Episode Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:01.280 --> 00:00:04.240
Brothers and sisters, let's turn,
in God's word, now to Ezekiel,
2
00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:24.260
Ezekiel chapter six, to take just
a moment to remind you of the context.
3
00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:31.539
The warnings that God gave to Israel, the calls that he sent to
4
00:00:31.620 --> 00:00:36.770
them, through profit after profit,
through their kings, through various means,
5
00:00:37.729 --> 00:00:45.609
were not heeded, and the curse
of the covenants that he had promised and
6
00:00:45.689 --> 00:00:52.039
that they had agreed to take upon
themselves if they disobeyed were and we're now
7
00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:56.079
about to come upon them. And
Ezekiel here is called, as the Lord's
8
00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:02.799
Prophet, to pronounce these curses on
the people of God for their failure to
9
00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:07.709
obey as he had called them to
do, for their failure to obey as
10
00:01:07.750 --> 00:01:12.510
they had themselves agreed to do and
we're obligated to do. And as we
11
00:01:12.590 --> 00:01:18.349
see in Ezekiel six and as we
will continue to see in the coming chapters,
12
00:01:18.469 --> 00:01:23.260
their failure was no small thing.
Need the Lord is perfect and holy
13
00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:29.260
in every way, and even the
smallest sin is an offense against him,
14
00:01:29.260 --> 00:01:33.450
even a smallest breaking of the law
breaks the whole law because of his perfection.
15
00:01:34.810 --> 00:01:38.329
But he but here we are not
talking about the smallest of sins.
16
00:01:38.650 --> 00:01:44.609
We are talking about things, some
much greater and worse than that. And
17
00:01:44.810 --> 00:01:51.840
so, in righteous anger, the
Lord speaks to his people and and this
18
00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:56.680
is how he speaks. Ezekiel,
chapter six. Let us give our attention
19
00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:02.670
to God's word. The word of
the Lord came to me, son of
20
00:02:02.790 --> 00:02:07.269
man. Set to your face,
toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy
21
00:02:07.390 --> 00:02:10.909
against them, and say you,
mountains of Israel, hurry here the word
22
00:02:12.669 --> 00:02:15.539
of the Lord God. Thus says
the Lord God, to the mountains and
23
00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:21.379
the hills, to the ravines and
the valleys. Behold I even. I
24
00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:25.460
will bring a sword upon you and
I will destroy your high places, your
25
00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:30.090
altars shall become desolate and your incense
alters shall be broken, and I will
26
00:02:30.090 --> 00:02:36.569
cast down your slain before your idols, and I will lay the dead bodies
27
00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:39.210
of the people of Israel before their
idols, and I will scatter your bones
28
00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:44.680
around your altars. Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste and the
29
00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:49.159
high places ruined, so that your
altars will be waste and ruined, your
30
00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:54.319
idols broken and destroyed, your incense
altars cut down and your works wiped out,
31
00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:00.710
and the slain shall fall in your
midst and you shall know that I
32
00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:06.629
am the Lord. Yet I will
leave some of you alive, when you
33
00:03:06.750 --> 00:03:09.389
have among the nations, some of
you escape the sword, and when you
34
00:03:09.469 --> 00:03:14.699
are scattered through the countries, then
those of you who escape will remember me
35
00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:20.099
among the nations, where they are
carried captive, how I have been broken,
36
00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:23.340
over their wharring heart, that that
has departed from me, and over
37
00:03:23.419 --> 00:03:28.569
their eyes that go whrring after their
idols. And they will be loathsome in
38
00:03:28.569 --> 00:03:31.009
their own sight, for the evils
that they have committed, for all their
39
00:03:31.050 --> 00:03:37.849
abominations, and they shall know that
I am the Lord. I have not
40
00:03:38.129 --> 00:03:43.800
said in vain that I would do
this evil to them. Thus says the
41
00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:47.840
Lord God. Clap your hands and
stamp your foot and say alas, because
42
00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:53.120
of all the evil abominations of the
House of Israel, for they shall fall
43
00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:57.669
by the sword, by famine and
by pestilence. He who is far off
44
00:03:57.750 --> 00:04:00.150
shall die of pestilence, and he
who is near shall fall by the sword,
45
00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:05.310
and he who is left and is
preserved shall die of famine. Thus
46
00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:10.780
I will spend my fury upon them, and you shall know that I am
47
00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:15.740
the Lord when their slain lie among
their idols around their altars, on every
48
00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:18.860
high hill, on all the mountain
tops, under every green tree and every
49
00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:25.810
under every leafy Yoake, wherever they
offered pleasing aroma to all their idols.
