1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Thank you. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Thank you. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:05,520 I will boast ever again 4 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:09,800 My God, for I know 5 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:14,020 His glory is my good 6 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:59,980 Thank you. 7 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:29,980 Thank you. 8 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:59,700 Thank you. 9 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:40,600 The Spirit and the Bride 10 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,800 Together testify 11 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:48,820 All things shall be made right 12 00:11:48,820 --> 00:11:50,220 Amen 13 00:11:50,220 --> 00:11:56,940 The lost shall be restored 14 00:11:56,940 --> 00:12:01,340 The grave shall be no more 15 00:12:01,340 --> 00:12:05,560 And all the church will roar 16 00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:07,100 Amen 17 00:12:07,100 --> 00:12:16,540 Prepare the way the King is coming 18 00:12:16,540 --> 00:12:24,180 Enthrow our praise the King is coming 19 00:12:26,940 --> 00:12:34,880 The lost, the first, the living world in glory shall return. 20 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:52,040 And we prepare for the day with hearts like blares that burn as light upon the earth. 21 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:57,840 We wait for His return, amen. 22 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:14,500 No fear of what's to come, our hopes and in the one who said that it is done, amen. 23 00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:23,280 Prepare the way the King is coming. 24 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:31,700 In blood, our praise, the King is coming. 25 00:13:31,700 --> 00:13:38,980 The last, the first, the living world. 26 00:13:38,980 --> 00:13:42,520 In glory shall return. 27 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:51,000 We prepare the way. 28 00:13:51,000 --> 00:14:04,380 Jesus, we prepare the way. 29 00:14:04,380 --> 00:14:08,540 The trumpet soon shall sound. 30 00:14:08,540 --> 00:14:12,840 He'll ride upon the clouds. 31 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:19,840 and every knee will bow, Amen. 32 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:28,340 The honor and the faith, the glory, power, and praise 33 00:14:28,340 --> 00:14:33,340 be unto Jesus' name, Amen. 34 00:14:33,340 --> 00:14:55,020 Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. 35 00:14:55,020 --> 00:15:00,100 Retail the way the King is coming. 36 00:15:00,100 --> 00:15:08,480 Enthrow all praise the King is coming. 37 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:19,320 The last, the first, the living world, the glory shall return. 38 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:28,160 The Great, the Son of Man, the Lion and the Lamb. 39 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:36,220 The poor, the star, who stands alone, in light will lead us home. 40 00:15:36,220 --> 00:15:43,540 We prepare the way. 41 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:50,320 Jesus, we prepare the way. 42 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:59,220 Oh, Jesus, we prepare the way. 43 00:15:59,220 --> 00:16:07,840 Oh, Jesus, we prepare the way. 44 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:44,340 Thank you. 45 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:51,720 And we prepare the way 46 00:16:51,720 --> 00:17:00,320 Jesus, we prepare the way 47 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:08,940 Jesus, we prepare the way 48 00:17:08,940 --> 00:17:17,900 Hopefully, Lord, Jesus, we prepare the way. 49 00:17:38,940 --> 00:18:08,920 Transcription by CastingWords 50 00:18:08,940 --> 00:18:38,920 Thank you. 51 00:18:38,940 --> 00:19:08,920 Thank you. 52 00:19:08,940 --> 00:19:38,920 Thank you. 53 00:26:08,940 --> 00:26:26,160 It does mean I have 25 seconds to sit idle. 54 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,540 Is it showing that the sound's coming through there? 55 00:26:29,540 --> 00:26:33,360 On the... 56 00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:36,740 Okay, is it showing anything on the... 57 00:26:36,740 --> 00:26:37,120 Okay. 58 00:26:38,940 --> 00:26:45,940 Alright, I'm going to test this real quick, and then... 59 00:26:45,940 --> 00:26:47,940 Yeah, oh yeah, it's coming through. 60 00:26:47,940 --> 00:27:02,940 I wish I could post a picture in the chat. 61 00:27:02,940 --> 00:27:06,940 Alright, I better stop playing with it. 62 00:27:06,940 --> 00:27:08,940 That's true. 63 00:27:08,940 --> 00:27:18,140 All right. 64 00:27:18,140 --> 00:27:21,880 Get a bottle of water, and then we're ready to go. 65 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:32,580 Oh, you're good. 66 00:27:36,940 --> 00:27:42,320 I think everybody gets, like, five extra. 67 00:28:06,940 --> 00:28:32,340 in terms of the songs we're not going to do like the bridge on the first one and the other two are 68 00:28:32,340 --> 00:28:34,460 recorded, like right 69 00:28:34,460 --> 00:28:35,100 before communion. 70 00:28:35,100 --> 00:28:40,500 So we're going to do like Scripture reading. This is our God. 71 00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:44,180 Yeah, we're going to go like chorus 72 00:28:44,180 --> 00:28:47,880 and then we'll just end. 73 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:51,960 It may actually be in there correctly. 74 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:58,520 But I don't think the slides, they're showing up 75 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:00,820 There, so, anyway. 76 00:29:00,820 --> 00:29:03,160 All right, I think we're good to go. 77 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:07,920 Yep, yeah. 78 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:56,240 All right, good morning, mainly to those of you watching on the live stream, we've all 79 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,460 and chatting here for a few minutes. 80 00:29:58,460 --> 00:30:00,820 We are glad that you're watching with us this morning. 81 00:30:00,820 --> 00:30:05,120 We're glad that you all made it here to church this morning. 82 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:06,920 We're going to begin with a word of prayer. 83 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:10,900 Then we're going to read from Job chapter 37. 84 00:30:10,900 --> 00:30:14,240 We'll sing a couple of songs, celebrate the Lord's Supper, 85 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,560 spend some time in Ezekiel, the 36th chapter, 86 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,880 and then sing a little more and be dismissed. 87 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:22,820 Let's go ahead and pray. 88 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,740 Father in heaven, we thank you for this day that you have given us. 89 00:30:27,740 --> 00:30:34,900 We thank you for the beauty of the snow and the challenge of the snow 90 00:30:34,900 --> 00:30:39,340 and the reminder that you are in control of all things. 