Ezekiel 44
Access to the Presence!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 23.
In Acts 21:28, Paul’s opponents accused him of desecrating the temple, “This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” This was not a minor accusation, especially when you hear it in light of Israel’s history. In Ezekiel 44:6-9, God decreed that it was an abomination to Him:
You shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel, when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void – this in addition to all your abominations. ….’ Thus says the Lord God, ‘No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.’”
In Ezekiel 44, the prophet sought to protect the people’s relationship with God through the observance of sanctity laws, priestly codes, and holiness standards, which were essential to right worship. One of those decrees was that no foreigner – the uncircumcised in heart or in flesh – could enter the place of God’s glory, the temple. Later, after Paul had been accused, Peter proclaimed of all New Covenant believers in 1 Peter 2:10, “you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” In Christ, you have been given access to the presence of God. Through faith, you have been circumcised in heart by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Romans 2:29; Galatians 3:29).
Seize the moment and approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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