Series: Questions
Title: Shall I Be Enquired of By You?
Text: Ezekiel 20:1-44
Date: July 19, 2020
Place: SGBC, NJ
Ezekiel 20: 1:
And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day
of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of
the LORD, and sat before me. 2: Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
3: Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord
GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
God will not be enquired of by a sinner who has broken
God’s covenant of works. We all broke
God’s covenant in Adam—and became guilty before God. How then can sinners like us have liberty to
come to God in the holiest of holies and be accepted?
We can never come to God by a covenant of works. God gave the law to show us our offense when
we sinned in Adam in the garden (Rom 5:20). He gave the law to show us our sins and shut
our mouths in guilt (Rom 3:19-20). But God
did not give the law for us to attempt to justify ourselves thereby. As God describes the sins of Israel in this
chapter, we see our sins in the garden when we broke the covenant of works in
Adam,
In Egypt
Ezekiel 20: 4: Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them?
cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: 5: And say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine
hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in
the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am
the LORD your God; 6: In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them,
to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for
them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: 7: Then
said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and
defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Notice, it is repeated that God lifted his
hand. God swore by himself because he
can swear by no greater (Heb 6: 13-14).
The children of Israel promised by a covenant vow to be true to God
alone.
Ezekiel 20: 8: But they rebelled against
me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the
abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt:
They had already broken God’s
covenant in Adam so it was no surprise to God that they broke his covenant
law. Again, I repeat, God gave the law
to show us our sin and inability; to shut our
mouths and declare us guilty before God.
Ezekiel 20: 8…then I said, I will pour out
my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land
of Egypt. 9: But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted
before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself
known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
Notice, God spared them for his name’s sake. God will not allow his name to be polluted by
the heathen saying God promised but was not able to bring it to pass. Also, there were elect children who would be
born through these rebels therefore God spared them for his name’s sake. Most importantly, Christ was coming through
the tribe of Judah therefore God spared them for his name’s sake.
In the Wilderness
Ezekiel 20: 10: Wherefore I
caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the
wilderness. 11: And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments,
which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
That statement does not mean sinners have
the ability to keep the law; God simply states a fact. Only one Man obeyed, Christ the GodMan!
Ezekiel 20: 12: Moreover also I gave them
my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am
the LORD that sanctify them.
The sabbath days typified Christ who is
the believer’s Sabbath Rest. When we are
brought to rest in Christ by faith it is a sign—an evident token—that God
himself has indeed sanctified us. That
is what God typified by the sabbaths of the law.
Ezekiel 20: 13: But the house of Israel
rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they
despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them;
and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury
upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14: But I wrought for my name’s
sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I
brought them out. 15: Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness,
that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them,
flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; 16: Because
they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my
sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. 17: Nevertheless mine eye
spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the
wilderness.
God is faithful to his covenant in condemning,
as well in saving. Therefore, God did
not destroy the fathers but let them wander for 40 years until they died. Then he delivered only Joshua, Caleb and the
children 20 years and under. God always
fulfills his covenant promises.
Ezekiel 20: 18: But I said unto their
children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers,
neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: 19: I am
the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; 20:
And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye
may know that I am the LORD your God. 21: Notwithstanding the children
rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments
to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted
my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my
anger against them in the wilderness. 22: Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand,
and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of
the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
Over and over God reminds them how he
lifted up his hand to them in covenant promise.
Over and over God reminds them they never kept one covenant
promise. Yet, over and over, God reminds
them that he spared them for his name’s sake, that his name would not be
polluted among the heathen. God does everything
in covenant for his name’s sake.
In Canaan
Ezekiel 20: 23: I lifted up mine hand unto
them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and
disperse them through the countries; 24: Because they had not executed my judgments,
but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were
after their fathers’ idols. 25: Wherefore I gave them also statutes that
were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; 26: And I
polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the
fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end
that they might know that I am the LORD. 27: Therefore, son of man,
speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet
in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass
against me. 28: For when I had brought them into the land, for
the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high
hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and
there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their
sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings. 29: Then I said unto
them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is
called Bamah unto this day.
Before delivering the children of Israel
into the land of Canaan, God declared to them that they would bring his
covenant law and God promised that he would scatter them among the
nations. God knows the end from the beginning. As soon as the children of Israel entered
Canaan they began breaking God’s covenant law and worshipping idols. Next, God speaks to the elders who sat before
Ezekiel who God had now scattered into Babylon.