91 00:30:39,340 --> 00:30:42,960 We just ask that as we worship together this morning, 92 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:47,080 whether here in person or online, 93 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:52,380 that you would encourage us deeply in the depths of our being, 94 00:30:52,380 --> 00:30:58,800 that you would help us to see the good news of the gospel, that you would bring us joy in our salvation, 95 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:07,460 that we would turn from our sin, that we would walk in righteousness, transformed by the power of the gospel and equipped by your spirit. 96 00:31:07,460 --> 00:31:15,240 We just thank you so much for your church. We thank you so much for your son, and it's in his name we pray. Amen. 97 00:31:15,940 --> 00:31:21,140 We're going to start this morning by reading from Job chapter 37. 98 00:31:21,140 --> 00:31:28,200 As we see sort of God's greatness expanded in the book of Job. 99 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:31,740 Let's go ahead and we'll read together. 100 00:31:31,740 --> 00:31:33,000 So if you would read with me. 101 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,800 For to the snow, he says, fall on the earth. 102 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:42,480 Likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. 103 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:49,500 He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he made may know it. 104 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:50,980 This is the word of the Lord. 105 00:31:50,980 --> 00:31:57,460 And so we are thankful for God's word, as God is reminding Job of God's bigness. 106 00:31:57,460 --> 00:32:02,280 These words also remind us, as we've heard for the past week, 107 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,500 sort of over and over about the snow and the sleet and everything coming. 108 00:32:06,500 --> 00:32:10,140 And we worry, and sometimes we struggle. 109 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:19,960 And Job says, as God speaks to Job, that in part this is given so that we might know that God is God. 110 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,700 So we're going to start this morning by singing, This Is Our God. 111 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:53,520 They were like prisons that we couldn't escape, but he came and he died and he rose, but those 112 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:59,520 walls are rubble now. 113 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:08,520 Remember those dyes we call death and grave, they were like mountains that are still in 114 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:11,020 It's still in our way 115 00:33:11,020 --> 00:33:13,980 But He came and He died 116 00:33:13,980 --> 00:33:15,660 And He rose 117 00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:18,520 Those giants are dead now 118 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:24,580 This is our God 119 00:33:24,580 --> 00:33:26,180 This is who He is 120 00:33:26,180 --> 00:33:28,600 He loves us 121 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,460 This is our God 122 00:33:30,460 --> 00:33:32,060 This is what He does 123 00:33:32,060 --> 00:33:34,520 He saves us 124 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:36,200 He's born across 125 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:37,680 Beat the grave 126 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:44,020 That other land of propane, this is our God, King Jesus. 127 00:33:44,020 --> 00:33:49,080 The woman that feels and took our breath away. 128 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:54,920 Faith so weak that we could barely pray. 129 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:59,660 We heard every word, every whisper. 130 00:34:02,060 --> 00:34:12,680 Now those altars in the wilderness tell the story of His faithfulness. 131 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:19,300 Never once did He fail and He never will. 132 00:34:19,300 --> 00:34:27,180 This is our God, this is who He is, He loves us. 133 00:34:27,180 --> 00:34:33,040 This is our God, this is what He does, He saves us 134 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:38,820 On the cross, beat the grave, and the land of cocaine 135 00:34:38,820 --> 00:34:42,700 This is our God, King Jesus 136 00:34:42,700 --> 00:34:50,580 This is our God, this is who He is, He loves us 137 00:34:50,580 --> 00:34:56,420 This is our God, this is what He does, He saves us 138 00:34:56,420 --> 00:34:59,680 For the cross, beat the grave 139 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:02,200 Let our love proclaim 140 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:06,080 This is our God, King Jesus 141 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:11,380 For the cross, beat the grave 142 00:35:11,380 --> 00:35:13,920 Let our love proclaim 143 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:17,580 This is our God, King Jesus 144 00:35:26,420 --> 00:35:33,020 Father in heaven, in just a moment as we come to the table, 145 00:35:33,020 --> 00:35:40,900 we just ask that you would turn our hearts and you would fix our eyes on the goodness of your Son. 146 00:35:40,900 --> 00:35:48,560 We thank you for the calm that you bring, the peace that you bring to our lives, 147 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:56,140 sometimes not through our choices, but through your power and ultimately your grace. 148 00:35:56,140 --> 00:36:03,400 you cause us to be still so we just ask this morning as we worship as we sing as we pray as 149 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:09,120 we gather together around the table that you would direct us to the good news of the gospel 150 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:16,400 it's in Jesus name we pray amen we're going to sing as we prepare to come to the Lord's supper 151 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:18,640 turn your eyes 152 00:36:26,140 --> 00:36:55,140 *sad music* 153 00:36:55,140 --> 00:37:09,140 Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face 154 00:37:09,140 --> 00:37:16,140 And the things of earth will grow strangely dim 155 00:37:16,140 --> 00:37:24,140 In the light of His glory and grace 156 00:37:25,140 --> 00:37:33,780 Turn your eyes to that hillside 157 00:37:33,780 --> 00:37:40,540 Where justice and mercy embrace 158 00:37:40,540 --> 00:37:47,580 There the Son of God gave for us 159 00:37:47,580 --> 00:37:54,580 And our measureless death was erased 160 00:37:54,580 --> 00:38:01,580 Jesus, to you we lift our eyes. 161 00:38:01,580 --> 00:38:08,580 Jesus, our glory and our Christ. 