I want to tell two stories today. One story is about me. The other story is about Jesus.
Last Sunday, a few of us were talking after church. We were marveling at God’s grace toward us in spite of ourselves. Do you know what I mean? Every Christian can tell how they stubbornly sinned and rejected God, but He kept on loving us, He kept on calling us, He kept on sending people after us, until we accepted His love. In spite of whatever we might have done, God wants us to turn to him because he loves every one of us.
Bob Schmitt mentioned that we should put out on the sign in front of the church for everyone to see, “Sinners Anonymous, All are welcome.” The reason is that when we’ve been walking with the Lord for a while, sometimes others can’t really see how the Lord has cleaned us up and put our lives back together. The truth of the matter is that in every single believer, in every single Christian, in every single Christ-follower, there is a messed up sinner who was saved by the grace of God. Any good thing that is in our lives now, any love that we can express to others, any kindness or sacrifice that we can make, it comes from the love of God.
After the “Sinners Anonymous” idea came up, I thought, “Man, that’s just what I’ll talk about in today’s message. I will give my testimony in that way.” But the more I thought about it though, I realized two problems. One, the biggest sin area in my life both before and after becoming a Christian was in the area of lust and sexual immorality. Since we have a mixed gender group from age 12 and up, I was reluctant to move into those dark waters. My second problem was that I don’t want to tell you a bunch of details from my sin because it can look like grandstanding. The last thing I want you to think is that God is greater because “look how wretched I was.” God is the same loving God regardless of how wretched you are or have been. He loves you just the same as someone else who you may think has a “more wretched” past than you do.
I had pretty much given up on the “Sinners Anonymous” idea until about lunchtime yesterday. Then, as a part of my regular quiet time, I read Ezekiel 16. So with that chapter as my guide, I will give you my testimony.
Hello. My name is John. I’m a sinner.
I am a very blessed individual. I was born to two loving parents who are still married after 42 years. My parents both profess Christ and have been involved in the church their whole lives. My parents took me to church nearly every week from the time I was born until I went to Clemson. By the time I finished high school, I had been in church around 800 times at that point in my life. I participated in church activities: Sunday school, different choirs, youth group. I was among the youth group leadership. Even though the church was not evangelical, we did sing hymns. By the time I was 17 years old, I figure I had sung at least 2000 hymns. From all those beautiful words written by believers over the last 400 years, I had been well exposed to the truth of God.
From the outside, anyone looking at my life would say, “Man, he is a good kid. He’s got his head on straight. He kind of tends to be lazy, but he’s not in any big trouble. He’s smart enough, and he does well in school. Man, his parents must be proud, and they were.”
I had every reason to be devoted to God. In paraphrase of the words of Ezekiel 16, this is God speaking,
“I made you flourish like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and arrived at full adornment … Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough … , I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered you. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.” Ezekiel 16:7-8
By outward appearance, I looked like I was dedicated to God. I went to church. I was involved in serving. God had protected me and blessed my circumstances. I even prayed and from time to time, I cracked open my Bible.
“I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists, a chain on your neck. … and a crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth … because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 16:10-14
Everything I had was from God just like everything I have today is from God, and in my teen years, nearly everything I had came from my parents. I worked some doing lawnmowing and other odd jobs in the neighborhood. But most of the money I did earn I spent it either carelessly or worse. I certainly did not think to give more than a pittance to God. I was blessed in my schoolwork, blessed to get accepted at different universities, blessed to receive scholarships and blessed to receive academic and musical awards.
You would think that degree of blessing and proximity to the church would deepen my relationship with God. But, I am a sinner. I took all that blessing. All from God, and much of it unearned. And do you know what it became to me. It became a license for me to act out my own pleasures and desires.
I won’t descend into a litany of my sins, but I got my hands on as much pornography as I could. That in turn led to desires to fulfill my fantasies. At the same time, I was dabbling in the occult through popular role-playing games of the 1980’s. I was impulsive and demanding. I was selfish and felt justified because I was getting away with these things.
