John Gunter: You all for tuning in on YouTube or on Facebook. I'm so thankful that we're able to do things like that, that we live in a time where we can still kind of join together. Before we get started this morning, I wanna make sure you all know and appreciate my my parents yesterday. Was their fiftieth wedding anniversary. That amazing?
I was a bad son and I thought it was 48. So I knew it was their anniversary, but did not know it was 50 until yesterday and mom made this nice dinner for dad and she still had their wedding topper and all the things and so she made it a special day. But one interesting thing is I posted that on Facebook and a lot of people reached out congratulating them, and one of them was the lady who gave me to them. And so I just love that, that we were able to connect. And actually, it was a weird thing.
We had gone to a teen event at Harding University and for some reason, one of the ladies that was with us introduced me to her friend and I don't even know how it came up, when I said my name, she said, Were you adopted? And that turned out to be the woman that had given me to my parents, and she remembered that that long after. And so, it probably says a lot about what she thought about her job and how much she appreciated that and everything. So for that, I am grateful. I'm also grateful for you.
What a wonderful group we have this morning. I think we would be amiss if we did not thank God for the blessing that he has given us. I want you to know that we are glad you are here. We are You belong here. Let me just say that.
You belong here and I hope I look out and I see faces that we didn't even know that long ago, see faces that we knew once and now know again, but you belong here. If you're at home and you haven't been able to get out in a long time, you belong here and you are welcome here. So thank you for being here, being a part of this church and all the effort that you have given to be here. Let's begin with a word of prayer, shall we? God, this morning, I wanna just thank you.
Thank you for the blessings you continue to give to us. Lord, thank you for blessing this church. Lord, as we we look around, it is it is hard to miss how much you are working here in this place, or that you are touching hearts and drawing people close to you, and God, for that, we are grateful. Lord, thank you for the people that you have brought to this place. Lord, in every one of our cases, Lord, would you use us in in your will and what you want to have done here.
Lord, we also pray for those who are not yet here. God, would you you guard their paths, would you draw them close to you, keep them safe, and Lord, when they're able to be in this area or even visit this congregation, Lord, what we pray is that they find a church that loves you, and Lord, that in everything we do, we are we are just drawn to what you would have us do, and God, would you bless us to that end? It's in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Well, we are, again, thankful you're here, and we've been going through a series called Not Alone.
This idea that we have that sometimes we feel like we are alone, but we forget that God has promised his spirit. And so that's what we have covered as we have gone through this series. We have seen that God is with us. That is the promise for for all of us, that we are given the gift of his spirit. We have been promised that he guides us, that he strengthens us in our weaknesses and things that we are not strong enough to accomplish, and even last week when our circumstances were a little disrupted, God is with us.
He's with you no matter what is going on. And I I think a lot of times people believe that, well, if I sin this week, maybe God is not with me anymore, that God has abandoned us, and that is the farthest thing from the truth in what we find in scripture. And so, this morning, we are going to begin, in Ezekiel. And when Ezekiel is talking here, he's talking to a people who have been exiled from their homeland. I know that is probably the farthest thing from our minds, being able to wrap our minds around, that somebody could come in and take us away from where we are.
But when Ezekiel is talking, that's who he's talking to, a people who have been separated from their homes, they've been taken away, and I'm sure for them, it felt like all is lost. And so, when we read scripture, what we read is there's a constant cycle. Maybe you even feel it in your own life that there's a cycle of we're gonna draw close to God, and that's good for a little bit. And then something happens, and we start to turn away, and things go south very quickly. And you see this cycle over and over.
Something happens, people turn away, we get close, then it goes awry again. And so, this is what this is the people he's talking to, people who have gone through this. And earlier in we're gonna start in Ezekiel 36, but earlier in the chapter, God even names the problem that they have been dealing with. He says, they have profaned his name among the nations. Their lives no longer reflect who he who he is as God.
So, I want you to think about that for just a second. If that was said about us today, you have profaned the name of God, your life no longer reflects who God is, what would you expect your punishment to be? Anybody thinking it's gonna be all rosy and good? Probably not. But what I want you to to notice is that in this moment, God does not announce a stricter law or more demands, He doesn't say, just try harder next time.
Instead, I want you to notice that God takes responsibility. From Ezekiel 36 verses twenty six and twenty seven, And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules. Do you notice here, God takes the responsibility.
This is not a couple of scriptures of you will, you will, you will. God says, I will. I will give you a new heart. I will give you a new spirit. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
He calls out another problem. Right? Their hearts are, as he refers to them, made of stone. Nothing is getting in, nothing is convicting them to change and move closer to him. And again, God does not call out, here is the stricter law so that you can do that.
God says, you know what I'll do? I'll remove that heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. Be careful to obey my rules. Why?
