Laying Hold of Hearts

Laying Hold of Hearts
Ezekiel 14:1-8
June 20-21, 2026

Open your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel? Ezekiel 14, beginning of verse 1, and the title of our message, Laying Hold of Hearts. What God would have for us in His word is very important. Let's pray and receive from God's word together. Lord, we thank You and honor You as we open our hearts to receive. We pray that You would just pour out Your spirit of life. Use the word to bring us to revival, to understand that You are bringing about the transformation of the soul that changes us from within. God, move by Your Spirit upon us, we pray in Jesus' name. Everyone said, Amen.

Ezekiel, as I mentioned, is a prophet to the exiles living there in Babylon. The backstory to this is very important. Why did this happen? Why such tragedy? Well, what had been happening is that the nation had been going farther and farther away from God. Of course, there were times of revival. There was Hezekiah's revival. There was Josiah's revival, really, which was one of the greatest revivals of all time. It was not enough to sustain it, for as soon as Hezekiah passed from the scene or Josiah died in battle, well, the country went right back to drifting farther and farther away from God.

Of course, why? Because they were drawn to the gods of the idols of the nations around them, because these idols appealed to their fleshly nature. That was the issue. Of course, anyone, I think, with spiritual understanding knows that a nation or a person that pursues the flesh, that moves in the flesh, will be weakened spiritually. It's like a spiritual principle, like the plug pulled out of the bottom of the soul, and the soul just weakens, just drains of spiritual life.

Of course, the great news is that if you walk by the Spirit, you will not move in the desires of the flesh. It is possible. Do you believe it is possible that a person can be victorious today? The answer is, oh, yes. The Holy Spirit of the living God is so powerful that it can move upon the soul and that we can be victorious in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Is that not true? Can we give God praise? That's right.

Of course, what had happened was He would send prophets one after the other to warn them that this thing is not going to end well. This thing is going to end badly. It's going to bring national weakness, personal defeat. It's going to end in tragedy. Even while He's warning them of disaster, He's also casting a vision of revival. Oh, what God would do if you would just come back to the Lord. He gives these great visions of glory and wonder that are so important.

Of course, they would not heed the warnings of the prophets. Just as they had prophesied, Babylon came, brought their massive army to bear and defeated Israel, besieged Jerusalem, took them captive where they would be in those 70 years. What's interesting is that God also prophesied that something would happen to them there in the crucible of Babylon, in the midst of the trouble in which they are going through. God's going to use this trouble, going to use the crucible of this difficulty to transform them.

Now, as I've been mentioning, you need more than trouble to transform someone. I've known a lot of people who've been through trouble, and it didn't change them at all. No, you need more than that. You need the Spirit of the living God. You need the word of God revealing and moving, because there is a connection between the events of life and the Spirit's condition. That's why God calls Ezekiel. Right here in Babylon, they are oppressed, downtrodden, defeated, but He's going to speak to them in order to lay hold of hearts. There is what God is going to do. Something's going to happen there. God's going to lay hold of their hearts.

Now, the story in Ezekiel 14 is this. The leaders of Israel, elders, came to Ezekiel, sat down before him. Now, this is what they would do when they wanted to inquire of the Lord. They would go to the prophet Ezekiel, sit before him, and bring whatever issue, whatever concern they had that they wanted God to answer. Before God speaks a word to answer whatever it was that concerned them, He's going to put His finger right on the issue that is more important than all other issues. There's a stumbling block there in the heart. Why should God answer them at all when there's this offense sitting right in front of their faces?

Now, one of the greatest desires of every genuine believer in Jesus Christ is to know that God hears you when you call. This is very important to us. We need God's wisdom. We're going through some major crossroad in your life, so you pray. God, pour out your wisdom. You need to know that God hears you when you call. You need discernment. You're about to major decision of your life. You need discernment. You pray. We need to know that God hears us when we pray.

We're going through a trouble. We're going through a hardship, and so we pray. Does God hear us when we call? If there's anything standing in the way, how will God answer? These verses here in Ezekiel 14 are some of the most important issues of faith teaching us how to hear God and to inquire of Him with the right heart. God's word is going to speak light and truth. He's going to put His finger right on the center of the matter, and He's going to do it in order to lay hold of hearts. It means that God is going to wind them to Himself. God is still laying hold of hearts today. It's the key to revival. It's the key to transforming the soul. It's the key to having the faithfulness of life that God desires for each of us to have.