50
00:04:26.649 --> 00:04:30.970
And I will stretch out my hand
against them and make the land desolate and
51
00:04:30.129 --> 00:04:35.930
waste and all their dwelling places,
from the Wilderness to riblow. Then they
52
00:04:36.009 --> 00:05:00.310
will know that I am the Lord
Mountains, which are spoken of here at
53
00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:08.500
the beginning of this of this chapter. Mountains hold a special place often in
54
00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:15.139
our lives and in the lives of
people throughout the world. Mountains are a
55
00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:21.250
place to, as Jake Russian Majon
said, escape from the heartless machinery of
56
00:05:21.329 --> 00:05:28.449
the world. Once, describing his
climb to the matter Horn of Italy,
57
00:05:28.529 --> 00:05:31.930
he wrote we sat on the Italian
summit with our feet over Italy and our
58
00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:36.000
backs to the little wall of summit
of snow, a little wall of summit
59
00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:41.120
snow, and let our eyes drink
in the marvelous beauty of that scene.
60
00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:45.959
What a wonderful help it is and
all discouragements, what a blessed gift of
61
00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:49.629
God to be able to bring before
the mind's eye such a vision as that.
62
00:05:53.310 --> 00:05:57.350
No do no doubt right. It
is a beautiful thing to get up
63
00:05:57.389 --> 00:06:00.829
high. Right. What do we
call on top of Mount Lemon? Summer
64
00:06:00.230 --> 00:06:05.259
Haven. Right, it is a
place of rest. It mountains give us
65
00:06:05.300 --> 00:06:12.259
a perspective. They kind of human
size our world a little bit. That
66
00:06:12.420 --> 00:06:15.339
can seem so crowding and when we
get up high, when we see things,
67
00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:23.009
we begin to see things maybe a
little more clearly. One year and
68
00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:28.009
Fourth of July, my family went
up Mount Lemon to watch the fireworks and
69
00:06:28.089 --> 00:06:32.879
we had this vision that they would
be bursting before our eyes. It wasn't
70
00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:36.600
the case at all. There these
little puffs of smoke way down below,
71
00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:42.639
just barely coming up over the trees. Those are real perspective in that we
72
00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:46.439
didn't realize how close they are to
us, even on the ground, how
73
00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.949
high this, this mountain, really
is, how small we we are and
74
00:06:50.029 --> 00:06:56.230
we weren't even on the top.
Bendy halfway up. Mountains help us feel
75
00:06:56.230 --> 00:06:59.829
our human size. Nature in this
in many ways is like this. They
76
00:07:00.670 --> 00:07:05.500
they indeed help us to feel closer
to God as we experience the his expression
77
00:07:05.620 --> 00:07:13.300
of his power is my in them. Mountains also provide safety and refuge.
78
00:07:14.660 --> 00:07:16.930
If you've ever had a chance to
see the cliff dwellings at Montezuma as well,
79
00:07:17.250 --> 00:07:24.009
or and Walnut Canyon, you can
see how mountains can give a people
80
00:07:24.730 --> 00:07:30.240
tactical advantage over enemies and predators.
They can provide protection against the sun and
81
00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:35.480
the rain. Proverbs Thirty Twenty Spit
Twenty six peaks of the wisdom of the
82
00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:41.120
Rock Badger. The Rock Badgers are
a people, not mighty, yet they
83
00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:46.310
make their home in the cliffs.
All that to say, mountains, like
84
00:07:46.470 --> 00:07:50.750
other parts of God's creation, impress
upon us the glory of God and when
85
00:07:50.750 --> 00:07:56.670
we live and and it is good
to be near them, it is good
86
00:07:56.790 --> 00:08:01.860
to enjoy them. They impress upon
us the glory of God and other attributes
87
00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:07.060
that he has, the safety he
offers, the protection he gives to those
88
00:08:07.660 --> 00:08:13.329
who trust in him. But what
happens when, instead of enjoying God's creation,
89
00:08:13.569 --> 00:08:18.329
you turn it into an idol?
