your own people. You don't have to learn a foreign language. But let me just explain this to you. The people to whom you're going to be preaching are rebellious and stiff-hearted. They're not going to hear. They're not going to listen to you." So here's my question. How many preachers do you know would really enjoy having a ministry in which nobody listened to them? There were no converts. There was no revival.
#26 | 17:55 to 18:34 | cleaned
Which, by the way, ought to teach us something. Success in God's eyes does not deal with numbers. It deals with faithfulness. Ezekiel was faithful to the ministry that God gave him. And he was successful in the eyes of God. Now, here's my question. We're going to be looking at Ezekiel 33. And I'm going to try to be expounding that passage. But in light of the fact that God has called Ezekiel, and God has told Ezekiel that the people are not going to listen to you, they're not going to repent, they're a rebellious house. If they are not going to listen, and if they're not going to obey, why would they continually come to hear Ezekiel preach and teach? Go back to Ezekiel chapter 33, and let's begin at verse 30.
#27 | 18:35 to 19:42 | cleaned
I want you to see this. Look, if you would, what was actually happening. You see now God has called him. His whole life is a sign. His ministry is to his own people. Look what God says in verse 30. Ezekiel 33, He said, "Also thou son of man, the children of thy people are still talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses."
#28 | 19:42 to 20:09 | cleaned
"And speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord." Now, notice if you would how God talks to Ezekiel. I find it interesting, He says in verse 30, "Also thou son of man, the children of thy people." He didn't say "my people" or "my children." God is not acknowledging them as His people at this particular point. He says they're the children of thy people. In other words, they might be your fleshly brethren, but they're certainly not mine. So that's exactly what He's telling him in verse 30. And then He says they are talking against thee by the walls and by the doors of the houses. Actually, while they were talking about Ezekiel and concerning Ezekiel, they were actually talking against Ezekiel. Interestingly, it is by the walls and the doors.
#29 | 20:10 to 21:18 | cleaned
I want to give you a quote from John Gill. John Gill hits the nail on the head when he's explaining verse 30. He says this, "These speak against the prophet. They could not say that he was no prophet. He had his credentials and commissions from the Lord, which were well known, and many of his prophecies had been fulfilled. They could not speak against his doctrine, which was of God.
#30 | 21:19 to 21:50 | cleaned
nor against his conversation or conduct which was agreeable to his character and office. But they said some things in a ludicrous and jovial manner, in a sliding and contemptuous way, as showed that they had little reverence and respect for him. They were careless and indifferent about hearing him, at least had little regard to this matter, or the subject of his ministry, which they had no great value for.
#31 | 21:50 to 22:25 | cleaned
And this they did still. They had been long at it. It was their common talk and constant business, though the prophet knew nothing about it. And though they had the greatest respect for him, speaking fair to his face, or thought they had the greatest respect for him, speaking fair to his face and behaving with decency toward him, but the Lord knew it, and resented it, and informs him of it.
#32 | 22:26 to 22:51 | cleaned
And this they did continually from time to time by the walls, and in the doors of the houses, privately and secretly. By the walls, that is where they used to get together and sun themselves, and pass away their time by talking against the prophet. And when they did, they would place themselves against the walls that nobody might overhear them. And they would sometimes stand in the porches of their houses, and as their neighbors and acquaintances passed by, would call them in and hold a chat about the prophet, and jeer and laugh at him, and what he had said, and speak one to another, every man to his brother, saying, Come, I pray
#33 | 22:52 to 23:32 | cleaned
you, and hear what is the word that cometh from the Lord. Let us go and amuse ourselves for an hour or two with the prophet. Perhaps we shall hear some new thing which may be pleasing and diverting. They came, not for their spiritual profit, but to have their ears tickled and their fancies pleased." Oh, John Gill hit it right on the head. They were talking about him. They were talking against him.
#34 | 23:32 to 24:04 | cleaned
They were actually making fun of him, that he actually believed what he was preaching. Now, I want you to turn to Ezekiel chapter 20 because this may have been one of the complaints that they talked about him because even Ezekiel acknowledges this. In fact, this is what Ezekiel says. Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 49, "Then said I, O Lord God, they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?"
