"Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 18:31
Introduction
As a Christian, New Years Day was always a very special day for me. It was the day I would turn my back on all the past mistakes of the previous year and pray that God would make me a better individual in the year to come. I forgot those things which were behind me and pressed on towards the prize of the higher calling.
Today is the last day of 2010. As we stand here on the edge of a New Year, it is a good time to reflect on the year that has ended and it is a good time to look forward into the year that has to begin. It is also a good time for God’s people to take inventory of their walk with the Lord.
On every New Year we clean our house, when there is some things dirty we throw them out, replace the new, we put on new cloth and celebrate it altogether. As I read these verses, I find that the same thing and challenge God’s children to do exactly.
"Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31
As we look at our lives in the light of these verses, we are challenged to retain some things, to release some things and to remember some things. This verse tell us that God has a plan for our lives; that He wants certain things from our lives; and that He has the right to demand these things from our lives. Notice the challenges contained in these verses as I preach on the thought
An Old Challenge For A New Year.
How many times in life have we started a new year without realizing the goals we had set before us or even taken the time to evaluate why those goals weren't made? We cannot live on yesterday's blessings nor should we dwell on yesterday's failures and disappointments. This is a time to forget the past and move forward into the present and the future. It is the same ting Paul said once to Philippians ; he said that he forget the past and run towards the goal. (Phillip 3: 8 – 10)
Background :
When Ezekiel received these words from the God, Ezekiel and Israel were in foreign country under foreign rules. They were slaves in Babylon. They had been already spent over there as slaves.
They were waiting eagerly for the 70 years of captivity to be over soon and return to their home land Israel. But God told them here that unless they repent of their sin they shall die and not return.
Exposition
There at least three things i can see here in the challenging verse and going to share with you today :
1. A Call to Repentance from past lives
2. A Challenge to have New Heart & New Spirit
3. A Consequence of Life & Death
1. The Call to Repentance
"Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed…”
(Ezekiel 18: 30a )
God is loving God and always gives opportunity to every one equally, a time to repent and come back to Him. Yet the same time God is Holy God, who cannot tolerate sin before Him.
God calls the people of Israel to repent from their sin as early as possible for their blessing and deliverance from the slavery of Babylon. While people of Israel might be longing to go home back and begin a new beginning and celebrate, but God would not allow them like that to return with the same sinful old life. God wanted them to repent there itself from their sin and come back to Him for new beginning and then only come back to their home land with a newness in them.
Chronologically we all and the whole world enter to the New Year but sadly most of is with our old sinful lifestyle. Some time we must be thinking that even this year of 2010 also pass way one day like the other past years of our lives.
But my friends in Christ, God tells us that there is no deliverance without repentance from sin. To have new beginning there should be repentance. God gives year after years and we live and enjoy. But every human being should keep in mind this thing that as the year pass by not only our life grow older but also we draw closer to our death. Death is unpredictable; who know it could be this year for you and me.
But one ting is predicated by God with promise – a Salvation with eternal life when there is repentance.
What does mean by Repentance?
It’s not asking sorry, it’s not shedding tears after tears, it’s not just stopping bad habits, and it’s not even showing sad face or trying to act very sincere and good. Become good suddenly is not at all called repentance. Trying to be righteous too is never called repentance any where in the Bible.
Repentance means turning unto God for salvation from sin. "Repentance unto God mainly consists in two things.
1. One, in turning from sin and forsaking it.
2. Two, in turning to God."
What does Repentance Result ?
One of the clearest elements of biblical invitations to salvation is the demand for repentance. If you just took the New Testament and read it at face value, you would be pressed to conclude that repentance is an essential factor in a gospel presentation.
The ministry of John the Baptist was repentance. The ministry of Jesus was repentance. The ministry of the disciples was repentance. And heaven recognizes it and rejoices when a sinner...what?...repents...repents.