What happens, instead of enjoying a
90
00:08:18.490 --> 00:08:28.160
mountain and finding rest and seeing yourself
and the perspective in God's perspective? Instead
91
00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:33.600
of mountain or other aspects of creation
become places to worship the creation as though
92
00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:39.919
it were itself the Creator? What
happens when we begin to take creation,
93
00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:45.870
silver, gold, wood whatever,
and fashion it into things that they then
94
00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:52.629
worship it prate. This is a
common experience, of course, in the
95
00:08:52.710 --> 00:08:58.980
history of mankind. We go up
sometimes to the high places, not to
96
00:08:58.100 --> 00:09:05.460
give God praise, but to strengthen
ourselves against God, either through idols or
97
00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:16.610
through our own selfdetermination. We climb
to build. We climb to build achievements.
98
00:09:16.450 --> 00:09:22.970
Sometimes we build to achieve. Think
of the Tower of Babel other such
99
00:09:22.970 --> 00:09:30.080
endeavors. Instead of getting human sized, man often trimes to become godsized by
100
00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:35.480
interacting with creation, which is of
course an insane thing, an impossible thing,
101
00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.870
but a thing that we do nonetheless. And this is the path that
102
00:09:39.149 --> 00:09:46.509
Israel chose. Israel chose to take
the high places around them, and the
103
00:09:46.590 --> 00:09:50.389
valleys and the ravines and and trees
and other things and turn them into places
104
00:09:50.549 --> 00:09:58.179
for and of for idolatry, and
idolize them as well. Indeed, through
105
00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:03.379
this whole land, which was supposed
to be barked by God's holiness and the
106
00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:07.809
place where he put his name,
where his sacrifices were offered, where his
107
00:10:07.049 --> 00:10:13.730
priests would minister, I'm all,
according to his perfect specifications, according to
108
00:10:13.809 --> 00:10:18.690
a land taken from heaven itself,
delivered on a mountain top, and God's
109
00:10:18.450 --> 00:10:26.720
in God's amazing power. Instead,
they turned this place into a place of
110
00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:31.399
idolatry. They turned it into a
place of chasing after other gods or,
111
00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:37.710
to use the words that the scriptures
use, whoring after other gods. They
112
00:10:37.750 --> 00:10:41.309
left their husband, they left their
God, they left the one who would
113
00:10:41.309 --> 00:10:43.710
love them, who would rescued them
out of Egypt, who had brought them
114
00:10:43.750 --> 00:10:48.149
out of a people that they did
not know, set them in a place,
115
00:10:48.190 --> 00:10:54.340
promised to give them honey from our
rock. And they worshiped the rocks.
116
00:10:54.379 --> 00:10:58.539
They worshiped false gods. They worshiped
gods of the magic, gods of
117
00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:03.179
their own imaginations. Kings and rulers
and priests established themselves and their own power,
118
00:11:03.409 --> 00:11:07.889
wanting their own ways and there,
at their own times, the mountains
119
00:11:07.929 --> 00:11:13.769
and hills became an abomination. The
whole land was filled with rebellion against God,
120
00:11:13.370 --> 00:11:18.370
just as it was when God kicked
the Canaanites out before Israel came,
121
00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:24.120
for the very same things. And
so he calls his Prophet to speak out
122
00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:31.279
against those place in an against those
places and what those places represented. Son
123
00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:35.830
of Man Verse One, set your
face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy
124
00:11:35.950 --> 00:11:41.309
against them. Say You, mountains
of Israel, hear the word of the
125
00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:45.870
Lord Yahwagh, the Lord God.
Thus says the Lord God, to the
126
00:11:45.950 --> 00:11:48.460
mountains and the hills, to the
ravines in the valleys. Behold, I
127
00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:54.779
even I will bring a sword upon
you and destroy your high places. Here
128
00:11:54.980 --> 00:12:00.100
is God as the mighty divine warrior, who is going to take back what
129
00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:05.009
is rightfully his, take what has
been stolen from him, not just the
130
00:12:05.090 --> 00:12:11.370
land, not just the places,
but his bride, his people, his
131
00:12:11.649 --> 00:12:16.120
children. Their hearts had been captivated
by idols. They had let their hearts
132
00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:22.080
be captivated by idols, and now
God was going to crush it all down.