#35 | 24:06 to 24:43 | cleaned
In other words, they're saying, "Well, I understand what he's saying. He's speaking in parables." Well, he may have been speaking plainly. But you know what our Lord said concerning the Pharisees in John 8 and verse 47? He said it like this: "He that is of God heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." Isn't that amazing? "He that is of God heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." So, these people who certainly were not of God would not understand however plainly Ezekiel spoke. But if they wanted to complain that he's speaking in parables, and he was hard to be understood, I want you to look at chapter 21, verses 1-3, because God gives him a word that is very plainly understood.
#36 | 24:44 to 25:39 | cleaned
"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked." I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty plain to me.
#37 | 25:40 to 26:06 | cleaned
And certainly that would give them something a little more to talk about, I am sure. Now, interestingly, let's go back to Ezekiel 33, because you see now in verse 30, they're just simply talking against Ezekiel. They're making fun of him. I want you to look at verse 31. God is still talking about the same people. He says, "...they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them.
#38 | 26:07 to 26:46 | cleaned
For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Now, let me point something out that I think it's important for you to consider. These people were not troublemakers. They were not rabble-rousers. They were not defiant. They were not shaking their fists in the face of Ezekiel and threatening Ezekiel. No! They were coming and sitting respectfully, listening to everything that he had to say. Wow! Remember, if you look back in verse 30, what is it they say in the last?
#39 | 26:47 to 27:35 | cleaned
"Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord." So here is a group of people who are coming now and sitting there and listening to everything that Ezekiel has to say. However, there's a threefold problem. First, although they heard the word of God, they refused to obey. He says, "And they hear thy words, but they will not do them." So here was a stubborn, rebellious people who heard, but they refused to obey.
#40 | 27:35 to 28:14 | cleaned
They would not apply the truth. They would not practice the truth. They just refused to obey. Secondly, they were hypocrites. He said in verse 31, "For with their mouth they show much love." In other words, they were all talk. There was nothing in their life that was genuine and sincere. There was no substance to their lives. Just simply talk. If you would hold Ezekiel 33, but look back in your Bibles to Isaiah 29 and verse 13, you'll see Isaiah dealt with this same problem. And by the way, Isaiah 29, verse 13 is also quoted in the New Testament by our Lord. Here's an apt illustration of what is happening in Ezekiel 33, verse 31. Watch Isaiah 29, verse 13.
#41 | 28:14 to 29:15 | cleaned
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but remove their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." So God said, here's a people that know how to talk the talk. They know the lingo. They can say, "Yes, the Lord is gracious. Yes, the Lord is true. Yes, the Lord is alive. Yes, the Lord is the real sovereign God of heaven and earth." They know how to talk. They can use their lips, they can use their mouth, but their heart is far from Him, and the only thing they know about God is what they have been taught by man. God has never taught them.
#42 | 29:15 to 29:58 | cleaned
They've been raised in church, they've been raised in a Christian school, so to speak. They've heard it all their lives from men. God's never dealt in their hearts. And so He says, they talk a good talk with their mouth, but their heart is far from Him. That is exactly what is happening in Ezekiel 33 and verse 31. So, first of all, they refused to obey. Secondly, they were hypocrites. And thirdly, the reason they refused to obey is because they were idolaters. Look in verse 31 again, the latter part, He said, "but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Their heart goes after their covetousness. You know what covetousness is? Covetousness is when you desire something that is not yours, and it's contrary to God, or something that you place above God.
#43 | 30:01 to 31:02 | cleaned
For instance, let's suppose that Gary was a multi-millionaire. Now, he's not, but let's suppose he was. Multi-millionaire. And I sit here and I think, "Oh man, man, man, I'd love to have his money. Oh, that man's got money coming out of his ears." If I'm sitting here coveting his money, that's sin. That's wickedness. I can covet a man's wife. I could covet a man's automobile.
