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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Priscilla Santos

Hashtag - RelationshipGoals

Dear Heavenly Father, God, I want to thank you so very much for the Sabbath, for this time to fellowship and rest, and Lord, to learn more about you and your loving character.

Father, this is the message that you gave me to speak.

I ask forgiveness, Lord, for anything that I bring to the table Lord that is not of you and I ask father that your spirit just be found here again these are your words not mine and I ask that you be glorified today and that we all learn from the throne of grace.

I ask that you be with my nerves and that you be with my family here.

Okay, so come with me to the book of Ezekiel.

Now, Ezekiel was written in the time where Babylon was devastating God's people.

And 1 of the times, Daniel was taken as a prisoner, and then later on, Ezekiel himself.

And at this time, God's people are questioning, what is God doing?

It's a question that many are asking today even.

We are in a time where it's natural disaster after natural disaster it seems.

Even my own beloved island of Puerto Rico is still trying to recover from its hurricane.

Clear Lake, I feel like I just left there, is currently dealing with a massive fire.

So there's a lot of suffering going on, but we are told that devastations would increase the sooner that we get to Jesus's return.

And God does something remarkable in Ezekiel.

He allows us to see his thoughts over what's happening and over the crisis that's taking place in Israel at that time.

And we get to see that his focus isn't so much on the spiritual, or on the physical crisis as it is on the spiritual crisis.

And that is, even though there's a siege on the city, there's a siege even bigger on the hearts of his people and on the spiritual state of his chosen ones.

There's a rift happening in the relationship between God and his people and it's a challenge for us to look and evaluate our relationship with God during a crisis as well.

Please go to Ezekiel 8, verses 12 through 16.

Then he said to me, son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark?

Every man in the room of his idols, for they say the Lord does not see us.

And he said to me, turn again and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.

So he brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord's house, and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.

When he said to me, have you seen this, oh son of man?

Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.

So he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house and there at the door of the temple of the Lord between the porch and the altar were about 25 men with their backs towards the temple of the Lord and their faces towards the east and they were worshiping the Sun towards the east." So instead of running toward God during trial we have this devastating scene where they are found worshipping other gods.

Now Tammuz was a god of fertility So these women are going to a god of fertility, hoping that they will help them in creation.

So instead of going to the creator, they are going towards Temuz.

And then even in God's own temple, between the altar and the porch, where there's supposed to be a symbol of us being restored, of us being saved, they are worshipping the sun instead.

In other words, they are not hiding where their allegiance stands anymore.

They're not hiding that they are struggling.

And we are given a picture of a broken-hearted God, who is more than aware that his people are doing this and are breaking their relationship.

And we see his anger because his people are going towards things that aren't going to help them.

These idols aren't going to answer their prayers.

Their needs are not going to be met by these forces.

And they're not going to him who wants to meet all their needs.

And he tells them even in chapter 20, don't go there, but he tells them even in chapter 20, like, why are you inquiring of me?

I gave you the promised land, which was the place I prepared for you.

And still you go back to the idols as if I didn't show you all I could do for you?

He's like why are you choosing to go back?

Now we could end it there and just say you know God is upset God is done.

God doesn't want to have anything to do with Israel anymore.

But thankfully, God does not work that way.

Israel is openly rebellion against God, his character, his way.

And the people who are not followers of God are looking at Israel and being like, you're not faithful to your God.

And so what picture of his character do you think his people are painting?

And so God says this in verse 23 of chapter 36, And I will sanctify my great name which has been profaned among the nations that ye have profaned in their midst.

And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes." Okay, So God is saying that he's going to correct the image that Israel made of him.

Now me, I would at that point be a little worried.

I'm like, okay, God is going to fix this.

Is he going to choose a whole new people?

For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.

Then will I sprinkle clean water on you, and ye shall be clean.

I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.

I will take the heart of stone out of 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 keep my judgments and do them.

You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." Now, this is not to be expected if it was a person.

In a broken relationship when someone is unfaithful, you have the option of leaving, of being angry, or just severing all ties.

This is the most loving reaction I could have imagined from God when he saw his people destroying their relationship.

Verse 25 he says, Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be cleaned from all your filthiness, from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

And Isaiah 118 says, Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.

Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow.

Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." This is justification.

This is God giving his people a new start.

He is telling them, I know what your sins are.

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Hashtag - RelationshipGoals

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