“Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20 – King James Version) My genuine hope and primary purpose for the Ephesians 3:20 Faith Encouragement and Empowerment Blog is to assist all people of faith, regardless of your prism of experience, to grow spiritually toward unconditional self-acceptance and develop personally acquiring progressive integrity of belief and lifestyle. I pray you will discover your unique purpose in life. I further pray love, joy, peace, happiness and unreserved self-acceptance will be your constant companions. Practically speaking, this blog will help you see the proverbial glass in life as always half full rather than half empty. I desire you become an eternal optimist who truly believes that Almighty God can do anything that you ask or imagine.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Visions of Grandeur - Ezekiel 43:1-12

Visions of Grandeur
Ezekiel 43:1-12
Lesson Setting

The prophecy of Ezekiel occurs during the years of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign in Babylon, 605 BCE to 562 BCE.  More specifically, Ezekiel’s ministry of twenty-two years, 593 to 571, offers insight on Israel’s spiritual condition before the Babylonian captivity, during the siege of Jerusalem and the exilic period afterwards.  Congruent with the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel’s message offer both exhortations relating to sin and rebellion and empowering hope of return, restoration and renewal.  Operating distinctly in his priestly office in addition to his prophetic calling, Ezekiel reassures the nation of the return of God’s favor to them as they genuinely and wholeheartedly worship Him.  Reconciliation with Almighty God is Israel’s surest protection from future adversity and tragedy.  In this passage, Ezekiel shares with them a vision of the coming grandeur of authentic worship.

Lesson Outline

I.                 Ezekiel 43:1-5 – God’s Glory Fills the Temple
II.            Ezekiel 43:6-9 – Eliminate Detestable Practices
III.        Ezekiel 43:10-11 – A Sacred Space to Commune
IV.         Ezekiel 43:12 – A Holy Place to Meet Almighty God

Unifying Principle

People look for a place in which they can experience some sense of release and orderliness, away from the chaos that sometimes surrounds them.  Where can such a place be found?  Ezekiel’s vision, given to him by God, revealed to the Israelites that God’s calming presence and merciful glory could be felt in sacred places in which God is truly worshiped.

Introduction

Whereas adults strive for peace as an escape from daily chaos due to poor choices and untoward behavior, they are subject equally to natural disasters and adversarial global events which disrupt their lives.  Regardless of their bad decisions, people seek refuge from life’s turbulence.  Peace in its purest and most reliable sense is not easy to attain.  Lifetimes are spent in pursuit of it, though peace remains an elusive feeling and state of being for many persons.  This difficult and unrewarding search for an existential and physical space of peace can be rather costly, emotionally as well financially.  A radical change in behavior and a renewed hope for better and brighter days are means of seeking peace.  Because those thoughts are so intangible, many people label spaces as sacred hoping that entering those places will yield instant peace.  These hallowed grounds offer a sense of peace, order and overall well-being to pilgrims and other visitors.  For Ezekiel’s listeners and readers, the temple provides security from life’s unpredictability and protection from daily fears that plague people.  When a worshipper crosses the threshold, he immediately feels an assurance of being in God’s presence, a place of retreat and refuge from daily and personal tribulation.

However, the nation defiled God’s temple instead of esteeming it as a holy place that has been consecrated especially to honor and glorify Almighty God.  Disingenuously, the leaders and people of Judah undermine one of their main venues for protection and provision.  They dishonor the place of healing and wholeness.  They trample upon the sacred grounds where they commune with God to learn His character and receive His guidance.  In so doing, they offend God’s holiness and righteousness by committing detestable deeds in His holy temple.  God condemns the Hebrews for bringing their threshold of sin, rebellion and licentiousness directly in contrast to God’s threshold of holiness and righteousness.  Further, some of these persons confuse the building with God’s essence; thereby, they practice idolatry as they equate God’s character with something empirical and humanly constructed.  To mediate this incredible and incalculable offense to His character, God permits the resulting destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the subsequent Babylonian captivity and exile of Judah.  Understandably, this divine judgment devastates the Jews.  Yet, in an ironic twist, God gives Ezekiel sacred visions of the temple restoration during the nation’s worst crisis.  In Israel’s most dire need, God gives the prophet a message of profound hope detailing a vision of the return of God’s glory to the temple and in turn to the people.  Essentially, persons in Judah and Israel need no longer fear daily chaos as God’s presence will comfort, protect and sustain them.

People of faith like Ezekiel can receive consolation and comfort through divine visions of grandeur in worship, praise, miracles and simply being in God’s presence.  Like the people of Ezekiel’s biblical era, contemporary disciples want reassurance of God’s glorious presence alongside them as they travel life’s unpredictable terrain.  As they locate the secret places and dwell within the shadows of the Most High God, they experience His essence through genuine worship and praise.  The Word of God encourages and empowers them.  They receive visions of hope and messages of peace that enable them to persevere through their daily challenges and adversities.  In addition, being in God’s presence results in discipline and correction both of which are necessary for spiritual maturity.  His loving guidance redirects us to righteous pathways when we stray from His will.  In certain holy places, disciples dwell in the house of God, behold His beauty and inquire of His wisdom.  Assuredly, He graciously grants them courage and insight as they live to His honor and glory each day.