#44 | 31:03 to 31:30 | cleaned
Let me show you the problem with covetousness. Remember now, He says, "their heart goeth after their covetousness." Okay? Hold Ezekiel 33. Turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and look at verse 5. Colossians 3 and verse 5. Here is the problem with covetousness. Colossians 3 verse 5. God says, "Mortify," that means to make dead. "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry." Now, how can covetousness be idolatry? Well, it's very simple. If God says, "Thou shalt not steal," and I scheme and plan to take some of Gary's money from him, I'm violating the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." And I'm placing myself and my desires ahead of God and his commandments. Thus I'm an idolater. Hey, that's exactly what God is saying about these people. He says they won't obey. They're all talk. And the reason they won't obey and the reason they won't talk is because they're covetous and their covetousness is idolatry.
#45 | 31:31 to 33:02 | cleaned
They don't really worship me. They don't really know me. They have no desire for me. So here is the important thing. Look what he says again in verse 31. Ezekiel 33. He says, "And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee, as My people," notice, "and they sit before Thee as My people." So here then were these people who would come, professing to be God's people, sitting respectfully, listening to all that Ezekiel had to say, and with their mouth they showed much love and much adoration. They were nice and pleasant, respectful, but their hearts were far from God and far from Ezekiel. As the Septuagint puts it, it's because of lies in their mouth. They said they loved God, but of course they did not.
#46 | 33:03 to 34:16 | cleaned
They were hearers of the word, but not doers. And by the way, I hope you understand that is basically the sad state of modern-day Christendom. People go to church all the time. They hear all the time, but they do not obey. They do not bring their lives into conformity to the Word of God. I've preached for 53 years, soon to be 54. I have no idea how many churches I've preached in in my life.
#47 | 34:16 to 34:51 | cleaned
traveling all around this country. But an interesting thing is this. When you preach, you get to looking at the congregation. And there are some people that are sitting there kind of like this. It's just a blank stare. And you wonder, is anything registering? And then others are kind of looking out the window. Did that bird just light on that limb? Or some little kid gets up and goes to the bathroom and everybody watches him all the way, like they've never seen a kid go to the bathroom before. I mean, you know, you just sit there and you think, that person's daydreaming.
#48 | 34:52 to 35:35 | cleaned
That person is not listening. That person is sitting there planning his whole week. It's true. All you have to do is just kind of look around and look at people, and you will find they're just sitting there. Wow! Well, here's what God said. God said, sooner or later, they're going to find out that a prophet had been among them. He gave them the Word of God. They should have heard. They should have listened.
#49 | 35:35 to 36:15 | cleaned
They should have obeyed, but they did not. And everything that they had heard and everything that they should have obeyed is now going to be for their condemnation and not their blessing. So I want you to look at verse 32. Because when you get to verse 32, God reveals why these people kept coming. Remember, they refused to obey. They were all talk and they were idolaters. So why would they keep coming? Well, look at it in verse 32. God says to Ezekiel, "And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument.
#50 | 36:15 to 37:03 | cleaned
For they hear thy words, but they do them not." Wow! They came to hear Ezekiel, not to be instructed, not to be warned, not to be taught, not to be counseled, not to be encouraged, not to be comforted. They came to Ezekiel to be entertained. It was a pleasant way to pass the time and receive a little amusement. Matthew Henry in his commentary said this, on this passage. Listen.
#51 | 37:04 to 37:49 | cleaned
"Thou art unto them a very lovely song. Ezekiel's matter was surprising, his language fine, his expressions elegant, his similitudes apt, his voice melodious, and his delivery graceful, so that they could sit with as much pleasure and hear him preach, as if I may speak in the language of our times, to see a play or an opera, or to hear a concert of music. Ezekiel was to them as one that had a pleasant voice, and could sing well or play well on an instrument."
#52 | 37:51 to 38:28 | cleaned
