EZEKIEL 25-29 WHEN YOU ARE NOT FULLY SUBMITTED2016 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Ezekiel 25-29 When You Are Not Fully Submitted

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2016. Well, this morning as we look at Ezekiel chapter 25, we'll actually be working our way from chapter 25 through chapter 29. I've titled the message...

when you are not fully submitted. And we'll be looking at some indications and some areas where we can check our hearts, check our lives, and see if we are not submitted to the Lord. And it's really based on a phrase that's repeated several times in the passage we read today. You might have noticed it in verse 5.

The Lord says that Rabbah will be a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. And then you shall know that I am the Lord. And he says that again in verse 7. He says, I will destroy you at the end of verse 7. And he says, and you shall know that I am Lord.

And then in verse 11, talking to Moab, he says, And so you can see very clearly here, it's very important for God or to God for the people to know that he is the Lord. And that's repeated several times in this chapter, but it's beyond this chapter. It's a phrase that's repeated all throughout the book of Ezekiel.

As Ezekiel is prophesying on behalf of God, this is one of the objectives and purposes of

that God is seeking to establish and help people to understand and know that he is the Lord. And so throughout Ezekiel's prophecies, that phrase is used about 62 times. Then they will know, or then you will know that I am the Lord. And it's not just the nation of Israel that God is dealing with here. But

We've been looking at the book of Ezekiel as we work our way through the Bible in three years. And so we've been reading this week chapters 25 through 32.

Now, the first part of the book, chapters 1 through 24, really deals with the destruction of Jerusalem. There were the Jews there in Babylon that Ezekiel was ministering to, and they were convinced, according to the words of the false prophets, that Jerusalem was going to be victorious, that Babylon would fall, and all the captives in Babylon with Ezekiel would be released to go back to Jerusalem.

And God used Ezekiel to say, no, that's not going to happen because you guys have not repented. And so Jerusalem will be destroyed because of your rebellion against me. And all throughout those 24 chapters, God would, you know, announce these things and declare these things and then say, and then you shall know that I am the Lord when all of these things that I'm telling you take place.

Well, in the chapters we read this week, chapters 25 through 32, God extends Ezekiel's ministry beyond just talking about Jerusalem, now looking at the nations surrounding Jerusalem. And on each of these nations, God is going to pronounce judgment, and in each case, also make that declaration, then you will know that I am the Lord.

Now, as we continue reading through Ezekiel, starting tomorrow in chapter 33 and moving on for the next two weeks, it's going to be shifting gears once again, and Ezekiel is going to be focusing on the future hope, the future restoration of the nation of Israel, and the many blessings that God has in store for his people that are still yet to come, even as we read them today. So some good things to look forward to in our readings over the next couple weeks.

But as we look at this passage and this portion that we have for this morning and this week, we're looking at these judgments that are announced because people refuse to know that he is the Lord. Paul tells us in Philippians chapter 2,

that God has exalted Jesus and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, whether they're in heaven or on earth or those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

The Father has given Jesus this role. He's given Jesus this place of being exalted above all else so that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. That is the reality. That is the truth. And that is what God is dealing with, with his people and the surrounding nations in Ezekiel. But also it's what he's dealing with, with our hearts this morning.

Now, the way that he's dealing with the surrounding nations and bringing to their attention the lordship that they need to recognize in their lives, he's using the nation of Babylon. And just a quick look at the geography here to give you an idea of what's going on. The nation of Babylon, this is the territory that they...

covered and conquered during their reign at the height of their kingdom. And so they were a world empire at the time. This was the known world. And so they had conquered everything. They ruled the world essentially during that time. And so you see Babylon over there off the Euphrates River.

And so Babylon had, you know, taken over much territory. Jerusalem's over here on the left, and you see the region of Israel and Jerusalem there. And God was using Babylon to bring judgment upon nations that did not know that he is the Lord. And so in chapters 25 through 32, you see these specific nations mentioned. Ammon, Moab, Edom, the Philistines, Tyre, and then Egypt are all nations

dealt with by God, and God declares for each one at the end of him dealing with them and bringing judgment upon them, then they would know that he is the Lord. And so it's something that God is serious about. It's something that God thinks is critical and important for us to know that he is the Lord, so much so that he's willing to bring judgment for those who will not know that he is the Lord.

