MPC
15th January 2017.January 15 - Ezekiel 36 - "Holy Spirit and New Heart"
MPC
15th January 2017.
Ryan Holmes
Alexander the Great is a man who deserves his name. He conquered most of the known world by the age of 30.
There's a story about a young soldier who's brought to Alexander, because he's deserted in battle.
Alexander the Great starts out softly. Asking, "What's your name soldier?" "Alexander," says the young guy. Softly.
Angry now, Alexander the Great yells, "What is your name?!?" "Alex... ander." Even softer.
Looking into the young deserter's eyes, Alexander the Great says, "Soldier, either change your ways... or change your name!"
Alexander the Great obviously cares about his name! He cares about his reputation. Alexander is the name of the great one. He won't have the name Alexander associated with a cowardly deserter.
Now did you notice as we read Ezekiel 36 God is passionate for his name too? So passionate that he's almost thinking he doesn't want his name associated with the people of Israel.
Because Israel has God's name... but not His ways. And God cares about his holy name.
Pick up with me where the story of Israel has come to. The story we've been tracking the last couple of weeks.
Remember Israel is the nation that God's grown from a single man, Abraham. To put right everything that went wrong in the original garden.
Where Adam and Eve deserted their duty. As God's representatives. Rebelling against God.
And from then on the world is not the same. God chose Abraham and his family line... to be his new people. Who he's going to stake his reputation on. To carry the honour of his name.
And God promises them a land of their own. A place where they'll flourish. A place where he'll be their God. And they'll be his people.
And you might remember Moses in Deuteronomy 30 gives them a reminder on how to live with God in the land. God warns them. If you're going to turn away from me in your hearts... then don't bother making this place home.
My wife Sarah and I have just moved into our new home. Just down the road at Gaythorne. And as we went through the rental agreement there are things which we have to agree to do before we move in. Things which we must do if we want it to stay our home. Like paying the rent. Keeping it clean. If we don't do them, we'll be kicked out. So if we're not going to do these things, we might as well not bother making this place home.
It's just like what God says to Israel. If you're not going to be the people my people should be. If you're not going to honour my name. Don't bother making this place home.
God warns them through Moses; If you're going to serve other gods instead... don't even bother unpacking the boxes. You'll be kicked out of home. And as a people you'll be scattered. You'll be exiled.
And now, God's followed through with exactly what he said. For a while, Israel flourishes; there's a Kingdom; they're living under God's blessing. But soon enough their hearts wander, deserting their God.
They're unfaithful to the God who gave them everything.
And instead of living in His ways, they serve and live like the evil gods of the other nations. Even though they still bear God's name.
And ultimately at the end of 2 Kings they're smashed by Babylon. And taken into exile.
Which is exactly what Moses warned Israel about back in Deuteronomy 30. It's all played out. Step by step.
Looking back. Here's Ezekiel's summary of the story. Chapter 36 from verse 17:
When the people of Israel were living in their own land they defiled it by their conduct and their actions.
And so he says in verse 18:
So I poured my wrath on them because they'd shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.
This is where they are now in story.
Now you might also remember there was a glimmer of hope back in Deuteronomy 30. There was a promise. That exile didn't have to mean the end.
A promise that said this:
When you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul ... then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes... The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
The question is, how bad's it gotta get for Israel to turn back like that? How long... are they going to keep God waiting. And what's it doing to God's reputation? What's it doing to God's good name?
Because here's the thing. In the world of the Old Testament, where every nation has their own god, your god is meant to be your national protector.
Your god is meant to defend you. And provide for you.
So this kinda looks bad, doesn't it? Israel and their God, separated. Separated by the conquering Babylonians who look and see one of two things:
Either Yahweh the God of Israel cut and ran: abandoned his people.
Or He was too weak to defend them against the power of the Babylonian god.
Either way, God's 'street-cred' is in question. Either way his reputation, his name, has been shamed, disgraced and muddied because of His people.
Take a look at verse 20.
Wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, these are the Lord's people, and yet they had to leave his land.
This is more than a bad look. This is devastating for God's reputation. And the longer it goes on, the worse it looks. Which is why God says in verse 21:
I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they'd gone.
The longer it takes for Israel to turn in their hearts and be restored; the longer God waits for Israel to repent; the worse it gets. Israel defiled their land. And so they're thrown out. Now they're defiling God's name. Around the nations.
Now recently is seems that wherever Australian's go we're a bit of an embarrassment as well. Budgie smugglers at the Malaysian Grand-Prix.
This event sparked a wider conversation about Australians embarrassing themselves overseas. Here's what some Aussies had to say:
"I Felt ashamed of the behaviour of some Australians."
"Hang my head in shame at other Aussies' behaviour."
"It is a disgrace to see."
Now you might not feel as strong as these people. But it's not the best look, is it?
It's just like Israel dishonouring God's name around the nations.
At this point in Israel's story you might be asking, why won't they change?
And the answer is, because their hearts are bent the other way. The same as every other human heart since things went wrong in the garden.
One Nobel prize winner author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, said,
If only there were evil people somewhere committing evil deeds, and all that needed to happen was separate them from the rest of us and destroy them...
If we could just divide the good ones from the bad ones and rid of them. Everything will be ok. But it's not like that. He goes onto say,
But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.
Every human, by nature has a heart that needs changing. The problem isn't between you and me. The problem is between me and the rest of me. The problem is in all of us.
It's a bind, isn't it? It actually feels hopeless, doesn't it?
It isn't simply that Israel won't change... But by nature they can't change; can't turn back to him because their hearts are evil. They're hopeless.
