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Series: Ezekiel
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 24th May 2015
Passage: Ezekiel 9:1-11
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 If you'd like to obey your heads and pray with me.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:13 Gracious Father, we ask that you might send your spirit to us now as we have your word
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 in front of us so that as we hear, give us this blessing we pray in Jesus' name.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:17 Amen.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:29 On the eve of a desert storm in January 1991, President Bush Sr. said it was America's
00:00:29 --> 00:00:34 responsibility as the leader of the world to protect Kuwait.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:41 It would seem from that statement that the United States had a particular view of itself.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:49 Before they, and I think that view flows out of a little bit of their history, because
00:00:49 --> 00:00:55 they had won the Second World War, they were the economic powerhouse of the world at the
00:00:55 --> 00:00:56 time and they had Arnold Schwarzenegger.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:02 Maybe there was a culture of arrogance and presumption that they would always be on top
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 of the world.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:06 Is it justified?
00:01:07 --> 00:01:12 When you think about in reality, in terms of the world history, they had been a world player
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 for about 90 years.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 In that time, they were defeated in Vietnam.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:22 They'd been sorely bruised in Korea, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 And yet you get a sense, if you've ever visited the United States, that there will always be
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 on top of the world.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:37 Part of it is also of their theological framework, where, like on their banknote, in God we trust,
00:01:38 --> 00:01:42 but the assumption is that God is always on our side.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 We are the good guys against the bad guys.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:52 Now, United States, in the grand scheme of things, might not be justified thinking the
00:01:52 --> 00:01:56 way that they do, but two and a half thousand years ago, God's people did.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:03 They had, in fact, had the promised land and they had been on top of the world for a thousand
00:02:03 --> 00:02:04 years.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 Something that Hitler wanted to do.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 And Israel had been there for a thousand years.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:15 And maybe they thought they were always going to be on top because in the middle of their
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 capital, Jerusalem, stood a temple.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:23 And in that temple, God ruled and God would never allow his city to fall.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:31 Such was their arrogance and their complacency and apathy as the people of God.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:36 It, in fact, came to an abrupt ending, as we saw last week in 597 BC.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:42 The Babylonians swept through Judah, captured large elements of the aristocracy and the
00:02:42 --> 00:02:47 academics and the leaders, and they took them off to Babylon, one of which was Ezekiel.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 And so the question is that, well, what's going back in Jerusalem?
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 What's happening back there in Jerusalem?
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 How are they getting on?
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 Those who weren't deported, how are they getting on?
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 Well, as it turns out, they thought that everything was still okay.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:07 As I mentioned last week, there are people like the prophet Hananiah back in Jerusalem
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 saying things like, don't worry, be happy.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:11 We've still got the temple.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:12 It's still there.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:13 God's still with us.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 We'll never be defeated.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 Those who were deported were probably the ungodly ones.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 It's a terrible arrogance.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:29 Because as we discover here that all is not peace and safety back in Jerusalem.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 Ezekiel is commissioned.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:36 We're doing basically chapters 2 to 32 today.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 So it would be great if you had your Bibles in front of you.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:48 And my extensive reading is going to be hopefully packaged down into something slightly over 30 minutes today.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 So have your Bibles in front of you.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 Ezekiel is commissioned in chapter 2.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:59 He is told that what is in front of him is an extremely difficult task.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:05 In fact, it says that if he'd been called to be a cross-cultural missionary,
00:04:06 --> 00:04:10 it would have been a whole lot easier job than being the pastor of these people.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 It says this in chapter 3, verses 5 to 7.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 You are not being sent to a people who are obscure speech and difficult language,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 but to the house of Israel.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 Not too many peoples are obscure speech and difficult language,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 whose words you cannot understand.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 Surely if I sent you to them,
00:04:30 --> 00:04:31 they would have listened to you.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 because they are not willing to listen to me.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:42 For the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:49 The message of these chapters that we're scanning today is that God is angry with his people.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 They are hardened to his word.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:58 And in chapter 16, you can see why God was feeling the way he was.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 You don't need to move there.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 I'll give you a bit of a picture.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:09 He paints a terrible picture in chapter 16 of this relationship between God and his people.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 The story there in chapter 16, the analogy is of a baby.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 A little baby girl that's cast aside in her birth.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 She's been born and thrown aside into the bushes.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 She's still covered in all the muck from birth,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 crying out, just dumped there, uncared for, unloved, abandoned.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 And then God comes along and takes up this little girl.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 He washes her.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 He nurtures her.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:32 He protects her and comforts her.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:34 Nourishes her as she grows up.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:39 God, watch this little girl grows up into her childhood and then into adulthood.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:44 And God adorns her with jewellery and lavishes love on her.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:51 But instead of love and appreciation and faithfulness in return, she becomes a prostitute.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:55 She, in fact, rejects her divine lover, if you like.
