Ezekiel was an Old Testament prophet. but a prophet in his day was a preacher of righteousness. They were called of God to deliver the message of God, and God had a specific message to deliver, and those prophets delivered it just like he intended for it. That was his prophets. Now, there were some prophets that were in those days and times that said they were prophets of God, but they did not deliver God's message. They made up the message.

And God was not pleased with that at all. Well, the book of Ezekiel shares a great deal about God. And one of the things that it shares with us is that God has a will. As we mentioned to begin with, God never wished. He never wished for anything. He always willed. He always had the ability of performing what he intended to do. The Bible tells us that whatsoever he thought, that is what he did. Now, I've had lots of thoughts, but I never got it accomplished. But when it comes to God, he never had a thought that he didn't accomplish. So it is his will that I want to find out about.

Man's will is so fickle, so changeable, but God's will is just like God. God said that he is God and he changes not. There's not a change about God. There's no shadow of turning with God. He has one straight line, and that one straight line is His eternal purpose to do whatsoever He pleases to do.

Well, here in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 36, we find that the prophet Ezekiel was given the message. You know, in the New Testament, it says that holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So what Ezekiel had to share with us, he was moved by the Holy Spirit to give to us. So it tells us here in the book of Ezekiel chapter 36, and I want to begin reading with verse 23, excuse me verse 21, but I had pity for my holy name which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen whether they went Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God." So here we have a faithful prophet of God being told by God, I want you to tell the house of Israel this message.

This is what God said. Thus saith the Lord God. The message of God is so timely and so important. It isn't the message of man that's important. Men will do anything they can to try to scare us, but God has a purpose and he's gonna carry it out. He says, 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 namesake, which they have profaned among the heathen, whether ye went." Now, God shares with us that my will is to protect my name. My will is to make my name holy for my namesake. It is my purpose. to give the name of God Almighty as a positive thing.

You have made God's name a very negative thing. You have profaned it. You have made God so little in the eyes of all the people around you. And they were supposed to have some knowledge and some understanding about God, but they had made God's name and God himself very of ill reputation.

Well, he goes on to say here, and I will sanctify. Now that's the first will that we have in this passage of scripture that God said he would do. I will. Well, let's look at this. I will sanctify my great name. Now that word sanctify means I will set it apart. I will make it important. I will make it valuable. I will lift it up. I will exalt it.

The name of the Lord shall be exalted. You know, when we get into the New Testament, we find out the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted above every name. A name above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess the glory of God the Father. So we have this great name, and God said, I will exalt my name.

I will lift it up. Even though natural man does not lift it up, has no real intention to do so, acknowledge God once in a while, oh God, be with me, and give me what I want. That's generally about the exercise of what we as natural man pray to God, give me what I want. And after I've got it, would you leave me alone? Well, we find out God said here, I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned. You have made it less. You have brought it down. And what a shame it was. But you know what?

Natural man can do nothing except bring the name of God down. We turn it into a byword. We turn it into a swear word. And yet we find out God said, I will exalt my name. I will lift it up. What do we read in Genesis chapter one and verse one? In the beginning, God. What a glorious statement God made. He never went about trying to prove himself. He always went about declaring himself. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

In verse 24, for I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land. So the Lord said, among all of that host that's been scattered out, all those people that are bringing ridicule upon my name. and not honoring my word, and not honoring my sacrifices, and not honoring my priests, and not honoring my prophets, all those folks, out of that group of people, there is a people in among them that I'm gonna rescue and bring out of that mess. I will take them out of the, well, what does it say there? I will take you from among the heathen, from, A man's standpoint can't tell the difference between a heathen and one of those Israelites.

They're all practicing the same thing. They're going down to the same altars. They're practicing Baal worship or whatever it was. Can't tell the difference. But God can tell the difference. And the same is true about his church hidden in this world. in places that are incapable for anybody else to find, except God said, I will go and find them. I will bring them out. I will make them mine. So he promises us, I will do this. I'll take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries and we'll bring you into your own land.

Lord found me in high religion. That's where the Lord found me. Very religious. Didn't have any use for God, but it was very religious. I was a self-righteous individual, and I found out where righteousness is, and that righteousness is in Jesus Christ the Lord. He is my righteousness. Well, it continues to go on here.

God said, I'll deliver you from gross error of the heathen. I will take you from among the heathen. What a deliverance it is that God would go find his people and deliver them from the gross idolatry, the gross way of life that they are following and bring them out and make them his people.

