New Heart and New Spirit

INTRO

If you have your Bible today you can open up to Ezekiel 36. If you don’t have a Bible, there should be one around you or you can follow along on the screen.

Last week we discussed God being our good shepherd, removing the bad shepherds, and then bringing us a covenant of peace through Jesus. Which is really good and amazing right? But will this change the disobedient and stupid sheep? I’m talking about the people of Israel that have been disobedient for hundereds of years AND us of course. How does God plan to truly change people? There has to be something that he can do so we don’t have this consistent ferris wheel of obedience and disobedience.

That’s what we will be discussing today so let’s pray and then hear from the Lord this morning.

PRAYER

BODY

English Standard Version Chapter 36

16 The word of the LORD came to me: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. 18 So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.’ 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came.

So this is nothing new to us, we know that Israel has been disobedient and that they have gone after other idols. But there are two things that in our modern mind probably are not connecting with that are actually really important for Ezekiel and the people of God hearing this. We need to talk about purity and holiness. The first thing that we need to talk about is pure and impure.

Purity and impurity were determining factors on whether you could approach God.

Now, stick with me here because we are having to humble ourselves to view this through the lens of the Israelites and especially through Ezekiel’s lens who was training to be a priest. If you remember reading through Leviticus because it was such a gripping book, or not, you may remember that there were foods, animals and fluids that could make you impure. Sexual fluids, blood, and dead bodies would make you impure and so you could not just waltz up into the temple like nothing happened. There was a cleansing that needed to happen. For the menstrual impurity a woman had to wait seven days, take a bath and then she was fine to offer sacrifices in the temple again. Please hear this Impurity was not wrong, it just showed that there needed to be a distinction for the holy and the unholy. To have a reverence for the Holy things, the temple and God’s presence. Does that make sense? So because God was pure, blameless, and holy, he could not mingle with any kind of impurity. And that is what Ezekiel is saying here, that Israel’s actions were showing that they had no reverence or respect for the holy things, God’s presence, God’s promises, or just God himself.

The second thing that we need to talk about is God’s Holy Name

God’s holy name was tied to His people, His promises, and His character.

You may have prayed this before, Our father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Why? To God his holy name was profaned because the people of Israel’s actions caused the nations to question God’s character. The nations around Israel knew Isarel’s God and the promises of the land to them. Israel was always reminding them of this.

And what is hard for our western mindset is that each nation knew what was the god over their nation, so when a nation fell it was because the god of that nation was not more powerful than the other nations god. So, since the people of God were promised the land and now they were gone from that land, Yahweh was put into question by the nations. But God has great concern for His name among the nations not because he is an insecure God and needs everyone’s approval, but because he is a God of the nations and wants them to see that He is their creator and to be in relationship with them.

This was the plan since the beginning, that God would chose a nation to be a blessing to the nations so that they could come and see that he is the one true God. But they were disobedient. So how do you change a disobedient nation? What do you do with them? Destroy them and try another one? Keep giving them judgmental prophecies to them until they understand? God’s holy name is at stake here, so what is he going to do? Let’s keep reading.

English Standard Version Chapter 36

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.

Now, if you have been with us through the book of Ezekiel, you are almost bracing for a judgmental punch to the face from God here, right? Like, oh no, what is he going to say? What name is he going to call them this time? But as I promised last week, there is less judgment now and more messages of hope and resurrection. It’s not that judgment doesn’t work, its just not the thing that transforms people. So just like last week, we see an intentional God here who is going to step in and act, and it isn’t about us, but for His great name that he will act.

English Standard Version Chapter 36

24

Just like last week, we see God emphasizing how he will act. He will step in. But before we jump ahead to how this can affect us, because I am thinking many of you have heard these verses before about a new heart and a new spirit before, correct? If you haven’t, that’s okay. But before we unpack this just think about how the exiles hearing this might have tried to process this.

