His Heart With Us

Introduction

No, this is not a repeat. You might have seen this slide last week, but it is going to be the launching point for our lesson this morning. Last week we talked about the astounding work of God in salvation that is hinted at back in the book of Ezekiel in chapter 36. And the purpose of what God is performing, he will be vindicating his holiness as his image has been tarnished to the world by his covenant people, a remnant of whom are now in captivity. But this is a very powerful text in Ezekiel 36, as God keeps emphasizing about what he’s going to do. And I wanted you to look at that last week in Ezekiel 36. He says, I will vindicate the holiness of my great name in verse 28.

I will prove myself holy. I will sprinkle clean water on you. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and idols, he says in verse 25. I will give you a new heart and put a new song within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh, a heart that can actually mold itself to something good and feel something. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances. So you will be my holy people. I want you to underline that in your Bible, or at least in your mind, verse 28, circle it. So you will be my holy people, and I will be your God.

He makes it abundantly clear. It is not for your sake, the first verse 22. It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for my holy name. And so we talked about last week. Nine things, the mighty acts of God in bringing salvation. God’s greater part in providing redemption and salvation for us. Yes, there are conditions that we need to meet in order to receive this great salvation. And we talked about man’s part, but we are completely dependent upon the work that God has done. But I want to focus in on this phrase. It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I’m about to act. That’s important. When you go back to Ezekiel chapter 18, now remember what we said last week.

Ezekiel is speaking to those who are in captivity in Babylon. Mid-500s BC. Jerusalem has been destroyed. And he’s speaking to these captives. And remember the proverb that they were saying? And God says, you’re not going to say that anymore. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge. Oh no, God says.

You know that, right? Ezekiel 18 and verse 20. And what he’s telling him is that you’re not in captivity because of the sins of your fathers. You’re in captivity because of your sins. Now that we set that up and looked at what we did last week, let’s now go back in history a few decades to when all of this unfolds in the days of Jeremiah, the prophet previous to Ezekiel in your Old Testament, where Jeremiah is decrying what is about to happen. These people that we read about in Ezekiel 36 are the recipients of this judgment. But a few decades earlier, notice what Jeremiah the prophet says. Then the Lord said to me, Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not be with this people.

And I want you to focus in on that phrase. How that’s different to what God is going to do when he said, I will be your God and you will be my people. Earlier he has told these same people, he said, my heart would not be with this people, even though Moses and Samuel were here. Now, why didn’t he choose some other people? Like Noah and David, some other righteous people in Israel’s past, because these guys were noted for their great intercessory work, their prayers on behalf of the people when they are in the midst of transgression, Moses and Samuel, even some of the best intercessors in their history, could not stem the tide of this judgment. And it shall be that when they say to you, where should we go?

What are we going to do? Where should we go? Then you are to say to them, thus says the Lord, those destined for death to death, and those destined for the sword to the sword, and those destined for famine to famine, and those destined for captivity to captivity. And that’s who is being addressed in Ezekiel 36. That last group of individuals who fortunately were destined not for death, sword, or famine, but for captivity. And I shall appoint over them four kinds of doom, declares the Lord. And none of this sounds good to me. I don’t know about you. Four kinds of doom. The sword to slay, the dogs to drag off. That’s ignominious. And the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

None of that doom that is about to unfold looks very inviting to me. And I shall make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth. Because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

First of all, he’s the son of Hezekiah. And we know of the righteousness of Hezekiah. And the stories that relate to him and the 15 years of life that was added to him and how he was delivered from Assyrian oppression. And here’s his son Manasseh, but he specifically singles out the deeds of Hezekiah’s son. Now, this is also Josiah’s grandfather. Okay, so we’re talking about some time has passed before Jeremiah utters these words, several generations. But because of Manasseh, well, what did Manasseh do? He did more evil than those people whom they had dispossessed in Canaan, whose iniquity was full. The nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel. It says in 2 Chronicles 33 and verse 9, thus Manasseh misled Judah. Temple worship became a nightmare as the temple was desecrated by the deeds of Manasseh.