00:05:55 --> 00:06:03 And so God feels like the husband's scorned, the rejected husband.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:13 Chapter 8, flick over there, describes, if you like, how their unfaithfulness to God works itself out.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:18 But the first three verses reveal that Ezekiel receives visions of God,
00:06:19 --> 00:06:24 where he's taken from the Kibar River to Jerusalem.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:28 And he gets a vision of what God wants him to see back in Jerusalem.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 And he's taken to the temple in Jerusalem.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 He's shown three things in the temple in Jerusalem.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 The first is in verse 5.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:40 Then he said to me, son of man, look towards the north.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 And so I looked.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:48 And in the entrance north of the gate of the altar, I saw this idol of jealousy.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:51 And so he's standing inside the north gate.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 Ezekiel looks to the north as instructed.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:01 And he sees what is most likely the statue of a Canaanite mother goddess.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 A crude Canaanite symbol of fertility.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 It is referred here as the idol of jealousy.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:13 Because if Ezekiel had instead looked to the south,
00:07:13 --> 00:07:18 he would have seen, standing there in the opposite from this idol,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:23 in full view of this idol, a symbol that represented God's presence in his place.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:30 You see, Yahweh, the husband of Israel, joined to her by solemn covenant,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:35 had demanded exclusive allegiance from his people.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 Exclusive devotion.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:45 And yet, like a brazen hussy, she was openly committing adultery in his house.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:54 In fact, in the living room of the house, in full view of her husband, as it were.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 Then down in verse 10, Ezekiel has shown another thing.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:01 So I went in and I looked and I saw portrayed all over the walls,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:06 all kinds of crawling fiends and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:13 And so, not only this crude fertility symbol, but in God's temple,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 Egyptian animal gods are being worshipped.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:22 It also says there, linked with that, that while they are appearing,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:26 there are priests there while appearing to perform service to Yahweh,
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 each one of these priests, the elders of the people,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:36 are pursuing their own personal idols and preferences in his house.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:43 And so, bit by bit, Ezekiel was just more shocked by what he saw.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 Behind each door of the temple, gradually, God was bringing him in,
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 showing him more and more detestable things.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 He showed another thing in verse 16.
00:08:52 --> 00:09:18 So, step by step, God is bringing his prophet Ezekiel closer to the central sanctuary of the temple,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:24 the holy of holies, and God draws Ezekiel's attention to a group of men,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 standing, most likely the priests again,
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 standing on the very threshold of the temple buildings.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:42 This is the place where these people would normally plead to Yahweh for the pardon of the people for their sin.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:48 Forgive us, Lord, for our idolatry and our arrogance and our sinfulness.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:55 And here they are, standing there, but instead they've got their backs to the altar,
00:09:57 --> 00:10:01 and instead they're looking to the east and they are worshipping their son.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 Verse 17 sums it up.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 Have you seen this, son of man?
00:10:08 --> 00:10:14 Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do detestable things they are doing here?
00:10:16 --> 00:10:21 Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger?
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 Look at them putting the branch to their nose.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 Now that last phrase is pretty difficult to understand,
00:10:28 --> 00:10:34 but it most likely means they're a stench to my nose.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:40 Instead of being in the temple and in their worship,
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 being a fragrant offering to the Lord,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 they are a stench to his nose.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 They're rebelling against God,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 they've got their backs to God,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 they're prostituting themselves with God,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 and they're doing it all in the name of their religion.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 And it stinks, is what God says.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 And so in chapter 9,
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 the glory of God is avenged.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 It was what was read out to us a moment ago.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 And it is a terrible chapter that describes
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 God devastating his people in judgment.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:18 In verses 1 and 2,
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 we're introduced to seven soldiers.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 These are not human soldiers.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 They are seven archangels
00:11:23 --> 00:11:27 whose normal function is to defend God's people.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 And here they are, given new orders.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 Their job now is to, in fact,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 stop protecting God's people
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 and to attack God's people.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 It is to execute judgment on them.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:46 And then we notice something happens in verse 3.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 This is, take note of verse 3.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 Now the glory of the Lord of Israel
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 went up from above the cherubim,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 where it had been,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 and moved to the threshold of the temple.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 Notice that.
