Thesis
Drawing from Ezekiel 5, this sermon confronts the ancient and ongoing temptation to claim God's blessings while refusing His lordship. The Israelites believed their temple attendance and covenant status kept them safe, but God called out their idolatry and spiritual adultery. The same danger exists today: treating faith as a transaction to get God on our side, rather than surrendering to His side. True belonging to the remnant is proved by genuine repentance — not just stopping sin, but turning toward what God has called us to do.
Key points
- 1
Who you are with matters more than where you are — the Israelites were in Babylon but the real problem was they were not truly with God.
- 2
God's jealous anger is covenantal, not temperamental — He is the faithful husband whose people have continually cheated on Him through idolatry.
- 3
Idolatry is making anything — even a good thing — into a 'god thing,' including the blessings God Himself has given.
- 4
God does not take sides — He is a side, and Jesus died so we can get back on His side.
- 5
The remnant is always marked by repentance — a full 180-degree turn away from sin and toward what God calls us to do.
- 6
Repentance is not only turning away from wrong actions but also turning toward right ones — including serving, giving, and loving neighbors.
- 7
God brings divine discipline out of love — like a father drawing a line — to get our attention and call us back before we reach destruction.
Outline
Introduction: Holding Pattern
The pastor recounts being diverted to Las Vegas on a flight home from England, and the three different reactions among his team — frustration, excitement, and checking out. He connects this to how we respond when God has us somewhere we don't want to be, framing the big idea: who you are with matters more than where you are.
Context: Israel in Captivity
The pastor sets the stage for Ezekiel 4–5, explaining that God's people were in Babylonian captivity listening to false teachers who promised a quick return. God's real message — delivered through dramatic object lessons — was that four centuries of idolatry had made Him their enemy.
Reading Ezekiel 5
The full text of Ezekiel 5 is read aloud, describing the symbolic shaving of hair, the siege of Jerusalem, and God's declaration of severe judgment including famine, plague, sword, and scattering — because the people defiled His temple with idols.
God's Jealous Anger and Idolatry
The pastor unpacks God's 'jealous anger' as a covenantal term — the faithful husband responding to a persistently unfaithful spouse. He defines idolatry broadly as making any good thing a 'god thing,' and warns that God will destroy whatever we place between ourselves and Him.
God Doesn't Take Sides — He Is a Side
Using Joshua 5 as a parallel, the pastor argues that God never gets on our side — He is the side, and our task is to surrender to His. The Israelites' fatal error was trying to use religion to get God to bless their agenda rather than genuinely aligning with His.
The Watchman's Warning and False Teaching
Drawing on 2 Timothy 4 and 2 Peter, the pastor describes his role as a watchman called to speak what people need to hear, not what they want to hear. He warns that itching-ear teaching is as old as Ezekiel's day, and some in the room may not be genuine Christians at all.
The Remnant and True Repentance
The pastor finds hope in Ezekiel 5:3 — the remnant kept in the robe. He defines the remnant as those who genuinely repent, contrasting David (who repented) with Saul (who made excuses). Repentance is redefined as a full 180-degree turn: not just stopping sin but actively pursuing what God calls us to do.
Practical Application: Serve, Give, Go
The pastor makes the application concrete and pointed: Christians who are not serving in their church, not giving financially, and not sharing their faith are in sin and need to repent. He challenges the room to move from passive attendance to active participation.
The Father Illustration: Are We at War?
The pastor closes with a personal story about his own father's discipline and the phrase 'Are we at war?' — illustrating how a loving sovereign father draws a line not out of anger but out of love. He applies this directly to God's posture in Ezekiel 5 and calls each person to choose: keep fighting, or repent and trust.
Memorable moments
who you are with matters more than where you are
pleasure shows you what you want. Pain shows you what you need
God doesn't take sides. He is a side. And Jesus died so we can get back on his side
repentance isn't just turning away from what's wrong. That most of us think it's just turn away from what's wrong. No. It's turning towards what's right
the longer we're in church, the longer we learn the game, the more I think most of us in this room, you've been a Christian a long time, your biggest thing you need to repent from is not from bad actions, it's from no action
Trust his love more than your lust and see what happens next
Application
The pastor's challenge is direct and personal: stop asking God to get on your side and decide to get on His. That starts with honest self-examination — asking, 'In what area of my life am I at war with God?' From there, repentance is the path forward, and repentance means more than feeling bad or stopping a sinful habit. It means a full 180-degree turn: away from idols and toward active faithfulness — serving in your church with the gifts the Spirit has given you, honoring God with your finances, and using your story to love and reach people around you. The remnant has always been marked by those who will turn back. The question is whether you will be one of them.