Ezekiel 16 says it this way …
“But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. … You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. … Also my bread that I gave you--I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey--you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD. … And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth …” Ezekiel 16:15, 17, 19, 22
“You also played the whore with … your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, … Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.” Ezekiel 16:26, 30, 31
“Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. So you were different … in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.” Ezekiel 16:33-34
The analogy to my own life is this. I chose to pursue sin. I had a church. I had the Word. God had blessed me physically, materially, academically, just about every way I could be blessed. In return, how did I respond to God? I went out and tried to satisfy myself through the lusts and the desires of the flesh. I spent money that God enabled me to earn in order to pursue sin. I tried to find other like-minded people and draw them into sin. Sin did not promise me anything in return. I exchanged the truth of God for a lie.
There were points along the way where God stepped in and tried to warn me and show me that the things I was choosing to do were wrong. It slowed down my sin some. Likewise, God thwarted many of my plans to sin. I wanted to do some colossally wrong things, but by my own scheming I could not get the circumstances to work out. I attribute my failure to succeed in sin to the prayers of other believers, especially my mother-in-law who was praying for her daughter’s future spouse. Parents, I exhort you to pray for your children and their future spouses.
Not only that, I bear scars as the result of my sin. My wife has had to endure the impact of sins I committed before I even met her. This church and Fred and Carl in particular have had to endure the ramifications of my sin. The single largest barrier for me to become an elder was my conviction that I was disqualified for service because of my adultery against the Lord. The next barrier was my fear that I would fail, that I would be taken out by some failure in the future. If you’ve been down that path once, what’s to say you won’t do it again?
As a result of this prostitution of the heart, what do you think comes at the end of this prophecy? Judgment by God? You’d be right, Ezekiel does go on to pronounce judgment. And now that I understand my actions and attitude toward God at that time, I would certainly expect judgment to fall on me. But that is not the end of my story.
Why am I not rejected by God? Why wasn’t judgment poured out against me, even though I was certainly guilty? Ezekiel goes on to give the answer.
“Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD." Ezekiel 16:60, 62-63
God blessed me with life. He blessed you with life. By the standards of the whole world, we as Americans are blessed with incredible material wealth. None of us could control the fact that we are alive and that we are blessed in many ways. That’s why they’re called blessings. We have been shown favor. We didn’t do anything to deserve them. In my case, my blessing went far beyond life and material things. And yet, I rejected God and chose sin, heaping insult on God. If you look at physical blessing as the first covenant (the covenant of my youth), we spoiled that covenant by our sin. God cannot redeem that covenant. He can’t fix it or make it new again.
But don’t despair, God has created a new covenant.
Now we come to the second story.
This story is about a man named Jesus. Jesus was no ordinary man. The circumstances of his birth, his life, and his death were foretold hundreds of years before he was born. The situation of his birth was unusual. He was born in a stable. His mother was a virgin. Even when he was a baby, people said the most amazing things about him, like when he was picked up “my eyes have seen your salvation” and “this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many.”
When he was a man, he was baptized. A voice from the heavens announced, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” He taught many people about the kingdom of God. He would go on to perform many miracles. He healed the sick and even raised people back from the dead. When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus did not arrive until the fourth day afterward. Jesus told them to open the tomb, but the family protested for the body would have begun to decay and to smell. When they did open the tomb, Jesus called Lazarus, and Lazarus came out alive and well.
This Jesus is not a man only. He is also the Son of God. From the shepherds at the stable and throughout his life and ministry, different people worshipped Jesus. Only God can receive worship, but Jesus never instructed people not to worship him. Jesus received worship.
Jesus led the life of a poor man. He had no place to lay his head. He was itinerant and moved from place to place. He had no possessions that are mentioned besides the clothes on his back. Jesus was tempted. He was tempted with wealth and with power. And, he was tempted to prove to others that he was the Son of God. The Bible says he was tempted in every way yet did not sin.
One day, this man Jesus came to Jerusalem, this man who had nothing. On that day, he made a claim that seems ridiculous. We remember that occasion as Palm Sunday.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21:1-9
In reviewing these verses, I am going to borrow extensively from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon. (The Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem, Sermon No. 405, delivered on Sunday Morning, August the 18th, 1861 by Charles Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington)
This type of arrival, riding on the foal of a donkey, had been foretold as the way that Israel’s king would arrive. This method of arrival communicated to everyone that Jesus claimed to be a king. And if he was to be a king, what was his kingdom? What its nature? What was his royal authority? Who were to be his subjects? What his laws? What his government?
