For part two of the Ezekiel 36 series we will be looking at verses 24-27.

 ”I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 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.” (ESV)    

 In the first part of this series we looked at verses 16-23 and talked about the speaking nature of God and the sinful nature of humanity. I made the bold claim that the righteousness of God and our sinfulness could not be reconciled apart from the atoning work of Christ as He humbled Himself by coming to the earth He created, living the perfect life that we could not live and dying a propitiatory death in our place. Now comes the regenerational implication of Christ’s atonement.

We understand from the context of this passage (during the exile of the nations of Israel and Judah, some time between 586 and 573 BC) that the sentence “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.” (24) is a reassurance from the Lord that, as previously stated by the prophets, the exile was necessary and wholly deserved but not the end of the story – that indeed a remnant would be brought out (Isaiah 6:13), a holy seed of Israel that would deliver the promised Messiah.

  The Father says that He will sprinkle clean water on the remnant and make them clean from all of their unrighteousness. He will cleanse them from their own iniquity for His own name’s sake, and then comes  the meat of the passage – the stunning new revelation. He promises that to the remnant He will give a new heart, one that does not follow the law simply because of the fear of covenantal curses (which we will discuss in part three of this series), but because the law of God is what they truly desire. 

In light of the new covenant of Christ’s blood we understand this passage to mean that for those who are redeemed (the Christian) a new heart is given, one that causes us to “walk in [God's] statutes and be careful to obey [His] rules.” At the time of justification (when the sinner is made righteous in the sight of the Father) comes the beginning of sanctification in the regeneration of the soul. The Christian, at the moment of regeneration, is given a new heart, one that desires holiness and obeys the spirit of the law of God not because it makes them religious, but because it is their deepest desire. Granted there is room for conflict in the heart of the believer due to  sinful nature that will continue until we are glorified on the last day, but at the deepest part of the true Christian’s heart is a yearning for Christ and His will.

So if you look at yourself and at the deepest part of your soul, at the core of who you are behind all of the latent sin from your old ways you see a desire for lawlessness and sinfulness, maybe it is time that you truly claimed the blood of Christ as your reason for justification and not your religious acts, praying that He would by His grace give you a new heart that “will cause you to walk in [His] statutes.” 

 If you read the blog regularly it is no secret that I am not a fan of religion, and this passage is yet one more reason why. You see, religion teaches that we need to do things that we don’t want to do in order to live the life some etherial and removed God wants us to. Christianity teaches that when we trust in Christ we receive a new heart and that Christ is sufficient, more so than any deeds we can perform. Therefore we do not need to do these things that we do not want to, but are given grace to live out of the deepest desires of our hearts – a desire for holiness and the life He commands us. We no longer live according to a set of rules in order to please God, but know that Christ has already done so and we are given a new heart that desires nothing less than Jesus.  That is Christianity, that is Christ’s work in the heart of His people. 

  -MD Letteney 

BJ over at the Stupid Scholar blog tagged me in his post and asked me to answer some questions for him. Now I am usually anti-surveys, but I am always pro-BJ, so here goes: 

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

Hmm, ten years ago would put me in July 1998 at Cornell University for three weeks of summer camp. I would have been a JC (Junior Cornellian) by that time and remember taking a cooking class while my brothers took rappelling with their age group.  

 

2. Five Items on Your To Do List Today.

Pretty standard day for a guy with no standard day: 

 

a) Go to the office to meet Nicole and work on our middle school sunday school lesson.

b) Move over to my buddy’s  place and let out his dog while he is on vacation.

c) Take Nicole to the airport.

d) Hang out with middle school guys.

e) Finally post another entry in the Ezekiel 36 series. 

 

 

3. Snacks I enjoy:

I have not snacked much since moving overseas (and moving back a few weeks ago), but I do love swedish fish, saltine crackers, and cheese-whiz, although not together. Hmm…maybe I have something to try next time I am feeling particularly unhealthy.    

 

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Probably the same things I do now – work for the church, study like a geek, complain about gas prices, r
ip on mormons, etc. In all likelyhood I would do those same things while travelling around a bit including back to Tranås for a visit. I would no doubt also start supporting missionaries more than I can on my current salary. That would be my number one goal.    