He made his sons pass through the fire that would ultimately become the valley of Henam where fires burn continually and trash. And it says, the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. But another part of the enigma is that in his latter years he repented. And I don’t know what to make of all of that. But he says, going forward in Jeremiah 15. Indeed, who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare? You will be so devastated. You who have forsaken me, declares the Lord. He says, You keep going backward. I think that’s an important phrase in all of this. You know, we’re progressing in one way or another.

The New Testament talks about our walk. And we’re making progression. We’re either moving forward. We’re even moving, we’re either moving toward God’s purposes for us and walking in those things, or we’re digressing. We’re going backwards. Sometimes God’s people go backwards. And he warns them about such a progression. He says, so I will stretch out my hand against you and destroy you. He says, I am tired of relenting. Now that says something wonderful, and I’m going to launch from that now. This is an anthropopathism. You know, anthropomorphism is that big word that says God has human characteristics like arms, hands, feet, face, all of those kinds of things, even though he’s a spirit being, that’s anthropomorphism. This is an anthropopathism, where our feelings or the feelings like we have are ascribed to God so that we can understand something about the activity of God.

Actually, God does not change his mind. Paul makes that, I mean, Samuel makes that clear in 1 Samuel 15, verse 29. But God keeps delaying what they have deserved for a very long time. By the time the Babylonians come and destroy the city of Jerusalem, they’ve been deserving this for a long time. And he says, I’m tired of relenting. Two things in that. Number one, our God is extremely patient. He puts up with a lot of junk from those who should know better, including us.

Our God is an extremely patient God, and that’s where I’m going. But his patience will not last. Forever. In Jeremiah chapter 8, ultimately, silence falls. My sorrow is beyond healing. My heart is faint within me, Jeremiah says, Behold, listen, the cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land. Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her king not within her? Why have they provoked me with their graven images, with their foreign idols? And then one of the most tragic statements in the entire book in verse 20. Harvest is past, and summer is ended. And we are not saved. I remember early on in my preaching, writing a sermon just on that verse. Harvest is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved. Don’t let time pass too long.

1. The Certainty of Judgment, and Why Not Yet?

Or else you’ll find yourself in the condition that they have found themselves. For the brokenness of the daughter of my people, I am broken. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Oh, that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears. This lesson has two points. Oh. This could be not so long. Point number one. I want to talk to you about what this passage describes the certainty of judgment. And why not yet?

Most of the people thought Jeremiah was out of his loving mind. Let’s go back to that generation. Jeremiah said in chapter 7, do not trust in deceptive words, Israel. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. They could go to the beautiful temple of Solomon. It represented their rich spiritual heritage, that they were the covenant people of God. And Jeremiah is telling them, do not trust in that building. You need to amend your ways and your doings.

They will trust in deceptive words to no avail. And here’s the point.

He says the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire. And then he gives this warning. This is Peter. His departure is imminent. He says in chapter 1. I want you to be reminded of this, that the day of the Lord will come as a thief. Peter is not the only one that said that in the New Testament. Paul has said that too. Judgment is certain. It hasn’t happened yet, but when it comes, people are going to think it’s not coming. It’s going to come like a thief. A thief doesn’t come up and knock on your door and say, hey, I’m here to rob you. Not usually anyway. They work in the cover of darkness. They come unexpectedly to take all that is yours. And when the judgment comes, most people will be clueless in Lala land.

But Peter says, the day of the Lord will come. And then this question is issued. And it was the question Jeremiah was asking. It’s the statement that Ezekiel is making in Ezekiel 36. What sort of people ought you to be in all holy conduct and godliness. Well, Tony, don’t you preach about that about every week? Yes. Just as Peter saw fit to remind his audience.

And regard in verse 15, the patience of our Lord to be salvation. Why isn’t it happened yet? Again, God relents. Oh, it’s deserved. It could have come yesterday. It could have come a hundred years ago. But regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, and you be the people that you ought to be. And he describes that further in verse 18 by saying, Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But so many, like in the days of Jeremiah. Oh, where is the promise of his coming? Are you serious? Look at that temple over there. In Ezekiel 36, that temple is destroyed. Where is the promise of? That’s what the scoffers are saying in 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 4.