Take a moment, and put a picture in your mind of what the coronation of a king would look like. Most of our experience of matters of the kings, queens and nobility comes from England. Queen Elizabeth has been queen for 59 years, so no one here saw her coronation. But just imagine for a moment the pomp and circumstance of the coronation of a king. Imagine the majesty and grandeur that would accompany such a ceremony. Now let’s go back and look at Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as the newly arrived king. What is his kingdom?
It is a kingdom, in which the disciples make up the royal court. The disciples are attending the king. This is a kingdom makes fishermen nobles, and peasants princes all while they remain fishermen and peasants! In this kingdom discipleship is the highest degree, and divine service is the act of nobility.
It is also a kingdom, in which the king's laws are not written on paper. Jesus tells the disciples, go and take his “royal steed,” and this was the law, “Loose him and let him go?” but where was the law written? Well, it was written upon the heart of that man to whom the donkey and the foal belonged because he immediately said, “Let them go;” the man thought it a high honor to contribute to this great King of peace. So, in the kingdom of Christ there will be no huge law books, no attorneys who need to explain and defend the law. The law book in Jesus’ kingdom is here in the heart, the lawyer is here in the conscience, the law is not written on paper, but on the heart.
This was a kingdom in which wealth and riches have no part in its glory. Speaking of Jesus, Spurgeon said, “He it was who had given most to others, and retained least himself. He who was least selfish and most disinterested, he who lived most for others, was King of this kingdom.” Can we understand this? Here is a kingdom in which the highest position is occupied not by the one who is richest in gold or material wealth but by the one who is richest in faith. This kingdom depends on no revenue except the revenue of divine grace. This kingdom calls all of us to sit down in its shadow with delight, whether rich or poor.
Another surprise is that it was a kingdom without armed force. Here is the most strange King, who wears no sword, but rides among his people conquering. There is no blood, no tears, no devastation, no burned cities, no mangled bodies! There is only the King of peace. This is true of the kingdom over which Christ is king today, there is no force to be used. The power by which Jesus rules his people is not the strong hand and the outstretched arm of police or soldiers. Instead, it is by deeds of love and words of overflowing blessing that Jesus holds his sovereignty.
It was a kingdom without any pomp or display of magnificence. Here comes the King of kings, the Prince of the kings of the earth; no enormous steed as a symbol of strength, no prancing horse which would keep impoverished children at a distance. He rides upon his donkey, and as he rides along he speaks kindly to the little children, who are crying, “Hosanna.” He wishes well to the mothers and fathers of the lowest classes, who crowd around him. He is approachable; he is not separated from them; he doesn’t claim to be their superior, but their servant. Jesus had so little splendor as a king; he was the servant of all. There were no blaring trumpets—he was content with the voice of men, no adornment on his donkey, but his own disciple's garments. There was no pomp but the pomp which loving hearts willingly yielded to him.
Jesus came to establish a kingdom without taxes. His revenue flowed freely from the willing gifts of his people. The first lent his donkey and his foal, the rest had given their clothes. Those who had no clothes to part with, plucked palm branches from the trees, and there was splendor for once which cost no man anything, or for which nothing was demanded of anyone, but everything was spontaneously given.
This was a kingdom in which even all creatures were considered. Jesus did not command that the donkey be separated from her foal. The donkey did not remain in the stall worrying about the foal. The foal was not ridden through the streets fearfully without its mother. Instead, both would come together.
His kingdom was to be one of joy. When the little children cried, "Hosanna," they had not lost their fathers in battle. When the men and women shouted, "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord," they had no cause to shout with bated breath, or to dim their joys with the memories of misery. No, in his kingdom there is unalloyed, unmingled joy. Shout, shout, all you that are subjects of King Jesus! You may have sorrows, but not from him. Troubles may come to you because you are in the world, but they come not from him. Serving Jesus is perfect liberty. His ways are pleasant, and his paths are peace.