In Babylon
Ezekiel 20: 30: Wherefore say unto the
house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of
your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations? 31: For when ye
offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute
yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of
by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be
enquired of by you.
God asks the elders sitting before Ezekiel,
“Are ye polluted after the manner of your
fathers? And commit ye whoredom after their abominations?” They had to answer, “Yes!” So do we.
Each of us broke God’s covenant in the garden in Adam, the same as the
father’s in Israel, their children and their children’s children. We learn from this that sinners left to ourselves
will not and cannot come to God in a covenant of works. We broke God covenant in Adam—and we continue
to this day breaking God’s law in our sinful flesh.
Therefore, God asks our question, “Shall I be enquired of by you,
o house of Israel?” God will not be
enquired of by a sinner who has lied to God by breaking God’s covenant. The only way God will accept us at his holy
throne if we have kept covenant with God in perfect righteousness and holiness
of heart. How then can ruined sinners
like us be accepted of God and enquire of God?
Proposition:
The only way a sinner can come to God is by the everlasting covenant of grace which
Christ fulfilled for his people—but how shall a sinner be brought into the bond
of that covenant of grace?
GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
Ezekiel 20: 32:
And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be
as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
We were all like them. When
God scattered them into Babylon they said we will adopt the practices of the
heathen, combining it with God’s worship, and worship idols of wood and stone. Left to ourselves we cannot and will not bow
to Christ—nor can we even know the way of salvation in him. While dead in sins we are content to worship
idols and die in our sins.
1 Corinthians
2: 14 But the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But God sovereignly chose a people in Christ and entered covenant between
Father and Son to save us. Therefore,
God will bring each of his elect out from this world by the power of his
sovereign, irresistible grace—Ezekiel 20: 33: As I live, saith the
Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with
fury poured out, will I rule over you: 34: And I will bring you out from the
people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with
a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
God chose his elect by grace.
He predestinated us to be conformed to the image of Christ . Therefore God shall call and separate
each one out of this sin-cursed world.
Romans 8: 28: And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. 29: For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30: Moreover whom he
did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31: What shall we
then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against
us?”
Therefore,
to his elect, God says, “NO, you won’t conform to this world!” With his mighty hand and stretched out
arm—his irresistible, sovereign, power—with his fury poured out—upon
Christ our Substitute in our place and upon our enemies—God rules
over his people—as our Sovereign Savior.
He successfully sanctifies us out from this world. God says, “I will”, “I will”, “I will”, “I
will bring you out from the people.”
THE ROD OF THE GOSPEL AND THE BOND OF THE
COVENANT
Ezekiel 20: 35:
And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead
with you face to face. 36: Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the
wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. 37: And I will cause you to pass under the
rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38: And I will purge out
from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring
them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into
the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
A shepherd would use a staff to separate and
count his sheep—that is the rod here. It
typifies the gospel of Christ in the hand of Christ our Shepherd through the
preaching of his word.
Psalm 110: 2: The LORD
shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine
enemies. 3: THY PEOPLE SHALL BE WILLING IN THE DAY OF THY POWER, in the
beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy
youth.
Our great Shepherd separates his sheep
from other sinners and brings each of his sheep under the rod of the gospel and
into the bond of the covenant. I read an
article this morning by Pastor Jack Shanks.
He was writing on the purpose of a pastor compared to the “religious idiocy”
of this age. He said, “I don’t want to
be ‘a nice old preacher.’” Speaking of what the gospel does he wrote—“My
intention is to separate men.” Using
the rod of the gospel preached by his undershepherd, Christ our Shepherd separates
his sheep from the goats and brings us into his fold. Christ is the Shepherd of his sheep. Through the rod of the gospel Christ separates
his sheep from the goats of this world, numbering us as his own—this gospel
staff separates the sheep from the goats.
John 10: 1: Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2: But he
that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3: To him the porter
openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name,
and leadeth them out. 4: And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5: And a
stranger will they not follow but will flee from him: for they know not the
voice of strangers….14: I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known
of mine. 15: As the Father knoweth me, even so
know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16: And other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear
my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd….24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said
unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and
ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of
me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye
are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me: 28 And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck
them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which
gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them
out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my
Father are one.
Christ shall bring each of his lost sheep
out of the countries wherein we are scattered.
He shall bring each of his sheep under the rod of the gospel. He shall know us—regenerating us by the
Spirit. He shall make the word effectual
in our hearts, so that we hear his voice and follow him. And he shall not lose one sheep!