And then he adds this, note, "Men may have their fancies pleased by the word, and yet not have their consciences touched, nor their hearts changed, the itching ear gratified, and yet not the corrupt nature sanctified." Hmm. You know, it's interesting that that is true today. I usually have to make a confession. When I first started preaching, I did not stand behind a pulpit as such. I would start behind the pulpit, but I would move around.
#53 | 38:28 to 39:14 | cleaned
I would be on this side of the auditorium, that side of the auditorium. I was preaching. And I was quite active. Of course, I was younger, had a lot of energy, and I was very enthused about what I was saying. And I remember in one little town in Alabama, after I got through preaching, one lady came up to me after service and said, "If you could let me know, if you're ever within a hundred miles of this area, I would like to come hear you preach." She said, "I would drive a hundred miles just to watch you jump around and hear you talk." I said, "Lady, I don't think it will do you a bit of good, but..."
#54 | 39:15 to 39:53 | cleaned
You say, "Well, how did you learn to stand still?" Well, that's when cameras came out. And one of my pastor friends said, "You've got to make up your mind whether you want to be on a camera or not." He said, "If you're going to be on a camera, you've got to stand still." I said, "Okay, I'll stand still." But I'm just simply pointing out, that's the way it is with people. You know, easily entertained. And anything that will entertain them, whether it's spiritual or not, is immaterial, they'll go for entertainment. I'm afraid that is where most of our churches are today, just simply for entertainment.
#55 | 39:55 to 40:31 | cleaned
Now, look in verse 33. Ezekiel 33, verse 33, God says, "And when this cometh to pass, and lo, it will," because God had prophesied it, God told it, Ezekiel preached it, "then they shall know that a prophet hath been among them." In other words, they will know that here's a man we should have listened to, we should have heard, we should have obeyed, but we did not. It will be too late for them, it will not benefit them, but they will know that a prophet of God had been among them.
#56 | 40:31 to 41:12 | cleaned
Now, I want to make some applications. And I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say, because my first application is the whole point of this message. Okay? I preached everything that I've preached just to say this. Do not miss this point. When one does not hear, when one does not obey, when one does not heed the preached Word of God, practically speaking, all the service has been is entertainment. A diversion.
#57 | 41:12 to 41:50 | cleaned
Something that affords you a little bit of pleasure and an opportunity to pass some time. That's what he's saying to Ezekiel. They just come to sit before you not to obey, but to be entertained. I've heard people say, "I just love to look at those stained glass windows. Oh, I love to see the choir in those robes and hear that beautiful choir music. Or I love to hear that special music. I just enjoy hearing my preacher preach." Really.
#58 | 41:51 to 42:29 | cleaned
But the question is, has your life been changed? Have you become more obedient? Have you become more repentant? Have you become more conformed to the Word of God and to the Lord Jesus Christ? In other words, if the preaching of the Word of God does not bring repentance and obedience and faith in your life, you've just been entertained. That's it. Matthew Henry said this, "Those have arrived at a great pitch of profaneness, who can make so great a privilege and so great a duty as the preaching and hearing of the Word of God a matter of sport and ridicule, yea, though it be not done publicly, but in private conversation among themselves.
#59 | 42:30 to 43:35 | cleaned
Then it says serious things should be spoken of seriously." Now what is Matthew Henry talking about? Well, I learned early in my ministry, and all of you probably know this, that there is a term that goes around that's called "roast preacher." In other words, when people don't like what is being preached, they usually attack the preacher. They talk about him in some way. And it's not whether I agree or disagree. Oh, they'll talk about that as well. It's not whether or not something is biblical, whether something is scriptural. "Well, I just disagree with him." "Well, I don't like the way he said it." It doesn't matter that it's biblical. They just get intent over the way something was said.
#60 | 43:36 to 44:28 | cleaned
I never will forget years ago, I was preaching and I was giving an illustration that I heard. In fact, I was there. There were four young men who were making fun of the preacher and of the worship service. Four young men. And they weren't heathen either. They were professing Christians. But anyhow, the preacher got upset with them. And he said, "Young men," he said, "you came in here, if you came in here to worship and to honor the Lord, you're welcome to stay. But if you came in here just to mock and to make fun and ridicule, there are four doors here. You can hit either one of them on the way out." And I just use that as an illustration. And my point was, when you come to church, you come to worship.