Now, as we talk about that subject, of course, it's important to consider what does it mean to know that he is the Lord? Well, let me tell you, it's not just about a mental acknowledgement or an intellectual acknowledgement of the existence of God or the existence of Jesus or that Jesus died upon the cross. It's more than just acknowledging the truth. Think about it this way. You may know the speed limit, but

But that doesn't mean that you drive according to it, right? It's not that you don't know. You probably know what the speed limit is, but it doesn't dictate how you drive or the speed at which you drive. In a similar way, knowing the Lord is not just about knowing his existence, but it's about submitting to his will, submitting to his word, submitting to his direction. To know he is the Lord really comes down to knowing that he loves you

knowing that he wants what's best for you and trusting him so much so that you live your life according to what he says. It really comes down to our submission to God. I was thinking back to when I was really, really young, you know, just about yay high and my parents would have to tell me no.

Later on, I would grow up a little bit and understand they didn't have to tell me no as much because I learned for myself the things that they were telling me no about were things that, well, they were hurtful and harmful and I didn't want to do them. They didn't have to tell me no, but I

Before I learned that, they would have to tell me no. So one of the things I did when I was young was, you remember on couches? I don't see this very much anymore, but on couches on the arm of the couch, they would usually have like a little cover. You know, it's just like a little cover. And I would put it on my head, kind of like a cap, you know, and I would wear it. But when I got really crazy as a kid, what I would do is I'd turn it around. And so it would cover my whole face. I couldn't see anything. And I would yell, football!

And I would just run and run into whatever happened to be in front of me. Usually a wall is what I'm told. I was too young to remember this. But so for most of my years growing up, all I wanted for Christmas was my two front teeth because I had smashed my face into so many things, yelling football and charging ahead when I couldn't see.

Now, later on, as a young adult and teenager, we got another couch that had those arm covers. And my parents never had to tell me not to do that because I'd grown up and I'd learned, oh, I don't need to be told not to do that because it hurts and I don't want to lose my two front teeth again. And so I'm not going to do that. So it took me a while to learn that when they said no, it was for my benefit because

It was for my good to listen to them and to be obedient to them, to be submitted to them, because what they said was based on their love for me. Listen, to know that he is the Lord is to know that he loves you. It's to know that he wants what's best for you. It's to know that you can trust him. And so you fully submit yourself to him. Fully submit your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength.

You remember that commandment Jesus said in Mark chapter 12 verse 30? Jesus tells us the greatest commandment. It's actually in response to a question. One of the teachers says, what's the greatest commandment, the first commandment, the most important thing for your whole life? Here's what Jesus says in Mark chapter 12 verse 30. He says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.

And I think this gives us some good resources to be able to examine ourselves regarding whether or not we know the Lord or whether or not we are fully submitted to the Lord. You can think about your heart this morning. Is he the Lord of your heart? To love God is also to obey God. Jesus declared that as well. So is your heart fully submitted to God?

Or another way to look at it is, is he Lord over every emotion? Do you subject your emotions to the authority of God? Now we're going to experience a range of emotions as humans. That's part of how God has created us. But God has not called us or even permitted us to be ruled by and governed by our emotions.

But many times we do that. We allow our emotions to rule our lives. And that is not what God has called us to do. Our emotions even are to be subject to him. And we need to check our emotions and check our heart by what God says. Do you know that he is Lord? You can check your heart on your emotions. He says, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

That word soul, it's the word for breath, and that's a good way to think about it as well. Is he Lord over every breath? Every breath that you take, is it in submission to God, in obedience to God? The breath that you use to speak, are your words submitted to God? Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. And you can think about your thoughts. Are your thoughts

submitted to God? Is he Lord over every thought? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10 to take every thought captive, to make it subject and obedient to Jesus Christ, that our thoughts are to be submitted to God, that we consider, that we dwell on, that we focus our mind on the things that, well, God wants us to focus our minds on. And then finally, love the Lord your God with all your strength.

And you could think about Lord over every action, every action that you take, every ounce of energy that you use, is it in submission to the Lord? Now, this is just to kind of give you an idea, some ways to assess your own life. Do you know the Lord? It's very easy for us to say we know the Lord and that we know that he exists. It's an intellectual acknowledgement. But more than just knowing that he exists, is your life submitted to him?

