“Repentance and Restoration”

Scripture: Ezekiel 20:39-44

The prophet had been given God’s word for the people of Israel and Judah, and, for the most part, they weren’t to be words of grace and love, and they wouldn’t be words given once and then forgotten. They would be words that were hard to hear, difficult to accept, and almost impossible for the nation to live within. They would be warning after warning, dire prophesy after dire prophesy, words of condemnation after even more words of condemnation! The covenant that God had made for Israel was broken – the Lord had kept his part of the promise, but Israel had failed over and over to keep even a little of their part. So last week, we heard that the Almighty would make a new covenant – one that had three important provisions.
First, it would still offer eternal life, but it would no longer be based in the law. “Right” living had never been conceivable OR achievable by God’s people, so this new covenant would bypass all reference to the people having to earn “righteousness” all on their own.
Second, there would still be a penalty for failure, which would most assuredly come, but the cost would be paid up front, before the covenant would ever be put in place, and it would be God who would pay the penalty. Human sacrifice, human payment, human redemption had never been sufficient, so it would be replaced with Godly sacrifice, Godly payment, Godly redemption, which would always be more than enough.
Third, and this is a provision that Israel would never understand and never acknowledge - the covenant would now be open to all people from all nations, and that the only action required on their part would be to either accept it or ignore it.
And just so there would be no misunderstanding, no possible claim that some human and imperfect prophet got it wrong, God would leave his heavenly glory to come in human form to introduce the covenant to the world and to teach the people just what it meant.
Could it possibly get any easier?

Read Ezekiel 20:39-40

“You may choose to continue in serving false gods if you want to, but know this – as far as your relationship with me goes, it will do nothing except show disrespect and contempt to me, and now you know that I will not accept it.” They will have to choose, just as everyone else will, and this time, they must choose wisely!

Their separation from God and Promise will, one day, come to an end, and they will be reunited, not only with their Lord, but with the land that had been promised to them. And when they choose the Lord as their one and only hope, they will be able to meet the Divine One on truly Holy Ground, and they will become the new temple, of the new covenant, in a new life.

But all things would have to be made new. No more prideful righteousness, no more exclusivity in faith, no more exclusion of others, no more self-centeredness, no more trust in self. And if they will do this, a great healing will occur – one that will astound and bless them, one that will bring peace and power to them, one that will give a glorious hope to them, not only for today, but for every tomorrow. In 2 Chronicles 7:14-16, Almighty God promises that if the people humble themselves, and seek him, and turn away from evil, they will be forgiven and all will be right again. The Lord offered these words on the occasion of the dedication of the first temple, but as we read these words, they ring true, not for the old ways, but for a totally new way that God is laying out for the people.

Read Ezekiel 20:41-44

Yahweh lets them know that in this new relationship, in this new covenant, he will be pleased and honored by them once again. And they will know that he is the Lord, because they will see that the promises have been kept and that they have been restored to his glory, and when they truly know him again, they will remember their sin and will hate it and will repent of their old ways.
And they will know that he is their Lord, every time that he acts solely in his way, and not in response to theirs.

We are in the day of the new covenant, the day of new life, the day of the Lord’s way. In John 14:13-14, we read “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” No longer does God demand that we attain righteousness, that we become sinless and worthy, that we somehow achieve acceptability in God’s sight before we come to him, but that anyone may come to him, at any time, in any condition, as long as it is in his way and in his name.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The Lord Jesus’ eyes are open to our plight, his ears are open to our prayers, and these new temples of the new covenant are consecrated to his honor.

In full confidence as the people of God in Christ Jesus, come and lay your plight and your burdens and your prayers before him. He is watching, and he is listening to you.

At this point, a HEALING SERVICE was held.