Grace & Truth: Don’t miss it!
Pastor Kent Landhuis
Today's message will mention this sermon audio from Tim Keller: "God Our Lover"
THEME - Use Biblical prophecy to focus on what matters most.
TEXT - Ezekiel 16
1. Ezekiel’s weird, misunderstood mission.
Ezekiel 1.
A vision of God.
2. Ezekiel’s weird, disregarded visions.
Act 1 - Ezekiel 16:1-14.
Act 2 - Ezekiel 16:15-59.
Act 3 - Ezekiel 16:60-63.
3. Ezekiel’s weird, overlooked message.
Ezekiel 45-48.
And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there. Ezekiel 48:35
NEXT STEPS
1. Embrace God’s passionate love.
2. Enjoy apocalyptic prophecy.
GO DEEPER
A Brief Guide to Apocalyptic Prophecy
Books like Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation are filled with weird symbols and visions. The authors reveal divine truths through imagery that invites us to pay attention to several layers.
Remember this:
1. Focus on the historical context. The first layer is always the message the author wanted the immediate audience to grasp.
2. Next study the symbols and imagery as they are used throughout the Bible. The meaning of these symbols remains consistent throughout the Bible.
3. The next layer is to understand what these passages teach us about God. And in particular, how these prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus.
4. The final layer asks how these prophecies might be fulfilled again today or in the future.
Be Careful:
1. Don’t lose the big picture of the battle between good and evil and God’s ultimate victory over evil.
2. Avoid over-interpreting every detail; instead, focus on the prophetic themes of hope and the establishment of God’s kingdom.
3. Do not interpret symbolic language literally. The authors describe complex ideas in terms that would have been understandable to the original audience.
4. Resist the temptation to get carried away by elaborate schemes that assign a specific modern meaning to every symbol.
When we read these books, we take the authors at their word when they explain what they hope to tell us.
Ezekiel is clear in chapter 1 verse 1: “I saw visions of God.” John is clear in Revelations 1:1 “The revelation of Jesus”.
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