Are you in the pursuit of loving him with all of your heart? That is surrendering your heart to him and letting him be Lord over every emotion and loving him so that he's Lord over every breath and loving him so that he's Lord over every thought and loving him so that he's Lord over every action.

What we're going to see in the chapters this morning is what happens when that is not taking place, when you're not fully submitted. And so let's dig into some of these examples that we can see in these nations. The first one that we'll look at is Ammon. It's found in Ezekiel chapter 25, verses 3 through 7. And here's point number one. When you are not fully submitted, you rejoice at destruction.

Here's what we see happen with Ammon. In verse 3 it says,

Because you said, aha, against my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity. Indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a profession to the men of the east, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you. They shall eat your fruit. They shall drink your milk.

And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. God announces this judgment on Ammon. And he tells us exactly why. And then he tells us the result.

The result is, then you will know that I am the Lord. That's the objective. Because you don't know that I am the Lord, I'm bringing this judgment so that afterwards, you know and recognize that I am the Lord. He says in verse three, because you said, and so we get some insight into the hearts of the people of Ammon and where they were at in their relationship with God. Here's what they said, aha, against Ammon.

God's sanctuary when it was profaned. Babylon came in and conquered the nation of Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and dismantled the temple. And Ammon was sitting on the other side of the Jordan watching this unfold, watching this take place, and celebrating it, rejoicing at the destruction of Jerusalem.

Now it's interesting because Judah, as Babylon came in and conquered them, they deserved God's judgment. They had been rebellious against God. They had been resisting God and ignoring the prophets and the messengers that God had sent, calling them to repentance. They were completely wicked. They were doing atrocious things. They deserved God's judgment. But still it was wrong for Ammon to rejoice in

At their destruction. In verse 6.

Again, God repeats himself here. You're going to know that I'm the Lord when I bring this destruction and this destruction is coming because you rejoiced at the destruction of Jerusalem. It says you clapped your hands. All right, well done. While Jerusalem was being destroyed, while the temple was being dismantled and profaned, you were celebrating the destruction that took place.

And so God says, I will destroy you because you had that heart and you had that attitude towards my people and towards my temple. Now, God declared this destruction upon Ammon and God's word was fulfilled exactly the way that he said. And Ammon was conquered by Babylon in 582 BC. A little bit later after Jerusalem had been conquered, Babylon came back and took Ammon. And all of these things that God said about them were fulfilled because...

He is the Lord and his word is fulfilled. And what he declares will take place exactly as he says. And so Ammon learned that he is the Lord, the hard way. Now they could have learned this lesson the easy way. They were neighbors with Israel for many years, but instead of submitting to God and hearing from God, receiving God's word while they had opportunity, they

They refused to acknowledge him as Lord and submit their lives to him. And so they had to learn the discipline way, the judgment way, that he is the Lord. And that's why it's important for us to consider these things, because that is still true today. I quoted earlier from Philippians chapter 2, that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And that is the truth. But there's a difference on, well, when you confess and submit to Jesus as Lord. Because if you do that voluntarily now, well, there is the opportunity for you to have life and forgiveness and hope and all kinds of blessings and restoration from God as you submit your life to the Lord right now and know that he is the Lord.

But if you refuse to submit your life to the Lord, you're still going to come to that point. You will still kneel before him. You will still confess that he is the Lord, but you will do so perhaps through discipline in this life because God's merciful and he'll give you an opportunity perhaps, or in eternity when it's too late to make a choice and to submit your life to him, you will confess that he is Lord. But it's going to take place. The sooner, the better.

And so this morning, I want to encourage you to know that he is Lord, to fully submit yourself to him. And so therefore, check your life from these examples. Do you rejoice at destruction? Pastor Dave shared from Ezekiel chapter 18 last week, and there God declared that he does not rejoice. He does not take pleasure in the death, even of the wicked.

Even when the wicked are destroyed, it's not enjoyable to God. For us to be submitted to God, for us to know that he is the Lord, for us to love him with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength means that we will take on the same heart of God towards people. And there's an indication in our hearts if we are rejoicing at the destruction of people, at the hurt of people, there's an indication that we are not fully submitted to God because our hearts don't represent his.

We're not a reflection of him. Again, the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Will you let him be Lord over every emotion? Even that joy that you experience when you see that person that's bugged you so, that disdain that you had for someone and then they're crushed and then they're destroyed and they lose their job or they lose their family or they lose whatever, the election maybe, whatever.