Let's read it. We're in Ezekiel 14. We'll just cover a few of the verses, and of course, we'll cover the other verses at our Wednesday verse-by-verse study. 14:1. Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me, and the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and then have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all? Therefore, you speak to them and you tell them, you say, 'Thus says the Lord God, if any man or any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart and then puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity and then comes to the prophet to inquire of the Lord, I, the Lord, will be brought to give him an answer in this matter, but I'll do it in view of the multitude of these idols.'"

I. God Answers First Things First

Notice verse 5. It's the key to the whole thing. I'll do it in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from me. The word estranged means too far. They're distant. There's something between them and God, and He's going to put His finger right on that thing. Verse 6, therefore, you say to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord God, repent and turn away from these things."

Now, the word repent, some people don't like the word. It's a great word. It means if you're going down the wrong road, turn that thing around and get going in the right direction. That's a good thing. Turn this thing around and turn your faces away from these abominations. He means, of course, to turn your face toward the Lord.

For any one of the house of Israel or the immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from me and then sets up these idols in his heart and then puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity and then comes to the prophet to inquire of me, I, the Lord, will be brought to answer him, and I'll answer him in my own person.

This is really a very interesting story, and we want to look at these and see how God would apply it. Starting with this, God answers first things first. Before He gives an answer to whatever it was that was concerning them, He says, "Oh, there is a greater issue at hand. This thing that's right in front of your face, we're going to deal with this thing."

Now, there's a lot of applications today. There's a lot of things that people have right in front of their face. You might say that God says, "We're going to deal with this thing." First thing, let's take note that God sees what's in their heart. That's probably a good place to start. Ezekiel did not know, but God reveals it to him. Then he says, "And so should I be consulted by them at all?"

Now, notice those two things. Firstly, that everything is laid bare before the eyes of the Lord. Now, this is important to understand because many people live as if that were not true, but it is true. Notice, for example, Hebrews 4:13, "There is nothing hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Very beautifully and powerfully said.

Then there's Psalm 1:39. Oh, we love this Psalm, but notice these words. "Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down. You know when I rise up. You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, Lord, you know it all."

A. Is anyone worthy?

This is important. Not only should we know that everything is laid bare before the eyes of the Lord, but then notice those words. Should I be consulted by them at all? Let's dive into those words because it's very important. We want to know, but the question really resounds to this. Is anyone worthy? Can anyone come and inquire of the Lord? Is anyone worthy to stand? Is anyone worthy? See, that's really the long question. Should I be consulted by these who have put this stumbling block right in front of their faces? Should I be inquired of them at all?

It's a rhetorical question. He's not expecting an answer because the answer is obvious. No. God is not obligated. Their iniquity stands between them and God. They have no right to inquire of God at all. Does anybody? That's the question of the day. Does anybody? Doesn't everyone have something standing in their life? Does anybody?

Well, notice a couple of verses that are important. Psalm 66:18, "If I regard wickedness, the Lord will not hear." There's this. Isaiah 59:2, "Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God." Those are the Scriptures. Is anyone worthy? First, let me say the answer. No. No one is worthy. This is interesting. I'm going to build to a grand finale. Stay with me.

Notice in Revelation 5, what he gives us here is this amazing scene where John is brought by a vision into the throne room of God in heaven, and sitting on the great throne is the Almighty there. Notice how the story unfolds. Revelation 5. Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and break the seals?" No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it.

One of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping. Behold, the lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and to break its seals." There is one who is worthy. Is anyone on earth able to break the seal? No. Is anyone righteous? No, not one. No one can stand before the throne on the merits of his own righteousness. Everyone has been disqualified from standing and inquiring of the Lord. No one is worthy. Then there's this, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has made a way for sinners to be worthy. God has made a way for sinners to be right with God. The one who was worthy to open the book in heaven was sent by God to give his life as a ransom for you and for me on this earth. When Jesus was crucified, he paid the debt of our sin. Of course, the consequence of sin is death. We deserved death, but He died in our place. Then, in a glorious exchange, gave us the very righteousness of God as a gift, so that you are worthy to stand before the throne of grace and such that you can stand with confidence that your sins are forgiven.

Like God declared it, you stand on this, because He says, you have every right to stand there because you have been adopted as a son or as a daughter. You have every right to stand before the throne of the living God and to inquire of Him. Your faith says, believe that if He declares it, it is, in fact, the standing by which you must have confidence.

You have every right now, only in great humility, because God has done that as a great gift, but take hold of that great truth with great confidence. You have every right to stand there because he has made a way for us who have been now adopted as sons and as daughters. Having paid the price-- yes, sure, let's give a little praise. Exactly right. Then, having accomplished that great work, He then moves upon your life so that you begin to live like that son, begin to live like that daughter. He's called you to it. He's made it possible. Now he wants you to live by it.