133
00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:28.799
You want to see how powerful your
idols are, see your dead body
134
00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:33.070
strewn around your idols. This is
what God expresses here. He tells us
135
00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:37.309
to look at them and see them
for what they are. They are brainers
136
00:12:37.429 --> 00:12:43.460
of death, they are bringers of
judgment and his wrath. I will scatter
137
00:12:43.659 --> 00:12:48.980
your bones around your altars, he
says in Verse Five, and repeats in
138
00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:54.100
number and number of other places,
like verse eleven, the last, because
139
00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:58.330
of your abominate your evil abominations of
the House of Israel, for they shall
140
00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:03.850
fall by sword and famine and pestilence. He says, wherever they turn they
141
00:13:05.370 --> 00:13:11.250
will fall. This judgment that he
speaks weeks of, this judgment that goes
142
00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:18.000
out, is his judgment against sin, and it's his judgment to teach us
143
00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:22.960
who he is and what we ought
to do. So we think about our
144
00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:30.789
own idolatry and our own sin.
People wonder why God does these things.
145
00:13:31.269 --> 00:13:45.220
Why does God soul fiercely defend his
his honor, defend his name, prosecute
146
00:13:45.299 --> 00:13:52.179
the law? Why is he so
strict judge when it comes to idolatry and
147
00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:56.730
all these things of which we've been
speaking? We don't have to guess.
148
00:13:58.009 --> 00:14:01.370
The scriptures tell us why. If
we have ears to hear and eyes to
149
00:14:01.490 --> 00:14:07.730
see and let them press on our
hearts, we will understand why God does
150
00:14:07.929 --> 00:14:13.200
this and why he did number one. He tells us in verse eleven that
151
00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:18.720
it is because of the evil abominations. He's not just a little bit angry.
152
00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:22.480
He's not like the false gods of
Greek and Rome and other places,
153
00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:28.149
of Greece and Rome and other places, capriciously doing this or doing that thing
154
00:14:28.309 --> 00:14:33.590
because he happens to feel like it
or someone's pressuring him into something. No,
155
00:14:33.750 --> 00:14:37.269
he does it in righteous ad judgment
for evil little things that have been
156
00:14:37.350 --> 00:14:41.419
done. I won't ask you to
raise your hands, but you might in
157
00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:46.860
your mind raise your hand if you
have experienced injustice in the world and been
158
00:14:46.980 --> 00:14:50.500
frustrated by it. Have you ever
had something stolen from you, even something
159
00:14:50.700 --> 00:14:56.649
small, and nothing ever happened?
Find that frustrating? Maybe worse things have
160
00:14:56.769 --> 00:15:01.730
happened. Maybe people have been abused
you, maybe you have been fired wrongfully,
161
00:15:01.929 --> 00:15:09.679
maybe you have a had money stolen
from you or not paid. If
162
00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:11.960
we some of these things are very
present in our minds. Some of us
163
00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:18.440
are very angry, maybe even tonight, over these kinds of things. For
164
00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:22.269
others of us, if we think
we can quickly recount and on many,
165
00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:26.190
many other things that have happened to
us and that we see in this world,
166
00:15:26.669 --> 00:15:28.990
things that break our hearts and we
make we think, why doesn't anybody
167
00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:35.019
do anything about this? And we
think about judges who take bribes and we
168
00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:41.340
think about judges who wink at sin
and and play favorites, and it frustrates
169
00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:46.100
us, it makes us mad.
We Want Holiness, we want righteousness,
170
00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:50.090
we want justice, and here God
is exercising it. And then people say,
171
00:15:50.169 --> 00:15:56.529
well, I don't like that.
God is a just judge. He
172
00:15:56.730 --> 00:16:00.450
is. He just is because he's
good, and that's what goodness does.