Jesus lived a perfect life. He did not sin against God. He did not sin against other men. The Bible says, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not put out.” But just four days after this triumphal entry, Jesus faced the most stressful moment of all time, of all eternity.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and [James and John] along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:36-39
What was in that cup? That cup holds the wrath of God. What has caused the wrath of God? All our sins, our rejection of God because of our own selfishness caused this separation, caused this wrath to occur. But God is love, and God loves us. Because of his love for us, he would not allow us to go into hell. In his wisdom and justice, he had to find a substitute for this punishment. (This is Spurgeon again.)
Man for his sin was condemned to eternal fire; when God took Christ to be the substitute, it is true, he did not send Christ into eternal fire, but he poured upon him grief so desperate, that it was a valid payment for even an eternity of fire. Man was condemned to live forever in hell. God did not send Christ forever into hell; but he put on Christ, punishment that was equivalent for that. Although he did not give Christ to drink the actual hells of believers, yet he gave him something that was equivalent thereunto. He took the cup of Christ's agony, and he put in there, suffering, misery, and anguish such as only God can imagine or dream of, that was the exact equivalent for all the suffering, all the woe, and all the eternal tortures of every one … And you say, “Did Christ drink it all to its dregs?” Did he suffer it all? Yes, my brethren, he took the cup, and “At one triumphant draught of love, He drank damnation dry.”
This is why there are not multiple ways to get to heaven. That is why all roads can’t lead to God. There is only one person who drank damnation dry. There is only one person who paid the penalty for you and for me. There is only one way, one truth, and one life, and that is Jesus Christ.
“Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD." Ezekiel 16:60, 62-63
That word atone means to pay for or make amends for. How did God atone for us? By the substitutionary death of His Son on the cross. And that is the end of my story, or maybe it is really the beginning. When I came to Clemson, someone shared the message with my that Christ had died for my sins. Not only that, that Jesus sends his Holy Spirit into our lives to change us and make us more like Him. There is hope and purpose beyond accepting Christ. There is work that God wants us to do in this world, and we don’t go into the work or up against sin alone. Jesus is with us all the way.
Maybe I should have mentioned it earlier, but I do want to give a word of warning to the younger people here. The world tells us that we need to “sow our wild oats” or a little rebellion is a good thing. Let me be the first to tell you, I did not gain anything good from the sins I committed. I don’t think, “Man, I’m glad I sinned in this or that area. I have such fond memories of that.” If I could, I would give it all back. One of the consequences of my sins is that I became a much weaker, fearful, and shameful person as a result. The book of Psalms says it this way …
He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, … who keeps his oath even when it hurts … He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15:2-5
So, as you make life choices, choose Christ first above all the desires of the world, and you will never be disappointed. Are you fearful, wondering if you can handle sin? Don’t fall into the world’s trap by dabbling in sin. Follow Jesus, abide in Him, and you will never be shaken. His ways are truly the best ways.
While we cannot pay for our own sin and get into heaven, there is one condition for us to receive salvation. We have to confess our sins and ask God to forgive us. In I John, it is written …
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. I John 8:9-10
That last verse is critical. Why do we have to confess our sins? Why do we have to agree with God that our sin is really sin? That last verse tells us. If we don’t agree by confession, then we make God out to be a liar. The death of His Son on the cross is not required.
Could you imagine someone in heaven walking around saying, “God is a liar!” This can never happen. Everyone who comes to God must believe in Him and agree on their need for Jesus as a substitute for the punishment they deserve.
Regardless of your circumstances this morning, if you don’t know Jesus, if you have not asked Jesus to be your Savior, I want to invite you to do that right now. There is no better time that right now. We really don’t know if we are going to make it across the street alive once we leave this church.
If you’ve thought about this decision before, but have put it off for some reason, I especially encourage you to take your choice very seriously. Don’t walk away. God loves you and desires a relationship with you regardless of your past history or experiences. This could be the most important minute of your life.
Please everyone, bow your heads. If you want to ask Jesus for salvation, you can pray along with me.