Chapter 16 of Luke, you know this record of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man died and went to Hades and was in torment. Lazarus, the beggar, died and went into the bosom of Abraham. And, of course, the rich man said, "Let me out of here so I can warn my brothers not to come here." But Abraham said in verse 29, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them." But he said, "No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will...what?...repent."
To reinforce that to you I'd like you to do just a little Bible study with me. I would like to bring out the best example of repented to listening today – the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Though Jesus’ baptism was not a repentance one, but Jesus obeyed the command of John the Baptist ands showed us a best example of repented Christian in His water baptism.
Take your Bible and let's start in Matthew chapter 3 and we'll just follow a little bit through the gospel record into the book of Acts, a couple of notes in the epistles and see what the sum of these verses is.
In Matthew chapter 3, we are introduced to the first New Testament evangel, none other than John the Baptist. In verse 1 of chapter 3 it says, "Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
1. Repentance prepares the way
The message was urgent. He knew he was preparing a path for One who was greater than he. And he was stunned when Jesus came to him to be baptized, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Always the servant, at Jesus’ urging he baptizes Him in the Jordan.
Likewise your repentance not only prepares your way to the Lord but also the Lord’s way to into our lives. We may be wondering about the way we should go and live this New Year. Some of us must be really confused and afraid about the New Year, looking for a new methods, new ways, new source and resources of life. But without repentance there is no way of life
2. Repentance brings approval and authority from heaven
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17).
What is the use of living a long life , year after year, which are without the Lord’s approval and not agree with the Lord? Let us take decision before the Lord to live a life approved unto God and by man as repented Christian in this New Year.
3. Repentance makes us Humble before the Lord
After the baptizing Jesus, John understood his ministry, he understood his place. Yet even as his own ministry began to fade into the background we see him pointing to the Messiah.
As John watched his own disciples leave his side and follow Jesus, as he saw the ministry of the Lamb of God begin—he heard Jesus make a familiar call, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
2. A Challenge to have New Heart & New Spirit
“Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!...”
(Ezekiel 18: 31 b )
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh”
(Ezekiel 36:26)
The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel was a captive in the land of Babylon during the seventy years of exile. Nebuchadnezzar had carried him away when the nation of Judah was taken captive. Ezekiel is the first prophet of the exile in Babylon. Daniel, somewhat younger than Ezekiel, lived during the second part of the exile.
Ezekiel saw the terrible sin of Judah and the punishment caused by forsaking the LORD God. "The soul that sins will surely die" (18:4) is equivalent to the Apostle Paul's summary, "The wages of sin is death."
The New Testament book of Revelation is full of Ezekiel. The apostle John saw four living creatures, the throne of God and a man on the throne. The LORD God reigns upon His throne. Ezekiel and John both see the power and majesty of the sovereign Lord. Even though Ezekiel may not have understood all the significance of his mission, he did see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God reveals Himself through Jesus Christ and Ezekiel saw the revelation of God in Jesus. The Old Testament prophets often spoke more than they knew. Because of the progressive revelation of God in the New Testament we have the privilege of seeing much more in Ezekiel than Ezekiel was privileged to see. He saw the promise; we see the fulfillment realized in Jesus Christ
This very simple as well as difficult to understand for me. Every man is born in this world with his or her own heart and spirit. How can then another heart and spirit be replanted into him or her?
Today medically doctors do surgery and replant the heart and cure sickness related to it. But here God is telling about a NEW HEART, with a NEW SPIRIT. Medically a person can have heart re-plantation, but not the spirit.
This is not only a challenge from God but also a blessing from Him for those who repent and come to Him for deliverance. It is He how takes out the old heart and plant with new one in which He also lives forever.
This New Heart with a New Spirit never fails, nor get any heart attack. It heart full of love, joy, peace and holiness. For God’s Sprit Himself lives in it.
In the past year we have failed several times in several occasions, could not archive what we desired and longed for; did see our dream and plan fulfilled by us. And the reason could be our old nature and old life; the reason could be that God was not there in our heart, he was not there in our plan and dream.