00:11:59 --> 00:11:59 Notice that point.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:04 It's the first step of God withdrawing from his people.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 And what happens when God withdraws from his people?
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 Verse 5,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 Five, the seven soldiers execute judgment on them.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 Without showing pity or compassion,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 slaughter old men, young men and maidens,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 women and children,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 but do not touch anyone who has the mark.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 Notice verse 4.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 The godly are afforded protection.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 Then the Lord called to the man,
00:12:32 --> 00:12:32 clothed in linen,
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 who had the riding kit at his side,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 and said to him,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 Go throughout the city of Jerusalem
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 and put a mark on the foreheads of those
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 who grieve and lament
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 over all the detestable things that are doing in it.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:48 Notice the criteria that God uses
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 to instruct these men
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 to distinguish between those who receive judgment
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 and those who receive the mark.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 Notice the criteria.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 It is those who grieve and lament
00:12:59 --> 00:13:03 over all the detestable things that are done.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 That's the difference.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 What God expects of his faithful people
00:13:10 --> 00:13:15 in days of national, moral, and spiritual degeneration
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 is descent.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 That's what he expects of his people.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:24 He expects us to emphatically reject the values
00:13:24 --> 00:13:28 and the practices of a pagan, irreligious, secular world.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:34 That is, a refusal to be conformed by them.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:38 He looks for a measure of disgust
00:13:38 --> 00:13:42 and a deeply felt sense of horror and outrage
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 of what is happening in his world.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 A feeling of distress and grieving and lamenting.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 Let me just clarify that, what I've just said.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:57 God is not impressed by Pharisees.
00:13:57 --> 00:14:03 What God seeks are people who express their rejection
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 and their moral outrage
00:14:05 --> 00:14:10 not by a sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 but by an agonizing sorrow of heart.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:19 A person who has an agonizing sorrow of heart
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 actually recognizes there is, in fact,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 solidarity in all sin.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:29 That is, I am a sinner too.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:36 That is, they feel ashamed and disgusted
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 with their society
00:14:39 --> 00:14:44 rather than simply for their society.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:50 When you're disgusted with your society,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 you will do whatever you can,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 like we looked at last week,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 Jeremiah 28, 29,
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 I can't remember exactly where it is,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 seek the blessing of the city.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 You will work for God's glory in the city.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 When you're disgusted for your society,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 you withdraw away from them
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 and have your little holy club.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 And the picture here, as we can see,
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 moving to chapter 10,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 goes from bad to worse.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 As the slaughter continues
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 and the fire takes hold,
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 Ezekiel watches the glory of God
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 makes its next move
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 in departing from the people.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 Chapter 10, verse 4
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 describes what we already know.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 God has moved from the most holy place
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 to the edge of the temple precincts.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 Then down in verse 18,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 then the glory of the Lord
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 departed from over the threshold of the temple
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 and stopped above the cherubim.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 And then there's a further move in verse 19,
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 while I watched the cherubim spread their wings
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 and rose from the ground,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 as they went,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 the wheels went with them.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 They stopped at the entrance
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 to the east gate of the Lord's house
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 and the glory of the Lord of Israel
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 was above them.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 And so the unthinkable has happened.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 God has left his temple via the east gate.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 God is not there.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 It is shocking.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 And notice what happens
00:16:21 --> 00:16:24 when God leaves through the east gate.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 Standing at the east gate
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 is a group of pompous men
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 engaging,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 they're engaged in planning their future,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 apparently unaware
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 of the mayhem in the city
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 that's soon going to be upon them.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 They are there
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 complacently assuming their safety.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 When the Lord himself,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 their only possible protector,
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 passes straight by them
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 as he exits the temple
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 and they didn't even notice.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 How easy it is
00:17:08 --> 00:17:12 to be so involved in religion
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 and not have God,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 not even notice that he's not in it.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 how easy it is
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 to sing the songs
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 and pray prayers
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 and say confessions
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 and not even
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 notice that God's not in it.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 And then in chapter 11,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 flick over there,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 chapter 11 verses 22 to 23
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 comes the final move.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 Then the cherubim
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 with the wheels beside them
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 spread their wings
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 and the glory of God
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 of Israel was above them.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 The glory of the Lord
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 went up from within the city
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 and stopped above the east,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 the mountain east of it.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 The glory of the Lord
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 went up from within the city
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 and stopped above the mountain
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 east of it.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 We are to conclude from there
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 that it was from that east mountain
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 that the glory of the Lord
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 departed
00:18:08 --> 00:18:11 from his land.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:14 And with his departure
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 from the mountain
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 east of Jerusalem,
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 God handed his city
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 and his nation
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 over to be destroyed
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 and it happened
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 in 586 BC.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Nebuchadnezzar had had enough
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 and so had God.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 Do you remember
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 what I said last week?
