A Heart of Flesh

A Heart of Flesh Ezekiel 36:25–26 ‌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. ‌ ‌Introduction ‌We live in a world that often feels like a desert, parched and barren. ‌ ‌Life's challenges can leave us feeling as if we are wandering, thirsting for something more meaningful that can truly quench our spiritual thirst. ‌ ‌But let me remind you, dear friends, that we serve a God who specializes in transforming deserts into gardens and hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. ‌It has been said, "The heart of stone is icy; no divine promise can warm it, no threat can terrify it, no commandment can move it." ‌But we serve a God in the business of heart transformation, one who can turn the coldest, hardest heart of stone into a heart of flesh that beats with His love, mercy, and grace. ‌ ‌Let's bow our heads in prayer. Gracious Father, we come before You today, humbled and grateful for Your Word. We ask that You open our hearts and minds to the truths You have for us today. May Your Spirit guide us as we seek to understand and apply Your Word. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus, amen. ‌ ‌Today, we'll look at three main points: the transformation of our hearts from stone to flesh, His goodness and restoration, and the hope we can find in desolation and renewal in restoration. ‌ ‌I. Heart Transformation from Stone to Flesh ‌In the book of Ezekiel, God speaks of a transformation that is nothing short of miraculous. ‌ ‌He speaks of taking a heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh. ‌This is not a minor adjustment or a slight shift.

It is a complete and total change. ‌ ‌It is the work of a Master Craftsman, carefully removing the old, hardened heart and skillfully replacing it with a new, tender one. ‌ ‌This transformation is something we need help with. ‌ ‌We can't soften our hearts. ‌ ‌We can't make them more receptive to God's Word. Only God can do that. ‌He is the one who takes our hearts of stone and turns them into hearts of flesh. ‌ ‌He is the one who makes us alive to Him and His Word. ‌ ‌When God changes our hearts, He doesn't just change how we feel. ‌He changes the way we think, the way we act, the way we live. ‌ ‌Our priorities shift. ‌Our desires change. ‌We start to love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates. ‌ ‌We start to see the world through His eyes. ‌ ‌This heart transformation is an ongoing process. ‌ ‌Every day, God works in us, molding us into the people He wants us to be. ‌ ‌He's constantly refining us, removing the impurities, making us more and more like Him. ‌ ‌The transformation of our hearts is a powerful testimony to the world. ‌ ‌When people see the change in us, they can't help but notice. ‌ ‌They see the love, the joy, the peace that comes from having a heart of flesh. ‌ ‌They see the difference that God makes in life. ‌And that can draw them to Him. ‌ ‌Amid this transformation, we are not alone.‌

‌God is with us every step of the way. ‌He is our guide, our comforter, our strength. ‌ ‌He walks us through the valleys and celebrates with us on the mountaintops. ‌ ‌He never leaves us or forsakes us. ‌This heart transformation is not without its challenges. ‌ ‌There are times when we struggle, when we stumble, and when we fall. ‌ ‌But even in those times, God is there. ‌ ‌He picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us back on the path. ‌ ‌He doesn't give up on us. ‌ ‌He keeps working in us, transforming us until we are fully and completely His. ‌ ‌The transformation of our hearts is a sign of God's grace. ‌It's a reminder that He is a God of second chances, a God who is willing to take our mess and turn it into something beautiful. ‌ ‌It's a testament to His patience, His love, His mercy. ‌ ‌It's proof that He is a God who changes hearts, transforms lives, and makes all things new. ‌In this transformation, we find our purpose. ‌We discover who we were created to be. ‌We find our place in God's story. ‌ ‌We become part of His work in the world. ‌ ‌We join Him in His mission to bring hope, healing, and restoration to a broken world. ‌ ‌This heart transformation is a gift. ‌ ‌It's something we don't deserve, something we can't earn. ‌ ‌It's a gift of grace, a gift of love, a gift of life. ‌ ‌It's a gift that changes everything. ‌ ‌It's a gift that we are called to receive with open hearts and open hands. ‌Ultimately, the transformation of our hearts is about more than just us. ‌ ‌It's about God. ‌ ‌It's about His power, His love, His grace. ‌ ‌It's about His desire to have a relationship with us, dwell in us, and make us His own. ‌ ‌It's about His plan to redeem the world, restore all things, and make all things new. ‌ ‌And it's about His promise to complete the good work He has begun in us, to transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, to make us fully and completely His. ‌II. His Goodness, Our Restoration

As we continue to immerse ourselves in the richness of Ezekiel 36, we find ourselves confronted with a powerful image of restoration. ‌ ‌This restoration is not merely a return to a previous state but a radical transformation that is both personal and communal, physical and spiritual. ‌It is a restoration rooted in God's very character, in His goodness and His love for His people. ‌The first image that comes to mind is that of a land restored. ‌ ‌In verse 34, the Lord declares, "The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it." ‌ ‌This is not just about agriculture.