B. There’s a difference between a gnat and a camel

See, why was this iniquity in these elders so important? I like to say it this way, because there's a difference between a gnat and a camel. He said, "Where are you going with that, Pastor?" Follow with me. What does it mean? It means that there are greater and lesser sins. This is important. Now, let's not fall into the legalistic trap of debating and ranking sins and commandments like the Pharisees did to see which one is greater than another, but it is very important to understand that there are greater and lesser sins. Why? Greater sins have greater consequences and are more damaging to one's life and to one's soul. These are the matters of particular importance to the Lord.

Notice, for example, Jesus said the same. Matthew 23:23-24, Jesus said this, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. These are the leaders of Israel. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, but have neglected the weightier provisions of the law." Ah, so there are weightier provisions. Exactly right. They would, let's say, tithe mint, dill, or cumin. These are like spices, right? You grow them in your garden.

Many people in the older days would grow their own spices, and yet they wanted to make a point of showing how much righteousness they had. They would take their dill and dry it, and then they'd take the dill spice on the table and say, "God is going to have his 10%." They'd take a little scraper, and they'd scrape off a little thing, and they'd put it in the bag, and they'd bring it to the temple, and the great display of their righteousness. Even the smallest, smallest thing, I tithe.

He says, "You do this, but you have neglected the weightier things of the law: justice, mercy, faithfulness; but these things, these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." Then he says, "You blind guides, you strain out a gnat, and then you swallow a camel." Now, that's a picture for you.

What does that mean? Well, a gnat is unclean. A gnat, if you are not familiar, is like the smallest of the flies. Let's say they're drinking tea, and a gnat should land in their tea. They would make a big scene about, "Oh, far be it from me that I should swallow a gnat and make myself unclean," and they would get a screen cloth and strain it out and make a big scene about how righteous they are now as they drink their tea. He says, "Oh, you strain out a gnat, then you go and swallow a camel." Camel's not clean either, in case you didn't know. No eating camels. You're swallowing that, but the weightier things, the bigger things.

Now, before we get into the bigger things, one might ask, "Well, what are the lesser things?" I'm glad you asked. They are sins, but notice James 4:17. Therefore, the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him, it is a sin. There. Just in knowing the right thing to do and not doing it. A typical example. You can see an old woman who needs help crossing the street, and then you don't help her. That's a sin. It could be as small as that.

Here's another one. Romans 14:23, "Whatever is not from faith is sin." That encompasses a lot. Did you do it by faith? It's a sin. Here's another one. Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Anything that falls short of the glory of God. I'm telling you that sin is a far broader thing than many people recognize. Is this not true?

He says, "If you know the right thing to do and don't do it, or if you do anything that's not from faith or anything that falls short of the glory of God, that's sin." True. There's a great difference between swallowing a gnat and swallowing a camel. In other words, the weightier sins have weightier consequences and deeper poisoned upon the soul, and therefore, greatly concerning.

God concerns Himself with all matters, but greatly, He's going to put His finger on first things first. Oh, he's concerned about all, yes, but the weightier ones require a stronger hand. These elders of Israel had set up idols. Not only was it down in the square, it was in their heart. They put right in front of their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Oh, there's much that could be said on that.

C. God intends to rescue and save

These things stand in the way of that which God desires to do. He says something's going to happen there. A great transformation's going to happen there, but we're going to deal with this stumbling block that's right before their faces because God intends to rescue and save. That's what God is doing. That's what God was doing then, and He's still doing it today.

Notice this. Now, when they come, and they sit before Ezekiel to inquire the Lord that God doesn't just kick them out of the house. God doesn't just reject them outright. What He does do is this, He tells Ezekiel to say it to their face. He's going to splash cold water right in their face. Sometimes that's what people need, a splash of cold water to wake them up. It's like heart paddles. That's an even better one. Heart paddles that shock the heart back. I'm going to bring this thing back to life. Sometimes you need a shock.

Verse 4, "Therefore you say, 'Any man, of the house of Israel, who sets up idols in his heart and puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire, I, the Lord, will be brought to give him an answer, but I'll do it in my own person. I will do it in view of these things, this thing that's standing in the way.'"

God is going to shock them into the reality of knowing that He sees into the deepest chambers of their hearts, and He's doing it because He's at a rescue mission to save them from this thing, and He's going to inspire them to remove that which is keeping them far from God and keeping them estranged from the Lord. God rescues and saves. God rescues from that human condition of weakness, even weakness of faith.