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 That I said that the whole
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 prophecy of Ezekiel
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 is bookended by
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 by one word.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 It is the Lord is there.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:46 In chapter 1 verse 4,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 even in pagan Babylon,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 God was there
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 for his prophet Ezekiel.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 And the last phrase
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 of Ezekiel
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 names the city
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 where God permanently
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 dwells with his people.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 It is the Lord is there.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 And these chapters here
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 that we've just read out to us
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 in chapter 9 especially
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 is a picture
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 of what happens
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 when God is
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 not there.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 The glory of the Lord
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 has departed
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 and so chapter 9
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 is barbaric.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 It is awful.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 But perhaps it is
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 only by painting
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 such a barbaric
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 and a gory scene
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 that the reality
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 of God's judgment
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 can be brought home
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 to us
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 with sufficient
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 emotional force.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 Ezekiel doesn't
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 just want us
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 to think about
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 this message.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 He wants us
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 to feel
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 its reality.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 Multiply this
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 massacre
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 in chapter 9
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 millions of times
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 and you get
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 something of the
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 reality of the
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 nightmare of hell.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 Hell
00:19:57 --> 00:20:02 hell is where
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 God is not
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 for all of
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 eternity.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 It's not just
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 a matter for
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 debate.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 It's a reality
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 to be felt.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 My friends,
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 the plight of the
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 lost should
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 profoundly
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 disturb us.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 It should
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 drive us to
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 your knees.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 See what Ezekiel
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 does in response
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 to the slaughter
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 in chapter 9?
00:20:27 --> 00:20:30 Verse 8,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 while they were
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 killing and I
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 was left alone,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 I fell face
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 down crying out,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 Oh,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 sovereign Lord,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 are you going
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 to destroy
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 the entire
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 remnant of
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 Israel in
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 this outpouring
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 of your wrath
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 on Jerusalem?
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 Even the
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 prophet expresses
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 identification
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 with the people
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 under judgment.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 Are you going
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 to destroy
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 all of us?
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 He feels
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 the burden
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 of judgment
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 and it
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 moves into
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 crying out.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 I don't
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 believe that
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 we can speak
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 about judgment
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 without praying
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 for mercy.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 And if we
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 can speak
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 with judgment
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 without praying
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 for mercy,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 I don't believe
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 we've actually
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 felt the weight
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 of judgment
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 in our own
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 hearts.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 God's
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 judgment
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 is
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 and so
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 friends,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 let us
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 not forget
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 here that
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 judgment
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 begins with
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 the people
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 of God.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 It is
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 their sin
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 that has
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 been exposed
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 and they
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 are now
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 faced with
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 a choice
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 here.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 They can
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 either be
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 moved in
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 grief and
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 repentance
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 for their
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 sin or
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 they can
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 brazenly
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 deny the
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 truth,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 mock the
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 messenger,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 harden their
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 hearts against
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 God and
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 further their
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 rebellion.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 No doubt
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 it is a
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 terribly
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 painful and
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 a threatening
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 thing to
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 be faced
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 with personal
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 sin.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 There is a
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 fear,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 I believe,
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 in us all
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 that our
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 true sins
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 might be
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 exposed and
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 therefore our
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 reputation
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 might be
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 heart-tarnished.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 to be
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 confronted with
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 sin is a
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 devastating
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 encounter with
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 reality.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 When God
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 really reveals
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 the blackness
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 of our
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 hearts, it
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 is devastating.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 It is a
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 ruthless
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 ripping away
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 of our
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 mass of
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 pretense,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 mass that
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 are so easily
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 put up with
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 religion,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:45 but it
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 is also a
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 profoundly
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 defining moment
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 with our
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 relationship
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 with God.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 In that
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 moment we
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 are faced
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 with a
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 stark
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 choice.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 One
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 option is
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 to fall
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 face down
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 before God
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 in grief
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 and shame
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 and be
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 comforted
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 only by
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 the humility
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 and repentance
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 that led
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 the psalmist
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 to plead,
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 remember not
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 the sins
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 of my
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 youth and
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 my rebellious
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 ways.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 According to
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 your love,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 remember me
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 for you,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 O God,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 are good.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 How could
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 the psalmist
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 make that
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 request?
