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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you
from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle
clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your
impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart
of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and
be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your
ancestors; you will be My people, and I will be your God. I will save you from
all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will
not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops
of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations
because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and
you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you
to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be
ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!’”
“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse
you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be
rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the
sight of all who pass through it. They will say, “This land that was laid waste
has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins,
desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” Then the nations
around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was
destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I
will do it.’”
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will
yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as
numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during
her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of
people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 36:24-38
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
The following chorus of this song by Big Daddy Weave has
blessed me so very much, offering me a reassurance I work hard to never forget:
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed
You see, we were created by and formed to serve a God who is
the Great Redeemer, a God who has delivered and rescued His people since their
inception. Look through the history of mankind and you will find the common of
thread of redemption running through it. And the good news is that it will
continue to weave God’s people in the future.
But what does God’s redemption look like? How can you
recognize it when it happens?
To answer the question, I want to use two examples the first
of which is found in our scripture passage for today, drawn from these closing
verses of Ezekiel 36:
“‘For I will take you
out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back
into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will
give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you
and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will
live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be My people, and I will be
your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain
and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the
fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer
suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember
your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins
and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your
sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct,
people of Israel!’”
“‘This is what the
Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will
resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be
cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They
will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden;
the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified
and inhabited.” Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord
have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord
have spoken, and I will do it.’”
“This is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for
them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks
for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined
cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel
36:24-38
Look at the definition of redemption and you will find these
words:
The action of regaining or gaining possession of something
in exchange for clearing a debt.
In the case of the Old Testament Israelites, their debt had
been the penalty God imposed on them for their blatant sinfulness with their
chief transgression being the worshiping of false gods and idols. It wasn’t a
small debt to pay for their iniquities. It was seventy years.
But note when the people of God had paid the price, God
allowed them to regain possession of the land He had given them, the land He
had given to their ancestors, the blessing they had defiled through their
wickedness. He vowed to bring them home from the places they had been scattered
to after Israel and Judah were attacked and destroyed, assuring them He would
renew them in the following ways:
1. He would save them from their uncleanness, giving them a
fresh start by sprinkling clean water on them to cleanse them from their
impurities and the idols they had given their devotion to.
2. He would give them a new heart, removing their “heart of
stone” and replacing it with a “heart of flesh”.
3. He would put a new spirit within them, His Spirit which
would move them to once again follow His decrees and keep His laws.
4. He would allow them to resettle in their towns and
rebuild from the ruins, once again fortifying the places where they lived.
5. He would allow His people to multiply and once again
expand their population.
6. He would allow them to once again cultivate the land,
promising a harvest that would be plentiful as He increased the fruit of the
trees and crops.
7. He would remove the disgrace His people had suffered from
their surrounding nations.
Yes, things were about to change for the Israelites in a big
way and God wants us to know that redemption and renewal go hand-in-hand when He
is doing the redeeming. But note that God did not want His people to forget
their sins. It was the one thing He didn’t remove from them. For it was
important for the people of God to continue to mourn the way they had
disrespected and disregarded God so they would not be inclined to do so again.
They had to remember the consequences of their actions which would serve to
deter a repeating of their transgressions.
That’s what redemption looks like in our Old Testament
passage but how does it look for us today?
For the answer, we turn to another definition of the word “redemption”
and Jesus.
First the definition:
The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or
evil.
Here are three truths that no one can escape:
1. God hates sin and will bring judgment on sinners.
2. All people have sinned.
3. No person can save themselves from sin.
It paints a completely harrowing and discouraging picture, a
scene of depression and dismay and hopelessness.
That’s why we need redemption and that redemption was
provided to us by God through His Son Jesus.
What does redemption look like for us today?
Look to the cross to see and remember a crucified Jesus, the
Lamb of God sent to bear the sins of the world, suffering and dying in the
place we should have been. He paid the debt of sin for us and in doing so gave
any person a chance to become redeemed when he or she places their faith,
belief, and hope in Him as their Savior.
Through Jesus, God cleanses us from our uncleanness through
His shed blood, washing us white as snow from our sins. Cleansed from our
impurities, He gives us a fresh start at life and gives us a new heart and
Spirit as we choose to live as His Son lived, a commitment central to being a
Christian. And when we opt to live as Jesus lived, then we will live obedient
to God the Father, following His word, will, and way in everything we do.
Indeed friends, when we come to Jesus, we are redeemed and
set free from the bondage of sin, leaving our old life behind to live renewed
through Him, now and forevermore.
Have you been redeemed yet in Christ Jesus?
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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