Do you rejoice? Will you submit that emotion to God and repent of it? Will you love God with all of your heart and soul that every breath you won't say, aha, you'll submit every breath to the Lord, that you'll allow him to be Lord over every action and over every thought, knowing that he loves you, knowing that he wants what's best for you. You can trust him and fully submit to him in this way with perfect peace. When you're not fully submitted,

A good indication of that is you rejoice at destruction. Another thing we can consider as we evaluate our lives is found in verses 8 through 11. Here's point number two. As we look at Moab, when you are not fully submitted, you reject God's declarations. Check out what it says in verse 8. Thus says the Lord God, because Moab and Seir say, look, the house of Judah is like all the nations and

Verse 11. Now God addresses Moab.

Very similar pattern. Here's their problem. Here's their issue. And because of that, I'm going to bring judgment. And then after the judgment, then they will know that I am the Lord. We'll see that pattern over and over as God addresses the different nations and reveals the issues of the hearts of the people. And again, it's a good tool for us to evaluate our own hearts. One of the ways that we can recognize when we're not fully submitted to God is when we reject God.

the things that God has clearly declared. We see this happen in verse 8. He says, because Moab says, look, the house of Judah is like all the nations. Here's what's happening. Moab is watching the destruction of Judah, the destruction of Jerusalem, and they're saying, see, I told you so. Israel, you're nothing special. You're not God's chosen people.

You're not the ones that God chose to reveal himself and that all nations are to come to to learn of him. You're not some unique, special, chosen people of God. Look, you're like everybody else, proven by your destruction by Babylon. You're just an ordinary nation. You're nothing special. They rejected what God had clearly declared and revealed. Abraham and his descendants, they were God's chosen people. The Israelites are God's chosen people.

But even though God had clearly declared that, the Moabites said, no, no, we don't think so. And look, see, this is proof because look at the stuff that's happening in your life. And so God says, because you've done this, because you've treated my word this way, because you've treated what I've declared this way, well, I'm going to bring destruction.

And there's going to be judgment. He says in verse 11, I will execute judgments upon Moab and they shall know that I am the Lord. And exactly what God declared is what happened. Moab was conquered by Babylon as well. As they were coming through and conquering all the territory and all the lands, Moab was part of that and they were destroyed and wiped out. And God's word was fulfilled exactly as he declared so that they would know that he is the Lord.

It's important for you to know that he is the Lord and that God's word will be fulfilled. And what he declares is the truth, is the reality, no matter how we feel about it or no matter what we think about it. Now, it's interesting to think back a little bit. You can go back to Genesis chapter 19 and see the roots of Moab. They were kind of distantly related through Lot to the Israelites.

And so there is some family competition there. See, we're just as good as you are. You're nothing special. You're not the chosen people of God. But that attitude and that heart, that mindset brought about the destruction of Moab. And so it's a good thing for us to use to evaluate our own hearts. Do you reject God's declarations? Do you disregard what God has clearly revealed in his word?

Do you kind of just toss aside that verse or that command or that instruction or that thing that says it's forbidden, but you're like, well, and you've got your reasons, you've got your justifications, but you take your own thoughts and ideas and mindset over what God has declared. It's a very good indication that you are not fully submitted to God. You don't know that he is the Lord.

You might say that he is the Lord, and you might even say that you love God, and you might show up to church week after week after week, but you don't know that he is the Lord. And listen, I'm sharing these things with you because I don't want you to have to learn the hard way. Disregarding God's word and doing your own thing and doing what you want, it ends in destruction. And you will know that, but it's so much easier for you and so much less painful for

If you will receive God's word and submit yourself to it right now, as opposed to after the destruction takes place. The greatest command that you have, the most important thing in your life is to love God with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength. To let God's word be the authority over every emotion that you experience and be the authority over every breath that you take.

to let God's word be the authority over every action that you take, for God's word to be the authority of every thought that you meditate on. Will you submit yourself to God in this way, to this degree? That's what it means to love God. That's what it means to know that he is the Lord. And you can do so knowing that he loves you, knowing that he wants what's best for you,

And so you can trust him and submit yourself to him wholeheartedly without reservation because you know the Lord. I would encourage you to consider. Maybe you've made some decisions this week. How has God's word influenced those decisions that you've made? And if you've made decisions without even considering, without checking, without consulting the word of God, you could very easily be disregarding, rejecting his declarations. Are you submitted?