#61 | 44:28 to 45:22 | cleaned
Well, if I remember correctly, we probably had about 120, 130 people in the congregation that day. And so after service was over, this one man came running up to me and he said, very upset, "Why do you want me to leave the church?" I said, "What are you talking about? I don't want you to leave the church." Well, he said, "You were looking right at me when you said, 'There are four doors here.' You didn't even want them all the way out." I said, "Sir, first of all, I didn't even see you. Secondly, I would have to be looking at somebody when I said it." You see what I'm talking about? My goodness! It's not whether something is biblical or right. It's just whether we like it or we don't like it. I preached in a little church in Oglethorpe, Georgia. The church service started at 11.
#62 | 45:23 to 46:25 | cleaned
They sang until 15 to 12. And they were telling me how much they loved singing. Well, I stood up to preach. And I said, "I love singing as much as anyone, but I think the Word of God has to have the preeminence." And I said, "I've got a little rule. Always preach at least twice as long as the congregation sings." So I preached for an hour and a half that morning. Well, I was invited to go home with the family afterwards because I was going to preach there that night and have dinner. And oh, the woman was very upset, and she let me know very curtly that the roast was burned because I preached past twelve o'clock.
#63 | 46:25 to 47:13 | cleaned
She had it set to be done at twelve, and she didn't get out till one or after. You see, people come to get out. They never come to get in. If you ever got in with God, you wouldn't care what time you got out, but that's okay. And so anyhow, that night when I went back to preach, they sang five minutes and quit. They really, really loved to sing, you can tell. But I preached an hour anyhow. I mean, I'm pointing out, this is exactly what was happening in Ezekiel's time.
#64 | 47:13 to 47:45 | cleaned
They're talking about the prophet. And Matthew Henry is saying, man, you have to reach the epitome of profaneness to take something as serious as the preaching and teaching of the Word of God and turn it into sport and ridicule. Here's another thing. Listen to this. He said in verse 31, "And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as mine people." Do you realize that worship is far more than behaving yourself decently and reverently in a public assembly? You may not be whispering, you may not be laughing or gazing about or sleeping, but if you sit there listening to that sermon wishing everything would be over and you could get out and get on with your life and do what you need to do, you haven't worshipped God at all. Just because a people come and sit respectfully and listen reverently does not mean that they have worshipped God. These people had their heart far, far from Him. If you'll look in verse 33, he says it like this, "And when this cometh to pass, and lo, it will come to pass, then they shall know that a prophet hath been among them."
#65 | 47:47 to 49:29 | cleaned
One thing is for sure, that sooner or later you will discover, as did the Judahites, that the word of God is true and should be obeyed. You may discover it too late, yet you will discover it. Here's my admonition. Do not place yourself in the position of these Judahites. I want you to turn back to the book of Jeremiah chapter 6 and look, if you would please, at verse 10. In light of everything that I've preached today, let this admonition remain with you. Jeremiah 6 and verse 10. Jeremiah asked this question, "To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear?
#66 | 49:31 to 50:27 | cleaned
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken. Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach. They have no delight in it." You have to make sure that the Word of God is not a reproach in your life. You have to make sure that you delight in it. And the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it and apply it and bring your life into greater conformity to the Word of God.
#67 | 50:29 to 51:06 | cleaned
May I remind you, according to Romans chapter 8 and verse 29, we've been predestinated to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And if we're conformed to His image, if we're made to liken Him, it's going to be through obedience to the Word of God. If we are not obeying what is taught, preaching is nothing more than entertainment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for the life of Ezekiel. And I ask, Father, that You would help us to learn and help us to obey and bring our lives into conformity to Your Word. Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.
#68 | 51:06 to 52:12 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T13:08:46Z