173
00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:07.360
It judges rightfully. God doesn't see
evil abominations and say well, what can
174
00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:15.200
you do? It's humans after all. He is patient, he is long
175
00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.309
suffering, he waits, he's tender, he's gracious, but he also is
176
00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:23.029
just and he does not weakens wink
at sin. The reason why God is
177
00:16:23.110 --> 00:16:27.429
acting in this way, the reason
why God does these things, is because
178
00:16:27.549 --> 00:16:33.299
of the evil abominations of the people. Number two, the idols have captured
179
00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:37.779
the hearts of his people and he
wants to show them that the idols are
180
00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:47.610
nothing. Much like much like Elijah
calling, allowing the priests of the prophet
181
00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:52.210
bail or the Prophets of the God
bail, to call down fire upon the
182
00:16:52.690 --> 00:16:56.850
sacrifices. And they call and they
whip themselves and they beat themselves and and
183
00:16:57.049 --> 00:17:03.599
nothing happens. Elijah comes and the
whole thing blows up and smoke after dousting
184
00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:07.960
it with water. And if you
don't know that that story, you should
185
00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:10.680
go and read that. This is
one of God, one of the things
186
00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:15.150
that God does is we get tied
into the things of this world. We
187
00:17:15.390 --> 00:17:21.509
follow after false things, after false
God's and he wakens us up to the
188
00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:26.869
reality that something bad has captured our
hearts. Now you may or may not,
189
00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:32.460
I hope you do not have idols
in your homes. If you do,
190
00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:36.539
you should get rid of them.
But you should also get rid of
191
00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:41.059
the ones that are in your hearts, those ones that clamor after certainty,
192
00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:45.490
the ones that clamor after money,
the ones that clamor after fame or powers,
193
00:17:45.130 --> 00:17:49.369
a perfect relationships or peace in every
way, or great health and the
194
00:17:49.490 --> 00:17:52.410
thing that you think about all the
time and you strive for all the time
195
00:17:52.490 --> 00:17:56.490
and you go after all the time. You should get rid of those.
196
00:17:56.690 --> 00:18:03.200
They are dangerous, they will hurt
you and God, God, is after
197
00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:10.000
the hearts of his people, and
so he is going to show not only
198
00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:14.430
his people but even us tonight,
and the world that back then as well,
199
00:18:14.789 --> 00:18:18.869
that these idols are nothing and those
who cling to them, if they
200
00:18:18.950 --> 00:18:23.750
truly do cling to them, will
die. They will suffer the fate of
201
00:18:23.910 --> 00:18:32.339
those who want to cling to dumb
and foolish things. This shows us God's
202
00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:37.660
great power and it shows us his
love in verse seven, in verse thirteen
203
00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:41.130
and in verse fourteen. He tells
us this is reason number three. He
204
00:18:41.289 --> 00:18:47.130
tells us that they will know,
or then they will know, that I
205
00:18:47.529 --> 00:18:52.210
am the Lord. When God brought
his people out of Egypt, he did
206
00:18:52.450 --> 00:18:56.039
that to show them that he was
their Lord and God. And you know
207
00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:03.039
who else got to see that?
Egypt? Egypt got to see on full
208
00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:07.160
display that their gods, their power, their priests, their magic was nothing
209
00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:15.430
compared to the God who wanted his
people to go free. Powerful over rivers,
210
00:19:15.549 --> 00:19:21.869
over animals, over death, over
wind, powerful even over the great
211
00:19:22.109 --> 00:19:30.940
supposed God King Pharaoh himself. Nothing
was going to stop Yahweh, and he
212
00:19:32.059 --> 00:19:34.420
uses that name here. I am
the Lord, I am I am,
213
00:19:34.500 --> 00:19:40.650
I am Yahweh, that name that
he gave to Moses, as they as
214
00:19:40.730 --> 00:19:47.450
he was commissioned to leave the people
out of Israel, which is array of
215
00:19:47.529 --> 00:19:51.250
reminding us that he wants himself to
be known not just as the one true
216
00:19:51.329 --> 00:19:56.119
God, but the one true God
who has promised himself to this people.
217
00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:03.359
And that creates a little bit of
tension, of course, because God has
218
00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:11.269
promised himself to this people that he
is now judging. How will these how
219
00:20:11.349 --> 00:20:15.509
will God keep his promises to Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob to be a father
220
00:20:15.750 --> 00:20:21.940
to them, to make them,
to make them father of many nations,
221
00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:26.460
a blessing to the whole world?