Do you make your decisions? Do you make your choices? Do you live your life based on the authority of what God has declared? And if you don't, it's a good indication you are not fully submitted. And you're in danger of experiencing judgment and discipline, just like Moab and Ammon. And now we'll look at the nation of Edom as we move on to verses 12 through 17.

Here's point number three. When you are not fully submitted, you take vengeance. Here's another indication that you're not submitted to God. A good check for your own heart. Do you take matters into your own hands when you are harmed, when you are wronged, when you are hurt? Do you pay people back for what they've done to you? Check out verse 12 through 14. It says, thus says the Lord God,

Verse 1.

I will lay my vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to my anger and according to my fury, and they shall know my vengeance, says the Lord God. God now addresses the nation that's south of Israel, Edom. Similar pattern. They're going to know that I am the Lord after they receive the judgment, and this judgment is for a specific thing. He says, because...

They have taken vengeance like some of the other surrounding nations. They didn't have a real good relationship with Israel and they felt wronged. They felt hurt. They felt harmed. Whether it was real or imagined, they had this hurt and harm and wrong that they felt Israel had done to them. And so they took vengeance. Every opportunity that they had to pay back Israel for whatever they had done, they took it.

And God says, notice in verse 12, he says, because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them. God says, look, this is a very serious thing. They've greatly offended. Offended who? They've offended God by taking vengeance because God has declared vengeance is mine. That's what the Lord has declared in the book of Deuteronomy. He declared vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.

The right to pay back wrong belongs only to God. Nobody else has the right to pay back for wrong or harm or hurt. But Edom took matters into their own hands and tried to make things right according to what they felt and what they thought and pay back Israel for that perceived wrong.

And they weren't alone in that. As we go on in verses 15 through 17, we see the Philistines, another group of people, had a similar heart. In verse 15 it says, Thus says the Lord God, Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart to destroy because of the old hatred of

The Philistines also had a long and twisted relationship with Israel.

And they felt wronged. They felt harmed. They felt that they'd been hurt. And so they dealt vengefully with Israel. With a spiteful heart, God says, because of the old hatred. There was this deep and long-lasting hatred that the Philistines had for Israel. And God said, because of this, they took vengeance. So I will take vengeance on them. He says, I will execute great vengeance with furious rebukes.

It's going to be a strong and furious rebuke when I lay my vengeance upon them, and then they will know that I am the Lord. And so God speaks against Edom, and he speaks against the Philistines because of this revenge that was in their hearts and within their actions.

And God's word is fulfilled exactly as he declared. And so Edom, there south of Israel, they disappeared from history after 70 AD. When Rome destroyed the nation of Israel and Jerusalem, that whole region, they're gone. They were wiped off the map. There's no Edomites today. They experienced exactly what God declared. And the same with the Philistines, except for they disappeared earlier in history before even Christ was on the scene.

There is no more Philistines. They experienced the vengeance of God because God's word is fulfilled exactly as he said, because he is the Lord. And now they know that, but they refused to know it before. It's not that they didn't have opportunity, but they refused to know that he is the Lord. They've refused to submit their lives to him. And a good indication of that same trait in your own heart

is when you take vengeance, when you take matters into your own hands, if you try to pay people back for wrong that they have done, for hurt that they have caused, for harm, you're taking matters that belong only to God and you're saying, no, give it to me. I'm going to take care of it. And God called that a great offense to him. That is a clear indication that you are not submitted to God.

You might know intellectually, you might know in your mind that he is the Lord, but you're not living your life according to what he has declared. Your greatest commandment, the most important thing in your life is to love God with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength. But when you allow that bitterness to remain in your heart and experience those emotions, you're not letting him. You're not submitting your heart to the Lord. You're not letting him be the Lord over every emotion.

When you're entertaining those thoughts in your head, you're not letting him be Lord over every thought. When you're taking those actions, you're not submitting to him as Lord over every action. When you breathe out those sayings, you breathe out those hurtful responses, you breathe out those threats, you're not submitting every breath to God. You see, God wants you completely and fully accepted.