Lord Jesus, you are the Savior. You died on the cross for my sins. I confess to you that I have sinned. I ask that you would forgive me for my sins. Thank you for the free gift of salvation. I want to follow you and experience your blessing. Teach me from the Bible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Last Sunday, a few of us were talking after church. We were marveling at God’s grace toward us in spite of ourselves. Do you know what I mean? Every Christian can tell how they stubbornly sinned and rejected God, but He kept on loving us, He kept on calling us, He kept on sending people after us, until we accepted His love. In spite of whatever we might have done, God wants us to turn to him because he loves every one of us.
Bob Schmitt mentioned that we should put out on the sign in front of the church for everyone to see, “Sinners Anonymous, All are welcome.” The reason is that when we’ve been walking with the Lord for a while, sometimes others can’t really see how the Lord has cleaned us up and put our lives back together. The truth of the matter is that in every single believer, in every single Christian, in every single Christ-follower, there is a messed up sinner who was saved by the grace of God. Any good thing that is in our lives now, any love that we can express to others, any kindness or sacrifice that we can make, it comes from the love of God.
After the “Sinners Anonymous” idea came up, I thought, “Man, that’s just what I’ll talk about in today’s message. I will give my testimony in that way.” But the more I thought about it though, I realized two problems. One, the biggest sin area in my life both before and after becoming a Christian was in the area of lust and sexual immorality. Since we have a mixed gender group from age 12 and up, I was reluctant to move into those dark waters. My second problem was that I don’t want to tell you a bunch of details from my sin because it can look like grandstanding. The last thing I want you to think is that God is greater because “look how wretched I was.” God is the same loving God regardless of how wretched you are or have been. He loves you just the same as someone else who you may think has a “more wretched” past than you do.
I had pretty much given up on the “Sinners Anonymous” idea until about lunchtime yesterday. Then, as a part of my regular quiet time, I read Ezekiel 16. So with that chapter as my guide, I will give you my testimony.
Hello. My name is John. I’m a sinner.
I am a very blessed individual. I was born to two loving parents who are still married after 42 years. My parents both profess Christ and have been involved in the church their whole lives. My parents took me to church nearly every week from the time I was born until I went to Clemson. By the time I finished high school, I had been in church around 800 times at that point in my life. I participated in church activities: Sunday school, different choirs, youth group. I was among the youth group leadership. Even though the church was not evangelical, we did sing hymns. By the time I was 17 years old, I figure I had sung at least 2000 hymns. From all those beautiful words written by believers over the last 400 years, I had been well exposed to the truth of God.
From the outside, anyone looking at my life would say, “Man, he is a good kid. He’s got his head on straight. He kind of tends to be lazy, but he’s not in any big trouble. He’s smart enough, and he does well in school. Man, his parents must be proud, and they were.”
I had every reason to be devoted to God. In paraphrase of the words of Ezekiel 16, this is God speaking,
“I made you flourish like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and arrived at full adornment … Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough … , I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered you. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.” Ezekiel 16:7-8
By outward appearance, I looked like I was dedicated to God. I went to church. I was involved in serving. God had protected me and blessed my circumstances. I even prayed and from time to time, I cracked open my Bible.
“I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists, a chain on your neck. … and a crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth … because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 16:10-14
Everything I had was from God just like everything I have today is from God, and in my teen years, nearly everything I had came from my parents. I worked some doing lawnmowing and other odd jobs in the neighborhood. But most of the money I did earn I spent it either carelessly or worse. I certainly did not think to give more than a pittance to God. I was blessed in my schoolwork, blessed to get accepted at different universities, blessed to receive scholarships and blessed to receive academic and musical awards.
You would think that degree of blessing and proximity to the church would deepen my relationship with God. But, I am a sinner. I took all that blessing. All from God, and much of it unearned. And do you know what it became to me. It became a license for me to act out my own pleasures and desires.
I won’t descend into a litany of my sins, but I got my hands on as much pornography as I could. That in turn led to desires to fulfill my fantasies. At the same time, I was dabbling in the occult through popular role-playing games of the 1980’s. I was impulsive and demanding. I was selfish and felt justified because I was getting away with these things.