Our dream and life can successful when God’ heart agrees with our heart,; when God will agrees with our will, when God’s Spirit agrees with our spirit. Today, in 21st generation we need nothing to be successful than only a New heart planted by God alone.
Today God challenge you to come for New Heart surgery for a everlasting salvation from your sinful lives. Take His challenge and receive blessings !
How to have New Heart and New Spirit ?
1. To have New heart and New Sprit is not Repentance.
Because repentance means to turning from old life TO a new life as we have seen last time. New heart and sprit comes after the repentance. So, new heart and sprit is the result of repentance.
Friends God will never grant us new heart and spirit no matter how much we pray and read Bible or attend church, God grants us new heart and spirit when we are repented. He waits for our willingness and decision for the new heart and spirit. When our repented heart ask God’s grace to forgive us from sin, God cleans us and sends His Holy Spirit into our lives, and then we become new with a new heart and new spirit.
2. To have New Heart and New Spirit is always depends on our Decision
Look at the words ‘Make Yourself’ .This means to have a new heart and spirit is our decision, but the Lord’ work. God never change person by force. When any one willing to change life, God comes into Him and changes him with a new heart and new spirit. The more we surrender ourselves to God the more become new in the Lord.
Paul said in Romans 12:1,
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service
He beseech here to the Romans believers, it means he request them to offer their body holy and living sacrifice to God. Paul did not command here. For God never force a person to worship Him. The real worship comes from the heart willingly. God always loves and seeks a person who worships Him willingly.
After entering the promise land Joshua proclaimed one of the wonderful words to the people of Israel. Read Joshua 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua gives choice to the people of Israel, rather than commanding them and he and family have taken their own decision willingly to serve and worship the Lord, their Jehovah. After delivering from the land and power of Egypt, God would have force the people of Israel through Joshua to worship and serve Him alone. But God loved that His people come unto Him in worship willingly by their own decision.
My friends this is your decision again to have a new heart and sprit of worship. Let this New Year be a year of worship and service unto the Lord willingly.
3. "New heart" and "New spirit" is the Promise of spiritual regeneration.
In the following chapters and in most of related passages it is God who made promise that He will give them the new heart and new spirit into them, so that they will know He is God and worship Him alone.
Jesus may have had this passage in mind when He spoke to Nicodemus one night in Jerusalem. To this upright, moral, spiritually sensitive man Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Nicodemus asked, "How can a man be born again when he is old?" Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. . . Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again'" (3:5, 7).
Reflecting on that work of God in the human heart, the apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
God promised the answer to man’s problem in Jesus Christ. “I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” Jer.24:7 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jer. 31:33,34 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
Ezk.36:26-27 In the new covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ; We are offered forgiveness, a new heart, and the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within! God will take out our stoney heart and give us a heart of flesh. Once our sin was engraved on our heart of stone. Now God’s law is written in our heart. Once we did not know God. Now we know Him though His Son the Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit lives within us. Once we were under the curse of sin and death. Now we have the blessings of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ Jesus.
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2Cor.9:15 Amen.
3. A Consequence of Life & Death
1. Meaning of Death
In the Bible there are different kinds of death such as:
1. Physical death
2. Spiritual death
3. Eternal death or Second death
The first death man faced is spiritual death, which separation from God’s glory and grace.
The second death that man kind face today is physical death. The first physical death of a human being recorded in the Bible is that of Abel, who was murdered by his brother Cain (Gen 4:8).
The third death, eternal death, which is a future death waiting for the people who did not receive Jesus as their Savior. However, death itself, in both the physical and spiritual sense, is first mentioned by God Himself (Gen 2:17). In the Genesis account of the FALL both physical and spiritual death comes as a result of sin (Rom 5:12-21). What ever kind death we talk about the reason for it is SIN against God.
The apostle Paul speaks of death as an enemy: "The last enemy that will be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:26). In His resurrection, Jesus conquered death-physical, spiritual, and eternal. Through fear of death, men are subject to bondage (Heb 2:15); but "our Savior Jesus Christ...has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim 1:10).