162 00:38:08,580 --> 00:38:15,580 We adore you, behold you, our Savior ever true. 163 00:38:15,580 --> 00:38:21,580 Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you. 164 00:38:21,580 --> 00:38:41,140 Turn your eyes to the morning 165 00:38:41,140 --> 00:38:47,380 And see Christ the lion awake 166 00:38:47,380 --> 00:38:52,400 What a glorious dawn 167 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:56,000 Fear of death is gone 168 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:02,860 For we carry His life in our veins 169 00:39:02,860 --> 00:39:10,620 Jesus, to you we lift our eyes 170 00:39:10,620 --> 00:39:17,060 Jesus, our glory and our pride 171 00:39:17,060 --> 00:39:24,740 We adore you, behold you, our Savior ever true. 172 00:39:24,740 --> 00:39:30,480 Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you. 173 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:43,020 Turn your eyes to the heavens. 174 00:39:43,020 --> 00:39:49,320 Our king will return for his own 175 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:53,860 Every knee will bow 176 00:39:53,860 --> 00:39:57,600 Every tongue will shout 177 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:01,640 All glory to Jesus 178 00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:11,840 Jesus, to you we lift our eyes 179 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:19,000 Jesus, our glory and our prize 180 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:23,220 We adore you, behold you 181 00:40:23,220 --> 00:40:26,300 Our Savior ever true 182 00:40:26,300 --> 00:40:33,380 Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you 183 00:40:33,380 --> 00:40:39,140 Jesus, to you we lift our prize 184 00:40:39,140 --> 00:40:47,140 Jesus, our glory and our prize 185 00:40:47,140 --> 00:40:51,140 We adore you, behold you 186 00:40:51,140 --> 00:40:55,140 Our Savior ever true 187 00:40:55,140 --> 00:41:01,140 Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you 188 00:41:01,140 --> 00:41:09,080 Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you 189 00:41:09,140 --> 00:41:35,020 There is something wonderful about snow that has been untouched. 190 00:41:36,060 --> 00:41:40,780 without all the tracks or the mud that has been covered up. 191 00:41:40,780 --> 00:41:46,320 We went from gray and sad and our yard was kind of muddy. 192 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:51,760 Having a couple dogs, right, the snow does wonders for our landscaping. 193 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:58,000 It goes from kind of brown, kind of sad, kind of dreary in the wintertime 194 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:02,760 to something that looks far better than it did before. 195 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,620 In fact, one of our kids this morning said, hey, don't make any tracks over there. 196 00:42:06,620 --> 00:42:10,500 Because when one of the other kids wakes up, they're going to want to see the untouched snow. 197 00:42:10,500 --> 00:42:19,120 And as we come to the table this morning, in Isaiah chapter 1, we hear this. 198 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:21,820 Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. 199 00:42:21,820 --> 00:42:27,140 Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. 200 00:42:27,140 --> 00:42:34,380 Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 201 00:42:34,380 --> 00:42:39,920 And what we find, especially as we continue on in the book of Isaiah, 202 00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:44,540 and as we hear the prophecies of the suffering servant, 203 00:42:44,540 --> 00:42:48,220 the one who would come and stand in our place, 204 00:42:48,220 --> 00:42:53,520 who heals us by his own wounds, 205 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:59,440 We find that God isn't simply covering up all the brownness and the brokenness of our life 206 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:04,880 with a fresh coat of snow, but rather, He's transforming them. 207 00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:08,760 Though they are red like crimson, they shall become, 208 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:13,700 not covered up, but taken away and lives transformed. 209 00:43:13,700 --> 00:43:17,520 We're going to pray, and then we'll partake of the Lord's Supper together. 210 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:23,540 Father in heaven, we thank you that you take broken people, 211 00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:27,740 who are broken by sin and rebellion. 212 00:43:27,740 --> 00:43:32,360 We thank You that You transform us 213 00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:33,600 through the good news of the Gospel. 214 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:37,180 And as we come to the table this morning, 215 00:43:37,180 --> 00:43:40,860 looking to the broken body 216 00:43:40,860 --> 00:43:42,900 and the shed blood of Your Son, 217 00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:48,340 we thank You so much for Jesus 218 00:43:48,340 --> 00:43:50,740 and His sacrifice. 219 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:57,120 that's both satisfied righteousness and poured out upon us grace. 220 00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:00,560 So I ask that you bless this bread and this cup. 221 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:05,560 May we be a people who proclaim your Son until he comes again. 222 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,020 It's in his name we pray. Amen. 223 00:44:08,020 --> 00:44:13,600 If you would, take the bread with me as we remember the body of Jesus. 224 00:44:17,900 --> 00:44:23,420 And as we partake of the new covenant that is found in the blood of Jesus, 225 00:44:23,420 --> 00:44:27,820 let's remember the redemption that is provided by his sacrifice. 226 00:44:27,820 --> 00:44:34,980 Let's go ahead and pray one more time. 227 00:44:34,980 --> 00:44:42,720 Father in heaven, thank you for this meal that nourishes our souls, 228 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:49,340 that strengthens our hands, that transforms our spirits. 229 00:44:49,340 --> 00:44:54,740 May you nourish us and strengthen us in righteousness and for righteousness. 230 00:44:54,740 --> 00:44:58,840 And for the good of your people and for the mission of your church, 231 00:44:58,840 --> 00:45:01,120 we thank you for Jesus. 232 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:03,000 And it's in his name we pray. Amen. 233 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:12,520 We are taking a little break this morning from the book of Matthew, 234 00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:14,920 where we have been in the Sermon on the Mount. 235 00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:18,580 If you didn't get a sermon handout, there are some on the back table, 236 00:45:18,580 --> 00:45:22,600 and I think Penelope is glad to hand those out if you need one. 237 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:25,760 If anybody wants one, Penelope will go and grab them for you. 238 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:31,840 We're going to be in Ezekiel 36, not in the Sermon on the Mount this morning, 239 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:38,500 but Sermon on the Mount adjacent, as we have been speaking in the Sermon on the Mount about righteousness, 240 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:46,520 specifically the righteousness that we are called to, this righteous standard that ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. 