Gd s what? Ezekiel 36v22-28 Gd evening. Glad yu culd be here. Fr the benefit f thse wh were nt here this mrning, let me quickly recapitulate. We saw frm Ezekiel first visin in Chapter 1 several things abut Gd! We discvered that Gd is hly; that Gd is universal in presence, pwer and knwledge. We als saw that Gd is missin-minded and that He is persnal! The Cntext - Stry f Ezekiel frm Chapter 2 nwards a. Symblic Actins (4v1-5v17) Lying dwn facing a map (4v1-8) Eating siege ratins cked n cw's dung (4v9-17) Cutting ff hair and destrying it (5v1-17) b. Visin f Jerusalem (8v1-11v25) Idlatry in Temple (8v1-18) Unfaithful in Jerusalem are killed (9v1-11) Actins f the cherubim (10v1-22) Exile and restratin annunced (11v1-21) Glry f Gd leaves Jerusalem (11v22-25) c. Symblic Actins (12v1-20) Digging thrugh wall f his huse (12v1-16) Eating in fear (12v17-20) d. Prphecy Cncerning Israel (12v21-24v27) Judgment is very near (12v21-28) Against false prphets (13v1-23) Against idlatry (14v1-8) Against false prphets (14v9-11) Israel's sin histry (20v1-44) Death f Ezekiel's wife (24v15-27) and he isn t allwed t shw any public murning. e. Prphecy Cncerning Freign Natins (25v1-32v32) f. Salvatin fr Israel (33v1-39v29) Ezekiel, the watchman (33v1-9) Call t repent (33v10-20) Jerusalem falls and Gd allws Ezekiel t speak (33v21-22) Trust nly in Gd (33v23-33) Wrk f the Gd Shepherd (34v1-31) Prphecy against bad shepherds (34v1-10) Gd will shepherd his flck (34v11-16) Gd will judge sheep (34v17-22) Gd will care fr His flck (34v23-31) Prphecy against Munt Seir (35v1-15) Restratin f Israel (36v1-38) Visin f dry bnes (37v1-14)
And that is the sectin we are in tnight. S please d turn in yur bibles t the bk f Ezekiel and chapter 36v22-28. The title I have given, is Gd S what? We are ging t cntinue t investigate briefly tgether 5 things abut Gd, hw relevant Gd is t us and hw we are t react t Him? 1. A Gd wh is hly (Ezekiel 36v22-23) 22 "Therefre say t the huse f Israel, 'This is what the Svereign LORD says: It is nt fr yur sake, O huse f Israel, that I am ging t d these things, but fr the sake f my hly name, which yu have prfaned amng the natins where yu have gne. 23 I will shw the hliness f my great name, which has been prfaned amng the natins, the name yu have prfaned amng them. Then the natins will knw that I am the LORD, declares the Svereign LORD, when I shw myself hly thrugh yu befre their eyes. As we saw this mrning, Gd is hly! Gd s hly name is set apart because f its uniqueness, distinctiveness and pwer! The natin f Israel was t be Gd s representative t the pagan natins and t the wrld! But, Israel had disbeyed and nw Gd s name was a laughing stck amngst the natins! S Gd was ging t act, s that all natins f the wrld wuld recgnize his svereign pwer because f what He wuld d in them and fr them. This illustrates hw bad a jb, Israel as a natin had dne at being Gd s chsen representative. S Gd Himself wuld perfrm the functin Himself by revealing Himself s that the wrld wuld knw that He is the svereign Gd ver all. He wuld d this fr the sake f His name. They, and we, deserved nthing. They had failed Him in every directin, and they had failed themselves. But far mre imprtant than them, and us, is that Gd shuld be knwn and revealed t the wrld. Withut that there culd be n salvatin, n deliverance. Withut that the saving purpses f Gd wuld fail. S by their wn flly Israel had ceased t be imprtant except as a means by which the wrld culd see the glry and lve f Gd, fr they had frfeited their right t any privilege. That is why the cncentratin had nw t be n redeeming the situatin by using them as a means t reveal that lve and glry. 2. A Gd wh gathers (Ezekiel 36v24) 36v24 Fr I will take yu frm amng the natins, and gather yu ut f all the cuntries, and will bring yu t yur wn land. This gathering f the peple f Israel back t the land began as a relative trickle n the decree f Cyrus (Ezra 1), and cntinued ver a lng perid, with mre and mre peple returning frm all ver the knwn wrld, until Israel was a