Preaching as Entertainment

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Ezekiel 33:30-33, showing that the Judahites came to hear Ezekiel not to obey God's word but to be entertained. He warns that when preaching does not lead to repentance and obedience, it becomes mere amusement. Applications urge self-examination to ensure hearing results in doing, lest the preached word become only a diversion.

Opening

Okay, Ezekiel chapter 33, and we're going to be reading verses 30-33. Ezekiel 33, beginning there with verse 30. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:30-33

"Also thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses. And speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them." "For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. For they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, lo, it will come. Then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."

Introduction: The Offense of Entertainment in Preaching

Weaver asserts that God-called preachers are not entertainers, and serious Christians should not seek entertainment from sermons. Modern Christendom has reduced preaching to amusement.

Defining Entertainment and Amusement

Entertainment is defined as diversion or amusement. The word 'muse' means to think; adding 'a' negates it, so amusement bypasses the mind and appeals to emotions.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 143:5

"I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works. I muse on the work of thy hands."

If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Luke 3 and verse 15. Luke 3 and verse 15.

And here's what is said concerning John the Baptist. Notice if you would, Luke 3 and verse 15. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Luke 3:15

"And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John whether he were the Christ or not."

Ezekiel's Ministry and the People's Rebellion

Ezekiel was a priest called as a prophet to rebellious Judahites. God told him they would not listen, yet he was to be faithful regardless of response.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 1:3

"...the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar. And the hand of the Lord was there upon him."

But note, if you would, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 4:1-3

"And build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it. Set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover, thou shalt take unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city, and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it."

Now look what he says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 4:1-3

"This shall be a sign to the house of Israel."

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:15-24

"Also the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke,"

that is, his wife.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:15-24

"Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men."

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:26-27

"And when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:26-27

"...he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears,"

that is, Jerusalem is fallen.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:26-27

"In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb, and thou shalt be a sign unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord."

Now, Ezekiel was an individual who had a very interesting ministry, to say the least.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 2:3-8

"And He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiff-hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house, yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee."

So God is telling him that the people to whom he's going to preach and teach are impudent, stiff-hearted, and rebellious.

Now if you'll skip over to chapter 3 and begin looking there at verse 4. Ezekiel 3 and verse 4.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"Then he said unto me, Son of man, go get thee into the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them."

Now watch verses 5 and 6.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of a hard language, but of the house of Israel."

In other words, you don't have to learn a foreign tongue.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"...not to many people of a strange speech, or of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand."

And look what God now says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 3:4-11

"...surely had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee. For they will not hearken unto me. For all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted."

The People's Hypocritical Attendance (Ezekiel 33:30-31)

The people spoke against Ezekiel privately but came respectfully to hear him. They heard but refused to obey, showed love with their mouths, but their hearts pursued covetousness (idolatry).

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 20:49

In other words, they're saying, "Well, I understand what he's saying. He's speaking in parables." Well, he may have been speaking plainly. But you know what our Lord said concerning the Pharisees in John 8 and verse 47? He said it like this: "He that is of God heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." Isn't that amazing? "He that is of God heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." So, these people who certainly were not of God would not understand however plainly Ezekiel spoke. But if they wanted to complain that he's speaking in parables, and he was hard to be understood, I want you to look at chapter 21, verses 1-3, because God gives him a word that is very plainly understood.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 21:1-3

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked."

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:5

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry."

Preaching as a 'Lovely Song' (Ezekiel 33:32)

God reveals that to the people, Ezekiel was like a singer with a pleasant voice—they came for entertainment, not to heed the word.

The Certainty of Judgment (Ezekiel 33:33)

When the prophesied judgment comes, they will know a prophet had been among them, but it will be too late for their benefit.

Application: When Hearing Becomes Entertainment

If preaching does not produce repentance, obedience, and conformity to Christ, it has been only entertainment. True worship requires more than respectful attendance.

Admonition: Delight in God's Word Through Obedience

Using Jeremiah 6:10, Weaver urges that the word must not be a reproach; delight comes by obeying and applying it, being conformed to Christ's image.

Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken. Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach. They have no delight in it.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29

" You have to make sure that the Word of God is not a reproach in your life. You have to make sure that you delight in it. And the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it and apply it and bring your life into greater conformity to the Word of God. May I remind you, according to Romans chapter 8 and verse 29, we've been predestinated to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And if we're conformed to His image, if we're made to liken Him, it's going to be through obedience to the Word of God. If we are not obeying what is taught, preaching is nothing more than entertainment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for the life of Ezekiel. And I ask, Father, that You would help us to learn and help us to obey and bring our lives into conformity to Your Word. Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.