241 00:45:46,520 --> 00:45:56,500 I want to take us to Ezekiel chapter 36, and we'll take a look at how that transformation into righteousness occurs. 242 00:45:56,500 --> 00:46:09,320 And so I want us to think about birthdays as we begin, and I have one birthday that specifically for me stands out as the worst birthday that I have ever experienced. 243 00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:19,040 It was my sixth birthday. Fairly certain it was my sixth birthday. I'm not sure which birthday it was. I just remember it in very deep detail. 244 00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:36,720 And the reason that this birthday was so terrible was because on the morning of my birthday, my dad had discovered that I had decorated the new floor that he had put into my room with the back part of a claw hammer. 245 00:46:36,720 --> 00:46:39,320 Because it made these great patterns. 246 00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:41,360 And I wasn't even thinking that I was ruining the floor. 247 00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:42,860 I was like, look, I am decorating. 248 00:46:42,860 --> 00:46:45,920 I am adding value to this piece of real estate. 249 00:46:46,340 --> 00:46:51,460 It did not add value neither to my life nor to the real estate. 250 00:46:51,460 --> 00:46:57,320 And it was my own fault, but it was a difficult birthday, and it still sticks out. 251 00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:01,320 And I remember just thinking, this is the worst birthday that I have ever experienced, 252 00:47:01,320 --> 00:47:05,640 despite the fact everything that happened was ultimately my fault. 253 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:10,300 As we begin the book of Ezekiel, in the very, very beginning, 254 00:47:10,300 --> 00:47:26,400 What we find is that Ezekiel starts to write this entire letter, this prophecy, not just prophecy, but this judgment against God's people, judgment against nations, ultimately ending where we are this morning in hope and restoration. 255 00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:36,100 It begins, most commentators think, as it starts on the 30th year, that he is celebrating his 30th birthday. 256 00:47:36,100 --> 00:47:43,060 And the remarkable thing is that Ezekiel should have been ordained to the priesthood on this day. 257 00:47:43,060 --> 00:47:49,340 And instead of being ordained to the priesthood on his 30th birthday, 258 00:47:49,340 --> 00:47:54,180 he's sitting by the river outside of an Israelite refugee camp. 259 00:47:54,180 --> 00:48:03,800 The year he should have been installed as a priest, he is far from home as a result of God's judgment against Israel. 260 00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:09,340 And so Ezekiel is going to speak to a people who are judged and who are in exile, 261 00:48:09,340 --> 00:48:14,860 and he's going to show them that their biggest problem isn't the circumstances that they are experiencing, 262 00:48:14,860 --> 00:48:17,580 but it's the condition of their hearts. 263 00:48:17,580 --> 00:48:21,300 And before God restores their land or rebuilds their city, 264 00:48:21,300 --> 00:48:28,660 he promises to give them new hearts and his own spirit so they can finally live as his people. 265 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:34,720 And what you find is that the heart of our text this morning is all about transformation. 266 00:48:34,720 --> 00:48:40,700 And what you're going to find as we walk through this is we're going to see that God transforms his people. 267 00:48:40,700 --> 00:48:44,120 And it starts like this, that God transforms our focus. 268 00:48:44,120 --> 00:48:51,320 Therefore, this is God speaking, say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, 269 00:48:51,320 --> 00:48:55,700 it is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, 270 00:48:56,000 --> 00:49:01,860 but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 271 00:49:01,860 --> 00:49:07,520 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, 272 00:49:07,520 --> 00:49:10,840 and which you have profaned among them. 273 00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:14,380 And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, 274 00:49:14,380 --> 00:49:19,120 when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 275 00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:22,880 So this sounds super cheerful, right? 276 00:49:22,900 --> 00:49:27,720 It sounds like this is going to be an encouraging message from God, 277 00:49:27,720 --> 00:49:32,440 but what God is doing in these words where he directs an accusation 278 00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:34,820 that's not simply an accusation, but it's a reality. 279 00:49:34,820 --> 00:49:36,960 They have profaned the name of God. 280 00:49:36,960 --> 00:49:38,740 They have turned their back on him. 281 00:49:38,740 --> 00:49:41,220 The nations now look at his people and say, 282 00:49:41,220 --> 00:49:47,100 what kind of a God could have people that are like this who are taken into exile? 283 00:49:47,100 --> 00:49:50,460 And what God is doing in these hard words, 284 00:49:50,500 --> 00:49:54,360 and sometimes it takes hard words to break through our stubbornness, 285 00:49:54,360 --> 00:49:57,360 is that he's pointing them in a new direction. 286 00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:03,520 It's taking a broken people and pointing them, reorienting them in the right direction. 287 00:50:03,520 --> 00:50:06,040 It's like changing their spiritual compass. 288 00:50:06,040 --> 00:50:12,380 So if you ever have used a good compass, most of them have a ring that you can turn, 289 00:50:12,380 --> 00:50:15,980 and what you need to do is you need to adjust the degrees on the compass 290 00:50:15,980 --> 00:50:20,880 for the difference between magnetic north and the actual North Pole. 291 00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:27,060 Otherwise, for every mile you travel, or every four miles you travel, 292 00:50:27,060 --> 00:50:30,320 you're going to be off a mile in your direction, 293 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:34,680 or for every mile that you travel, you're going to be off a quarter of a mile in direction. 294 00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:37,400 If you don't, first, before you begin to navigate, 295 00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:43,140 take your compass and adjust it so that the arrow points to true north 296 00:50:43,140 --> 00:50:45,820 rather than simply magnetic north. 