Not just that he wants that, but he requires and he calls us to live to that degree, to love him with every ounce of our being, with every moment of our lives to be submitted to him. And when we're not, it's an issue and God will deal with it so that we recognize and learn that he is the Lord. He will bring discipline into our lives so that we learn that he is the Lord because it's what's best for us, because he loves us.

Because he knows how we're designed, because he created us. He knows what's best. And so we can trust him and we can do it the easy way or we can do it the hard way, but you will know that he is the Lord. But if you want to do it the easy way, you can check your heart. If you find yourself rejoicing at destruction, it's a good indication you're not fully submitted to him. You don't know the Lord, even though you say you do. And even though you come to church, if you find yourself rejecting God's declarations,

And God said it, but you have reasons why that doesn't apply to you. That doesn't mean that for you. And you can do whatever you want. It's a good indication. You're not fully submitted to God. If you find yourself taking vengeance and putting matters in your own hands and trying to pay back wrong that was done or harm that was inflicted, it's a good indication. You're not submitted to God. You don't know the Lord. God wants you to know him. It's what's best for you.

So take these indicators and let them cause you to turn to God, to call out to God and submit yourself to him afresh and anew this morning. Well, we're going to jump now to chapter 26 for point number four. Here's another indication that you're not fully submitted to God. When you're not fully submitted, you seek your own gain.

Here we're going to look at the nation of Tyre, which is a major port north of Israel. They were incredibly wealthy from all of their trading, and now we find them rejoicing because they're going to get even more wealthy as Israel is destroyed. Check out verse 2 of Ezekiel chapter 26. It says,

Here God looks at the nation of Tyre, and Tyre is saying, Aha! Rejoicing, celebrating as Jerusalem is being destroyed, but not from a disdain of old, like some of the nations we were looking at earlier, but from a disdain of old.

The reason why Tyre is rejoicing is, he says, Jerusalem was the gateway of the peoples. That is, well, Tyre was there on the Mediterranean Sea, right on the coast. It was a major port and a lot of commerce would go through there. But Jerusalem also was a major place of commerce and was on the route down to the southern regions, like heading over to Egypt, those areas and those nations around them. And so,

They were taking some of the business that Tyre could have had. But now that Jerusalem is destroyed, Tyre's rejoicing. We get all the business. We own the whole neighborhood. We own the whole area. It's all ours. We get all the business. And so we're going to be filled because she's laid waste. Rejoicing because of the gain that they would have since Jerusalem is not in the picture anymore. It's like, you know, if...

Walmart went under and Target rejoiced. Now we get all the business, right? That's the same kind of concept. Tyre was celebrating the destruction of Jerusalem because of what they would gain as a result. Verse three, therefore, thus says the Lord God, behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you as the sea causes its waves to come up.

and they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will also scrape her dust from her and make her like the top of a rock. It's pretty severe. Verse five, it shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken, says the Lord God. It shall become plunder for the nations. Also her daughter villages, which are in the fields, shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the Lord."

Here's what God says. Tyre, while you're rejoicing over the destruction, thinking that you're going to be filled, you don't know that I'm the Lord. You're not submitted to me. And that's why your heart is in that condition. That's why you're out for your own gain. That's why that's the most important thing to you. And so therefore, God says, I'm going to bring judgment upon

to you. I'm going to cause many nations to come against you and they're going to destroy your walls. They're going to destroy your city and the top of your, I mean, the whole city is going to be scraped and even the dust is going to be scraped and thrown into the sea. Pretty severe and specific. And you know what? God's word was fulfilled exactly as he declared. Tyre was actually conquered twice. First by Babylon in 573.

King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city. That was his normal practice for conquering a city. But because it was on the coast, now normally in a siege, you know, you would cut off the supplies from all around and then you would starve the people out. You could break through while they were weak or they would just surrender because it was too difficult. And so it was a good tactic. But here on the coast, Nebuchadnezzar had a hard time

laying siege. He could only camp around them to a certain degree and the rest was the water. Now they were on the coast. They were familiar with the water. They had a good navy but Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon they didn't. And so the siege lasted for 13 years because they were able to continually get resources. But here's what happened. During that long siege what they actually did was they moved the city.