By giving us spiritual life through the
Spirit of God, he pleads or reasons us—“come now let us reason together, though
your sins be as scarlet they shall be as wool”—if you obey the word of this gospel. He reveals in our hearts that Christ has
fulfilled all the terms of the covenant on our behalf so that there remains
nothing for his people to do for acceptance with God.
Daniel 9:24: Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Christ establishes us and seals us by the
Spirit so that we know all God’s promises are in Christ and fulfilled by Christ
2 Corinthians
1: 20: For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the
glory of God by us. 21: Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and
hath anointed us, is God; 22: Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of
the Spirit in our hearts.
Then for the first time v38 ye shall
know that I am the LORD. Then, by
faith, we say as king David did
2 Samuel 23: 5:
Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is
all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to
grow.
IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH
Ezekiel 20: 40: For in mine holy mountain,
in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all
the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me:
God brings each believer to worship God
our Father and his Son, Christ Jesus, at his heavenly mountain. In other words, God brings us to worship him
in spirit and in truth. We were carnal
and so was our religion. But God takes
us from Mt Sinai and the law and our carnal religion with its carnal works, from
the letter of the law, from the works we could see.
Hebrews 12: 18:
For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with
fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19: And the sound of a
trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated
that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20: (For they could not
endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain,
it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses
said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
God brings us to worship God in spirit in heavenly
Mt Sion, heavenly Jerusalem; he brings us to truly serve the true and living
God through faith in spirit and in truth.
Hebrews 12: 22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels, 23 To the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge
of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of
Abel.
Men and women will stop looking to earthly
Israel, earthly Mt Zion, earthly Jerusalem, the letter of the law, their filthy
works, and an earthly kingdom only when God creates them anew in Spirit making
them worship God in spirit and in truth in heavenly Jerusalem where Christ our
Life sits at God’s right hand. Christ
taught this to the woman at the well.
She said,
John 4: 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and
ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the
hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship
the Father….23: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him. 24 God is a Spirit:
and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST
Ezekiel 20: 40…there will I accept them, and
there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations,
with all your holy things. 41: I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I
bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye
have been scattered;
Remember our question? Shall I be enquired of by you? When God makes us approach him through faith
in Christ then “Yes!” God shall accept us.
God will be enquired of by us at his throne of grace when we come in
Christ alone. He accepts us, accepts our
worship and accepts our service in the sweet savor of Christ’s
righteousness. When God has gathered us
out and robed us in Christ’s righteousness, created in us a new holy heart, through
faith in Christ God accepts us in Christ’s sweet savor.
Ephesians 1:6: To
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved.
Ephesians 5: 2:…Christ
also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
1 Peter 2: 5: Ye
[are]…an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ.
THROUGH SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT AND
BELIEF OF THE TRUTH
Ezekiel 20: 41: and I will be sanctified
in you before the heathen. 42: And ye shall know that I am the LORD, 43:
And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have
been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your
evils that ye have committed. 44: And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when
I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways,
nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
When God has truly sanctified his child
then in our hearts God is sanctified. In
our hearts we behold God set apart, separate from all vain gods. We behold God as the one true and living God. Therefore, we are not ashamed. We glorify God in our gospel and in our lives
declaring before this heathen world that “salvation is of the Lord.”
Now, we cease glorifying in ourselves: knowing
ourselves to be nothing but sinners so that we put no confidence in our works—And
there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been
defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils
that ye have committed. We broke
the law in our first covenant head, Adam.
We broke the law of God in ourselves.
Even as believers “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” We can never be saved by our works only
through faith in Christ.
Galatians 3:10: For as many as
are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them. 11: But that no man is justified by the law in
the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith….13: Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it
is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14: That
the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that
we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. 2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3: For
what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh: 4: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
When the Spirit of God has sanctified us
then we know God and we praise only God’s name because he has not dealt with us
according to our sins. He saved us by free
grace, by his merit, by his works—And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when
I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways,
nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
Psalm 103: 10: He
hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities. 11: For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his
mercy toward them that fear him.
Brethren, there is not one
covenant in this world that men will not break.
Sinners always find a way to justify lying to God. But the bond of this covenant can never be broken. It is bound by: God the Father’s immutable purpose,
the Son’s effectual blood, the Spirit’s unbreakable seal and by the love of
Christ shed abroad in our hearts which never fails to keep us believing on
Christ and loving one another — “The love of Christ constraineth us!” (2
Corinthians 5:14)
“Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace, now, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to thee.”
Amen!