297 00:50:45,980 --> 00:50:49,300 And what God is doing is taking his people and saying, 298 00:50:49,300 --> 00:50:52,880 the direction that you are going, you're going to miss the destination 299 00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:55,500 if somebody doesn't take and adjust you. 300 00:50:55,500 --> 00:50:57,660 And so he does that. 301 00:50:57,660 --> 00:50:59,720 Notice what he does. 302 00:50:59,720 --> 00:51:02,740 Thus says the Lord, and this is how he changes the focus. 303 00:51:02,740 --> 00:51:07,120 It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I'm about to act, 304 00:51:07,120 --> 00:51:09,380 but for the sake of my holy name. 305 00:51:09,380 --> 00:51:13,820 And then he will go on and say, to vindicate my holy name, 306 00:51:13,920 --> 00:51:17,560 I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 307 00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:21,400 And the question I think we have to ask is, 308 00:51:21,400 --> 00:51:27,000 how does turning our eyes to God's holiness change our focus? 309 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:33,260 You see, there's a lie that's easy to believe that God's work is all in response to our goodness, 310 00:51:33,260 --> 00:51:38,060 that I improved, that I tried harder, that I deserve. 311 00:51:38,060 --> 00:51:42,240 And notice what this text says, because it is shocking in its wording. 312 00:51:42,700 --> 00:51:45,980 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, 313 00:51:45,980 --> 00:51:50,960 It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, 314 00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:53,860 but for the sake of my holy name. 315 00:51:53,860 --> 00:51:57,820 I will vindicate the holiness of my great name. 316 00:51:57,820 --> 00:51:59,520 I am the Lord God. 317 00:51:59,520 --> 00:52:05,040 The center of this reorientation for the people of God is the holiness of God. 318 00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:08,260 It's focused on God's glory, not ours, 319 00:52:08,260 --> 00:52:12,180 and not on our goodness, our deservedness, or our achievement, 320 00:52:12,180 --> 00:52:18,440 but specifically on his holiness, his glory, not ours. 321 00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:25,520 Now, if we're honest, and if I'm honest, I think this declaration of the centrality of God's holiness 322 00:52:25,520 --> 00:52:29,060 is probably not a comfortable moment for us to hear these words. 323 00:52:29,060 --> 00:52:34,660 Thus says the Lord God, it is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I'm about to act, 324 00:52:34,660 --> 00:52:38,080 but for the sake of my holy name. 325 00:52:40,020 --> 00:52:43,100 It sort of causes us to bristle up. 326 00:52:43,100 --> 00:52:47,780 So ranger, our little cattle dog, when he sees something he doesn't like, 327 00:52:47,780 --> 00:52:51,840 he goes from being nice and sleek, high speed, low drag, 328 00:52:51,840 --> 00:52:54,660 to essentially he just turns into a hedgehog. 329 00:52:54,660 --> 00:52:58,900 He gets just real poofy, real fast, bristling everywhere. 330 00:52:58,900 --> 00:53:05,160 And when I hear these words, it is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, 331 00:53:05,300 --> 00:53:10,580 but for the sake of my holy name, there is a tendency in my pride to bristle a little bit, 332 00:53:10,580 --> 00:53:14,020 and go, why not about me? Why not about us? 333 00:53:14,020 --> 00:53:18,680 And what we find, I think in part the reason we bristle, 334 00:53:18,680 --> 00:53:24,900 is because when we hear people in this world make these kind of statements about how great they are, 335 00:53:24,900 --> 00:53:30,240 for example, if you hear the news or you listen to people and they talk about how great they are, 336 00:53:30,240 --> 00:53:32,540 we sort of bristle at their pride. 337 00:53:33,160 --> 00:53:36,840 And oftentimes we think proud people aren't the kind of people we want to be around. 338 00:53:36,840 --> 00:53:42,500 And we don't like it, and the reality is, on this earth, in our physical world, it's often not true. 339 00:53:42,500 --> 00:53:47,760 The people who proclaim their greatness are often harsh and difficult. 340 00:53:47,760 --> 00:53:54,800 And what we do is we've gotten it backwards, and we begin to judge God by the broken people we encounter, 341 00:53:54,800 --> 00:54:00,780 instead of the other way around, by judging those broken people by the greatness of God. 342 00:54:01,240 --> 00:54:07,060 And so instead of looking at God and in his holiness and rejoicing in that, 343 00:54:07,060 --> 00:54:10,960 we begin to bristle because we have got it backwards. 344 00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:17,040 You see, one of the things that happens when God vindicates the holiness of his name, 345 00:54:17,040 --> 00:54:19,360 he's proclaiming what is true. 346 00:54:19,360 --> 00:54:21,520 See what's happening in this situation. 347 00:54:21,520 --> 00:54:24,600 Which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 348 00:54:24,600 --> 00:54:29,540 The actions of God's people have led to accusations about the character of God. 349 00:54:30,220 --> 00:54:33,720 And think about it, in our world, if we're falsely accused of something, 350 00:54:33,720 --> 00:54:37,200 most of us respond with anger, right? 351 00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:41,260 Because it wasn't true, and it was an accusation that was leveled against us. 352 00:54:41,260 --> 00:54:44,560 And we respond this way because truth matters. 353 00:54:44,560 --> 00:54:51,700 And God here is responding in that way, not out of pride, but because truth matters. 354 00:54:51,700 --> 00:54:55,980 You see, God's response here is not the fragility of ego. 355 00:54:56,680 --> 00:55:01,460 It's holiness and righteousness and truth and goodness and life. 356 00:55:01,460 --> 00:55:05,240 When God acts for his name, he is defending what is true. 357 00:55:05,240 --> 00:55:08,700 He is preserving what is good, and he is restoring what is right. 358 00:55:08,700 --> 00:55:14,060 In fact, I would say this, if God did not act for his name, he would not be righteous. 359 00:55:14,060 --> 00:55:20,420 You see, when God vindicates the holiness of his name, he is proclaiming what is good. 360 00:55:20,420 --> 00:55:24,740 Himself and to us, that he is good. 361 00:55:25,440 --> 00:55:27,240 And I think about it this way pretty frequently. 362 00:55:27,240 --> 00:55:32,680 When my kids, they're afraid or they're hurt or they're confused or they're struggling, 363 00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:39,940 one of the things that I do, and sometimes, not very gently, I will look at them and I'll go, look at me. 364 00:55:39,940 --> 00:55:42,020 Stop looking at your fear. 365 00:55:42,020 --> 00:55:44,480 Stop looking at your hurt. 366 00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:45,900 Stop looking at your worry. 367 00:55:45,900 --> 00:55:49,460 And sometimes, depending on the situation, you gently say that. 368 00:55:49,460 --> 00:55:54,340 But sometimes their attention is so fixed on that thing that they are terrified. 369 00:55:54,740 --> 00:55:59,080 They need to hear, look at me, right? 