They would have understood the first part of being taken out of all the nations that they had been scattered to. The would have even understood the picture of being sprinkled with water to be made clean because they did this back in the temple as an act of cleansing. Water was and had been a symbol of cleansing even since the flood. But a new heart? How are we going to get a new heart? The first heart transplant happened in 1967. So God was going to give us a new heart by doing what? And putting a new spirit in us? His spirit will be in us? Well this brings us the image of Adam back in the garden when he was just dust and God blew into him his spirit and he came alive. So a new heart and a new spirit, this almost sounds like we are going to have to be born again…

Where have you heard that term before? John 3. You don’t have to turn there, but you can if you want. Just know we will come back to Ezekiel. I want to read this all too familiar verse, but now with us understanding Ezekiel 26 more.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

Now when I read this before I always thought, jeez Jesus, give him a break. He is just asking some questions. But this guy was a ruler of the Jews, he knew the scriptures. He knew Ezekiel and Jeremiah and Isaiah better than most of us ever will. Jesus is talking Ezekiel language here. In order to truly obey God and walk in His commands, you need a new heart and to be born of the Spirit. It’s not just a prayer to pray to get into heaven. You can’t do this in your own strength. You need to be transformed from the inside out. To put off the old, to put on the new. To be filled with the Holy Spirt.

So what does it mean to be born again? What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? How does that look for us today? Okay, I’m going to leave us with this tension and lets go back to Ezekiel. Just trust me we will keep discussing this in a little bit.

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. Let’s clarify that this is not a self loathing about themselves, but a distaste to be disobedient . This happens in every believers life. They are not looking back on their old life or their disobedience and thinking, man, I wish I was doing that again.

When people come to me and are in tears with saying oh I don’t want to do this anymore, I don’t know why I am still struggling with this. Shouldn’t I be done with this habit and this sin? And I say, are you wanting to do this action? No. Are you against doing this action? Yes. If youd had to do it all over again would you do it again? No. Praise God! And they look at me with a strange face, because they were expecting shame and condemnation. But I see this as evidence of the Spirit. You have no desires and don’t want to do the thing that you used to do all the time and not think twice about. This is called growing in the Spirit. Where the things that you used to be numb to are not actually hurtful to you. What else will happen when they have a new heart and the Spirit of God inside of them?

33 “Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. 35 And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.

So God restores His honor of His holy name in the sight of the nations because his people have a new heart, filled with His spirit and are in the promised land with blessing all around them. It’s not about them, it is all about God being seen as glorious and the other nations seeing, yes there was a death to the nation, but they actually have a God of resurrection and life. But let’s look closely at these closing verses. Missions is happening once again because the people of God are walking in obedience to God by the Spirit of God. That seems right. There is one more thing we need to point out here and then we will talk about how this all applys to us today.

37 “Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. 38 Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Translation, God will hear the people ask for more people to populate the land. And he will, but they will be like the flock for sacrifices, like during the appointed feasts, people will come to be sacrifices that are honoring the Lord. Now before you think God is saying all the people are going to die, what he is saying here is the call that Paul gives us in Romans 12 that we are called to be living sacrifices, pleasing and holy to God. They will grow numerically again but they also will be growing spiritually by laying themselves down as being devoted to the Lord. They will be holy. They will want to honor God with all their lives. We are to lay ourselves on the altar and be pleasing to God with our lives being surrendered to him so that He can have all the honor, glory, and praise among the nations.

APPLICATION

Okay, so that was a lot and I also left you hanging with some questions such as, What does it mean to be born again and filled with God’s Spirit today? That’s a pretty big question and it also is an important question, right? So, don’t here this as a comprehensive answer, but I think from looking at this text we learn some things about what does it mean to have a new heart and God’s Spirit in us?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A NEW HEART AND GOD’S SPIRIT IN US?

A new heart/Spirit brings new desires. (vs. 24 &31)

Colossians 1 tells us that God delivered out of the kingdom of darkness into His glorious light. Colossians 3 tells us that we are to put to death our old way of living. So does Ephesians 5, Galatians 5, 1 thessalonians 3 and I could keep going but the image here is that when God puts a new heart in us and puts His Spirit inside of us, there is not a reminiscing of the good old days. Your not thinking back on your disobedience and thinking, gosh those days were so much better. If you are, you are living a dry and self righteous life that probably is filled with a lot of Bible reading but no fruit or gifts of the Spirit. God’s spirit should bring new desires in you and leave a bad taste in your mouth for the things that you used to excel at before. How would christianity be helpful for the world if it was a prayer to pray to get to heaven but you can live like hell until you get there? That’s not transformative. God promising that you get a new heart and His Spirit in us is essential.