Well, he does it by teaching this
222
00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:33.140
lesson, but he also does it
by preserving a remnant. We read that,
223
00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:38.970
according to His grace, that he
will yet leave some alive. There
224
00:20:40.089 --> 00:20:44.930
is no reason that God must do
this, except for the promises of grace
225
00:20:45.569 --> 00:20:51.160
that he had previously made. He
will leave some alive so that what does
226
00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:56.880
he say? He says, then
those who escape will remember me among the
227
00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:02.359
nations where they are carried captive,
how I have been broken over their warring
228
00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:07.509
heart that has departed from me and
over their eyes that go horring after their
229
00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:11.309
idols. And they will be loathsome
in their own sight, for the evils
230
00:21:11.430 --> 00:21:15.069
they have committed, for all their
abominations, and they shall know that I
231
00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:23.579
and the Lord notice that two things
in particular that he mentions here. He
232
00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:32.180
wants them to know something about him
and something about them. What does he
233
00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:38.210
want them to know about him?
That he has been broken over their horring
234
00:21:38.369 --> 00:21:47.089
hearts? God is not just a
judge, he's a lover, a lover
235
00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:49.559
is a few of his people,
a husband to his people who these are
236
00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:56.319
the apple of his eye. His
heart is broken, he says, and
237
00:21:56.480 --> 00:22:00.200
this is an expression of his law. He's not just some sort of terrifying,
238
00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:06.269
abstract power. He is the one
who carried them and, even as
239
00:22:06.309 --> 00:22:11.309
a father carries his children through of
the Wilderness into this land where they have
240
00:22:11.430 --> 00:22:18.299
now committed all of these abominations,
his heart is broken. That's what he
241
00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:22.740
wants them to know about him,
and what he wants them to know about
242
00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:33.890
themselves is their sin. When,
when folks become members of our church,
243
00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:37.490
we have these member vowels, as
you know, and one of them is
244
00:22:37.529 --> 00:22:42.609
that I abhor and humble myself before
God, and that's really strong language.
245
00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:48.519
Abhorr and humble myself before God because
of my sin, because of my sinfulness.
246
00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:56.160
Do we really mean that? Well, this is the kind of language
247
00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:03.069
that God uses here. He wants
them to see the sin in the depths
248
00:23:03.150 --> 00:23:11.309
of their heart and he wants them
to be loathsome in their own sight and
249
00:23:11.549 --> 00:23:17.339
over their eyes that go whrring after
their idols. This is the thought,
250
00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:19.779
this is the feeling that you have
right before you cut off your hand.
251
00:23:19.940 --> 00:23:22.579
Before so that you can go to
the Kingdom of God. To you,
252
00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:27.369
is an expression Jesus use right.
Better to enter the Kingdom of God with
253
00:23:27.410 --> 00:23:32.490
a missing an eye than to go
onto the Kingdom of God preserving them.
254
00:23:32.970 --> 00:23:36.410
Or better to go into the Kingdom
of God missing a hand than to go
255
00:23:37.009 --> 00:23:41.089
having then to be excluded. Having
both your hands. If you're right,
256
00:23:41.170 --> 00:23:45.440
eye cause you to sin. Pluck
it out. It's that kind of hard,
257
00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:48.680
it's that kind of express and that
is being expressed here. It sicks,
258
00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:56.430
it's serious. God is not calling
us to self harm here. What
259
00:23:56.589 --> 00:24:00.309
he is calling us to is a
sense, deep, deep, deep in
260
00:24:00.470 --> 00:24:06.069
our souls that say, I will
do what it takes to get away from
261
00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:11.339
sin. I will do what it
takes, I will loathe these things in
262
00:24:11.460 --> 00:24:18.420
myself, I will abhor them and
I will humble myself, knowing that he
263
00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:22.099
is the Lord and he loves me
and this is not the life that he
264
00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:30.609
has called for me. This is
why God did these things. He did
265
00:24:30.690 --> 00:24:33.049
them out of his love, he
did them out of his justice, he
266
00:24:33.170 --> 00:24:37.049
did them because he wants us to
understand who he is and who we are.
267
00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:44.839
So what hope is there in all
of this? What possible hope could
268
00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:52.069
there be? When we see our
sins, we truly loathe over them and
269
00:24:52.190 --> 00:24:56.309
we hate them and we abhor them
and we abhor the evil one all that
270
00:24:56.430 --> 00:25:02.549
he does to tempt and try and
and persecute the saints. We get a
271
00:25:02.589 --> 00:25:07.259
little bit mad, we get upset
over the things that break our relationship with
272
00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:11.700
the Lord. We don't baby them
and coddle them and say well, maybe
273
00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:15.140
another day. No, we go
after them, we get after it.