2. Conception of Sin and Death:
According to Gen 2:17, God gave to man, created in His own image, the command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and added thereto the warning, "in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die." Though not exclusively, reference is certainly made here in the first place to physical death. Yet because death by no means came upon Adam and Eve on the day of they eat the fruit, but took place hundreds of years later. However this may be, Gen 2:17 places a close connection between man's death and his transgression of God's commandment, thereby attaching to death a religious and ethical significance, and on the other hand makes the life of man dependent on his obedience to God.
Both in the Old Testament and New Testament the truth is very clearly written that death is the wages of sin.
3. Victory Over Death
The death of Jesus was death of death. That Jesus fulfilled all the demands of sin and death and given mankind access to God forever. Death was conquered by Jesus death of resurrection. Jesus paid the price for all our sins and conquered the grave.
o This shows God’s power over one of our greatest enemies, death. God overcame the death and therefore able to deliver us from its power forever.
o This shows the love of God over the mankind. God so loved us that he came to this world for you and me as man and died on behalf of us on the cross and rose again on the 3rd day victoriously. He did not die for any angels or any other creatures. He came as man for man and died as man for man. Salvation is only for mankind, not even for angels. God loves us always and always mindful of us. It is this eternal love made Him to die for us. What unfathomable love for sinful mankind.
o This shows the plan of God. God died for you and me because he has plan for you and me; His plan is to give us eternal life in heaven. That is His free gift to us. We cannot earn or get it by any amount of good works. God out his grace given us Salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. When there is free gift of eternal life, WHY WILL YOU DIE ?
Prophet Ezekiel asked the same question here to the people of Israel. WHY WILL YOU DIE, why will you die here in the foreign land of Babylon as slave. Repent from your sinful life and have new heart and new spirit of worship and I will deliver you from this bondage.
And today the same question to us? Are we not spiritually dead? Are not doing to face one day other day a literal physically death? Are not sure that one day God will judge our life and then after eternal punishment in hell or eternal joy in heaven?
We all are aware very well the consequence of our sinful life. We all know inside that if we do not repent and have renewed life and spirit in Jesus, we shall all die likewise and condemned to eternal death in hell. Then, what makes us today not to look to God for our deliverance from our sin and death? What blocks us to repent from our sinful life? How long we shall remain like this and live life without God and without any hope?
Conclusion
How much time have we wasted? How much time has been spent in idleness? We are not at the beginning of a long period of life. Many of us may be over the half of their years. The clock is ticking. What did we do with our time? Have we wasted our precious time, our precious years? But what have we done with these days?
The New Year should be a time of reflection for all of us -- to ponder the plans and goals we set for ourselves in the previous year in relationship to where we are at now. How well did you do? Did you succeed in the things you set out to do or did you find yourself coming up short? If not ask yourselves, why? What’s the reason of my failure? Who is the reason for it?
The New Year offers us the chance to wipe the slate clean and start over once again. It is a time to set new goals and to make plans as to how you will meet those goals. As every day in the Lord should be, the New Year is a day of new beginnings. God said to Israel, unless you repent from you sin and have new heart and spirit, you cannot see the promise land, and in the same way today Jesus says, unless man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.
God bless you find the meaning of your life as you celebrate this new year of 2010 with a new heart and new spirit in Jesus !
Bible is not the book of death, but of life, of everlasting life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. It tells us, in oft-repeated and unmistakable terms, of the dreaded reality of death, but it proclaims to us still more loudly the wonderful power of the life which is in Christ Jesus..
Dear friends the message is very simple in the New Year. Prophet Ezekiel speaking to us…Repent form your sin and have new heart and new spirit from God and be free from the power of death. Because the wages of sin if death but the gift of eternal life is Jesus Christ, our Lord.
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2Cor.9:15 Amen.
I wish you all a blessed New Year !
G Prasad Rao
www.thegreentree.weebly.com
January 1st, 2010
" My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King ; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer." Psalms 45:1
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