It Is A Heart Issue

It is a Heart issue

Ezekiel 36:20-37

Introduction-

Good Morning church

Happy you decided to join us as we gather together.

I am hopeful that you have come with an open heart for Him to speak to you.

If I said that this world is a mess and in chaos, not be too many people would disagree. If I try to correct the problem, there would be some willing to criticize me even for trying though they offer no solutions and do not offer to help in fixing the problems. Many criticizers, some judges, and few solution finders.

This world is in a mess for one reason and one reason only- sin!

Sin as defined by God is a transgression against God.

God determines what sin is and He determines the consequences for sin.

We make up laws that we think are right and we put our approval on them but the final authority is always God.

God is a majority even if no one would agree with Him.

Let’s Pray

Ezekiel 36:20-28 Read from Bible

The prophet Ezekiel is dealing with a rebellious nation that has been spiritually far from God and they have lost the land He has promised.

If we took the time to read the whole chapter we would see that God has decided to intervene and restore them to live back in their land.

He makes clear that it is not what they have done because they were still rebellious, it is because of His good name that He chooses to work in them and then through them to have people come back in a right relationship with Him.

God calls a surrendered heart a consecrated heart and a consecrated heart is a sanctified heart and a sanctified heart is what God is looking for from his people.

IT IS A HEART ISSUE/ hence the title of the message- the heart or condition of our hearts will determine what we do or do not do concerning the things of God.

We see very quickly that we can never do that without God’s help.

We will always fall short when we try to clean ourselves up- scripture says we are like filthy rags compared to a holy and pure God.

Paul tells us in Romans 3 “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Paul tells us without God this would be a tragic ending to a story of all mankind’s life. “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather through the law we become conscious of our sin.”

The law was not written by God to show us how good we are but to show us how much we need God and are sinners.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3

Even in the OT before Jesus physically walked this earth we see a God that desires to intervene on our behalf and do what we cannot do for ourselves- The prophet Ezekiel proclaiming what Wesleyans and Nazarenes call Holiness.

You want to know how to live a holy life here it is-

You want to understand what Sanctification is… it is right here.

You want to know how God takes sin out of our life and make us people better than we were and not quite who we will be later because of the Sanctifying power of God here it is!

It is wrapped up in the verses 25-27 it is an outline for sanctification and holiness of heart.

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.”

I WILL DO THOSE THINGS

I WILL CLEAN YOU UP- COME AS YOU ARE

I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART AND A NEW SPIRIT

I WILL REMOVE A STONE HEART AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH

THEN YOU WILL LIVE IN THE LAND AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD.

Let’s break this down- it is a heart issue- our bad and corrupt heart is in need of God doing something that we are impossible of doing for ourselves.