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 Because he
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 was secure
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 in the
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 reassurance
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 that if
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 you, O
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 Lord,
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 kept the
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 record of
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 sins, O
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 Lord,
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 who could
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 stand?
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 But with
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 you there
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 is forgiveness,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 therefore you
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 are feared.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 And so
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 their option,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 two options,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 fall down
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 in repentance,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 second option
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 is to
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 continually
00:23:50 --> 00:23:54 move
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 stubbornly
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 in sin,
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 ignoring all
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 warnings and
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 all pleadings
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 and face the
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 consequences
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 to fall
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 on those
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 who arrogantly
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 unrepent.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:08 that is
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 the choice
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 that we
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 face today.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 Did you
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 hear my
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 prayer when
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 I began?
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 I wasn't
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 just trying
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 to make a
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 filler here
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 so that
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 we're lined
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 up with
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 the Mandarin
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 congregation.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 As we
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 open your
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 word today,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 do not
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 harden our
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 hearts.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 That is
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 the choice
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 that we
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 face.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 Whenever we
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 are challenged
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 by other
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 people or
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 directly by
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 the Holy
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 Spirit over
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 our sinful
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 actions.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 So,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 friends,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 perhaps even
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 today as
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 we've read
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 God's
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 word,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 these
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 scorching
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 chapters,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 maybe our
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 hearts have
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 been moved
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 to a more
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 profound
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 awareness of
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 the sin
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 that lurks
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 in the
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 hidden
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 recesses of
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 the present
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 of our
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 hearts or
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 the past
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 of our
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 hearts.
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 Perhaps
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 we have
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 been convicted
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 by the
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 idolatry
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 that is
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 our drive
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 consistently
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 for security
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 in the
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 West.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 Maybe the
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 flirtation
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 with sexual
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 license that
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 we call
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 freedom.
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 Maybe the
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 arrogance and
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 the complacency
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 and the
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 false security
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 that feed
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 off our
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 relative
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 wealth and
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 comfort.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 If the
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 Holy Spirit
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 has exposed
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 any parts
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 of our
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 hearts,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 past or
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 present
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 of sin,
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 then deal
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 with it
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 as such.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 Do not
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 like the
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 exiles,
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 blame other
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 people or
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 blame God.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 Do not,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 like so
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 many today,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 explain it,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 excuse it,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 or try to
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 put it into
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 some kind
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 of modern
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 perspective.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 Sin is
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 sin and
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 when it is
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 exposed,
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 we are left
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 to one of
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 two mutually
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 exclusive
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 alternatives,
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 repentance
00:25:48 --> 00:25:51 or hardening.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 And so
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 today,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 if you hear
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 his voice,
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 do not
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 harden your
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 hearts as
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 Israel did.