Because the spirit of God has that power. And so, you're sitting here this morning, you're thinking about all the things, all the ways I failed this week. Maybe God has moved away from me. Let me tell you, God has not. God continues to pursue you.
God will do whatever it takes to be within your life. You need to get out of the way. You understand? Because what we feel a lot of times, this this builds up because I I I have guilt, I have shame, and that just kinda builds up, and I I can't get past that. I I don't know what to do.
I just feel like there's no way I can get out of this. Let me tell you, get out of the way and let God work. Because this is what God wants to do. I want He says, I will remove that heart of stone that's been causing you to do this. I will give you a heart of flesh because you have the spirit of God.
From Psalm fifty one ten, the psalmist says, create in me a clean heart, o God, and renew a right spirit within me. We talked about singing singing the words of scripture this morning, didn't we? Create in me a clean heart. Right? Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a right spirit within me.
What what do you hear from the psalmist here? It's a it's a realization that what needs to happen is that God needs to work. You need to create in me a clean heart because I can't do it. You understand that this morning? I think because of guilt and shame, a lot of times we we feel, well, everybody else has got it going on and I just can't handle it.
Guess what? None of us can. We are all sinners in need of a savior. Can we pray that this morning? Would you read this with me?
Create in me a clean heart, o God, and renew a right spirit within me. There's your homework for this week. Go over Psalm fifty one ten, and just pray this prayer daily. How long is that gonna take you? What'd it take us?
Five seconds? Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. What this prayer is is that, God, I need you to work. And guess what? You will find freedom when you allow God to work.
Then I'm going to submit to him that I don't have to control this because I can't. I can't handle all the things, all the temptations. I need to step back and let God and his spirit handle what's going wrong in my life. Can you do that, church? From Jeremiah 31 verses verse 33, for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.
I will put my law within them,
John Gunter: and I will write it
John Gunter: on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And when God said that, he said that to a group of perfect people, didn't he? People that had done no wrong, and he just couldn't help but thank them for being so perfect, and that's why he's gonna be their God. Right? Absolutely not.
He's looking at a group of people that are not unlike you and I. People that often know the right things to do, and we don't do it. Right? We've come to God before, we've gotten close to God, we've confessed sin, we've repented of those things before, and something has happened, and we we we've moved away from God. God hasn't moved, we moved.
Okay? And so, God understands us, doesn't He? Because that has been the condition of people all throughout history, and God says, I'm gonna do this. I will put my law within them. I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God.
You don't have to question that this morning, that God is there no matter what has gone on in your life. Do you understand that? That is how great the love of God is. No matter what you've done, God said, I will be your God. You will be my people.
That is a promise of God that you need to keep with you. I will be their God. They will be my people, and God continues to to change hearts and work on hearts. He continues that work whether you're submitting to it or not, and I say, just get out of the way. From second Corinthians chapter three and verse 16, Paul says this, but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Now, the Lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And when Paul says this, you remember there there was always this veil separating God from the people. And so what he's saying here is now now that Christ has done what he has done and given himself in sacrifice for us, when you turn to God, there is no longer anything keeping you from God. That's part of God's promise that God is going to live within you. Now, the Lord is a spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is what?
Freedom. Now, I don't know if we're good with that. Are we good with having freedom in God? Does it feel like freedom to submit to God? You question to kind of ponder this morning.
But when you know have you ever been in a situation where you I know what I need
John Gunter: to do, and I'm gonna
John Gunter: accomplish this goal, and I'm gonna do this for God, and you did that? What do you feel like? You feel in your soul, that is the right thing. I need to be here, I need to be doing these things, I'm serving, whatever the case is. And that's what you experience is freedom.
Oftentimes, we we think about rules or laws or anything like that, and we think, you know, constraints, and I don't want that. But within God, you find freedom because it says, the Lord is spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, is freedom. Now, again, let's backtrack just a second. Where is the spirit of the Lord? Where has he promised the spirit to be?
Within us. And so within you, there is freedom, if we will, again, allow him to work. In Romans six twenty two, but now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Now, we might kind of retract from a word like slave, but what the way Paul describes is that we are all slaves. We have all given ourselves to something.
If it's not God, it's something else. Maybe it's selfish pursuit, maybe it's, you know, I'm gonna I don't know. Just live life the way I wanna live it. But we all give ourselves to something, but now you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God. The fruit you get leads to sanctification, and it's in eternal life.
You see that there is freedom because of the spirit of God that lives in you. If you live this way, if you decide, I want to turn to God. From the next verse in second Corinthians verse 18 of chapter three there, and we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the spirit. And again, I want you to notice the language there.
You are being transformed. You understand that? K. I think we all think it's me, I've got to work harder, especially when I do things that are wrong, I just need to work hard, need to bear down. Let God work.
You are being transformed. God desires this in you. You understand that? God desires to transform you. It says, the same image from one degree of glory to another.