Ezekiel 16 says it this way …
“But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. … You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. … Also my bread that I gave you--I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey--you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD. … And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth …” Ezekiel 16:15, 17, 19, 22
“You also played the whore with … your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, … Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.” Ezekiel 16:26, 30, 31
“Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. So you were different … in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.” Ezekiel 16:33-34
The analogy to my own life is this. I chose to pursue sin. I had a church. I had the Word. God had blessed me physically, materially, academically, just about every way I could be blessed. In return, how did I respond to God? I went out and tried to satisfy myself through the lusts and the desires of the flesh. I spent money that God enabled me to earn in order to pursue sin. I tried to find other like-minded people and draw them into sin. Sin did not promise me anything in return. I exchanged the truth of God for a lie.
There were points along the way where God stepped in and tried to warn me and show me that the things I was choosing to do were wrong. It slowed down my sin some. Likewise, God thwarted many of my plans to sin. I wanted to do some colossally wrong things, but by my own scheming I could not get the circumstances to work out. I attribute my failure to succeed in sin to the prayers of other believers, especially my mother-in-law who was praying for her daughter’s future spouse. Parents, I exhort you to pray for your children and their future spouses.
Not only that, I bear scars as the result of my sin. My wife has had to endure the impact of sins I committed before I even met her. This church and Fred and Carl in particular have had to endure the ramifications of my sin. The single largest barrier for me to become an elder was my conviction that I was disqualified for service because of my adultery against the Lord. The next barrier was my fear that I would fail, that I would be taken out by some failure in the future. If you’ve been down that path once, what’s to say you won’t do it again?
As a result of this prostitution of the heart, what do you think comes at the end of this prophecy? Judgment by God? You’d be right, Ezekiel does go on to pronounce judgment. And now that I understand my actions and attitude toward God at that time, I would certainly expect judgment to fall on me. But that is not the end of my story.
Why am I not rejected by God? Why wasn’t judgment poured out against me, even though I was certainly guilty? Ezekiel goes on to give the answer.
“Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD." Ezekiel 16:60, 62-63
God blessed me with life. He blessed you with life. By the standards of the whole world, we as Americans are blessed with incredible material wealth. None of us could control the fact that we are alive and that we are blessed in many ways. That’s why they’re called blessings. We have been shown favor. We didn’t do anything to deserve them. In my case, my blessing went far beyond life and material things. And yet, I rejected God and chose sin, heaping insult on God. If you look at physical blessing as the first covenant (the covenant of my youth), we spoiled that covenant by our sin. God cannot redeem that covenant. He can’t fix it or make it new again.
But don’t despair, God has created a new covenant.
Now we come to the second story.
This story is about a man named Jesus. Jesus was no ordinary man. The circumstances of his birth, his life, and his death were foretold hundreds of years before he was born. The situation of his birth was unusual. He was born in a stable. His mother was a virgin. Even when he was a baby, people said the most amazing things about him, like when he was picked up “my eyes have seen your salvation” and “this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many.”
When he was a man, he was baptized. A voice from the heavens announced, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” He taught many people about the kingdom of God. He would go on to perform many miracles. He healed the sick and even raised people back from the dead. When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus did not arrive until the fourth day afterward. Jesus told them to open the tomb, but the family protested for the body would have begun to decay and to smell. When they did open the tomb, Jesus called Lazarus, and Lazarus came out alive and well.
This Jesus is not a man only. He is also the Son of God. From the shepherds at the stable and throughout his life and ministry, different people worshipped Jesus. Only God can receive worship, but Jesus never instructed people not to worship him. Jesus received worship.
Jesus led the life of a poor man. He had no place to lay his head. He was itinerant and moved from place to place. He had no possessions that are mentioned besides the clothes on his back. Jesus was tempted. He was tempted with wealth and with power. And, he was tempted to prove to others that he was the Son of God. The Bible says he was tempted in every way yet did not sin.
One day, this man Jesus came to Jerusalem, this man who had nothing. On that day, he made a claim that seems ridiculous. We remember that occasion as Palm Sunday.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21:1-9
In reviewing these verses, I am going to borrow extensively from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon. (The Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem, Sermon No. 405, delivered on Sunday Morning, August the 18th, 1861 by Charles Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington)
This type of arrival, riding on the foal of a donkey, had been foretold as the way that Israel’s king would arrive. This method of arrival communicated to everyone that Jesus claimed to be a king. And if he was to be a king, what was his kingdom? What its nature? What was his royal authority? Who were to be his subjects? What his laws? What his government?