For example, when I figured that, I'm reminded of the story when Jesus saved Peter from drowning. Maybe you remember the story of after the miracle of Jesus feeding the crowd of 5,000 with the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him onto the other side, while He sent the crowds away. He went up on the mountain to pray and was there alone. That evening, the disciples rode all night because the wind was contrary and they were being battered by the waves. Then, in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to them walking on the sea.

Then when the disciples saw Him, they were terrified. Jesus said, "Take courage in his eye, do not be afraid." Then the story picks up in Matthew 14. Peter then said to him, "Lord, if it's you, command me to come to You on the water." Jesus said to him, "Come." Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came to Jesus. Seeing the wind, he became frightened and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me." Immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of Peter and said to him, "Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Of course, then we say, "Well, if he had little faith, what did the other disciples have? They didn't even get out of the boat." He's rescued. Even in the weakness of his faith, He rescues and saves.

Then there's the story of David, who sinned greatly when he took Bathsheba while she was married to Uriah, then, when she was found to be with child, tried to cover his sin by recalling Uriah from battle. When Uriah wouldn't sleep with Bathsheba, according to David's scheme to hide the thing, he gave orders that the soldiers would withdraw from Uriah such so he would die in battle.

Oh, David thought that he had gotten away with it, but he didn't. Everything is laid bare before the eyes of the Lord. David was in agony. This thing, the weight of this sin, shamed him, grieved him. He couldn't sleep. He was in anguish, deeply troubled in his soul. Ah, this thing would not stop festering in his soul, and he was so grieved from it.

What you and I need to keep in our minds is that the consequences of sin will cost you dearly. Oh, what it does to the soul. The scripture says stolen water is sweet. Well, that is true. It's also poison to the soul. I tell you, if I can write a book about every person who followed the way of sin and then it worked out great for them, every page would be blank because it doesn't work out great. If I could write a book about all the deep consequences of sin, that book would be huge. There are many people in this room that could have their own testimony.

David's sin, he tried to hide it. His soul was in terrible anguish. God is going to rescue David from his shame. He's going to rescue David from this pit of anguish. He sends Nathan, the prophet, to confront this sin and to bring him into the light to save him from it. He's got to have to come into the light. Nathan, the prophet, told him a story of a rich man and a poor man.

He said, "Now there was a rich man who had many flocks and herds, and there was also a poor man who had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he cherished and kept in his own home, raised it as if it was his own child. Now, one day, when a traveler came to visit the rich man, the rich man was unwilling to take from his own flock to prepare a meal for his visitor. Instead, he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for that man who had come to visit him."

Well, when David heard that story, he burned hot with anger. He said, "As the Lord lives, surely the man who's done this thing deserves to die." Nathan looked directly at him and said, "You are that man. You, sir, are that man." David said, "I have sinned." Now he's coming into the light. Now he's revealing it. "I have sinned greatly before the Lord."

II. God Lays Hold of Hearts

God is rescuing him. God is saving him. It will end in forgiveness, yes, consequence, but He's going to bring him out of this thing because cannot continue in this shame, this anguish. God is laying hold the hearts. That's what he's doing today. That's what he's doing here in Ezekiel. He does it for this one purpose. We're going to lay hold of this thing, this thing that's standing in the way, because this thing is bearing upon the soul, and it brings the tragedy and the consequence of the condition of the soul that's estranged from God. See, the condition of your soul is of highest importance, for all else flows from it.

Notice Proverbs 4:23. He says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence." Watch over your soul, the condition of your soul. Watch over your soul, highest importance, for from it flow the springs of life. You want life, then know that it springs forth out of the condition of your soul. This is so important. When we were raising our kids, they eventually all hit those teen years. There were times when they, let's say, struggled against having a parent. They would sometimes take on an attitude.

No matter what issue it was that they thought was so important, I would say, before we look at anything else, we're going to look at that attitude. Before we do anything else, we're going to look at that heart because that's more important than anything else, because God is going to use that to draw us to Himself. This is what God is doing. He's going to lay hold of that thing that stands in the way. He's going to bring it to the light so that we can see it as it is.

A. God is drawing us to Himself

Then we're going to say, "I don't want this thing in my life anymore. This thing is standing in the way of that which God would do. I don't want this." He'll shock the heart if He has to because He does it for one purpose, in order to lay hold of the hearts of those whom He loves. See, if God can win your heart, you can be transformed. That's the key to revival. That's the key to spiritual awakening. If He can lay hold of your heart, He can win you over to Himself.

It's very much like parenting. If a parent can lay hold of their child's heart, then that child can truly hear what the parent is trying to teach them. Up to that point, anger and frustration stand in the way of hearing whatever it is that the parent is trying to teach them. I used to teach a class about parenting. One of the principles I would teach in that class is, never bring a lesson to a child when they are angry and upset. They will not hear a word you have to say.