Exposition

Point I – Ezekiel 43:1-5 – God’s Glory Fills the Temple

This week, we examine Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory in the temple.  His depiction of God’s majestic house of worship affords us the blessing of viewing churches and other sacred places as settings where we relate to Almighty God.  As we converse with Him, we receive His comfort and teachings when life is particularly difficult.  However, we do not limit sacred places to church buildings as God is ever-present.  We are “in church” anywhere when we genuinely and humbly worship Him whether on a park bench overlooking the Hudson River, the roses section of botanical gardens, the Egyptian wing of a museum, the rare book reading room of a university library, box seats of the Metropolitan Opera House, a public school classroom, or the quietude and darkness of your bedroom as you fall asleep.

This passage affords an opportunity for disciples to comprehend Ezekiel’s vision of God’s loving presence and amazing glory.  Worship reveals God’s calming presence and in turn eliminates our fears.  The prophet’s vision also challenges us to identify any number of sacred places where we can worship God.  Praise and worship in the “temple” which is any location dedicated to God’s holy and gracious presence necessitates growth in respect for the sanctity of worship settings.  Interestingly, any space from a disciple’s closet, basement, attic, kitchen, garage, car or office can be a “temple” where he truly worships the Lord in Spirit and truth.

Contemporarily, worship is a very controversial issue in many churches.  New church plants and splits in longstanding congregations stem from debates relating to worship style and musical genres.  “Seasoned” saints demand the preservation of formal liturgies and litanies and singing traditional hymns.  Seekers and new converts prefer church adaptations to the secular music they like.  Formality for its sake bores them; they want the essence of praise, worship, prayer and proclamation of the Word of God.  They do not need nor do they want traditional models of worship.  Old Christians rebuff the casual clothing and attitude with which seekers and new disciples worship.  They resent the lack of decorum as newer believers do not know when to enter, be silent, stand, speak and sit.  Incredulously, these recent converts bring food, water and other beverages into the sanctuary.  Moreover, they cannot control their screaming and unruly children whose piercing sounds inhibit everyone else from hearing the sermon.   Their selfishness is an affront to the long-term commitment and contribution of these elders in the church.  Prevalent disagreements about worship raise the question, “What is authentic worship?”  Further, how do we discern genuine worship that honors and glories Almighty God?

Ezekiel’s vision, although offered originally to the Israelites within the context of captivity and exile, additionally affords modern disciples a chance to comprehend God’s holy and merciful glory within worship. 

Ezekiel shares a vision that reverses a previous negative and punishing depiction of the Lord’s judgment upon Israel.  The prophet witnessed the departure of God’s glory from the temple through the east gate.  He fell face down in an act of great lamentation and despair as he realized the onset of God’s judgment of Israel’s and Judah’s sin and rebellion through the siege of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity.  Had the people understood that they no longer enjoyed God’s provision and protection as His glory departs from the temple?  With great delight, Ezekiel returns to the setting of judgment and despair to receive a vision of grandeur as the Lord shows Ezekiel that His glory shall return to the temple as an act of reconciliation with His people.  Imagine Ezekiel’s joy in realizing God’s fulfillment of His promises of restoration and renewal for the nation.  The loss of all material possessions, land, history, culture and legacy did not compare to the severance of Israel’s relationship with God.  As a prophet and priest, Ezekiel rejoices for his people as he knows the incredible and incalculable blessings and indescribable life that awaits them upon their return.  The Spirit lifts Ezekiel above his physical existence and logical comprehension to reveal this great and glorious return of God’s presence among the people.

Now, the temple shall indeed be a place of holiness as the presence of God once again dwells therein.  Without God’s presence, holiness and mercy are theoretical concepts to which believers traditionally and religiously subscribe.  Grand buildings, exquisite architecture, expensive materials and ostentatious furnishings do not equate with God’s presence.  Labeling a building does not make it a church.  The presence of God yields holiness, healing, grace and mercy.  Ezekiel’s vision of grandeur also warns the nation to grow in respect for sacredness in worship settings.  Irrespective of order of service or genre of music, contemporary disciples, whether seasoned saints or seekers, could learn from Ezekiel’s prophecy the importance of cultivating a respect for genuine worship.