It's about life, abundance, and prosperity. ‌ ‌It's about a once barren and lifeless land, now teeming with life and productivity. ‌ ‌It's about the goodness of God, who takes what is broken and makes it whole, who takes what is dead and brings it to life. ‌ ‌The second image is of a restored people. ‌ ‌In verse 28, God promises, "Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God." ‌ ‌This is about more than geography. ‌ ‌It's about identity, belonging, and relationship. ‌ ‌It's about a people who were once estranged and alienated, now reconciled and at home. ‌We see the goodness of God, who takes what is lost and finds it, who takes what is distant and brings it near. ‌ ‌The third image is that of a name restored. ‌ ‌In verse 23, God declares, "I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them." ‌ ‌This is about a name once dishonored and disrespected, now honored and revered. ‌ ‌It's about a God who is not weak and powerless but strong and mighty. ‌It's about the goodness of God, who takes what is defiled and purifies it, who takes what is low and lifts it high. ‌ ‌Hebrew word study. ‌In the original Hebrew language, the word for "goodness" is "tov." ‌This word appears numerous times throughout the Old Testament, and it carries a range of meanings. In Genesis 1‌ , for example, God looks at His creation and declares it "tov," or good. ‌ In Psalm 23‌ , David declares that "tov" and mercy will follow him all the days of his life.

In these and other passages, "tov" conveys a sense of beauty, delight, and satisfaction. ‌ ‌It speaks of something as it should be, in harmony with God's design and purpose.‌ ‌ InEzekiel 36, God's "tov" is manifested in His commitment to restoring His people and land. ‌ ‌Moving on, we are reminded that God's goodness is not a passive attribute but an active force. ‌It's not just about what God is but about what God does. ‌ ‌It's about a God who is not content to leave things as they are but committed to making things as they should be. ‌ ‌This is the God we serve, a God of restoration and goodness. ‌ ‌This is the God who promises to take our desolate lands and make them fruitful, to take our scattered people and make them His own, to take our profaned name and make it holy. ‌ ‌This is God, who is not just good but also good to us. ‌ ‌This is the God who invites us to share in His goodness, participate in His restoration, and be part of His grand project of making all things new. ‌ ‌Finally, we are reminded of our role in this divine drama. ‌ ‌We are not passive spectators but active participants. ‌We are not just recipients of God's goodness but also its agents. ‌We are called to cultivate the land, build relationships, and honor God's name.‌

‌We are called to be part of God's restoration project, to be part of His goodness in the world. ‌ As we immerse ourselves in the richness of Ezekiel 36‌, we are invited to see ourselves not just as objects of God's goodness but also as subjects of His restoration. ‌We are invited to see our lives not just as stories of survival but also as stories of transformation. ‌ ‌We are invited to see our world not just as a place of desolation but also as a place of restoration. ‌ ‌In all of this, we are invited to see God not just as a distant deity but as a loving Father, a faithful Friend, and a gracious God. ‌ ‌III. Hope in desolation and Renewal during Restoration ‌ ‌We often feel lost and disconnected from God in the midst of our trials and tribulations. ‌ ‌But even in these moments of desolation, there is a promise of restoration and renewal. ‌ ‌This is the hope we find in the book of Ezekiel, a hope that transcends our circumstances and anchors us in the steadfast love of God. ‌During seasons of desolation, we are confronted with our brokenness. ‌ ‌We are stripped of our illusions of self-sufficiency and brought face-to-face with our need for God. ‌ ‌This is a painful process, but it is also a necessary one. ‌ ‌During the season of desolation, our hearts of stone are broken and made ready for the transformation that God desires to bring about in us. ‌ ‌But this transformation also has implications that ripple into the world around us. ‌ ‌As we are restored and renewed, we become agents of restoration and renewal in our communities. ‌ ‌We become conduits of God's grace, channels through which His love and mercy flow into the lives of those around us. ‌ ‌Let me remind you that God is not silent during our seasons of desolation because He is actively working to restore and renew us, to bring us back to Himself. ‌ ‌But this restoration is a journey that requires our active participation. ‌ ‌We must be willing to surrender our hearts of stone and receive the new heart of flesh that God desires to give us. ‌ ‌We must be willing to let go of our old ways of thinking and living and embrace the new life that God offers us in Christ. ‌ ‌This brings us to the second aspect of our hope in desolation: the promise of renewal. ‌ ‌This is not merely a return to the way things were but a transformation into something new, something better. ‌ ‌It is the promise of a new heart, spirit, and life in Christ. ‌ ‌This renewal is an active pursuit. ‌ ‌It requires us to seek God with all our heart, hunger, and thirst for His righteousness and strive for holiness in all we do. ‌ ‌It requires us to live out our faith in tangible ways, love our neighbors as ourselves, seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. ‌ ‌So, dear friends, let us take hold of this hope in Christ. ‌ ‌Let us embrace the promise of restoration and renewal that He offers us. ‌ ‌Let us surrender our hearts of stone and receive the new heart of flesh that He desires to give us. ‌ ‌Let us strive for holiness, seek His righteousness, and live out our faith in tangible ways. ‌ ‌And as we do, remember that we are not alone in this journey. ‌We have a God who is with us, who is for us, and who works in us and through us to bring about His good and perfect will. ‌ ‌Conclusion ‌Our God is a God of transformation. ‌ ‌He's not just in the business of changing circumstances; He's in the business of changing hearts. ‌ ‌He takes our hearts of stone, hardened by the trials and tribulations of this world, and turns them into hearts of flesh, capable of experiencing His love, grace, and mercy in ways we never thought possible. ‌Our God is a God of restoration. ‌ ‌He takes our brokenness, pain, and suffering and turns it into something beautiful. ‌ ‌He restores us, not just to our former state, but to a state better than anything we could have imagined. ‌ ‌He makes us whole again, not just in body but in spirit. ‌ ‌And finally, our God is a God of hope. ‌ ‌Even amid our darkest trials, even when we feel like wandering in a desert, He is there. ‌ ‌He is our guiding light, our beacon of hope. ‌ ‌He leads us out of the desert and into the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of abundance and blessing.