I fear that Christianity can become a God the father, God the son, and God my will power religion. We are very stubborn and interesting people, are we not? Yet, Jesus tells us in John 14-15 that he needs to go so he can send his Spirit but that we need to abide in Him because what was in Him? The Spirit. Christianity without the Spirit of God is deadly. It leads to burn out. It leads to toxic self righteousness. And, worst off, it leads us to think we don’t need the third God of the trinity. We would never say this of course, but the moment we bring up the Holy Spirit, people get freaked out. Why? Because we like to live in our spirit rather than the Holy Spirit. But God has designed us to have our spirit yield to the Holy Spirit so that we can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. why? so that…

You have a New Identity and restored worship (vs.25 & 28)

When a piece of furniture or a person was sprinkled with water or blood in the old testament it was a statement: You are Holy. It is a change of identity and when God says in verse 28,

English Standard Version Chapter 36

28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and

This is what God promised in their first exodus, out of Egypt. You shall be my people, I shall be your God. You shall worship me. You shall be a holy nation, a royal priesthood. When we are born again in Christ we are not our past sins, mistakes, failures or even successes. We are in Him. This frees us from shame, guilt, condemnation, and living with regret. No regerts. Because, when you see who you are, because God has given you a new heart and His Spirit in you, you will be like John the apostle in 1 John saying, What manner of love is this that we should be called children of God. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE. Not a future state, but a reality right now. If you are finding your identity in anything else right now, a job, a marriage, a kid, a sport, a sexuality, a car, a failure, a title, let it all go today and receive a new heart and the Holy Spirit to remind you of the identity that you have and access to worship God the father through Jesus Christ.

3. You will be missional (vs. 33-36)

God will take them out of the land, wash them clean aka make them holy, give them a new heart, restore their land because of the blessing of the covenant and the point in all of this is that God’s name and fame will be restored to the nations.

When we hear missional we think missions trip or giving to missionaries. Both are good things, but when I say that you will be missional when you realize that God has given you a new heart and His Spirit is inside of you it will stir up a desire for the Spiritual gifts and the Spiritual fruit that only the Holy Spirit can give wherever you are!

a.Think about Acts 2. God sends his spirit and the nations hear his praise. A baptism of the holy Spirit without an emphasis on God being honored among the nations is selfish. Also missions movements or even trips without a dependance on the Holy Spirit is just a self righteous trip. The two are intertwined and married.

b.This looks different for everything because not everyone has the same spiritual gifts. These gifts are given for you not just for church time on Sunday (although that is important) but for every day of every moment. How one person does it will look different in how you do it. Both will be biblical, Jesus focused, and a blessing to others around them. But it is not a copy and paste format. Don’t try to be someone else, receive the Holy Spirit and be open to what he wants to do in your life!

4.You will be a living sacrifice (vs.37-38)

The people will grow numerically but also spiritually because they are no longer just caring about themselves, but they care about God’s name being holy and worshipping him alone. This is what Paul exhorted us to do in Romans 12, this is what Jesus called us to do when we follow him, to deny our selves, pick up our cross, and follow him. When we had that wind on Wednesday, what were the things that were not moving around? Thinks that were tied down, things that were set in their ways. But the things that were being blown around we the things that were not tied to something. They were free to be blown because they were surrender to the wind. I’ve been learning this more and more in my own life. A life surrendered is a perfect platform for the Holy Spirit to move. It is like having the sails up and say, I’m yours Lord, have your way. And if the wind doesn’t blow, he is keeping me. But if it starts to blow, he is moving me and I want to be responsive to that.

5. A desire to honor God’s Holy name.

This is really just a summary of the whole text, but when you have God’s heart and God’s spirit in you, you will have a great desire to honor God’s name as holy. He has bound himself to you and we have the privilege and responsibility to live our lives in such a way that it can point others to a holy God. Being filled with His Spirit is all about Him. Always has been and it always will be. You may have seen the Holy Spirit and the gifts be abused, but God’s way will always prosper.

So the question here is do you want to be born again? Do you want to be filled with a new Spirit, the Spirit of God? Do you have a desire to honor God’s holy name? And if you don’t do you want it to change? If so, all you have to do is recieve, because he is the giver.

Let’s pray.