370 00:55:59,080 --> 00:56:01,100 In their confusion, hurt, and fear, 371 00:56:01,100 --> 00:56:04,940 they need to see their dad who is there to comfort and protect 372 00:56:04,940 --> 00:56:06,820 and to bring clarity to the situation. 373 00:56:06,820 --> 00:56:09,840 They need an anchor in those moments. 374 00:56:09,840 --> 00:56:12,900 And so here are broken people in the book of Ezekiel. 375 00:56:12,900 --> 00:56:17,700 They've had their brokenness exposed through both physical judgment, 376 00:56:17,700 --> 00:56:20,660 defeat and exile, and in the words of God, 377 00:56:20,660 --> 00:56:23,500 bringing judgment upon their spiritual life 378 00:56:23,500 --> 00:56:29,420 and what God is doing is going look at me he's telling his children look at me because your hope 379 00:56:29,420 --> 00:56:35,600 is not found in your righteousness it's not a viable option but it's found in the glory of God's 380 00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:43,080 holy name right our hope is only secure if it rests on the God who is truly secure 381 00:56:43,080 --> 00:56:53,340 and so notice that God does not change often our struggle with God's proclamation of his holy name 382 00:56:53,340 --> 00:56:56,120 is that we want our name to be front and center. 383 00:56:56,120 --> 00:56:58,780 You think about it in Luke 18 with the Pharisee 384 00:56:58,780 --> 00:57:00,740 who lives for comparison. 385 00:57:00,740 --> 00:57:03,280 Thank you, Lord, that I am not like other men. 386 00:57:03,280 --> 00:57:06,460 Or as we'll see in the Sermon on the Mount 387 00:57:06,460 --> 00:57:08,500 in praying, fasting, and giving, 388 00:57:08,500 --> 00:57:12,140 to be seen and praised by men for recognition. 389 00:57:12,140 --> 00:57:16,100 You see, oftentimes we want moral superiority 390 00:57:16,100 --> 00:57:18,060 or we want moral applause. 391 00:57:18,060 --> 00:57:21,320 And God says, this isn't about your record. 392 00:57:21,880 --> 00:57:23,900 It's about my record. 393 00:57:23,900 --> 00:57:27,280 Refocused, brought back into line, 394 00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:29,920 and it's not comfortable because it's like setting a bone. 395 00:57:29,920 --> 00:57:33,840 Being brought back to where we need to be. 396 00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:36,840 And in that moment where God brings us back, 397 00:57:36,840 --> 00:57:38,740 he then restores our brokenness. 398 00:57:38,740 --> 00:57:39,920 Listen to what he says. 399 00:57:39,920 --> 00:57:44,020 I will take you from the nations and gather you to all the countries. 400 00:57:44,020 --> 00:57:48,040 Gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 401 00:57:48,040 --> 00:57:49,860 I will sprinkle clean water on you. 402 00:57:50,380 --> 00:57:54,780 And you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from your idols I will cleanse you. 403 00:57:54,780 --> 00:57:57,120 Notice that God is at work. 404 00:57:57,120 --> 00:58:00,260 He is the active subject in every word. 405 00:58:00,260 --> 00:58:03,300 Not abstract grace, but grace in action. 406 00:58:03,300 --> 00:58:10,220 I will take you, I will gather you, I will sprinkle you, and I will cleanse you. 407 00:58:10,220 --> 00:58:12,440 That God is the one at work. 408 00:58:12,440 --> 00:58:14,320 And so notice that it starts with rescue. 409 00:58:14,320 --> 00:58:19,660 God says, I am coming, and it doesn't matter what country and what land and how far you are apart. 410 00:58:19,800 --> 00:58:23,820 I am going to come, and I am going to take you, right? 411 00:58:23,820 --> 00:58:29,120 I'm not going to invite, I'm not going to ask for permission from the countries of which you have been sent into, 412 00:58:29,120 --> 00:58:33,940 but in rescue, I will come, and I will take you. 413 00:58:33,940 --> 00:58:39,800 Then notice, he doesn't just rescue, then he restores, right? 414 00:58:39,800 --> 00:58:43,140 Exile didn't just remove Israel from a land, it fractured them, 415 00:58:43,140 --> 00:58:45,320 and it fractured their identity and their community. 416 00:58:45,820 --> 00:58:50,940 In Scripture, to be scattered is to be vulnerable, disoriented, and unprotected. 417 00:58:50,940 --> 00:58:55,200 Jesus will talk about sheep, and how when the shepherd is killed, the sheep scatter. 418 00:58:55,200 --> 00:58:57,980 There's no one to protect, no one to hold them together. 419 00:58:57,980 --> 00:59:00,520 They are now vulnerable, and they're all alone. 420 00:59:00,520 --> 00:59:01,400 And notice what he says. 421 00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:03,880 First of all, I'm going to rescue you, take you from the nations, 422 00:59:03,880 --> 00:59:11,080 and then I'm going to gather you, I'm going to bring you all together. 423 00:59:11,080 --> 00:59:13,940 So there's rescue, and there's restored. 424 00:59:14,920 --> 00:59:15,900 And then notice this. 425 00:59:15,900 --> 00:59:16,540 They are renewed. 426 00:59:16,540 --> 00:59:18,160 They are cleansed. 427 00:59:18,160 --> 00:59:20,480 51st Psalm, David prays, 428 00:59:20,480 --> 00:59:23,080 Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean. 429 00:59:23,080 --> 00:59:25,640 Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. 430 00:59:25,640 --> 00:59:28,380 I will sprinkle clean water on you. 431 00:59:28,380 --> 00:59:29,620 It's priestly language. 432 00:59:29,620 --> 00:59:36,260 The language of forgiveness and sprinkling of the blood sprinkled on the altar on the day of atonement. 433 00:59:36,260 --> 00:59:39,600 From your idols, I will cleanse you. 434 00:59:39,600 --> 00:59:44,800 Not just washing a little bit of the outside, but dealing with the inside. 435 00:59:44,880 --> 00:59:46,420 We're sometimes really good at the outside. 436 00:59:46,420 --> 00:59:51,000 So the other day, when we had a little bit of rain, I was looking at our pilot. 437 00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:54,800 And I was like, man, it is so clean and so shiny. 438 00:59:54,800 --> 00:59:56,240 It looks so good. 439 00:59:56,240 --> 00:59:57,480 The tires are great. 440 00:59:57,480 --> 01:00:00,880 Rachel gets in and goes, it smells like a horse in here. 441 01:00:00,880 --> 01:00:04,220 Looks great on the outside, but the inside. 442 01:00:04,220 --> 01:00:06,940 So God doesn't just come and sprinkle clean. 443 01:00:06,940 --> 01:00:07,800 Notice what it says. 444 01:00:07,800 --> 01:00:11,940 I will cleanse you from your idols, those things that your heart is set upon. 445 01:00:11,940 --> 01:00:13,760 I'm going to come and rescue you. 446 01:00:13,960 --> 01:00:15,600 I'm going to restore you. 447 01:00:15,600 --> 01:00:18,060 I'm going to clean you, 448 01:00:18,060 --> 01:00:20,440 and I'm going to not just let it be on the surface, 449 01:00:20,440 --> 01:00:22,480 that I will cleanse you. 450 01:00:22,480 --> 01:00:25,400 He names the problem directly. 451 01:00:25,400 --> 01:00:27,640 Not mistakes, not weakness, idolatry. 452 01:00:27,640 --> 01:00:31,440 And God reaches down to the root of the symptom. 453 01:00:31,440 --> 01:00:35,120 You see, the gospel doesn't minimize sin, 454 01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:38,240 and grace doesn't pretend that sin doesn't matter. 