00:25:59 --> 00:26:06 for those
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 of us who
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 are acutely
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 aware of
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 the Holy
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 Spirit's
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 conviction of
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 sin,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 aware of
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 failure,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 desiring to
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 walk with
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 the Lord
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 with confession,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 repentance and
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 obedience,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 and you're
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 feeling the
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 weight of
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 their sin,
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 there is
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 something
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 absolutely
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 essential that
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 you need to
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 hear from
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 this text.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 It is
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 true that
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 there is
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 anger in
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 God's
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 heart that
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 will bring
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 judgment,
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 but there is
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 also pain
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 and a
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 great desire
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 for reconciliation.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 There are,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 in fact,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 glimpses of
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 hope in
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 these chapters
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 as well.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 Back in
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 chapter 3,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 for instance,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 when God
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 commissions
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 Ezekiel as
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 his mouthpiece
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 to his
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 people,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 he says
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 this to
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 them,
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 to him,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 to Ezekiel,
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 son of
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 man,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 I have
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 made you
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 a watchman
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 for the
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 house of
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 Israel.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 Ezekiel
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 there is
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 called a
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 watchman by
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 God.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 A watchman
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 is needed
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 only in
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 times of
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 danger.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 They're the
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 person who
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 stands on
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 the city
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 wall as
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 a lookout
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 and warns
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 the city
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 of any
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 enemy
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 approaching.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 That's
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 their job.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 They push
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 the alarm
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 button.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 And so
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 there's a
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 profound
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 irony here.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 As the
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 watchman for
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 Israel,
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 Ezekiel
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 is being
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 appointed as
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 such to
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 that position
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 by
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 Israel's
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 enemy.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 It is
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 God who
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 is Israel's
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 enemy at
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 this point,
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 but it
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 is God
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 who puts
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 Ezekiel in
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 the position
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 of watchman
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 in that
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 place to
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 ring the
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 alarm bell
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 to tell
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 the people
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 of his
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 hostile
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 intent.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 And this
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 tells us
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 that while
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 God is
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 glorified in
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 judgment,
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 he never
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 delights in
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 the destruction
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 of the
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 wicked.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 You see,
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 God's anger
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 is not one
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 of his
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 eternal
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 attributes.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 It is a
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 function of
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 his holiness.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 sin.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 His anger
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 comes into
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 existence
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 because of
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 sin and
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 his anger
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 is quenched
00:28:25 --> 00:28:27 when sin
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 is dealt
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 with to
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 his
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 satisfaction.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 His love,
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 on the other
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 hand, is an
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 innate divine
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 attribute,
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 which is why
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 the psalmist
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 says in
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 number 30
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 verse 5,
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 his anger
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 lasts only a
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 moment,
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 but his
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 favour
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 lasts a
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 lifetime.
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 There's also
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 further hope
00:28:52 --> 00:28:54 in chapter
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 11.
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 Right before
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 the glory
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 of God
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 makes his
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 final departure
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 to that
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 mountain east
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 of Jerusalem,
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 he makes
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 this promise
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 in verse 17,
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 chapter 11.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 This is what the
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 sovereign Lord
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 says,
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 I will gather
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 you from the
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 nations and
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 bring you back
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 from the
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 countries where
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 you have been
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 scattered,
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 and I will
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 give you back
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 the land of
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 Israel again.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 They will
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 return to
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 it and remove
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 all its vile
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 images and
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 detestable idols.
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 I will give
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 them an
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 undivided heart
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 and put a
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 new spirit
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 in them.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 I will remove
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 from them
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 their heart of
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 stone and give
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 them a heart
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 of flesh.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 Then they will
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 follow my
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 decrees and be
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 careful to keep
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 my laws.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 They will be
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 my people and
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 I will be
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 their God.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44 what God
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 promises there
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 before his
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 final exit,
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 he says,
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 I will
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 return.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 He promises
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 to return.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 He promises
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 to be
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 there again.
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 And true
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 to his
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 promise,
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 five centuries
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 later,
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 the glory of
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 God came
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 back.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 John 1.1
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 says,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 in the beginning
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 was the
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 word,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 and the
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 word was
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 with God,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 and the
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 word
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 was God.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 And then
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 down in
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 verse 14,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 it says this,
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 this word
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 who is
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 God,
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 this word
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 became flesh
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 and he made
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 his dwelling
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 amongst us.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 We have
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 seen his
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 glory,
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 the glory
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 of the
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 one and
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 only,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 the glory
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 which departed
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 five centuries
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 earlier,
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 has come
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 back,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 and he
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 has come
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 from the
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 father full
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 of grace
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 and truth.
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 So who
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 is this
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 word?
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 Who
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 is God?
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 Who
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 is this
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 word?
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 Who
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 has come
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 to us?
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 Who
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 is this
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 word?
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 Who
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 is full
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 and
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 grateful
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 of
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 grace
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 and
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 truth?