And you want a little more historical context for that question. Remember when Lot went to his sons-in-law and said, You’ve got to get out of here. We’ve been informed, we’ve got to leave. And it appeared to his sons-in-law that he was kidding, that he was jesting. And they didn’t go. What do you think they thought when it started raining fire and brimstone the very next day? God’s patience had run out with Sodom and Gomorrah. But what about this expression? I want to look at this quickly. I think we talk about this a lot. Well, we need, okay, what manner of persons ought we to be? We need to grow in the grace and knowledge. What does it mean to grow? What does it mean to grow in grace?

I think I would take you to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 to explain it. When Paul urges the Corinthians who are already recipients of salvation, he encourages them to be reconciled to God. And he says that Jesus became a curse for us that you might become the righteousness of God in Him. And then he goes on into chapter 6, which is important. It says, and working together with Him. We urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. What does it mean to grow in grace? That means we continue the walk or the progress of working together with God. Grow in grace. It’s an ongoing process or walk. And grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That’s not just the accumulation of facts.

Being able to quote Scripture, oh, that’s an important thing. It’s a positive thing. The more Scripture you can recall, the better equipped you will be to allow that word to dwell in your life. Those things are important. More information, more facts, more ability to recall the scripture. All that’s important, but that’s not completely the idea. It’s not just the assimilation of more understanding. It’s that understanding that says, okay, now this is what this means in the way I live. And being successful in that. As we’ll say tonight. Now that’s real knowledge. You can quote the Bible from cover to cover, which I can’t do, unfortunately. You can quote the Bible from cover to cover and not have this knowledge. This is a knowledge of what that message means in the way that I think, the things that I do, the things that I say, and the way that I live.

And this relates, even though it somewhat relates to the political process that’s unfolding. That’s a nightmare, and we want to pull our hair out. Including edicts from our president about transgender bathrooms. My friend Tommy Peeler, professor at Florida College, posted yesterday there is no logical stopping place for sin, whether it is individually or collectively as a nation, accept repentance. If we refuse to repent, one sin leads to another until it results in destruction. And I just happened to notice something he posted a couple of days ago. God is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He controls the rise and fall of nations and individual rulers. Therefore, we are never on the right side of history until we listen to him. That is a good point.

2. What Manner of Persons Ought We to Be?

So many people are on the wrong side of history. Beware lest we be found fighting against God, Gamaliel said, that’s called being found on the wrong side of history. And what Ezekiel is talking about, what Jeremiah is pleading for, what Peter is pleading for in 2 Peter chapter 3 is for you and me to be on the right side of history, because history is going somewhere. And we need to make sure we’re on the right side. And so let’s explore this second thought a little bit more. What manner of persons ought we to be? And I want to go back to that phrase in Jeremiah chapter 15. What an awful thing that he has to say. God’s heart is not with you. What we want to accomplish is for God’s heart to be with us.

What manner of persons ought you to be? Peter asked in 2 Peter chapter 3. And I’ll tell you, we have a clear answer of that in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. It’ll not be the result of wishful thinking, a pie in the sky view as to what it means to be a Christian. One of the greater tragedies of our time is people who believe that God’s heart is with them. And they’re wrong about that. Music included. They’re wrong. It’s one of the greater tragedies of our time. God’s heart is with me. How can we know if God’s heart is with us? May I recommend to you 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and an analysis of this, and we’ll be done. 2 Corinthians chapter 6. And notice what he says in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 16.

This looks familiar, does it not? I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. That’s Ezekiel 36, 28. They will be careful to observe my statutes and my ordinances. I will put my spirit in them. I will be their God. They’re not going to be my people by birth anymore, like Israel was, and then so often they would choose not to serve him. They are going to be my people by choice. And thus the question is, who are you going to choose to be? What manner of persons ought you to be? God says, I will walk, dwell with them. I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

But what is surrounding that promise? Holiness.