455 01:00:38,240 --> 01:00:41,360 It digs into our heart, and it removes it. 456 01:00:43,360 --> 01:00:46,240 Once God has brought us near and washed us clean, 457 01:00:46,240 --> 01:00:49,000 He then addresses the deeper problem. 458 01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:52,560 Not just what we've done, but the heart that keeps producing it. 459 01:00:52,560 --> 01:00:54,720 He's changed our focus and our direction, 460 01:00:54,720 --> 01:00:57,980 and now He gets to the root of the problem, which is our hearts, 461 01:00:57,980 --> 01:01:01,340 because the reality is, if left to our own devices, we're going to be in trouble. 462 01:01:01,340 --> 01:01:06,120 If God just simply came, turned our attention to the right place, 463 01:01:06,120 --> 01:01:09,020 got us cleaned up and left us, we'd be in trouble. 464 01:01:09,020 --> 01:01:17,220 One of my good friends who was here, and he was an elder here several years ago before he passed away, 465 01:01:17,220 --> 01:01:23,340 he grew up in Pawpaw as a young boy, and so this story would have probably taken place in the 1930s. 466 01:01:23,340 --> 01:01:27,060 And near Pawpaw, probably most of you know there is the Pawpaw Tunnel. 467 01:01:27,060 --> 01:01:29,020 Before, trains were prevalent. 468 01:01:29,020 --> 01:01:36,060 Most cargo went down barges on the river, and somebody had the bright idea that instead of dealing with all the bends in the river, 469 01:01:36,060 --> 01:01:39,800 We just cut through a mountain, put a little channel through there, 470 01:01:39,800 --> 01:01:42,800 and we run the barges in this little piece of the river through the mountain. 471 01:01:42,800 --> 01:01:48,960 I think it was about a year after they finished it that the railroad came and rendered the canal essentially obsolete. 472 01:01:48,960 --> 01:01:55,760 You can go there today and walk through the tunnel, but you do so on a nice path that's up high with a nice fence, 473 01:01:55,760 --> 01:01:58,700 but there's still water flowing through that canal. 474 01:01:58,700 --> 01:02:01,740 And so he was telling me that it was after church one Sunday, 475 01:02:02,400 --> 01:02:07,960 And he was in his Sunday best back when you dressed up everybody in their Sunday best and went to church. 476 01:02:07,960 --> 01:02:11,740 So this has probably been the later part of the 1930s. 477 01:02:11,740 --> 01:02:14,700 Mom got him all sparkling clean, sent him to church. 478 01:02:14,700 --> 01:02:18,520 And after church, him and his buddies walked over to the canal and they said, 479 01:02:18,520 --> 01:02:22,000 you know what, I bet we can make it all the way through the tunnel and there's no towpath. 480 01:02:22,000 --> 01:02:27,940 And so they walked through the dark, muddy water in all their fancy church clothes. 481 01:02:28,300 --> 01:02:34,880 And he told me when he got home that like the reaction from his mom wasn't just like you should not have done that, right? 482 01:02:34,880 --> 01:02:43,060 She got them all cleaned up and then you go crawl through a muddy tunnel in like three feet of water filled with snakes, right? 483 01:02:43,060 --> 01:02:45,780 This is what we do left to our own devices, right? 484 01:02:45,780 --> 01:02:47,440 God refocuses us. 485 01:02:47,440 --> 01:02:50,820 He brings us and he cleans us and he restores us. 486 01:02:50,820 --> 01:02:56,520 But if he leaves us like that, we're going to head right back in all our clean clothes into the muddiness of the tunnel. 487 01:02:56,520 --> 01:02:57,580 And so here's what happened. 488 01:02:58,060 --> 01:02:59,940 God replaces ruined hearts. 489 01:02:59,940 --> 01:03:04,100 And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. 490 01:03:04,100 --> 01:03:08,400 I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 491 01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:11,560 Notice it's not transformed, it's replaced. 492 01:03:11,560 --> 01:03:15,540 This is a turning point of the whole passage, right? 493 01:03:15,540 --> 01:03:16,860 The heart of stone. 494 01:03:16,860 --> 01:03:20,920 The heart of stone is not stubborn or immature, right? 495 01:03:20,920 --> 01:03:23,720 It is absolutely unresponsive. 496 01:03:23,720 --> 01:03:26,680 Think about the picture of stone, right? 497 01:03:27,220 --> 01:03:30,480 We can take a piece of wood that's maybe bent or warped a little bit, 498 01:03:30,480 --> 01:03:33,720 and with enough force and pressure, maybe heat and steam, 499 01:03:33,720 --> 01:03:37,880 we can twist that wood and we can make it fit where we want it to go. 500 01:03:37,880 --> 01:03:40,840 That doesn't work with stone. 501 01:03:40,840 --> 01:03:43,540 And so notice God doesn't repair our stony hearts. 502 01:03:43,540 --> 01:03:44,980 He replaces it. 503 01:03:44,980 --> 01:03:46,960 He doesn't try to soften it. 504 01:03:46,960 --> 01:03:48,180 He doesn't reshape it. 505 01:03:48,180 --> 01:03:51,440 It's not even dynamite the stone of your heart out 506 01:03:51,440 --> 01:03:53,540 and use the pieces to make a beautiful mosaic. 507 01:03:53,540 --> 01:03:57,120 He doesn't say, here's some better heart habits. 508 01:03:57,220 --> 01:04:00,540 what does it say? I will give you a new heart 509 01:04:00,540 --> 01:04:05,140 and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh 510 01:04:05,140 --> 01:04:09,240 and give you a heart of flesh. You see, no amount of instruction 511 01:04:09,240 --> 01:04:12,400 can make a heart of stone beat. 512 01:04:12,400 --> 01:04:17,000 Instead, he says, I'll give you a heart of flesh. And this is not 513 01:04:17,000 --> 01:04:21,220 what we frequently think of in the New Testament sense. We hear about the flesh in the New Testament. 514 01:04:21,220 --> 01:04:25,320 We think about sinfulness and indulgence. The flesh 515 01:04:25,320 --> 01:04:31,180 here is just literally a real heart. Instead of a stone heart that doesn't move or doesn't beat, 516 01:04:31,180 --> 01:04:37,720 here is a real heart that moves and it beats. It's living, responsive, capable of grief, love, 517 01:04:37,720 --> 01:04:44,180 repentance, and obedience. It's a beating heart. Jesus ultimately in the Sermon on the Mount and 518 01:04:44,180 --> 01:04:51,300 God here in Ezekiel is not calling stone-hearted people just to pretend to be alive. He's describing 519 01:04:51,300 --> 01:04:55,260 what life looks like after God gives a living heart. 520 01:04:55,260 --> 01:04:58,980 It's regeneration, not behavior modification. 521 01:04:58,980 --> 01:05:03,040 Because one of the things that we found, I think, in life is that we can 522 01:05:03,040 --> 01:05:05,900 change behavior without touching the heart. 523 01:05:05,900 --> 01:05:11,520 Right? We can be moral and try to follow the rules, 524 01:05:11,520 --> 01:05:14,460 but ultimately it collapses into pride or despair. 