Preaching as Entertainment

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1115172211598
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Worship, Sacraments, and the Lord's Supper
Genre	Sermon
Date	2017-11-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 039: Church Order and Worship - Volume 1 — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	68

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Offense of Entertainment in Preaching: Weaver asserts that God-called preachers are not entertainers, and serious Christians should not seek entertainment from sermons. Modern Christendom has reduced preaching to amusement.
Defining Entertainment and Amusement: Entertainment is defined as diversion or amusement. The word 'muse' means to think; adding 'a' negates it, so amusement bypasses the mind and appeals to emotions.
Ezekiel's Ministry and the People's Rebellion: Ezekiel was a priest called as a prophet to rebellious Judahites. God told him they would not listen, yet he was to be faithful regardless of response.
The People's Hypocritical Attendance (Ezekiel 33:30-31): The people spoke against Ezekiel privately but came respectfully to hear him. They heard but refused to obey, showed love with their mouths, but their hearts pursued covetousness (idolatry).
Preaching as a 'Lovely Song' (Ezekiel 33:32): God reveals that to the people, Ezekiel was like a singer with a pleasant voice—they came for entertainment, not to heed the word.
The Certainty of Judgment (Ezekiel 33:33): When the prophesied judgment comes, they will know a prophet had been among them, but it will be too late for their benefit.
Application: When Hearing Becomes Entertainment: If preaching does not produce repentance, obedience, and conformity to Christ, it has been only entertainment. True worship requires more than respectful attendance.
Admonition: Delight in God's Word Through Obedience: Using Jeremiah 6:10, Weaver urges that the word must not be a reproach; delight comes by obeying and applying it, being conformed to Christ's image.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Entertainment bypasses the mind and negates meditation.

Amusement (a-muse) means not to think; it appeals to emotions rather than engaging the intellect, making it unsuitable for preaching.

Weaver defines 'muse' as to meditate (Psalm 143:5; Luke 3:15) and explains that adding 'a' negates it, so amusement requires no cognitive effort.

The people came to Ezekiel for entertainment, not instruction.

Despite their rebellion, they attended because his preaching was like a pleasant performance, not because they intended to obey.

Ezekiel 33:32: 'thou art unto them as a very lovely song...' John Gill's commentary is cited: they came 'to have their ears tickled and their fancies pleased.'

Covetousness is idolatry and the root of disobedience.

The people's hearts went after covetousness, which Colossians 3:5 equates with idolatry, explaining why they would not obey God's word.

Weaver cites Colossians 3:5 and explains that placing desires above God's commands is idolatry.

Respectful attendance does not equal true worship.

Sitting quietly and listening reverently is not worship if the heart is far from God and there is no intent to obey.

Weaver states, 'if you sit there listening... wishing everything would be over... you haven't worshipped God at all,' referencing Ezekiel 33:31.

Obedience is the only antidote to making preaching entertainment.

To prevent the word from becoming a reproach, one must delight in it by obeying and applying it, conforming to Christ.