recgnised natin again established in its wn land with its wn capital city, relatively free frm idlatry and wrshipping in its wn way 3. A Gd wh cleanses (Ezekiel 36v25) and perates (Ezekiel 36v26). 25 I will sprinkle clean water n yu, and yu will be clean; I will cleanse yu frm all yur impurities and frm all yur idls. 26 I will give yu a new heart and put a new spirit in yu; I will remve frm yu yur heart f stne and give yu a heart f flesh. Ezekiel wuld have had images f Leviticus in his mind at this pint. S when the priestly Ezekiel spke f clean water he had in mind water that had been cleansed by sacrifice. And indeed this was the nly kind f water that was ever sprinkled. In Leviticus the cleansing f a defiled huse required sprinkling with a mixture f bld and living water, the bird having been slain ver the water (Leviticus 14.51), and in Numbers 8.7 and 19.2-22 the water f separatin (19.9, 20 - this was als called living water - 9.17) is mentined. It was water that had been sprinkled with the ashes f a red heifer (Numbers 19.2), and was kept aside fr the purifying by sprinkling f thse wh had tuched a dead bdy. Thus in bth cases the water had been cleansed by sacrifice and the shedding f bld. The cleansing was t be thrugh the bld f sacrifice, applied thrugh the sprinkled water. But this water was here t be sprinkled by Gd Himself acting as the high priest. Befre anything else the peple need t be cleansed, by the divine water f separatin sprinkled n them by Gd, frm their defilement brught n them by their sinful ways and their idlatry. There is n cleansing withut the shedding f bld. This pinted frward t the funtain pened fr sin and uncleanness (Zechariah 13.1), and its efficacy depended n the One Wh wuld be slain as a sacrifice fr the sins f the whle wrld, Whse benefit reached backwards t sins dne afretime (Rmans 3.25). Then they were t receive a new heart and a new spirit, indeed Gd s Spirit (verse 27). The heart included the mind, the will and the emtins, it was the whle f the inner man. The spirit was the life principle within, the inner impulse, and while it culd include the activities f heart, mind and will, it was als that which was Gdward (Ecclesiastes 3.21; 12.7), and was affected by Gd s Spirit. S the idea here is f the renewing f the whle inner man, and f awakening twards Gd. Its effect is then described. And I will take away the stny heart ut f yur flesh, and I will give yu a heart f flesh. Instead f hardness there wuld be tenderness, instead f bduracy there wuld be yielding, instead f cldness there wuld be warmth; instead f disbedience there wuld be bedience. The law wuld be put in their inward parts and in their hearts, and they wuld knw Yahweh individually thrugh the new cvenant. This prcess f cleaning we knw nw as Sanctificatin r cleansing! We have been sanctified (Hebrews 10v10); washed clean (1 Crinthians 6v11) and have
perfect hliness (2 Crinthians 7v1) and are being transfrmed int the very image f Jesus Christ (2 Crinthians 3v18) and cnfrmed t His likeness (Rmans 8v28-29). We are t be living sacrifices, transfrmed by the renewing f ur minds (Rmans 12v1-2). This hliness is the pursuit f mral excellence, nt just beying the law, and is by necessity a high standard (1 Thessalnians 4v3) This prcess f sanctificatin is where Gd the Hly Spirit transfrms us int the likeness f Christ (2 Crinthians 7-18). As we walk and live in the Spirit, led by the Spirit (Galatians. 5v16; Rmans 8v13), the fruit f the Spirit, lve, jy, peace, patience, kindness, gdness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-cntrl, is prduced in the life f the Christian Disciple (Galatians. 5v22-23). Our cnditin befre Gd if we are His fllwer is nw Set apart - separated frm sin. The attainment f mral hliness. In principal, we are saints, and Gd has already declared all Christian Disciples sanctified We have been made hly (Hebrews 10v10) We are washed and sanctified (1 Crinthians 6v11) In practice, as grwing Christians, we shuld be Perfecting hliness, freed frm the cntaminatin f sin (2 Crinthians 7v1) Prcess f becming Christ-like (Rmans 8v29; 2 Crinthians 3vv18) Transfrming f character by renewal f ur minds (Rmans 12v1-2) The standard all Christian Disciples are t attain and maintain is Be hly, as I am hly (1 Peter 1v16; 1 Thessalnians 4v3). The Prcess by which this is achieved is by the Christian Disciple devting them self t righteusness (Rmans 6v19) with a desire and chsing t be hly, submitted and cnsecrated t Gd. Christian Disciples are t put ff the ld nature - crucify the passins and desires (Ephesians 4v22; Galatians 5v24) and put n the new nature created t be like Gd (Ephesians 4v24). This is dne by a wrk f Gd (1 Thessalnians. 5v23, Philippians 2v13). 4. A Gd wh indwells (v27) 27 And I will put my Spirit in yu and mve yu t fllw my decrees and be careful t keep my laws. Hw can all this cme abut? It can nly be thrugh the wrk f Gd Himself. If it was by ur wn effrts, we wuld fail cntinually! N, it was t be thrugh Gd s Spirit that this great wrk wuld cme abut. It is He wh wuld cause His