525 01:05:14,460 --> 01:05:19,160 You see, external conformity without a change of heart never produces 526 01:05:19,160 --> 01:05:23,160 joy. And I want you to understand that God does not demand of us 527 01:05:23,160 --> 01:05:27,100 what he does not give us. He doesn't shame our 528 01:05:27,100 --> 01:05:31,140 weaknesses. He addresses our inability. He does not wait for 529 01:05:31,140 --> 01:05:33,540 our readiness, but rather he creates it. 530 01:05:33,540 --> 01:05:39,060 And so we feel worn out, exposed, maybe struggling 531 01:05:39,060 --> 01:05:42,800 to keep up. Ezekiel 36 says obedience 532 01:05:42,800 --> 01:05:47,100 begins with a gift, not with a threat. Once God has 533 01:05:47,100 --> 01:05:53,020 refocused our direction. He's realigned our position, remade our hearts. We find that obedience 534 01:05:53,020 --> 01:05:59,880 no longer rests on willpower, that God energizes our souls. I'll put my spirit within you and cause 535 01:05:59,880 --> 01:06:07,500 you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. There is one word I want you to see 536 01:06:07,500 --> 01:06:14,680 to start with in this verse. It's the word cause. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to 537 01:06:14,680 --> 01:06:21,220 walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules this is not i will help you if you try 538 01:06:21,220 --> 01:06:29,160 i'll assist your effort it is i will cause you to walk in my statutes not covert coercion 539 01:06:29,160 --> 01:06:36,200 it's desire a new heart aligned with the ability of the work of the spirit within us you see God 540 01:06:36,200 --> 01:06:42,420 does not drag us into obedience our desires are changed our energy is restored what we find is 541 01:06:42,420 --> 01:06:46,560 The law can reveal sin and God's will 542 01:06:46,560 --> 01:06:48,420 and define righteousness, 543 01:06:48,420 --> 01:06:51,960 but in the gospel you find that it creates love, 544 01:06:51,960 --> 01:06:55,420 lasting obedience, and sustained faithfulness. 545 01:06:55,420 --> 01:07:00,500 God is no longer merely saying, do this. 546 01:07:00,500 --> 01:07:03,000 He is saying, let me guide you, let me help you, 547 01:07:03,000 --> 01:07:04,240 let me walk with you. 548 01:07:04,240 --> 01:07:07,720 And we begin to find a shift in our life 549 01:07:07,720 --> 01:07:10,500 that moves from here into faith, 550 01:07:10,500 --> 01:07:12,340 from performance into participation, 551 01:07:12,420 --> 01:07:20,280 from rule keeping into relationship you see God as he refocuses us as he acts for his name he 552 01:07:20,280 --> 01:07:25,280 restores us brings us near and cleanses us he has replaced our hearts giving us a new one 553 01:07:25,280 --> 01:07:32,600 and energized us to cause us to walk by his spirit you see the gospel is not a command to 554 01:07:32,600 --> 01:07:40,260 become something we are not it is an invitation to live out what God does in our lives through 555 01:07:40,260 --> 01:07:44,600 the good news of Jesus on the cross and the work of the spirit let's pray 556 01:07:44,600 --> 01:07:49,820 father in heaven thank you for Jesus and for grace thank you for hope 557 01:07:49,820 --> 01:07:57,500 restore our souls reinvigorate our lives may we walk by your spirit and not by our own strength 558 01:07:57,500 --> 01:08:06,880 it's in Jesus name we pray amen as we close this morning i just want to read from uh Psalm 147 559 01:08:06,880 --> 01:08:09,860 verse 16 and then share with you 560 01:08:09,860 --> 01:08:13,040 a blessing from this text. 561 01:08:13,040 --> 01:08:15,780 Okay, it shows up here, not on my screen. 562 01:08:15,780 --> 01:08:19,680 It says, he gives snow like wool. He scatters frost 563 01:08:19,680 --> 01:08:22,720 like ashes. He hurls down his 564 01:08:22,720 --> 01:08:25,760 crystals of ice like crumbs. Who can stand 565 01:08:25,760 --> 01:08:28,480 before his cold? 566 01:08:28,480 --> 01:08:32,000 So may the God who commands 567 01:08:32,000 --> 01:08:34,020 the snow steady our hearts. 568 01:08:35,140 --> 01:08:39,300 May He cleanse you by His grace and cause you to walk by His Spirit 569 01:08:39,300 --> 01:08:44,820 so that in every season you rest in His glory and trust Him for His good. 570 01:08:44,820 --> 01:08:45,560 Amen. 571 01:09:05,140 --> 01:09:12,400 I have seen my Father's glory 572 01:09:12,400 --> 01:09:15,700 Revealed in Jesus Christ 573 01:09:15,700 --> 01:09:19,740 And the more that I behold Him 574 01:09:19,740 --> 01:09:22,540 The more He satisfies 575 01:09:22,540 --> 01:09:26,500 When I gaze upon His beauty 576 01:09:26,500 --> 01:09:29,880 When I see Him as I should 577 01:09:29,880 --> 01:09:33,780 Then my eyes are lifted upward 578 01:09:33,780 --> 01:09:37,360 For His glory in my will 579 01:09:37,360 --> 01:09:45,920 There is hope in every trial 580 01:09:45,920 --> 01:09:49,240 For I can trust the Lord 581 01:09:49,240 --> 01:09:53,220 He will turn my heart towards You 582 01:09:53,220 --> 01:09:56,240 And help me bear the thorn 583 01:09:56,240 --> 01:10:00,200 So in faith I follow Jesus 584 01:10:00,200 --> 01:10:03,120 On the road not understood 585 01:10:03,120 --> 01:10:10,120 For I know that He is working for His glory in my world. 586 01:10:10,120 --> 01:10:28,120 To our God be the glory, to our God be praise, He alone, the name above all names. 587 01:10:28,120 --> 01:10:43,000 I will boast ever only in the Lord, my God, for I know His glory is my good. 588 01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:54,560 See the open arms of Jesus upon the cross that day. 589 01:10:54,560 --> 01:10:58,300 What they understood as weakness 590 01:10:58,300 --> 01:11:01,720 Deserved by every praise 591 01:11:01,720 --> 01:11:05,520 For the charge that was against me 592 01:11:05,520 --> 01:11:08,800 It was never to the word 593 01:11:08,800 --> 01:11:12,760 Yes, I know that He has saved me 594 01:11:12,760 --> 01:11:16,020 For His glory and my good 595 01:11:16,020 --> 01:11:21,200 To our God be the glory 596 01:11:21,200 --> 01:11:26,480 To our God be praised, be alone 597 01:11:26,480 --> 01:11:30,800 In the name above all names 598 01:11:30,800 --> 01:11:38,820 I will boast ever only in the Lord my God 599 01:11:38,820 --> 01:11:44,920 For I know His glory is my good 600 01:11:51,200 --> 01:12:03,720 Would I gladly be made nothing, that Christ would be made more? 601 01:12:03,720 --> 01:12:10,920 Would I seek the only kingdom, that far outweighs them all? 602 01:12:10,920 --> 01:12:17,920 I will stand before my Father, where the faithful saints have stood. 603 01:12:17,920 --> 01:12:24,820 And with joy my heart shall praise Him, for His glory and my good. 604 01:12:24,820 --> 01:12:32,100 And with joy my heart shall praise Him, for His glory and my good. 605 01:12:32,100 --> 01:12:44,140 To our God be the glory, to our God be the rest. 606 01:12:44,480 --> 01:12:50,180 He alone, the name above all names. 607 01:12:50,180 --> 01:12:58,260 I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. 608 01:12:58,260 --> 01:13:04,260 For I know His glory to my good. 609 01:13:04,260 --> 01:13:08,260 To our God be the glory. 610 01:13:08,260 --> 01:13:12,400 To our God be the grace. 611 01:13:12,740 --> 01:13:18,520 Leave alone the name above all names. 612 01:13:18,520 --> 01:13:26,520 And I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. 613 01:13:26,520 --> 01:13:31,520 For I know His glory is my good. 614 01:13:31,520 --> 01:13:38,440 Yes, I know His glory is my good. 615 01:13:42,740 --> 01:13:43,240 you 616 01:14:12,740 --> 01:14:42,720 Thank you. 617 01:14:42,740 --> 01:15:12,720 Thank you. 618 01:15:12,740 --> 01:15:42,720 Thank you.