The Love Of God
Lessons From Ezekiel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Two weeks ago we examined Ezekiel 7:20-21, “Corrupting God’s Beautiful Ornament.
Like the times of Ezekiel we can corrupt God’s temple, the church, with the idols of covetousness and the things of this world.
Today, we are going to skip forward in this great book to Ezekiel 16 and look at this chapter a bit different than maybe we typically look at it.
In Ezekiel 16 we find God telling the story of his relationship with Israel.
In this history lesson for the Israelites we see something, “The Love Of God” demonstrated.
Let’s dive right into our lesson.
God Will Find Us
God Will Find Us
We Are Helpless.
We Are Helpless.
The reality is, once we reach the age of accountability we are most pitiful and helpless to overcome our sin.
God talks about Israel looked to him when in captivity.
Ezekiel 16:4–5 (ESV)
4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
This is the state of everyone when they reach the age of accountability and sin.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death…
Romans 3:23 (ESV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
1 John 1:8, 10 (ESV)
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
James 1:14–15 (ESV)
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire [lust]. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Isaiah 59:1–2 (ESV)
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Thankfully, Jesus came to this earth for sinners like you and me.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
God’s immeasurable riches of his grace is offered to all that seek him because…
God Wants Those That Seek Him.
God Wants Those That Seek Him.
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, made clear this when Jesus declared in the “Sermon on the Mount”…
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Now this is not a casual “interest in God” but an earnest heart felt “seeking” to know God.
29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
If we desire to “know the truth about God” we will find the truth about God.
John 8:32 (ESV)
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Summary
Summary
God loves us so much that even though we are dead in our sins, if we seek God and the truth, we will find him, get to know him, and find salvation through him.
Yes, God when he sees us in our most pitiful and helpless state, doesn’t turn away but rather in love offers to help us and as will now see, take care of us.
God Will Take Care Of Us
God Will Take Care Of Us
God Offers Us The Best.
God Offers Us The Best.
Notice what God did when he saw Israel in this bloody and helpless mess in the field.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.
This life, due to sin is full of tragedy, chaos, helplessness, and hopelessness.
People are committing suicide at an alarming rate, feeling like there is no hope or reason to live anymore.
God offers us the best possible life here on earth.
He offers to take care of all our physical “needs.”
Matthew 6:25, 33 (ESV)
25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing…33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
He offers to take care of all our spiritual “needs.”
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
Summary
Summary
God loves us so much that not only does he makes sure we find him when we seek him, but if we trust in him to provide for all our needs both physically and spiritually we will not be disappointed.
This doesn’t mean we will always be given what we “want” but rather what we “need” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
As Paul found out when he wanted the “thorn in his flesh removed” but Jesus told him “he needed it” and that his grace was sufficient.
Even though God loves us so much that he is willing to give us our every need and allow us “most pitiful in our sin to find him when seeking him,” it must be understood, as the Israelites found out…
God Will Not Tolerate Adultery
God Will Not Tolerate Adultery
Faithlessness Is Not Permitted.
Faithlessness Is Not Permitted.
Of the Israelites that God had found and provided for, even being united with in fellowship by marriage, we read they did stay faithful to God.
15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.
17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them.
19 Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord God. 20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter
21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.
Unfortunately, even those that receive the love of God can find themselves falling away into fornication with sin.
Jesus’ famous parable often titled the “Sower and the Seed” reveals this truth.
20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Paul famously, through inspiration, wrote in Galatians 5:4…
Galatians 5:4 (NKJV)
4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
We have a responsibility to take the “free gift of salvation” (Romans 6:23) and continue in Christ to…
Philippians 2:12 (ESV)
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
This means we “love God” back.
John 14:15 (ESV)
15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
This means we become “friends with God.”
14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Summary
Summary
The reality is loving God and being God’s friend is not hard when you understand God’s love for us.
This is why the apostle of love, John, said in 1 John 5:3…
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Conclusion
Conclusion
In Ezekiel 16 we see God’s magnificient and beautiful love he has for his people.
That his love sees us in our most pitiful state and seeks to help us, give us our every need, and love us continually.
However, in Ezekiel 16 we also see what happens when God’s people, reject his love.
We will have to answer for such sin and that ultimately is found in an eternal separation from God in hell.
Brethren, ladies and gentleman, don’t allow Satan to confuse you and lie to you about God, he loves you and wants you to spend an eternity with him, but it must be done his way (Matthew 7:21-23).
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