274
00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:23.130
We put to death the things of
the flesh. We hate those things and,
275
00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:30.769
beloved, we do that because God
has promised us forgiveness, because he's
276
00:25:30.769 --> 00:25:37.440
promised US repentance, because he's promised
us hope. In Jesus. The the
277
00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:42.640
tiny little glimmer of hope here in
this passage are these people that the Lord
278
00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:51.509
allows to persevere. As much destruction
and righteous desolation is there is, there
279
00:25:51.549 --> 00:25:56.549
are those who will who will be
sent out and through all of this,
280
00:25:56.750 --> 00:26:00.230
will come to repentance in their hearts
and they will cry out to the Lord
281
00:26:00.869 --> 00:26:06.660
Save us, and he will save
them and through those people he will preserve,
282
00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:11.859
as we know through the rest of
Scriptures, a remnant through which a
283
00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:17.900
son would be born on Messiah would
come who would set everything right and would
284
00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:26.089
establish for himself a kingdom, a
city would last forever, a city that
285
00:26:26.210 --> 00:26:32.849
could never be shaken by by man's
sin and man sinfulness, because he has
286
00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:37.680
the son of God and son of
Man. Would establish himself as the king
287
00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:45.559
forever and would establish all of us
in his righteousness forever. In a moment,
288
00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:49.390
I'm going to ask you to seeing
this Great Hymn about about Zion.
289
00:26:49.869 --> 00:26:56.589
Glorious things of the are spoken.
Zion, city of our God, heaven
290
00:26:56.670 --> 00:27:02.299
itself, and the Kingdom of God
that mountain is established, the new Jerusalem.
291
00:27:02.420 --> 00:27:07.140
In these heavenly places they are strong
because they no longer depend on our
292
00:27:07.180 --> 00:27:14.660
obedience. Salvation is always been that
way. God didn't have a separate plan
293
00:27:14.900 --> 00:27:18.609
here in the Old Testament, but
he did have a picture that he wanted
294
00:27:18.650 --> 00:27:23.490
us to understand, a picture written
in history itself, that we could understand
295
00:27:23.609 --> 00:27:30.680
his holiness, his justice and His
grace. And so what is the call
296
00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:34.920
to us? What is the application? It is to understand God as he
297
00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:41.880
is. It's to look at the
Cross of Christ and see all of the
298
00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:45.349
judgment that's pictured here in is eqil
six as that judgment which Christ faced.
299
00:27:45.710 --> 00:27:52.589
One sin for all final so that
we would never be judged again. God
300
00:27:52.710 --> 00:27:56.990
says and Romans Eight, that there
is therefore now no condemnation for those who
301
00:27:56.990 --> 00:28:02.980
are in Christ. Jesus Paulso tells
us in Romans that Christ died for us
302
00:28:03.259 --> 00:28:07.619
while we were yet ungodly, while
we were still in our sins, while
303
00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:11.970
we were still in our paganism.
Oh, you're still worshiping the ourselves and
304
00:28:12.130 --> 00:28:17.690
the creation and our ideas and our
plans and all the rest. God saved
305
00:28:17.730 --> 00:28:21.930
us out of that. He broke
the chains of sin and he rescued us
306
00:28:22.730 --> 00:28:27.039
into a new and everlasting life.
This is what God has done for us.
307
00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:33.240
The Same God who brings these judgments
here in these equal six brought them,
308
00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:37.519
and much worse, on the Cross
for Christ, the Christ's cross for
309
00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:42.150
you. And so if you're looking
for salvation for your sins, which all
310
00:28:42.190 --> 00:28:47.710
of you ought to be, look
for them in Christ. Look for them
311
00:28:47.789 --> 00:28:52.230
in the same God who does these
things and provided, once and for all,
312
00:28:52.470 --> 00:28:56.940
final judgment for sins in his own
son, and know that when you
313
00:28:57.059 --> 00:29:03.380
put your faith in him, you
will be saved. And there's no fearing
314
00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:07.299
this judgment or the worst judgment that
is to come for all. Judgment has
315
00:29:07.380 --> 00:29:12.450
passed in Christ. Let's pray together