Point II – Ezekiel 43:6-9 – Eliminate Detestable Practices

To realize the blessings God will offer upon their return, the people of Israel and Judah must cease their detestable worship practices.  They no longer can defile the holy place where the Lord chooses to dwell amongst His people.  The voice of God speaks to Ezekiel and details God’s throne.  He points to the space where God’s throne will sit and where He will rest His feet.  This graphic description further clarifies God’s commitment to return His presence and glory to the temple.  However, the Lord insists upon the absolute and irreversible cessation of temple prostitution and funeral offerings for kings in the temple.  Such ghastly deeds trample upon God’s holy character.  In the former instance, the people satisfy their physical instincts and hedonism in the Name of God.  By honoring kings with elaborate funerals, the people’s hearts mourn finite human beings in total disregard for the necessity of relying unwaveringly upon Almighty God.  In the Ten Commandments, God insists unreservedly He will share His glory with no one whether living or dead.  These dreadful practices were brought into the temple.  The Lord alludes to their threshold crossing into the temple’s threshold.  This description of adjacent spaces symbolizes an inappropriate congruence of ideas and actions.  God’s holiness does not condone such behavior.  Thus, a building dedicated to His honor and glory cannot host any activity that does not respect His character or further His will.

In exchange for their repentance, the Lord promises to withhold His judgment and live amongst the people forever. Specifically, He says if they “put away” these practices that He will reward them with His comforting and sustaining presence.  To repent means practically to stop the behavior, turn around and proceed in another direction.  Lasting repentance requires a change in attitude and lifestyle in addition to ceasing a form of ineffective and untoward behavior.  Change and growth result from a wholesale transformation of a person’s thinking and character.  For disciples, faithfulness with regard to spiritual maturity and progress inevitably yields a more vibrant relationship with God.

Point III – Ezekiel 43:10-11 – A Sacred Space to Commune

In this few verses, the Lord graciously grants Ezekiel a vision of the grandeur of the temple that will be built in the post-exilic era.  Amazingly, this new temple will far exceed the magnificence of Solomon’s temple as great and glorious as it was!  The Lord tells the prophet to describe meticulously the design of the temple.  Detail its arrangement of rooms, courtyards, sanctuary, closets, kitchens, storage and other areas.  Paint a verbal picture of the altar and main worship space where the people will go to commune with God.  Use words to help them realize the feelings of joy and satisfaction they will have as they sit in this sacred space in solemn silence as God speaks.  Further, tell them about the laws and regulations pertaining to worship in the temple.

Moreover, Ezekiel shall tell the people that the temple is a place where God will remove shame.  They should not languish in guilt and regret because of what they have done.  Perhaps, architectural wonder of this temple may make them feel that they are unworthy to enter.  In stark contrast, the people may find refuge and renewal in the temple as God’s glory dwells there.  It is a sacred space in which they may commune with Almighty God and find restoration via His unfailing love and unquestionable faithfulness which eliminates their sin.  Ezekiel further must write down these instructions to prevent anyone from forgetting them.  They will construct the temple in accordance with his vision of grandeur.

The most majestic aspect of this vision is the restoration of relationship between God and His covenantal people.  It is not the architecture and construction of a building which can easily be destroyed as the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem and destruction of Solomon temple demonstrates.  Recently, many church buildings were decimated due to an unparalleled tornado on Moore, Oklahoma.  Those edifices will be rebuilt perhaps more substantively and impressively than before.  But, the Church was not lost or destroyed as the congregations that worshipped in those buildings found other spaces to worship and commune with God.  Possibly, the lost of their material facilities motivated them to focus more closely upon their relationships with God and each other.  Centuries earlier, Israel and Judah achieved that spiritual insight through Ezekiel’s grand vision of God’s majestic house of worship.

Point IV – Ezekiel 43:12 – A Holy Place to Meet Almighty God

Ezekiel concludes this vision with the statement of one cardinal law relating to worship.  All of the surrounding area on the top of the mountain adjacent to the temple shall be most holy.  This decree is the fundamental law relating to the temple.  As God shall dwell in the temple, any area near it shall be held just as sacred as the temple’s interior.  Shockingly, a religious people would not willingly allow a brother to exist adjacent to the temple.  In the flight of fantasy, people would leave one place and immediately go to the other.  In fact, some of the religious may operate the brothel with the good intentions of sharing a percentage of the proceeds with the temple.  Such was the case in Ezekiel’s time; that dastardly practice necessitates the Lord’s fierce condemnation and righteous and wrathful judgment.  To prevent a reoccurrence, God establishes a cardinal law that stipulates that the temple and its surroundings shall be consecrated for His worship and service.

The Lesson Applied

Let’s Talk About It

1.     What does it mean to be in the “presence” of God?”  Is the “presence” of God necessarily a physical space?  Does it equate with being in church?
2.   Are sanctuaries the only sacred spaces where we commune with God?  If not, name other places and explain how they are also sacred?
3.   Is church the primary place to listen to God’s voice?
4.   In the United States of America, each year seven thousand (7000) churches open and four thousand (4000) close or die.  How can a church close or die?

5.    What are the practical benefits of worship in the sanctuary?

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