The first question we will look at in this passage of scripture is: What is the reason that God gives for our salvation in this passage of scripture. Over and over He says, for His glory, His renown, His fame, so that His name would be made great through His people. It is exactly like the rest of History. God has always acted for His name’s sake or His glory. Look at these passages of scripture.
“But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I resolved to pour out my wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. -Ezekiel 20:8-9
“But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; and My Sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on hem in the wilderness, to annihilate them. But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in he sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. -Ezekiel 20:13-14
“But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in my statutes nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness. But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.”- Ezekiel 20:21-22
Over and over throughout history it seems that God was acting in a way that would make His name look great, and we see it again in Verse 23. God says, “prove Myself holy among you in their sight” Our lives “if” we are truly saved, will prove that God is holy, or set apart, to unbelievers. We do not have salvation if Jesus is not the Lord of our lives, and if He is then our lives will show it. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. ‘Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” –Matthew 7:18-21 A born again Christian will live a life that proves that their God is holy and set apart from anything else to be served on this earth. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” –I John 1:6-7 It is impossible for a person living in habitual sin to claim that they have fellowship with God. It is just impossible because the nature of the change in a person’s life that happens that we will soon talk about. “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” –III John 1:11 All of these passages point out that a true believer will not live in out and out sin against the God who has changed Him and saved Him. The point is a believer will glorify the God that has rescued Him from the power of sin.
In fact it is quite interesting that in this passage of scripture it seems that God’s name has been drug through the mud by Israel. Pay attention to Verse 23. “I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. The the nations will know that I am the Lord.” declares the Lord God, “When I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.” It seems that Israel had been acting in such a way to make God’s name look less Holy then it really is. This is the crucial part of this passage to understand. God’s name is going to look great amongst His people, and God is telling us how things are going to happen in the future to ensure that His name will look great.
We will look now at what God does with His people to make His name great. We see that God cleanses us from our sins, places His Spirit within us and makes us obey Him. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will be careful to obey My ordinances." God does an amazing work in the life of a believer, we just don’t seem to realize the miracle that God chooses to do in each and every person He has truly made born again. He cleans every bit of filth from us, look at this “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – II Corinthians 5:21 One of the things that happen is that we go from miserable, wretched sinners that are dying and going to Hell to “the righteousness of God in Him”. We go from completely awful to completely beautiful. God cleanses us and cleanses us totally. We are covered by the blood of the lamb, because God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf”. God also emphasizes it “and you will be clean”, there is no doubt about cleanliness. A Christian “will be clean”. Every Christian has been totally, completely, and utterly cleansed. He also places the Holy Spirit within us. I will “put My spirit within you”. God cleanses us then places His Spirit within us. Christians are guided by the Spirit of God, Non Christians are not. The Holy Spirit guides the believer throughout his/her life. God also places a “new heart” within us. Paul speaks of this to the church at Corinth. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” –II Corinthians 5:17 We were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and God makes every Christian alive and a new creature. The question is Has God moved in your life and changed you? Has God transformed you? Are you regenerate, is the question of the hour, because if you have not been transformed by the power of God you are not a Christian. Jesus said “you must be born again”. Paul says if you are in Christ you are a “new creature”. The prophesies say that God’s people will have their heart of stone removed and a heart of flesh put in its place. They all mean the same thing. If you are one of God’s children you have been changed, and you would think that this message would be over now but God also said that because of all of this He would cause you to walk in His statutes. Everyone who is saved will bring glory to God with their lives. This is always the case. Christians do fall away. Christians do sin, but a Christian will not live in sin for extended periods of time.
Here is an illustration from C.H. Spurgeon. “Pig Illustration”
The most important part of this message that I bring today is to answer the question, who does the work in the salvation of a wretched worthless man and I will answer the question this way. I want you to listen as I read this passage to you one more time and you see if a certain pronoun really sticks out to you.
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. “I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
Do you get it? God does all of the work in our salvation, every bit from beginning to end. God killed His Son as our sacrifice, God draws us to salvation, God cleanses the sin from our lives, God transforms us, God makes us alive, God puts His Spirit within us, and God causes us to walk in His statutes. This leaves no room for us to claim any part of salvation for ourselves. And with all of this work that God has done in us, we will glorify God with our lives. Salvation is a work of God done in man, that He does Himself for His glory and His renown.
Dwain Minor