And the longer it goes. The more hopeless it gets.
Which is why God says, "I'm going to take the initiative."
God is done waiting. For the sake of his name, he's going to do something.
It's a great promise. But Israel needs to know something important.
It's not because of them!
It's not because they're impressive.
It's not because they're nice.
It's not because they're good.
Verse 22:
Therefore say to the the Israelites, this is what the sovereign lord says. It's not for your sake, people of Israel, that I'm going to do these things. But for the sake of my holy name. Which you have profaned among the nations.
Because God cares for his holy name. He's going to step in. He's going to bring them home.
Keep reading in verse 24:
I'll take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.
God himself... is going bring his children back home. They'll be back home. But there's more. God says, I'm going to change you. He says, I'll clean you up.
Look at his words from verse 25:
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
But more than that. Remember the promise of Deuteronomy 30 verse 6? Changed hearts? Here it is from Ezekiel.
Look at the second half of verse 26:
And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
This is God re-creating the human heart. The bible says we live from the inside outwards. From the heart. The centre of who we are. To what we do.
And so God says to Israel, I'm going to start there, at the centre. With new hearts. Hearts that are not cold and hard like stone, but alive and sensitive like flesh.
How is He going to do this? Hearts beating with the pulse of his spirit. See in verse 27 He says:
I'll give you hearts of flesh, "And I will put my spirit within you."
God's Spirit is going to animate. And empower the hearts of his people.
Which is going to make their future... very different to their past. Which is ultimately going to be great for God's reputation. For his name. Because his people are going to love what he loves. From the heart.
And so step by step as the story moves forward, God starts the process of bringing His people home again.
But not yet... not yet at least... not yet home with changed hearts.
In fact by the end of the Old Testament, they're still waiting for the coming of Holy Spirit. Still waiting. For changed hearts. Still waiting. For God to take that initiative to make a people who are what his people should be. Who are going to honour his name. And not defile it.
Until Jesus comes. And tells his disciples that this is exactly... what he's going to achieve.
Have you ever noticed in the Lord's Prayer, when Jesus is teaching his disciples to pray, it's a prayer that at last, God's name... would be honoured again.
That His name would be treated as holy again. Jesus has come... to do something about that.
Here at last... is one man. The Israel that God's people were always meant to be. Wholehearted. And through him, God's at last going to pour out his spirit. And change hearts.
And this how the apostle Paul puts it... It's like going... from death... to life again.
Look at his words from Ephesians chapter 2:
Verse 1:
You were dead in your transgressions and sins ...
Verse 4:
But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead...
My step aunt's health got so bad she needed a pacemaker to keep her alive, a couple of years ago. She was getting work done on it; when the procedure took a turn for the worse. A wire punched holes in one of her main arteries. And from bleeding out on the table she was put on life support. Later on, I spoke to Dad. He was on the way to pick family up from the airport to start planning the funeral. The next time I spoke to Dad, the change was almost unbelievable. She'd come off life support. And the doctor was confident she'd make a full recovery. They'd brought her back from the brink of death.
She didn't do it.
She was totally unable, powerless; as good as dead.
Because of the initiative of the doctors she lived.
Just like us. We were unable, powerless, and dead in our sins.
But God took the initiative to make us alive.
When we were dead. God took the initiative. To make our dead hearts alive by the spirit.
And what is all this for? Well Paul says, it is in order that... for the purpose that through His work in us His graciousness and goodness would be known.
See verse 7:
in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus...
God's doing it for his reputation. For his glory. For his name.
In fact, to be honest, my step aunt was a chronic smoker and heavy drinker. She never did anything to deserve a 'second chance'. She never took care of herself. Didn't do anything to improve her health - just the opposite. And yet she was given life.
Israel's change of heart. It wasn't because of them.
Our change of heart. It's not because of us!
It's not because we're impressive.
It's not because we're nice.
It's not because we're good.
But He saves us for his sake...
Because God cares for His holy name.
It's so His name would be honoured because of His graciousness and kindness. As people see his spirit at work ... in us.
Through Jesus we get the spirit and new hearts. And it's all for his reputation.
And if you're the kind of person who says that you're a Christian. God has taken the initiative to act in your heart. He's changed your heart. He's given you His spirit. So that you are now following Jesus. Treasure this in your heart. Remember that he has already made you able to be the person that a follower of Jesus should be. A person who brings honour to God's name who is fit to be with him and live for him.
Notice this in Ephesians 2 verse 10:
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
You know, there are times where I lose sight of the how gracious, great, glorious and good God is. I forget what He has done in my heart. I forget who He has made me to be. I start believing the lie that I can't change.
It's an attitude that sound like this:
I can't change that I just snap when I'm annoyed.
I can't change that I often say one thing but do the other.
I can't change that I like talking about other people but not about myself.
I can't change that I need new things to feel better about myself.
I know that's what you think, but it not true.
Because we can change!
We can. By the Spirit. Become gradually more gracious, more patient, more loving, more self-controlled, more gentle. Because when we put our trust in Jesus, he starts work on our hearts by his spirit. From day 1.
You see when we see the Bible as a story we see that God is not like Alexander the Great. Standing over in judgement of his soldiers saying, "Change your ways or change your name."
No. No.
Friends, do you see God is there saying to us, "I've given you my name and I've given you my Spirit."
I've given you new hearts. and new attitudes.
I've given you everything you need.
To bring glory to my name.
Let's make every effort that today and tomorrow and every day, that's what we're doing. That we'd be a people who are great for God's reputation. Because of what God's doing in us.