Come out from their midst and be separate. Do not touch what is unclean. I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, we cannot somehow excise these statements from the New Testament. God has some very real expectations about how we live and the things that we do. And it grows out of a statement he has made previously in chapter 6 when he talks about what association or what do not be bound together with unbelievers, what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, what harmony is Christ with Beliar, what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? And then this in verse 16. Look, this flows out of the fact that we are the temple of the living God. We are a place of God’s residence. Do you see what happened back in the Old Testament?

We are God’s temple. And thus he says in chapter 7 and verse 1, having these promises, I will dwell in them and walk among them. We are the temple of the living God. Cleanse yourself from all defilement of flesh and spirit. And I want to tell you, we are confronted with defilement on a daily basis. And we must see our mission as refusing it. And walking in his ways. Remember the kind of people he wanted to say, those who would walk in my statutes. He goes, I will put my spirit within you. I love that Ed chose more like you. Fill my heart. Fill their hearts with my desire. That’s what God is saying. I will put my spirit within you.

Cleanse yourself from all defilement of flesh and spirit. So many counter truth and counterholiness messages are coming at us on a daily basis. Admittedly, it’s just a lot easier to go with the flow. Whatever I want to do in the moment, whatever gives me a spark. Whatever I want to do right now, I can fix it later. These passages are saying that’s that’s not it. And I talk about it’s easier to go with the flow, easier as in quotes. Only for a little while. Is it easier? Because the day of judgment is certain, even though it is not yet occurred. Or you can view life through the lens of a new age spiritual humanist like Eckhart Toll. I was put on to him this week. This is Oprah Winfrey’s right hand spiritual guru.

His book lays next to her bed, Eckhart Toll, who says, this is enlightened right here. Life will give you whatever experience is the most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. Whatever that means. How do you know this is the experience that you need? Because this is the experience you are having at that moment. Now I gotta tell you, that’s brilliant. You’re just the victim of your circumstances, and so whatever the circumstance is, well, this is the experience that my consciousness needed. That’s an answer. It allows you to cope with whatever tragedy and loss, what horrible thing is laid at your feet. I guess my consciousness just needed it. I got a better answer for you. It’s God’s answer. And that is that this whole creation groans.

From the beginning when sin was entered into the world until now. The whole creation groans. He says in Romans chapter 8, God has a solution that will end up in this planet being dissolved and something perfect taking its place. And he says, the sufferings of this present time. Yes, there will be difficulty in your path. The sufferings of this present time are not to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. There’s your answer. Sometimes things just happen because they happen. And when suffering unfolds, it’s not. Oh, this is what my conscience, consciousness, needed. No, this is the result of the tragedy of sin, and God has an answer for it, and judgment is coming, and he’s telling his people, regardless of what unfolds in your life, this is your mission, cleanse yourself from all defilement of flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God.

Think as God would have you think. Imitate Him. Learn what is pleasing to him. Continue to walk in that direction. Eckhard Toll, Eckhart Toll is also quoted as saying, this is the last quote. I went up to a bunch of his quotes, and I was looking at the page at the bottom, it said, This too shall pass. Now, I’m pretty sure that’s not original with him. And I’m pretty sure the context of that was that whatever circumstance unfolds in your life, that this too shall pass. Sometimes it really doesn’t, but a lot of the time it does. But if you want to apply that statement, apply it to 2 Peter chapter 3. Because everything that is here, everything that is material, this building, our flesh, ultimately, it’s all going to pass.

Conclusion

And that’s what Peter is saying in 1 Peter chapter 2. All flesh is like grass and the flower thereof. But the word of the Lord endures forever. When you’ve dealt with all the junk life throws at your feet, and your consciousness is so helped by all those circumstances, let me tell you, ultimately one thing’s going to matter. And that’s how you responded to this. The word of the Lord abides forever. Do not love the world, nor the things of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Those things do not last, but he who does the will of God abides forever. And that’s the hope of immortality brought to those about whom God says, I will be their God.

And they shall be my people. And that’s the imitation of the gospel. Would you be one of his people? Submitting to him, acknowledging Jesus as King, Savior, and Lord, and signing on to serve him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Can we assist you in doing that today? Let’s stand and sing together.