peple t walk in His statutes and keep His judgments in their hearts and in their lives. The Hly Spirit is Gd, and a member f the Trinitarian Gdhead. He is spken f as Gd (Acts 5v3-4; 1 Crinthians 3v16). The attributes f Gd are ascribed t the Hly Spirit life (Rmans 8v2), truth (Jhn 16v13) and lve (Rmans 15v30). It was He wh spke thrugh the Old Testament prphets and induced gdliness (Ezekiel 36), and equipped Gd s leaders fr service (Judges 13v25; Zechariah 4v6). The Hly Spirit is als a Persn. Sme peple refer t the Hly Spirit as It, but they are clearly wrng and in errr! The Hly Spirit is always referred t as He in the New Testament (Jhn 16v14). He relates t us as a persn fr He is cmfrter, guide and teacher (Jhn 14). He can be blasphemed against and be grieved (Ephesians 4v30), and wherever the Hly Spirit is, the Father and Sn are als present because they are ne. (Jhn 14v18-23). Gd lives inside each Christian thrugh the Hly Spirit. Withut the Hly Spirit, a persn cannt be a Christian Disciple (Rmans 8v9; Gal 2v20; Clssians 1v25-27). The Hly Spirit indwelling the Christian Disciple is assured prf f being Gd s pssessin (2 Crinthians 1v22; Ephesians 1v3). The Hly Spirit is a depsit, guaranteeing ur future redemptin, salvatin and inheritance (Ephesians 1v13; 2 Crinthians 1v22). This indwelling Hly Spirit, seeks cntrl r dminatin f ur lives. This is being filled with the Spirit, and it is a cntinuus thing, nt a ne ff prcess. It als signifies hw much the Hly Spirit has f the life f a Christian! As Christian Disciples, we are t be cntinually filled (Ephesians 5v18), and this is meant t be ur nrmal state Being indwelt by Gd the Hly Spirit frm the mment f cnversins, Christian Disciples are als t walk in the spirit ((Galatians 5v16). This is dne by: Desiring hliness, feed the new nature with Gd s Wrd in rder t renew ur mind. Cmmunicating with Gd. Talk t Him!! By ding this sin will be starved. Cnfess knwn sin immediately, cnsciusly allwing Christ ttal cntrl in all circumstances All this will gives a desire t live ttally fr Gd! 5. A Gd t live fr (v28) 28 Yu will live in the land I gave yur frefathers; yu will be my peple, and I will be yur Gd. This cnfirms that this wrk f the Spirit was t begin when the exiles returned in faith t the land f their inheritance. The wrds were spken t the true Israel, the Israel within Israel, as Paul explains (Rmans 9-11). Thse whse hearts were true wuld be truly His and He wuld be their Gd.
It als has applicatin t all Christians in that they have becme citizens f Heaven (Philippians 3.20), residents in a better land, Gd s greater land, being His peple and knwing Him as their Gd, smething beynd the cnceptin f Ezekiel and therefre having t be prphesied pictrially in the frm f an idea (see n 37.26-28). He culd nt knw then that the land f Gd s inheritance wuld becme a heavenly land. That wuld be revealed in the future, and the final wrds are specifically applied in Revelatin 21.3 t the new Heaven and the new earth Cnclusin - What abut yu? What abut yu? If yu are already a Christian here tnight, then it is nt because f anything yu have dne. It is because f the events at Easter that yu are a Christian, when Gd tk the necessary steps s that all peple culd have the chice t either fllw Him r nt. We are primarily Christians, nt because we cme t church services r just happened t have been brn in a suppsedly Christian cuntry. We are primarily Christians, because Gd first chased and harried us int His arms. We are Christians, if yu are ne, because Gd first lved yu. And as a tremendus lver, He beckns and calls peple all the time t respnd t His call, and back t Him. When I was yunger, in my mre smug mments I used t cngratulate myself fr being a Christian. Hw prud I was that I, Dave Rberts, was a Christian and that Gd was a jlly lucky Gd that I had decided t fllw Him. It was during ne f my less self-deluded mments, that I examined myself and I fund Gd pricking my cnscience and crrecting me, and I read the New Testament Fr the Sn f Man came, nt t serve but t give His life as a ransm fr many (Mk10v45). S If yu are a Christian here tnight, g shw and tell the transfrmatin that the all-pwerful living Gd has perfrmed in yu. If like me, yu are a Christian tday, ur sins were frgiven thrugh Jesus death n the Crss. That is when we had ur bath as it were. That is the pint when we were justified befre Gd and we are declared His child. Having been justified already, we dn t need a bath anymre! But we d need the equivalent f a ftwashing daily and r every time we take Hly Cmmunin and a cleansing f ur sin when we cnfess it befre ur Gd and repent. And if yu are nt a Christian here tday, then Gd is actively pursuing yu. I, f curse, dn t knw the circumstances in which He is, but I d knw that He is. He wants all peple t be fllwers f Him. That is why He is gathering, cleansing, and indwelling His peple. If yu wuld like t knw mre abut the Christian faith, then please dn t leave here tnight withut talking t smebdy abut it. Thank yu.