Take a moment, and put a picture in your mind of what the coronation of a king would look like. Most of our experience of matters of the kings, queens and nobility comes from England. Queen Elizabeth has been queen for 59 years, so no one here saw her coronation. But just imagine for a moment the pomp and circumstance of the coronation of a king. Imagine the majesty and grandeur that would accompany such a ceremony. Now let’s go back and look at Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as the newly arrived king. What is his kingdom?
It is a kingdom, in which the disciples make up the royal court. The disciples are attending the king. This is a kingdom makes fishermen nobles, and peasants princes all while they remain fishermen and peasants! In this kingdom discipleship is the highest degree, and divine service is the act of nobility.
It is also a kingdom, in which the king's laws are not written on paper. Jesus tells the disciples, go and take his “royal steed,” and this was the law, “Loose him and let him go?” but where was the law written? Well, it was written upon the heart of that man to whom the donkey and the foal belonged because he immediately said, “Let them go;” the man thought it a high honor to contribute to this great King of peace. So, in the kingdom of Christ there will be no huge law books, no attorneys who need to explain and defend the law. The law book in Jesus’ kingdom is here in the heart, the lawyer is here in the conscience, the law is not written on paper, but on the heart.
This was a kingdom in which wealth and riches have no part in its glory. Speaking of Jesus, Spurgeon said, “He it was who had given most to others, and retained least himself. He who was least selfish and most disinterested, he who lived most for others, was King of this kingdom.” Can we understand this? Here is a kingdom in which the highest position is occupied not by the one who is richest in gold or material wealth but by the one who is richest in faith. This kingdom depends on no revenue except the revenue of divine grace. This kingdom calls all of us to sit down in its shadow with delight, whether rich or poor.
Another surprise is that it was a kingdom without armed force. Here is the most strange King, who wears no sword, but rides among his people conquering. There is no blood, no tears, no devastation, no burned cities, no mangled bodies! There is only the King of peace. This is true of the kingdom over which Christ is king today, there is no force to be used. The power by which Jesus rules his people is not the strong hand and the outstretched arm of police or soldiers. Instead, it is by deeds of love and words of overflowing blessing that Jesus holds his sovereignty.
It was a kingdom without any pomp or display of magnificence. Here comes the King of kings, the Prince of the kings of the earth; no enormous steed as a symbol of strength, no prancing horse which would keep impoverished children at a distance. He rides upon his donkey, and as he rides along he speaks kindly to the little children, who are crying, “Hosanna.” He wishes well to the mothers and fathers of the lowest classes, who crowd around him. He is approachable; he is not separated from them; he doesn’t claim to be their superior, but their servant. Jesus had so little splendor as a king; he was the servant of all. There were no blaring trumpets—he was content with the voice of men, no adornment on his donkey, but his own disciple's garments. There was no pomp but the pomp which loving hearts willingly yielded to him.
Jesus came to establish a kingdom without taxes. His revenue flowed freely from the willing gifts of his people. The first lent his donkey and his foal, the rest had given their clothes. Those who had no clothes to part with, plucked palm branches from the trees, and there was splendor for once which cost no man anything, or for which nothing was demanded of anyone, but everything was spontaneously given.
This was a kingdom in which even all creatures were considered. Jesus did not command that the donkey be separated from her foal. The donkey did not remain in the stall worrying about the foal. The foal was not ridden through the streets fearfully without its mother. Instead, both would come together.
His kingdom was to be one of joy. When the little children cried, "Hosanna," they had not lost their fathers in battle. When the men and women shouted, "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord," they had no cause to shout with bated breath, or to dim their joys with the memories of misery. No, in his kingdom there is unalloyed, unmingled joy. Shout, shout, all you that are subjects of King Jesus! You may have sorrows, but not from him. Troubles may come to you because you are in the world, but they come not from him. Serving Jesus is perfect liberty. His ways are pleasant, and his paths are peace.