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 Verse 17
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 tells us,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 grace
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 and truth
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 came
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 through
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 Jesus
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 Christ.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 God
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 returns
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 in all
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 his glory
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 to fulfill
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 his promise
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 in the
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 person
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 of Jesus
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 Christ.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 God
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 but as
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 the glory
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 of God
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 departed
00:31:05 --> 00:31:07 unnoticed
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 by most
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 so it
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 came back
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 unnoticed
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 by most.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 John
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 says he
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 was in
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 the world
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 and the
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 world was
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 made through
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 him and
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 the world
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 did not
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 recognize
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 him.
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 He came
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 to that
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 which was
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 his own
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 but his
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 own
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 rejected
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 him.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 Even
00:31:27 --> 00:31:29 the historic
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 people of
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 God
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 rejected
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 him just
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 like they
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 did
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 in
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 Ezekiel's
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 day so
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 they did
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 it again
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 when he
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 came back
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 to Jerusalem
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 they rejected
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 him again.
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 But instead
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 of taking
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 up his
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 sword and
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 executing
00:31:46 --> 00:31:48 God's
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 judgment
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 on the
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 streets of
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 Jerusalem
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 again this
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 time he
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 took up
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 a cross.
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 He
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 willingly
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 turned
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 God's
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 anger
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 away
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 from his
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 rebellious
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 by placing
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 himself
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 under the
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 white
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 hot
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05 judgment
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 and anger
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 of God
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 for the
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 sin of
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 the world.
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 And as
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 he climbed
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 up that
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 hill and
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 hung on
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 that cross
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 for the
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 sin of
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 the world
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 he cries
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 out in
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 a loud
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 voice
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 my God
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 my God
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 why have
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 you forsaken
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 me?
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 As
00:32:22 --> 00:32:24 his
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 judgment
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 fell the
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 father turned
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 his back
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 on his
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 son.
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 God was
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 not
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 there
00:32:30 --> 00:32:32 for him.
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 But when
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 God's
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 anger for
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 our sin
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 was
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 satisfied
00:32:38 --> 00:32:41 he was
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 there
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 three days
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 later when
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 he brought
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 Jesus back
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 from the
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 grave
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 triumphant
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 over death
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 and the
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 consequences
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 of Christ
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 taking up
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 that cross
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 and not
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 his sword
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 is as
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 John writes
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 a little bit
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 later
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 for God
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 so loved
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 the world
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 that he
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 gave his
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 one and
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 only son
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 that whoever
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 believes in
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 him shall
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 not perish
00:33:00 --> 00:33:02 but have
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 eternal
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 life.
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 Those who
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 mourn their
00:33:05 --> 00:33:07 sin have
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 a safe
00:33:07 --> 00:33:09 refuge
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 from that
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 sin and
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 its consequences
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 in Jesus
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 and so if
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 that is
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 you
00:33:16 --> 00:33:18 you are
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 marked
00:33:18 --> 00:33:20 with the
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 sign of
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 the cross
00:33:20 --> 00:33:22 and as a
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 little bit
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 of information
00:33:24 --> 00:33:26 the mark
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 that was
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 placed on
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 the foreheads
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 of the
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 people in
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 Jerusalem
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 in Ezekiel's
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 day was
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 a Hebrew
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 symbol for
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 the cross.
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 If you're
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 someone who
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 mourns your
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 sin and
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 feels the
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 weight of
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 your sin
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 you are
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 marked with
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 the sign
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 of the
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 cross
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 you are
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 safe in
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 him
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 and so
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 remember
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 this
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 some 40
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 days
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 after Jesus
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 rose
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 again
00:33:50 --> 00:33:52 he
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 departed
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 again
00:33:54 --> 00:33:56 the glory
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 of God
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 departed
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 again
00:33:58 --> 00:34:00 in exactly
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 the same
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 place it
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 did five
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 centuries
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 earlier
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 just east
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 of the city
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 of Jerusalem
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 on the
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 Mount of
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 Olives
00:34:06 --> 00:34:09 and as it
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 departed
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 it didn't
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 part in
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 judgment
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 this time
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 it departed
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 with blessing
00:34:12 --> 00:34:14 and he
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 says to
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 his
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 disciples
00:34:15 --> 00:34:18 surely I'm
00:34:18 --> 00:34:18 with you
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 always
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 to the
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 very end
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 of the
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 age
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 God is
00:34:22 --> 00:34:22 here with
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 us now
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 Amen