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Book: Ezekiel
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Ezekiel 20:41 Accepted in the Beloved
I. The situation: The elders of Israel had come to Ezekiel to inquire
of the Lord for them, but God would not accept them.
A. The reason for His rejecting them.
1. The horrible abominations of their fathers that the
Lord traced back in their history all the way to Egypt.
2. Their history was one of continual rebellion against
God.
3. It was only His mercy that they were not destroyed as a
nation.
4. Over and over they provoked God to anger.
5. These men were continuing in the sins of their fathers.
B. Through the prophet Isaiah God had declared that His hand was
not short that He could not save, neither was His ear heavy
that He could not hear, but their sins had separated them from
God.
1. This has been a perennial truth through the ages, sin
will separate you for God.
2. You are unacceptable to God in your sin.
3. You cannot come to God laden in your sins, and expect
God to accept you.
4. Sometimes the most reprobate persons will claim to be
members of the church, or speak about their prayers.
a. They may come and sit in the pew, and sing the
hymns, and maybe even drop something in the
offering, but God has not accepted them.
b. They may have offered their prayers, but God
has not listened to them.
5. Your sin is an affront to God. It is offensive to Him,
God said that the hands they were lifting to Him in
prayer were covered with blood. They had shed the blood
of the innocent, they had sacrificed their babies to
the god Molech, these hands that had thrown the babies
into the fires are the hands now lifted to God in
prayer, and God swore that He would not accept them.
C. The prophet then spoke of a new day when God would accept them.
II. "I will accept you with your sweet savor." vs.41
A. The sacrifices were spoken as being a sweet smelling savor unto
God.
B. The first mention of it was when Noah came out of the Ark and
offered a sacrifice unto God, and God smelled the sweet savor
and promised never to destroy the earth again with a flood.
C. In Exodus 30:34 Moses was commanded to make a special perfume
for the Lord to be kept in the tabernacle of the congregation
where God met with the people.
1. This perfume was to made of equal parts of stacte,
onycha, galbanum, and frankincense.
2. It was to be combined according to the art of the
apothecary then beaten very small.
3. Some see in this a type of Jesus Christ.
a. The equal blending of His character, grace and
truth; mercy and justice; Some men are strong
in some areas, yet weak in others. There was a
wonderful balance in the life of Jesus.
b. He went through a awesome crucible of suffering
for us, as He was wounded for our
transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities,
and bore the cross for our transgressions.
D. Our sins rise as a repugnant smell unto God, they cause us to
be rejected by Him. If you should seek to come to him by virtue
of your own righteousness, God would say, "What is that smelly
thing, remove it from My presence." Our righteousness is as
filthy rags in the sight of God. The smell of our sins far
overshadows any fragrance of beauty that might come from our
lives.
1. As the elders of Israel that were sitting before the
prophet that they might seek answers from God, God
would say also of you and me, "As I live, I will not be
inquired of by them."
2. To even seek to come to God in my sinful state is and
insult and an affront unto Him.
II. The joyful state of being accepted in the Beloved.
A. As Paul is writing to the Ephesians about the marvelous
spiritual blessings that are ours through Jesus Christ, near
the top of the list, he declares that we are accepted in the
Beloved.
1. God had declared to the elders that the day would come
when He would accept them with their sweet savor.
Prophetically that day is still future, when they will
finally acknowledge that Jesus is indeed their Messiah.
2. Oh what a sweet savor Jesus Christ is unto the Father.
a. God said of Him, "This is My beloved Son in
whom I am well pleased."
b. His perfect life, and His perfect submission to
the will of the Father was as a sweet perfume.
3. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit would come, that
He would testify of sin, righteousness, and judgment to
come. Of sin because they believe not on Me, of
righteousness because I ascend unto My Father. What is
meant by that statement, of righteousness because I
ascend unto My Father?
a. Basically, He is saying that My ascension into
heaven is a testimony of the righteousness that
God will accept to allow you an access to Him.
b. Anything less will not allow you access to
heaven.
c. You may say, "But God, I am more righteous than
Chuck, he honks at wild drivers on the
freeway." and God will answer you, "That is
very true, but Chuck is not My standard for
righteousness, My Son Jesus has set the
standards."
B. I can assure you that God will never accept the substandards
that you are trying to present to Him, even on your best day
you fall far short of the standard He requires.
1. The only way that you can ever hope to be accepted by
God is through the sweet savor of Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus says, "Come, I will take you to My Father." And
as the sweet fragrance of Christ surrounds me, I come
into the presence of God, and He accepts me. That sweet
fragrance of Jesus is sufficient to cover the smell of
my iniquities.
3. God says to us, "I will accept you with your sweet
savor."
4. That sweet savor is necessary to cover any sin.
a. Some say that they are not too bad.
b. I must confess some of you are very good, but
none of you are good enough to be accepted by
God without the sweet savor. God is pure, God
is holy, He will accept nothing less than
purity and holiness. The spices for the perfume
were required to be pure and holy.
c. Their is only one person in all the history of
mankind who lived a pure and holy life. Only
one who could say "I do always those things
that please the Father."
5. That sweet savor is sufficient to cover the vilest
sins.
a. You may say I am a murderer, "The blood of
Jesus Christ God's Son cleanses a man from all
sin."
b. But I have committed adultery, I have hurt the
one I love by my folly, "The blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son cleanses a man from all sin."
c. But you object, I have taken all kinds of
drugs, and have started others on a life of
drugs that has destroyed them.
6. I will admit, your life really stinks, but God will
accept you with the sweet savor of Jesus Christ.
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