Off the coast, about a half mile, there was an island that was also named Tyre. And so they moved all the goods and the majority of the people, all the treasures that they had, the incredible wealth that they had, off of that main city and onto the island while Nebuchadnezzar camped against them. And he wasn't capable of stopping them from going across the sea to this island. And

And so they established themselves there on the island. And so when Nebuchadnezzar conquered the city, there was only a few people left and there was no valuables, no treasures, nothing, you know, worth conquering the city for. But then later on, Alexander the Great comes on the scene. And now Tyre has been established on this island and continues to be wealthy and continues to be very strong and involved in commerce. And so he seeks to conquer Tyre, but now they're on an island and

Alexander didn't really have a navy either. He tried to get some boats and do an attack, but it didn't work. And so here's what he did. He took the old city, the rubble, and made a path through the sea to the island. Check it out. It's pretty cool. So here on the right side in the orange, that's where the original city of Tyre was on the coast. That used to be the coast of

And there was a city there, there was walls, there was, you know, great buildings and structures. And so what Alexander the Great did is he took all the material from that and he threw it into the sea and basically made like a jetty or a causeway, right? And so he piled them up and piled them up and piled them up and then scraped the city, the dust, all the dirt,

and threw it on top so that there was a path, there was a way for them to get to the island. And so he connected the island to the mainland and then conquered the city of Tyre. Now that's historical. That's what happened. And check out verse four again. They shall destroy the walls of Tyre, break down her towers. I will also scrape her dust from her and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea for I have spoken, says the Lord God.

That's exactly what God said would happen. And that's exactly what they did as they conquered the city of Tyre. Because he is the Lord. He knows what's going to happen. He can declare the future. He can declare the truth because he is the Lord. And that was the point. They did not know that he is the Lord. But after this, they would know.

Because God had declared it and it was fulfilled exactly as he said. Listen, today it's true for us as well. We need to know that he is the Lord and we need to check our hearts. A good indication that you are not fully submitted to the Lord, a good indication that you don't love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength is when you're out for your own gain.

You're looking out for number one. You're living your life based on the benefit that you get out of whatever you do or whatever happens, taking advantage of all the opportunities that you can for your gain. It's a good indication. You don't know the Lord. You might know of him. You acknowledge him. You might acknowledge that he exists. But to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength means that you are submitting everything

every part of you and every part of your life to his will, to his plans, to his word, to becoming like him. That's what he's called us to do. Know that he is the Lord. He loves you. He wants what's best for you. You can trust him and submit yourself to him. Well, the final nation we'll look at is the nation of Egypt. And for that, we'll jump to Ezekiel chapter 29. Here's point number five. When you are not fully submitted, you trust anything that

more than God. You'll trust anything instead of God when you're not fully submitted to him. And when you trust anything more than you trust God, it's a clear indication you're not submitted to God. Check out what he says about the nation of Egypt in verse two and three here in Ezekiel chapter 29. It says, "'Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.'"

Speak and say, thus says the Lord God, behold, I am against you. Oh, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Oh, great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, my river is my own. I have made it for myself. God here deals with Egypt. And the issue for Egypt was their self-reliance, their trust in themselves. They thought, hey, Babylon might be able to lay siege against Tyre.

They might be able to lay siege against Jerusalem. Let them try to lay siege against us. We're not just a powerful city. We're much bigger and we've got great resources. We've got these awesome rivers. We don't need to worry about Babylon. They thought they could trust in their strength and in their resources. And so we don't need God. We have our strong army. We have the resources that the river brings us.

Their trust, their faith was in those things instead of God. And so God says in verse four, but I will put hooks in your jaws and cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales. I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers and all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales. Verse five, I will leave you in the wilderness. You and all the fish of your rivers, you shall fall in the open field. You shall not be picked up or gathered. I have given you as food to the beasts of the field and to the birds of the heavens. Verse six,

then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. God is going to deal with and bring judgment to the nation of Egypt because they trusted in themselves. And not only did they trust in themselves, but they caused other nations, Israel, to trust in them as well. And so they encouraged Israel to not trust God, but to trust Egypt. When Babylon was coming down,

The nation of Israel had Jeremiah there prophesying. Come to repentance. Look, Babylon is coming to bring destruction. You need to repent and turn to God and submit your life to God. And the people of Judah said, no, we can trust in Egypt. We're not going to be defeated. We're going to be protected because Egypt is here. And they were trusting Egypt instead of trusting God. In verse 16 of Ezekiel 29, it says, "...no longer shall it," that's Egypt, "...be the confidence of the house of Israel."

but will remind them of their iniquity when they turn to follow them, then they shall know that I am the Lord God. And so when God brings a judgment upon Egypt, not only will it be for the Egyptians to know that he is the Lord, but it also be for his people, Israel and Judah, to know that he is the Lord because they trusted in Egypt. And so Egypt will know that I'm the Lord and Israel will know that I am the Lord. When the things that we trust in become desolate, we learn that he is the Lord.