5. Places you would like to live:

I would love to move back to Sweden at some point if the Lord calls me, or back to New York, but I have a feeling Chapel Hill, NC will be my home for at least the next few years. Other than that – I am fine with whatever. I have found in the last few years as I have moved all over the world pretty consistently that I have the unique ability to survive and thrive pretty much wherever I am placed.    

Ok, well there we are. I guess to keep this going I will tag:

Ken over at Cross Happenings

Pete at Without Wax

Marta Douglass and,

Annie Kinney    

 

 -Mark   

So I figured I’d log on and tell both of my readers that I am still breathing and will be continuing the current Ezekiel 36 series in the next couple of days, as soon as I get a free moment. I have officially started as the summer youth intern at Sandhills Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines, NC and am loving it. 

I taught on Ruth 1:1-18 this wednesday morning with one of our summer youth fellowship groups and although it was only a 30 minute lesson to cover that much material, I think it went fairly well. We are taking the middle and high schoolers to see Wall-E tomorrow night at the drive in – should be a great time! 

So I guess this is just a lame excuse for why I have been not blogging more recently. Between getting back to the states and starting my new job, I’ve been swamped. While you wait, may I suggest the Philosopher’s World Cup? See below:   

 -Mark

Well I have finally ported the blog over to a dedicated server, so please update your links!

http://www.isaiah52.com

I will probably be messing with the design for a couple more days, so don’t get too upset if the site looks completely different next time you visit. Enjoy!

-Mark

I am a materialist. This may come as somewhat of a surprise to you, but I promise it does not come as more of a surprise than it did to me. Here I will submit a little background to substantiate my claim. 

Today I arrived in Riga, Latvia, to continue my studies of Old Testament Pre-Exilic Prophets at Baltic Reformed Theological Seminary. I have been living on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ in Tranås since last September, and have since learned to live with much less than I have been used to with my privileged upbringing in the United States. I am not saying that my family has always had abundant money, but I can safely say that we never went without the basics and have always been content with what we had. Moving to Stoeryd was a shock to my system in a sense, but not in any huge way that made me re-evaluate how my money is spent and where my heart finds its comfort.

Fast forward nine months to today. I flew the normal discount carrier over the Baltic sea, a fifty minute flight from Stockholm, and landed in what I thought was going to be a similar place to what I have become accustomed to in Sweden – an assumption that turned out to be terribly wrong.

As I drove into Riga with my gracious host Marsh, I was struck with a very distinct impression – “This is a post soviet country.” Not just in the sense of the political climate or the cultural nuances, but in the sense that everything around screams of the Iron Curtain. From the architecture, to the cobblestone streets, to the very apartment I am sitting in at this moment – the economic disparity between here and even the small, struggling industrial town of Tranås is stunning. 

The buildings are old and dilapidated, the stairwell lights flicker, the doors creak and squeal, and everywhere you look you see the depressed past screaming out from within. The walls here seem to speak, and they tell eye-opening tales of this city’s past. I cannot properly describe the feeling of this city, other than to say that it is affected, and has left me in a similar state.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21 (ESV)

So here I sit – in a faded old couch underneath a bare light-bulb, surrounded by concrete walls and looking out the crooked window, watching the sun set slowly over Riga. I cannot help but be saddened by the life of materialism I have led – constantly giving in to this yearning within me for more. But what has it brought me? More joy? Not at all – my host is one of the most joyful people I have met. More comfort? Maybe, but this earth is not my home, I am a foreigner longing to go home to my Father’s house. Am I happier because I have six pairs of shoes? Am I better off with a surround sound system in my apartment? 

Could it be that these things are only distractions from my one true source of satisfaction and joy, that which I find in Jesus of Nazareth? 

I do not know what my final conclusions as to the life I live will be, but the Lord has convicted me today of my materialism. So today I resolve to be content with the things I have, to examine the things I desire in the light of Christ’s total sufficiency, and to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is only by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that I am able to live a life of holiness, and I resolve to seek not my own comfort but the sanctification found in Him that one day I may kneel before the Father and claim nothing but the blood of Christ as my basis for justification. 

Heavenly Father I am a miserable sinner. My heart is wretched, but you are good. I invite you in this moment to change me and conform me to be more like your Son, because He is all I desire. Holy Spirit help me to resist the lie of the deceiver that true, lasting happiness is found in things of this earth, and renew a right spirit of gratitude and contentment in my heart. I seek only you, Jesus. Draw near to me, and make me more like you. Amen.

