Ezekiel: The God Who Saves and Be Ashamed of Your Sin

Introduction

Open to Ezekiel 36:22–32. that’s Ezekiel 36:22–32 this evening

Ezekiel and Lamentations

God calls himself the God who saves,

For example in Psa 20:9 says, YHWH Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya) Ha mel-ekchh

That same word Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya) is used right here in verse 26.

When we look throughout scripture, that term when used of God;’s work is always God’s sol work. That specific form of the word to save,

What will people say if God name is the God who saves but does not save?

This is the reason we are presented with.

Let’s Read

Ezekiel 36:22–32 (ESV)

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 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. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy Inflatable, and Sufficient Word

Let’s Pray

Transition

Body

I will Sanctify My Name Says the Lord

Ezekiel 36:22–23 ESV

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

The therefore in a sandwich, reading before God conclude with the question of his name.

If God is a god that saves why is none of his people saved?

Notice that charge “you have profaned” happen twice once in verse 22 and once in 23.

Remember how we have talked about how what we see repeated statement like this it is for emphasis.

There is to be no escaping the guilt, and its not other nations but the people of God Israel, you have profaned my name.

We don’t have Calvin but Matthew Henry,

“When God promised the poor captives a glorious return, in due time, to their own land, it was a great discouragement to their hopes that they were unworthy, utterly unworthy, of such a favour; therefore, to remove that discouragement, God here shows them that he would do it for them purely for his own name’s sake, that he might be glorified in them and by them, that he might manifest and magnify his mercy and goodness, that attribute which of all others is most his glory. And, the restoration of that people being typical of our redemption by Christ, this is intended further to show that the ultimate end aimed at in our salvation, to which all the steps of it were made subservient, was the glory of God. To this end Christ directed all he did in that short prayer, Father, glorify thy name; and God declared it was his end in all he did in the immediate answer given to that prayer, by a voice from heaven: I have glorified it, and I will glorify it yet again, Jn. 12:28.” [1]

This is why it all points to Christ, its about God glory and that glory is perfectly manifested in Christ alone.

Everything it “Topical” as MH said, of Christ.

Notice the Lord says “And the nations will know that I am the LORD (YHWH), declares the Lord God (Adoni Elohem)”

It to much in my option to read this as a direct reference to Jesus, but should bring Jesus to our mind because of Psalm 110 (YHWH said to Adoni) and it is one of the vailed reference to the trinity we find throughout the old testament.

This is God’s glory, your Christian are the demonstration of God’s glory in he saving to all

It should be said here, there is no historical fulfilment of this verse that matches what God is saying here. Only the salvation of The Israel of God as Paul calls us in Galatians, fits what is happening here.

This is what Matthew Henry meant in saying “which all the steps of it were made subservient”

And how can we apply this, Are we to say we are more worthy of the salvation found in christ then the excels were of the return?

No, we would be less worthy because it is as the author of Hebrews says, “a great salvation”

We have the same comfort that the excels had, as MH said, “God here shows them that he would do it for them purely for his own name’s sake, that he might be glorified in them and by them, that he might manifest and magnify his mercy and goodness, that attribute which of all others is most his glory.” [2]

We can take comfort beloved that in Christ though nothing of worth be found in us by grace God will glorify himself though and in us.

Transition

This is a Monergistic work of God. I had to teach my sermon writing software that word: Monergistic. I didn’t have to teach it synergistic, it new that word. How much this is a parable for humanity. God can save me but I need to do my part the the default position of every human heart and mind. But the next few verses know nothing of such an idea.

The Monergistic Work of God

Ezekiel 36:24–27 ESV

24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 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. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

I will do this says the Lord. ‘

Did every Israelite return to no, every Israelite that God elected to return to build his temple returned every open that God has elected to come to Christ will and God address them as Israel.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel” (Eze 36:22, ESV)

The elect are Israel and they always have been.

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." (Jn 10:16, ESV)

Remember when we start we pointed out that God name himself YHWH Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya) saves.

Peter said, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Ac 4:12,ESV)

YHWH Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya) save only by himself look the text,

“I will take you from the nations”

“I will sprinkle clean water on you”

“I will cleanse you”

“I will give you a new heart”

“I will put a new spirit within you”

“I will remove the heart of stone”

“I will put my Spirit within you, and (Lest you think for a sec you could yourself) cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

YHWH Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya) save only by himself but as Peter just told is there is one name give for salvation

YHWH Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya) saves through, lets stick with the Hebrew here because its appropriate, Adoni Yeshua. (The Lord Jesus)

In Matthew 1 the angle tells Joseph “[your wife] will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1:21, ESV)

Jesus is YHWH Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya). Jesus is God the savior and you cannot make heads or tails of this passage without him.

Transition

This passage can bare much more study, I invite you, open your bibles and dig in here, you will find so many treasures. But tonight we do need to consider our response.

You Shell Be Ashamed

Ezekiel 36:28–32 ESV

28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

I will again

Verse 31 - 32

You will “loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.”

We live in a culture the despises repentance.

Be warned Brothers and Sisters that culture impacts you.

The world will never tell you to Loath yourself, but the scripture does.

We have already said it, our unworthiness of this salvation is more then the unworthiness because this salvation is greater. It just as the Hymn we song says, “two wonders I confess, the wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.” {3]

There is a modern version of that song, from a group of singer that are in most respect usually very good theological speaking. the Song is in titled “My Worth Is Not In What I Own” and the line goes like this “Two wonders here that I confess My worth and my unworthiness.”

That’s missing the point, the point is our unworthiness, that is how God show the worthiness of his surprising love in that while we were yet sinners, while we were unworthy, Christ died for us.

The hymn writer got it right, “Elizabeth Clephane” “two wonders I confess, the wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.” [4]

Conclusion

And at the center of it all, in every text in every event of History, Christ, YHWH Hoshaiah (ho Shy ya) the fulfilment, is the reason, is the savior, is the Lord, is the King.

You know how you can tell you have the right view of any text in scripture? It make little of man and makes great of Christ.

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

References

[1] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1410.

[2] Ibid

[3] Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.”, 1869, https://hymnary.org, https://hymnary.org/text/beneath_the_cross_of_jesus_i_fain_would, verse 2

[4] Ibid

Bibliography

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.

Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.”, 1869, https://hymnary.org, https://hymnary.org/text/beneath_the_cross_of_jesus_i_fain_would