A sermon preached in St Lukes on Ezekiel 36.22-28. A new heart. Sunday 8th Oct 2023.
As you listen to this reading – What jumps out to you, what sounds weird? What do you think is the take home point?
Hope. God hasn’t given up on me on you.
- Not for your sake – God is going to do something great – but not for your sake. He’s doing it for His Sake – and perhaps He’s doing it for the sake of people who don’t believe.
Trick question: Why do you love me? Pride and Prejudice proposal – Darcy is trying to say I just love you – but Lizzy Bennet hears that Darcy loves her against his reason, against his judgement, fabulous row in which Darcy never stood a chance.
The moment you say something – your brains your wit your good looks your money – you’re in trouble – what will you say on the day that they go?
As the Beatles sang – Will you still love me when I’m 64?!
Why does God love you? Probably not for your looks or your brain or your money – so just take the love and be glad.
- For the sake of my holy name: God is saying He loves you because He loves you. And even though the Israelites have struggled with their faith, lost their faith, turned God into a rude word – and these are the people who have lived through the destruction of the Jerusalem 586bc – many were killed others have been dragged off into slavery, and so you can understand why many have been struggling with their faith.
But God has not forgotten them.
God still loves them.
Even though they’ve made a mess of their religion and faith and God – God hasn’t given up on them and wants to do something bigger.
God wants to do something that will result in others, non-Jews, learning about God, being amazed at God, putting their faith in God.
- I WILL – I count 12 “I wills” I think you could count more. I will I will.
God is promising to bring these people back home and rebuild their land – and they will see that – Isaiah talks about this happening, Ezra and Nehemiah are the ones who will begin to see it.
The point is that God never quits on you.
- A New Heart – this is the big promise – and we see it fulfilled in Pentecost – the Holy Spirit poured out (PALM flame) (Air bazooka)
The key difference here is between a Lunch Box that you carry and when you’ve eaten it.
Its whether God’s love and God’s laws are a burden to you – a carrot and stick sort of thing – Or something that fuels you.
It’s the difference between living with the aim of making sure God loves you – and living with that love of God inside of you, driving you on, holding you, forming you, calling you, equipping you.
So God’s love is to be fuel for your life, not a burden, an extra thing to carry, worry about, to fit into your schedule.
- So that just leaves us with the question of if this is after the promise, after Pentecost – how do I get some of God’s love into me?
It just starts with a relationship with Jesus. With accepting His love for you,
Please Jesus, help me to know you, to know your love, to receive your love, to live in your love.
(photo is of Derreck getting set up for Holy Communion while we were camped at New Wine)
