Last time we were here, which was just a month ago, we began a series on the I-wills of God. God speaks in his word about things he will do, and he will always keep his promise. He never tells a story or lies. When he said, I will do something, he will accomplish it. Sometimes we have problems with doing that for other people, and sometimes other people have a problem doing that for us. But God never fails every time he speaks about what he's going to do He is going to accomplish it.

We began our study in the book of Isaiah chapter 41, and I'd like to just read the three verses that we looked at, and then we're going to go to the book of Ezekiel. In the book of Isaiah chapter 41, beginning with verse eight, we have three wonderful verses of scripture about God and about his ability to take care of us.

In the book of Isaiah chapter 41, it tells us here in verse 8, it says, but thou Israel art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I've chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

Now verse 10 of Isaiah chapter 41. For thou not, fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. Now listen to these things. I will strengthen thee. Now, when God makes a promise to strengthen his people, he is going to carry that promise out. And then he goes on to say, I'll help thee. And when God makes a promise to help his people, he's going to carry that out. And then he says, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. To God's people, when God says, I will uphold thee, that means he will take care of his people for time and for eternity. There's nothing that we can do to wiggle out of the hands of God if we are his children and he has promised, I will uphold thee.

So we started that lesson. Now, over in the book of Ezekiel chapter 36, we have in this chapter, five or six, seven or eight different statements that God makes about I will do something. And I promise to do this.

In the book of Ezekiel chapter 36, God's speaking through his prophet Ezekiel. And in the book of Ezekiel, it is mentioned more times than probably anywhere else in the Bible, thus saith the Lord. God's speaking here. This is God's word, he's speaking. And he's always speaking the truth. God has never told a lie. That is one thing God cannot do. He cannot lie. That's his promise. We may, he doesn't. We may do it today, he never has done it. So he doesn't lie.

But here in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 21, the scripture shares this, but I had pity for my holy name. I don't know about you, but maybe I should just say, have you ever been, your name ever been scorned or mocked or made fun of? Have you ever done anything that someone marked out and maybe even told a lie about you? Well, God is bringing that subject up because many people, even his children, Israel, lied about him. You know, any time that they would go worship a false idol, they're lying about God. God is not an idol. God is a being. God is a person. God is holy. God is upright. God is in heaven.

So we have, he is bringing this subject up of what he's going to do. I will do this, he says, but I had pity for my holy namesake, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whether they went. So his children had mocked his name. His children had made fun of his name. His children had scorned his name. Now he had taken care of them in such a mighty way, but it was only in a physical sense. When God saves somebody, spiritually giving them himself as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that can never happen. But to those people of Israel it did.

Then he said, therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whether ye went.

So God is going to give some instructions about God. God is going to cause us to understand that he is an absolute God, and that he does nothing amiss, and it is a terrible act that people would rise up and call him anything but holy, that they would choose an idol to worship, or they'd choose a religion to worship, and never look towards God. He said, you profaned my name, you mocked my name, you made fun of my name in front of your enemies.

And then he tells us here in verse 23, and this is where we start the I wills. In this chapter, it's filled with I will, what God will do, and he's promised to do it. He said right here, I will sanctify my great name. What he's telling us is here, is I'm going to correct the problem that you have brought. I'm going to let people know who I really am. I am the holy one of Israel. I am the I am that I am. I am the Savior. I am the Redeemer. I am the God that loves His people with an everlasting love. And all of the mockery that you may have done toward me will be turned aside when I demonstrate all of these good qualities that I have towards a people that will love me.

I will teach you, even though it may be harsh, I will teach you that I am not a folly. I am not a mistake. God can do anything but fail. He has never struggled. God has never struggled. You know, the older I get, the more I struggle. But God does not grow old. He does not struggle with anything. He doesn't struggle with man. He doesn't struggle with angels. He doesn't struggle with His creation. He is in absolute control of all things. God never tried to do anything. God always accomplishes everything that He intends to accomplish. We may try to do something, and we may have tried to do something and been quite good at it, or we may have tried to do something and not been very good at it at all, but that's one thing about the Holy God. He never tried to do anything. He has always had a purpose, and he carries out that purpose to the very finish. He has never failed, not once.

Now, a natural man, Israel, may have said he failed from time to time. He made them walk through the wilderness, and sometimes the water ran out. And, you know, instead of just being thankful and saying, Lord, you provided in the past, we know you'll do it again. They complain to a God that is holy that promised to take care of his people. So he's never failed. The people say incorrect things about God. They are not able to gather together the truth about God, but God said, this is what I'm going to do. I will sanctify my great name. I will set it apart.

Now, when it comes to the church, he has set apart his name. in the middle of the church, he has made his name, his self, his person, as the center and core of the church. I will sanctify my name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned And I will, I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. So he tells us right here, I will sanctify my name, which was profaned among the heathen. And then in verse 24, the second I will of this chapter, and we'll probably close with a few comments on this verse of scripture. It says, for I will take you from among the heathen.

God has promised to take all of his people, all that he loved before the foundation of the world, all that Christ intended to die for, all that Christ ransomed on the cross, all that the Holy Spirit will ever save, he has promised to take them from among the heathen. wherever they are, he will find them. He's promised that. And I will gather you out of all the countries.

God is a God that has a purpose and he's never not had a purpose from the very beginning. His purpose was to save his people from their sins. And his purpose was to always glorify God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He will do that. He will never not do that.

Now the only time that it looks like that that's happening is when man gets involved and says, God isn't doing what he should do. God is doing what he will do. Our should, the things that we think God may need to do, is not always right, is it? We can't second-guess God. He is holy, high and lifted up, and in the heavens, and I will strengthen thee, is what he said, I will help thee, I will uphold thee, and what he has promised, he will do.

Jesus said, I have laid down my life for the sheep and I will lose none of them. I will lose none of them. None of his sheep will ever be lost. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life.

So the promises that God has made when he declares, I will sanctify my name, and I will draw all my people out of all the places of the world. You know, we find that God has saved people out of Africa, Europe, South America, North America, Australia. God has been careful to go to those places with the gospel and they get to hear the truth of the gospel and God saves them by his grace and draws them out and causes them to sit down in the church of the living God.

What a blessing we have when we read into the scriptures, the things concerning God, the things that God said about himself, I will do this. We can count on it. We can say, I'll take that to the bank. We can say that's the truth when God said what he would do. I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land.

And then he said, I will sprinkle you and then will I sprinkle clean water upon you. You know, that water so often means I'll bring the gospel to you. I'll let you hear the gospel. I will bring it to you. I will make sure that you get to hear the gospel, the good news about Christ Jesus, the Lord, going to the cross to save sinners from their sin. I'll let you hear that. It's good news. It's a good message. The word gospel means good news.

So every time we hear the gospel, the truth of the gospel, it's good news to our ears, but it's also good news to our heart. God said, I will do this. I will make sure it's accomplished, and I will never fail. I will never say, oh, I'll get around to it in time. He says, I will take care of it, and you can take it to the bank.

So God can do anything but fail. He's never struggled over anything. He may have been displeased with the actions of men, but he's never struggled about it. He's always accomplished his eternal purpose. He has never tried to do anything. He's always done exactly what he said he would do. Never tried. He's not like humanity. We have to try things and sometimes we fail, but he has never failed and he has never failed one bit. Not one word of his word has ever failed and not one purpose of God has ever not been applied.

So we just are thankful that God has proclaimed in his holy word that he will do something and that will will be towards his church, towards his people towards his lost sheep, towards his elect. He will deal with them according to his eternal will.

Well, we're going to go to the Lord in prayer and then we'll have a couple more songs and we'll be dismissed.