Jeremiah 6:10 and Romans 8:29 are cited; Weaver says, 'the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 33:30-33: Primary text: the people talk against Ezekiel, come to hear as a lovely song, but will not obey; when judgment comes they will know a prophet was among them.
Psalm 143:5: David says, 'I muse on the work of thy hands,' illustrating that 'muse' means to meditate.
Luke 3:15: The people 'mused in their hearts' about John the Baptist, showing 'muse' means to think or ponder.
Ezekiel 1:3: Ezekiel was a priest called to be a prophet to the exiles in Babylon.
Ezekiel 4:1-3: Ezekiel portrays a siege against Jerusalem as a sign to the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 12:1-6: Ezekiel acts out going into captivity as a sign to the rebellious house.
Ezekiel 24:15-24: God takes Ezekiel's wife and commands him not to mourn, as a sign of the coming desolation.
Ezekiel 24:26-27: Ezekiel will be mute until a fugitive reports Jerusalem's fall; then he will speak and be a sign.
Ezekiel 2:3-8: God sends Ezekiel to a rebellious nation, telling him they will not listen but he must speak anyway.
Ezekiel 3:4-11: God tells Ezekiel the house of Israel will not hearken because they are impudent and hard-hearted; he is to speak whether they hear or not.
Ezekiel 20:49: Ezekiel reports that the people say of him, 'Doth he not speak parables?'
John 8:47: Jesus says those who are of God hear God's words; the Pharisees do not hear because they are not of God.
Ezekiel 21:1-3: God gives a plain word of judgment against Israel, drawing His sword against the land.
Isaiah 29:13: The people draw near with their lips but their hearts are far from God; their fear is taught by human precepts.
Colossians 3:5: Covetousness is idolatry; believers are to mortify earthly members including covetousness.
Jeremiah 6:10: Jeremiah asks to whom he can speak; their ears are uncircumcised, and the word of the Lord is a reproach to them.
Romans 8:29: Believers are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Historical References

John Gill's Commentary on Ezekiel 33:30: Weaver quotes Gill extensively, describing how the people spoke against Ezekiel privately, making fun of him, and came only to amuse themselves.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 33:32: Henry compares Ezekiel's preaching to a lovely song or a concert; men's fancies may be pleased without their hearts being changed.
Matthew Henry on profaneness in making preaching sport: Henry says those who turn preaching into ridicule have reached a great pitch of profaneness.
Septuagint rendering of Ezekiel 33:31: Weaver mentions the Septuagint says 'because of lies in their mouth' regarding the people's false love.

Important Quotes

I can assure you that any God-called preacher and God-ordained preacher would be visibly upset and highly offended if you offered him a compliment and said, 'Pastor, I found your sermon very entertaining.'

Establishes the central premise that preaching is not for entertainment and that true preachers reject such a notion.

Entertainment and amusement bypass the brain and go straight to the emotions and straight to the desires. When someone is being amused, there is no cognitive ability necessary.

Explains the danger of amusement in spiritual contexts—it avoids thoughtful engagement with truth.

Success in God's eyes does not deal with numbers. It deals with faithfulness.

Key principle for ministry: faithfulness, not visible results, defines success before God.

They came to hear Ezekiel, not to be instructed, not to be warned, not to be taught, not to be counseled, not to be encouraged, not to be comforted. They came to Ezekiel to be entertained.

Summarizes the indictment of the Judahites and the core problem of treating preaching as amusement.

If the preaching of the Word of God does not bring repentance and obedience and faith in your life, you've just been entertained.

The main application: the test of whether preaching has been received as God's word or mere diversion.

You have to make sure that the Word of God is not a reproach in your life. You have to make sure that you delight in it. And the way you delight in it is when you hear it, you obey it and apply it and bring your life into greater conformity to the Word of God.

Practical admonition on how to truly value Scripture—through obedience and application.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways might modern church services unintentionally promote entertainment over genuine worship and obedience?

[Context]

Weaver describes how people want services to be 'short, sweet, and entertaining' and gives examples like the 'in by eight, out by eight-thirty' sign.

[Question]

How does the definition of 'amusement' (a-muse, not to think) challenge the way we approach listening to sermons?

[Context]

Weaver explains that amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to emotions, requiring no cognitive effort.

[Question]

Why is it possible to sit respectfully through a sermon and still not truly worship God?

[Context]

The Judahites 'sat before thee as my people' but their hearts were far from God; Weaver says respectful attendance alone is not worship.

[Question]

What does it mean for covetousness to be idolatry, and how does that relate to disobedience to God's word?

[Context]

Weaver links Ezekiel 33:31 with Colossians 3:5, explaining that placing desires above God's commands is idolatry.

[Question]

How can we evaluate whether we are truly delighting in God's word or merely being entertained by preaching?

[Context]

Weaver says delight comes through obeying and applying the word, not just enjoying the delivery or music.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T23:50:05Z