If you have turned to God, this is what your life should look like. For this comes from the Lord who is spirit. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is within you, transforming you, drawing you closer to God as we often pray, closer to God, closer to each other, Lord. Because if we experience the love of God, if we experience that love and give it to one another, we're going to grow a church that is going to be just amazing, and I already think you guys are amazing, by the way. But we're going to continue to grow because this is different.
The love that we experience from God is something that the world needs right now. Amen? I wish we were coming together every time and talking about, man, I just I'm about sick of hearing about how much people love each other. Can something negative not happen around here? But no, the world is full of negativity, isn't it?
What we need is to know we are being transformed. This is not staying the same. You are not staying the same. God desires to work on you. And Romans twelve two, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
And God said, I'm gonna write on their hearts their law. That they're gonna understand within themselves, because the spirit dwells within us how to follow God, how to draw close to him, that he is, again, transforming us. Paul says this in Philippians one six, I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. That you began in one spot, and God continues to work on you. And Paul said, I have no doubt he's gonna bring it to completion.
So you may be sitting there this morning going, man, this has been a long road, but God is working. Yes. How many of you could testify this morning of what God has brought you through? Yes. Look around.
Yeah. God is not done with you. How many of you that just raised your hand would say, there are some things in my past I didn't wanna do, but I did, and they were a sin against God. Amen? Yeah?
Been there, done that. And God loves every one of you, and God calls every one of you his sons and daughters, that you are his people, because God desires this. And because of that, Paul can say, I know, I am sure of this, and he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. Now, I wish everything was just a straight line, and John, you started here, and everything just you know, okay, I see the progress. Now often, what does that look like?
About a roller coaster with some turns and dips, we're going backwards all of a sudden for some reason? Yeah. But God continues to be there for us. God's promise is to dwell within us and to transform us if, again, we will allow him to work. In Galatians two twenty, I have been crucified with Christ.
It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Right? It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. To me, in my mind, maybe this is different for you, but to me, in my mind, this is a how do I think about this type of thing. Because if I if I walk around with the the mindset that I'm in control, and I'm gonna handle all this, and I make all the tough decisions, and I I control everything, it's gonna be hard for me to think about, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
But if my desire is to grow close to God, I can say, okay, John needs to get out of the way, and God, use me how you would like me to be used here. It is no longer I. Yes, I have my desires, my wants, all the things, but let me get out of the way and allow God to work. Is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God.
That that is how I live my life. By faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Boy, can we keep that on the front on the forefront of our mind? This is this is the why. Right?
Who loved me and gave himself for me, knowing that I am not gonna be perfect, I'm gonna know the right thing to do a lot of times, and I'm not gonna do it. He loved me and gave himself for me. In Colossians one twenty seven, to them, God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is a very valuable thing that the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ lives in all of us, and in this is the hope of eternal glory. Romans twelve one, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present yourselves your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
That we desire to be close to God, he is transforming us, and through that is our spiritual worship. If I ask you this morning what worship looked like, we might describe what we just all did. Right? This is your spiritual worship, to present yourselves, to give yourselves to God. Allow him to do the work, he can handle it, he can change that heart of stone into a heart of flesh, but you present your bodies to him, then they become holy and acceptable to God.
One more scripture for you this morning and we'll close. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, and behold, the new has come. And that's from second Corinthians five seventeen. He is a new creation.
Sometimes, it feels like we've been fighting a battle long enough that we're no longer a new creation. Right? That this is no longer new, this is all worn out, John. Right? I've been through the battles, I've been through the mud and the muck, I've done all these things.
But in Christ, you continue to be a new creation. A blessing, a grace, a mercy from God is that every day, every minute, every hour of every day is a new starting point for you. And so, you're sitting here this morning thinking, I'm too far gone, right now is a new starting point for you. All you have to do is turn to God. Can you make all of those things right that you've done?
Absolutely not. Did we read anything about that this morning? Turn to God, He's gonna transform you. Turn to God, turn back to him, you were walking this turn around and face him, and he can handle it. Amen?
And so, you need anything handled this morning by God, you need a heart that is transformed from, I've been callous, it's been like a stone, I I just haven't been the person I know I need to be, turn to God. He's ready. He said, I'll be their God, they'll be my people. Just turn to him. If you haven't begun that walk with Christ, and and you'd like to start that this morning, entering the the waters of baptism, where you will experience a death, burial, and resurrection that Jesus experienced.
You can, just like we just read, become that new creation, the blank slate of life, that God loves us so much. Remember when we talked about it, sometimes growing up for some of us, felt like God was hovering over the book of life with an eraser. Like, I'm gonna take you out. I think about that more like this now, that maybe our sins are on the whiteboard and instead of our name in the book of life getting ready to erase them, God is just ready and willing to erase all those sins off that whiteboard in a minute. Just turn to him.
Would you do that as we stand and as we say this word?