Narnia, New Beginnings And The Nativity Series

Sermon Text: Ezekiel 36:36 …the nations all around — all those still left — will know that I, the LORD, rebuilt the ruins and planted lush crops in the wilderness. For I, the LORD, have promised this, and I will do it. 37 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers for these blessings, and I am ready to grant them their requests.

Introduction: When the 4 Pevensie kids in CS Lewis classic, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” enter the strange land of Narnia, they find out something about it. They find out that it had been winter there for 100 solid years without a Christmas.

They entered into a land that was not what it had been, no longer what it used to be. Under the evil spell of the witch of Narnia, it had lost something precious…and the story tells us how they got it back trough the Power of God, represented as the lion Aslan in the story.

The God of Narnia, just like your God and My God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is a God of restoration. He’s the God who puts things back the way He intends for them to be.

No doubt, there are people here today who feel like they have been through 100 years of solid winter and they’re still waiting for the joy of Christmas. Things aren’t what they used to be, nor what they’re supposed to be, but God is Still the God of Restoration!

This is part 1 of our Narnia Christmas Series, I’m calling "Narnia, New Beginnings, and the Nativity."

I. Let me start in the The Book of Ezekiel.

A. Background on the book of Ezekiel

1. Chapters 1-32 contain a message of judgment.

a) God was not too happy with His people

and there was a price to pay.

(i) Sin, selfishness, worshipping

ourselves or anything other than God

brings His wrath and His judgment.

b) Judgment always begins with God’s people

first.

(i)Chapters 1-24 deal with the

judgment on God’s people.

(ii)But then Chapters 25-32 deal with

God’s judgment on the enemies of His

people!

(iii) Parents would understand this…you can

discipline your own kids, but you

wouldn’t stand for it if someone else

tried it!!

• Judgment begins in your own

house, but woe unto the one who

messes with your kids!

2. Chapters 33-48, though contain a message of

restoration.

a) God is very clear about why He’s going

to restore His people…..He says…

(i) Ezek 36:22-23 "Therefore say

to the house of Israel, ’Thus says

the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for

your sake, O house of Israel, but

for My holy name’s sake, which you

have profaned among the nations

wherever you went.

b) God is never content to let His people

stay in misery, no matter what the cause

of that misery.

(i) Even if their own sin was the cause.

(ii) God’s name can be discredited in two

ways…

• Our sin discredits God

(i)When God’s people fall into sin,

it’s a blemish on His name.

(ii)It does God no good when people

can point at us and say with any

justification…. ”so you call

yourself a man, or woman of

God….”

(a)People want to say….”look at

you, you sure fell hard.”

(b)But God wants to say in

return…”yeah they did, but by

my grace they got back up

again, didn’t they!!!”

(iii)When God restores and reconciles

us from our sins, it clears His

name.

• Sin discredits God’s name, but

so does our prolonged misery…

(i)God doesn’t want us to live

the rest of our lives in

misery…..so that people can

say…”what kind of God is

that, who lets you live in

misery?" That’s just

another blemish to His name.

• He wants to say…"I’m the God

who brought them out of misery…

so that the world would know

that I am the Lord their God!!!

(i)If you belong to God, but

find yourself in a miserable

situation right now, I have

good news for you…

• No matter what has caused

you to become miserable,

God is going to restore you…

for His Holy name’s sake!

B. Some of you are in miserable situations right

now….like the creatures of Narnia.

1. Seems like 100 years of solid winter and

not a Christmas in site.

2. Some, not all, of your marriages are

miserable.

3. Some of you are in miserable job

situations, financial situations, etc.

a. Of course God loves you and is concerned

for you, but He’s even more concerned

that you’re making Him look bad and for

that reason, He’s determined to get you

out of this mess!!

II. But you need to work with Him….there’s a process involved….

A. If sin is at the root of your misery, (and it