Jesus said, it's one of the gospel, forgive me for not knowing where. I will lay down my life for the sheep." John 10, excuse me. I will lay down my life for the sheep. And he said that he will make a of propitiation. He will pay the sin price of all his lost sheep. So he said, I'll go find them out there. And then in verse 25, it tells us God said, and I will sprinkle clean water. God never wished to do anything. He's always gonna do the, and he said, I will sprinkle clean water. Now this is a, this water here is a symbolic of, I will make sure that all my people, will hear the good news of the gospel. I will make sure that they hear something that is far beyond what they've been hearing among the heathen.

I will make sure they hear that salvation is of the Lord. I will make sure that they hear that salvation only comes through the preaching of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Salvation is not based upon some work that we do. It's not based upon some Church that we're a member of, it's not based upon what we have done for God, it's based upon a person, Jesus Christ the righteous. So he said here, I will, I will take you from among the heathen, I will sprinkle clean water on you.

I will make sure that all that I intend to save will hear the good news. Good news. There's no better news that can be heard than to hear God say, your sin debt is paid. You are forgiven. No better news can be heard. to be forgiven of all our sin. And that's the promise that God made in Jesus Christ that he, his son, would become the debt payer for the church.

I will make sure you get this good news. I will make sure that the seed comes to you and is planted in your heart. I will make sure what God declared here is that you will make sure that the pure, clean gospel is brought to you. And it's not going to be brought by a false prophet. It's going to be brought by God. God's word will be delivered in its pureness and simplicity.

Oh, the simplicity that is in Christ. What is that? Trust Christ and don't move a muscle. There's nothing else. To the ears of all the people, The very clean water has been so corrupted by mankind, but this water is going to be made pure and it will come and approach God's people and it will have its intended work in God's people. I will, he goes on to say, I will give you a new heart. Oh. Thank God that he's brought us down to this point. I will give you a new heart. I will cleanse you and give you a new heart.

Now, to a group that were worshiping in Thessalonica, a city over there in what we know as Turkey today, I believe, there was a group of believers there and the Apostle Paul wrote them a letter, a letter to the Thessalonians. And he said there in verse nine of chapter one, for they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. So he's saying with those people, you know, when we brought the gospel to you, God worked a work. And in that work, you turn from worshiping dumb idols to worship the true and the living God. What does that mean?

I gave them and I will give them a new heart. They, as we read here, I will, a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you. God never wished to do anything. He will always accomplish what he intends to do. I will give you. There are four times in this verse 26 that God said through his prophet Ezekiel, I will give you, I will do something. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I'll give you a heart of flesh.

So salvation from beginning to end is based upon the work of God. Jonah said one time, and he was in a predicament, he was in a great fish's belly at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. And God gave him these words to have written down so that we can look at him today and say, thank you, Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Not of us, not of my parents, not of a church. not of any ordinance, salvation is of the Lord.

Jesus's name is very important. When his name was announced to his mother and his stepfather, you shall call his name Jesus. Well, we don't think that that's very strange today, but in that day and time, when the name Jesus was given, it was the same as the name Joshua in the Old Testament. But the meaning of that name, is what's important. You shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. That's the promise God gave through this person, Christ Jesus, the Lord.

You know, the problem that we are facing is the heart. We need a new heart. The old heart Well, Jeremiah, another prophet said, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? We have a heart that's desperately wicked. We need a new heart. I was told when I was a kid in church, give your heart to Jesus. You know, I found out God doesn't want that heart. That is a dirty heart. You know what he does?

He gives us a new heart. Totally new from God. It's not making over an old heart, but it is giving us a new heart. Now it's not a literal transaction. He doesn't take out this heart and give us a new one. He doesn't do that kind of heart transplant, but spiritually speaking, he gives us a new attitude towards God. an attitude of worship, an attitude of prayer, an attitude towards God.

He said he will take out our stony, stubborn heart and give us a tender, responsive heart. And so he continues to say, I will I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them." Well, Lord willing, next Sunday, we'll be here again, Lord willing, and I'll pick up with verse 27 and we'll continue on through this section of scripture that shares with us the I-wills of God, not the I-wishes. not the I hopes of God, but the I wills of God. You know, I was told when I was in church, God has done all he can do, now the rest is up to you.

Boy, that's not salvation. There's no hope in that at all. God has done all that he's going to do and that is he's promised to save his people from their sins. That's his promise. I will do that. I will make sure they hear the word. I'll make sure that the spirit comes along and gives them the new birth. I will make sure that they have this great salvation. They will know Christ. They will be able to see him as their savior and they will depend upon him and him alone for all their salvation. So Lord willing, next Sunday we'll pick up with verse 27 and continue down through here in the I wills of God, Ezekiel chapter 36. All right, we're going to stop there for today and Chris.