We were trusting in that bank account. We were trusting in that, this or that, that or whatever. And when that becomes desolate, like Egypt became desolate, we're reminded. It's a lesson for us that he is the Lord. God's word was fulfilled exactly as he said, and Egypt was conquered by Babylon around 571 BC. In each of these cases,

Every nation that God spoke against experienced the judgment that God declared because he is the Lord. And because they refused to acknowledge that. And they refused to submit their lives to him. They refused to love him with all of their heart and soul and mind and strength. And there was severe consequences. Again, I share these things with you this morning because you don't have to follow that same pattern. Every one of us,

No matter where you are in your relationship with God, every one of us have areas of our lives that are not submitted fully to the Lord. It's because even for the best of us, even for those who are walking with God, we're growing. We're not saved and then perfect. We have areas and God is developing us and we learn as we grow, as we walk, of new areas and new avenues in our hearts that God reveals and shows us, look, this area is out of line and this area is out of line.

And so every one of us has, well, plenty of reason to evaluate these things and check our hearts. And I would really encourage you to do that because one way or another, you will know that he is the Lord and God still deals with these same sins. He still deals with these same conditions of our hearts. He still brings discipline and judgment and we have the opportunity to learn it the easy way.

to allow God to speak to us through these things and to reveal the issues of our hearts and our lives in these things so that we could submit ourselves to him willingly, joyfully, before the discipline and the judgment is brought. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And while you may say that, does your life demonstrate it? Here's some good things to check to evaluate that.

Do you rejoice at destruction? God never rejoices over destruction. Harm, hurt, pain, he never rejoices. He loves people. If you rejoice at destruction, it's an indication you're not fully submitted. Do you reject God's declarations? God's very clear in his word. He has revealed very specific things. He hasn't told us everything about everything.

But what he has told us is clear and we must be submitted to that and allow God's word to be the final authority for our lives. Do you take vengeance because you're hurt, because you've been harmed or wronged? Do you take matters into your own hands to try to pay back for that wrong? That's a good indication. You're not fully submitted to God because God has declared vengeance is mine. I will repay. Do you seek your own gain?

Is that the pursuit of your life? Is that what you're focused on? Taking advantage of opportunities, taking advantage of the destruction and misfortune of others so that you can benefit. That's not the way that God operates. That's not the way he's called you to operate. And is there anything that you trust more than you trust God? You place your hope, you place your trust, you place your faith in your own resources, in your own abilities, in your own armies instead of trusting in God.

It shows you're not fully submitted. The most important thing in your life is to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And so I encourage you to check that out. Check your heart. Do you love God to this degree? And will you submit to him this morning? Let's pray. Lord, I pray for each of us here today. God, I pray that you would pull back the layers of deception and confusion that so often exist in our own hearts.

Lord, would you pull those things back that we might have a clear look at our own selves, at our own hearts, and see what you see. Lord, are there areas of our lives that we have not surrendered to you, that we're holding on to, disregarding you and what you've said and what you desire, and pursuing our own thoughts and mindsets instead. Lord, I pray that you'd give us great clarity to see those issues, those areas,

where we're not submitted. And I pray, God, that you would give us the strength and the boldness to trust you and repent, to turn from our ways and to trust you. Lord, that begins with the gospel, where we stop trying to achieve goodness by our own efforts and merits and good works. Instead, we take you at your word.

and believe that you loved us so much that you sent your only begotten son to die upon the cross for us. And that believing in you, we have everlasting life and we have forgiveness of sins. Lord, help us to trust you and receive that and stop trying to earn your favor. Stop trying to earn heaven. But instead, we would focus our attention on loving you for what you've done for us.

You've once and for all demonstrated your love for us at the cross. Help us, God, to love you with every emotion, with every thought, with every breath, with every action. Help us, Lord, to love you and live our lives submitted to you. Show us, Lord, where we're out of line and help us to look to you to bring correction. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.