Now, I also say, never correct your child when you are upset. That doesn't work either. If a child is upset and angry, they will not hear a word you have to say. Win their heart first. Then, if you have won their heart, they will hear what you have to say. God lays hold of hearts, and He'll do it by His love. We love Him because He first loved us. That's right out of 1 John 4:19, because love is a transforming power. God's purpose is to transform us from that condition in which we were born, that difficult, rebellious, difficult, stubborn heart, into that which is transformed by love. Love is a transforming power, and He will win you over by that love.

B. We love Him because He first loved us

When I think of an illustration, I think many of you know, of course, the story of we adopted two boys from Russia. The youngest one came from a home for emotionally troubled children. He came with a lot of baggage, a lot of anger, and a lot of hurt. He was there in our home maybe, I don't know, three weeks or four weeks. I came to him one night. He's in bed. I came to say good night, and give him a kiss, and pray with him.

I came, and I said, "Wait, did you brush your teeth?" He said, "No." I said, "Well, in our house, everybody brushes their teeth before they go to bed. I'd like you to get up out of bed and go and brush your teeth." He said, "No." I said, "Let's start over. In this relationship between you and me, who's the boss here?" "Not you. You're not my dad." To which I said, "Well, that's where you're wrong." I swooped him up in my arms, took him out of his room, of course, kicking and screaming, brought him out, brought him to my room, set him down on the floor, and I said, "You're going to sit right there. You're not going to go to bed. You're not going to go anywhere until this thing is resolved." He says, "This is not fair. You're bigger than I am." To which I said, "I think you're starting to figure this thing out."

Then he starts screaming, screaming, screaming, screaming. I'm lying on the bed pretending to be bored, pretending to read. Just watching him, though, out of the corner of my eye. He's screaming and screaming. My wife comes in. She says, "He's right by the window. The neighbors will hear, and they'll call the police." I said, "Well, then let him come. Then he'll know the police are on my side. He needs to scream. It's good for his lungs." He's screaming and screaming and screaming. That's clearly not working.

He takes it up another notch. He flicks out his claws and starts to rake his face. That's it. Went over to him, went behind him, pulled his arms behind, put my legs around him, lied down on the floor with him, "Now, you can scream." Now he's screaming more louder scream. He's screaming with all he's got. He's screaming more. None of this. Since he screams, "You give me some screams." He's screaming and screaming and screaming.

That must have occurred to him. "Wait, he's telling me what to do, and I'm doing it." He calms down, relaxes. That's my opportunity. My lips are right by his ear. I said, "Listen, I understand. Your father was killed. Your mother died. You were taken from your brother. I understand. It hurts. You've been through great things of trouble. I understand. I know it hurts. I am your father. We're going to get through this thing. This thing that you did here doesn't change a thing. We're going to get through it. I'm not ever going to stop loving you. We're going to get through this thing. We're going to get through it together. I am your father, and you are my son. I will never stop loving you."

He said, "Dad, I want to go to bed." I said, "I'm sure you do. First, we need to settle this." I let him go, turn him around. I said, "Now, look me in the eyes." We're just looking at each other. I said, "Now, in this relationship between you and me, who's the boss?" He said, "You are, Dad." Then he started crying, "I'm so sorry. I'll never do it again." I said, "You might, but it's okay. You can cry anytime you want. I'll hold you as many times as you need. We're going to get through this thing. I am your father. You are my son. I will never stop loving you."

When he was 21, he gave me a Father's Day card. Then he wrote, "Thank you for never giving up on me." I learned this from my Father, my Father in Heaven, who has never given up on me. No matter what I've done, He's never quit. He's never given up, and He never will. He'll never give up on you either. He's going to win you over. He is your father. He wants you to learn to live like a son, like a daughter. We're going to get through this. We're going to get through it together. God is saying, "I'll never stop loving you. I want you to live like a son or like a daughter."

Let's pray. Lord, we are so thankful because You won us. You won our hearts. You're a good, good Father. He's never given up. Church, as we're continuing to pray, how many would say to the Lord today, "You've won me. You have won my heart. I want to honor You. I want to love You. I want to learn to live like the son or the daughter that You have called me to be. You have won me over, Lord. Here I am. I want to honor You with how I live my life"?

Would you just say that to the Lord by raising your hand in expression of your love for Him for all that He's done for you? God, You have won my heart. You are a good, good Father. Teach me to live like that son or that daughter You've called me to be. Oh, God, we honor You and thank You for it all, we pray in Jesus' name. Everyone said, "Can we give You our praise and glory and honor, amen?" Amen. Church, let's stand to our feet.