When I bring you out, I will accept you, the Sovereign LORD says.--by Luke Hendricks

                                      When I bring you out, I will accept you, the Sovereign LORD says.

Text: Ezekiel 20:39-44

     Dear Friends: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. When I bring you out, I will accept you, the Sovereign LORD says. The goal for this message is to hear how God gave us faith and now God accepts us for Jesus' sake. I would like to recall specifically the following passages:

   Ezekiel 20:39 and 44
      " 'As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, everyone of you! But afterwards you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. . . . . . . . . You will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "

Go and Serve . . . IDOLS??? (law)

     Yes, Idols! What are idols? Idols are anything that take the #1 place in our lives from God. "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3) Also, Jesus speaks of trying to serve two masters, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24) Jesus here speaks of money, but what else can take the place of God? TV, sports, Girls/Boys, trials, sin, and the list can go on and on. ANYTHING can take the place of God, and it would, no, IS wrong. God wants to be the number one thing in your life . . . but why, then, does He say, "Go and serve your idols"? First, God is being sarcastic, warning them of the consequesnces of doing so. God says in Exodus 20:4-6, "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, punishing the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." Secondly, God in His infinite wisdom had a plan for His people Israel, and He has a plan for His people in Christ. The plan is that when He brings us out, He will accept us. In His Holy Word, the LORD tells us that He will bring us out from all our sins. That is just what He does. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8b) And God gave us the faith we have, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8) The definition of grace is undeserved love. Look what we do deserve: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (I Corinthians 6:19a) Here we are sinning, putting other things before God, not witnessing to the hope we have, AND yet . . . God STILL accepts us. Why? Why does God accept us?

I will accept you for My name's sake. (gospel)

     "You will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD." (Ezekiel 20:44) Did you hear that? God doesn't deal with us according to what we deserve! In this passage, the LORD is speaking to the Israelites, of the future when Jesus will come. But the same message is true, He deals with us according to what Jesus did. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (II Corinthians 5:21) Who was the only man ever that had no sin? Jesus. Now, because of what Jesus did, when God looks at us He doesn't see our sins, He sees Jesus' holiness. he sees us as perfect. "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27) "Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:34) Jesus' perfection was given to us when we were baptized into him. Rejoice and be glad! For you have the gift of eternal life through Jesus. You will live forever. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38) "God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not parish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) PRAISE THE LORD! But what did the passage say at the beginning? "You will know that I am the LORD." That is similar to the passage, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you and you will honor me." Thankfulness for God calling us out of the darkness and into the light will cause us to live a nes life for Him. And in living that life, we will want to share our joy with others. "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:19a) But where do we find this joy? "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) In the Holy Word of God. So stay in the Word, read it regularly. Through it is how the seed of faith was planted in your heart. Then take it, and Go Forward In Christ with it. Let's say you got a new car, every single friend you have and then some would know about it. Or you just started dating a wonderful person, you would show their picture around and let everyone know about her/him. I know about that. But how much more should we tell about the gift we have that will never rust, wear out, or end. A gift everyone can have too! Life after death is not to be taken lightly. Neither is a person's soul. Take that good news you know and share it, for sorrow shared is halfed, but joy shared is multiplied. AMEN.

     This message was given by Luke Hendricks on Thursday, 26 October 2000, before the Eagle's Landing High School chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

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