Jesus lived a perfect life. He did not sin against God. He did not sin against other men. The Bible says, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not put out.” But just four days after this triumphal entry, Jesus faced the most stressful moment of all time, of all eternity.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and [James and John] along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:36-39
What was in that cup? That cup holds the wrath of God. What has caused the wrath of God? All our sins, our rejection of God because of our own selfishness caused this separation, caused this wrath to occur. But God is love, and God loves us. Because of his love for us, he would not allow us to go into hell. In his wisdom and justice, he had to find a substitute for this punishment. (This is Spurgeon again.)
Man for his sin was condemned to eternal fire; when God took Christ to be the substitute, it is true, he did not send Christ into eternal fire, but he poured upon him grief so desperate, that it was a valid payment for even an eternity of fire. Man was condemned to live forever in hell. God did not send Christ forever into hell; but he put on Christ, punishment that was equivalent for that. Although he did not give Christ to drink the actual hells of believers, yet he gave him something that was equivalent thereunto. He took the cup of Christ's agony, and he put in there, suffering, misery, and anguish such as only God can imagine or dream of, that was the exact equivalent for all the suffering, all the woe, and all the eternal tortures of every one … And you say, “Did Christ drink it all to its dregs?” Did he suffer it all? Yes, my brethren, he took the cup, and “At one triumphant draught of love, He drank damnation dry.”
This is why there are not multiple ways to get to heaven. That is why all roads can’t lead to God. There is only one person who drank damnation dry. There is only one person who paid the penalty for you and for me. There is only one way, one truth, and one life, and that is Jesus Christ.
“Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD." Ezekiel 16:60, 62-63
That word atone means to pay for or make amends for. How did God atone for us? By the substitutionary death of His Son on the cross. And that is the end of my story, or maybe it is really the beginning. When I came to Clemson, someone shared the message with my that Christ had died for my sins. Not only that, that Jesus sends his Holy Spirit into our lives to change us and make us more like Him. There is hope and purpose beyond accepting Christ. There is work that God wants us to do in this world, and we don’t go into the work or up against sin alone. Jesus is with us all the way.
Maybe I should have mentioned it earlier, but I do want to give a word of warning to the younger people here. The world tells us that we need to “sow our wild oats” or a little rebellion is a good thing. Let me be the first to tell you, I did not gain anything good from the sins I committed. I don’t think, “Man, I’m glad I sinned in this or that area. I have such fond memories of that.” If I could, I would give it all back. One of the consequences of my sins is that I became a much weaker, fearful, and shameful person as a result. The book of Psalms says it this way …
He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, … who keeps his oath even when it hurts … He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15:2-5
So, as you make life choices, choose Christ first above all the desires of the world, and you will never be disappointed. Are you fearful, wondering if you can handle sin? Don’t fall into the world’s trap by dabbling in sin. Follow Jesus, abide in Him, and you will never be shaken. His ways are truly the best ways.
While we cannot pay for our own sin and get into heaven, there is one condition for us to receive salvation. We have to confess our sins and ask God to forgive us. In I John, it is written …
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. I John 8:9-10
That last verse is critical. Why do we have to confess our sins? Why do we have to agree with God that our sin is really sin? That last verse tells us. If we don’t agree by confession, then we make God out to be a liar. The death of His Son on the cross is not required.
Could you imagine someone in heaven walking around saying, “God is a liar!” This can never happen. Everyone who comes to God must believe in Him and agree on their need for Jesus as a substitute for the punishment they deserve.
Regardless of your circumstances this morning, if you don’t know Jesus, if you have not asked Jesus to be your Savior, I want to invite you to do that right now. There is no better time that right now. We really don’t know if we are going to make it across the street alive once we leave this church.
If you’ve thought about this decision before, but have put it off for some reason, I especially encourage you to take your choice very seriously. Don’t walk away. God loves you and desires a relationship with you regardless of your past history or experiences. This could be the most important minute of your life.
Please everyone, bow your heads. If you want to ask Jesus for salvation, you can pray along with me.
Lord Jesus, you are the Savior. You died on the cross for my sins. I confess to you that I have sinned. I ask that you would forgive me for my sins. Thank you for the free gift of salvation. I want to follow you and experience your blessing. Teach me from the Bible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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