-Mark

Disclaimer: If you are easily made uncomfortable by questions that challenge the normal consensus, may I suggest some lighter entertainment. Maybe a Dilbert comic, or a sermon by Rob Bell.

Please read the whole post before commenting, but please comment. I would love to hear what you think. This is something I have been thinking about recently and have not yet come to a conclusion on, and am looking to you the body of Christ for some guidance. 

…on the doctrine of the Church, and the implications thereof.

After family worship my co-interns and I started talking about fraternities/sororities (as they are both in one at their respective colleges) and the reasons for joining one. They commented that those who have never been one would say such naïve things as ‘its a way to make sure you have friends’, or ‘its a way to meet girls/guys’, but these are not true. They said that the reason for membership and the most important part of it is the ‘brotherhood’ that you form with other members through the hard times of pledging and the fellowship of living together. 

Thinking about this, I started to ask questions and quickly they became very uncomfortable – not wanting to talk anymore about the subject. I moved on at their request and they soon left to go back to work, leaving me again with my thoughts. So here is the question which I would like to hear your thoughts on. This is not a statement, just a question. I have not made any judgments, I am just questioning, and in so doing attempting to ‘work out my salvation with fear and trembling’.

Being that the ultimate aim of joining a fraternity is for fellowship, and as christians we are called to ultimately look for fellowship with the Body of Christ first and foremost and knowing that no relationships in this world with unbelievers are neutral, is it biblical for a christian to join a fraternity looking for the fellowship that he should be persuing with God’s people in the church?

 Let me briefly define what I mean by ‘fellowship’. It is not just friendship, and if that was the meaning of the term used then the question would have an obvious answer that would fall in line with general consensus – that fraternities are ok for christians. But what I mean by fellowship is what I see frat guys looking for and finding in their chapter – that being a brotherhood to lean on through hard times and to bear their soul to. Which leads to the followup question:

Isn’t that the role that the Body of Christ (the church) is supposed to fulfill?

Now notice that this does not extend to non believers. They are not a part of the covenant community and as Solomon says “this is their lot in life”, meaning that a fraternity can be good for them and lead to much temporary happiness and perceived stability.

However, for those in the covenant community – where we look for true fellowship and where we bear our souls is important, so where do we draw the line? Is it ok for us to pursue fellowship in the context of a fraternity? Should we persue these deep intimate relationships with non believers if the relationship is not ultimately about leading that person to Christ?

In Christ we know that we are in this world but not of this world – so how does that work itself out practically? Do not get me wrong – I am not saying that we should not pursue relationships with unbelievers at all – far from it. I believe that the Lord has called us to be the means by which he calls unbelievers to himself, and we are to go out and be a light to all nations, proclaiming the atoning death of Jesus on the cross! The question is not related to outreach, but to the bride of Christ, the church, and how we are to relate to it. If it is the place we are supposed to go exclusively to be built up and re-energized, if it is the stable rock from which we are to go out and preach the Gospel, then what of other fellowships? The question obviously has much more vast implications than just relating to fraternities and sororities, but I use them as an example from which to draw conclusions.

Ultimately the question is are we as Christians to have fellowship with unbelievers, or only friendship? Can we have both?

What do you think?

Ok – let the comments begin! Do not simply agree or disagree – because I am making no statements here about the answer to the question, but simply posing it. What do you think the answer is and what are the implications of it?

To Christ be the glory!

MD Letteney

I just wanted to write a brief post and let both of my readers know why I have not been as active recently here at the Isaiah 52 blog. I am preparing to take an Old Testament Pre-Exilic Prophets course at the Baltic Reformed Seminary in Riga, Latvia from Dr. Iain Duguid (RTS), and have been swamped with preparations. The course is next week, and I just got my text books a few days ago. This I guess is my lame excuse as to why I have not been more consistent with the current series on Ezekiel 36, but I wanted to stop by and let you know that I will be back in full force in a couple of weeks. Thanks for your support!

 -Mark

Over the last two weeks I have been reading and meditating daily on Ezekiel 36, a major messianic passage and one of my favorite chapters in the OT. I have come to a number of conclusions as a result of this time and will be highlighting some of the main thrusts of the passage over the next few weeks here at the Isaiah 52 blog. I pray that it would be an encouragement to you and hope that you will leave your thoughts for me to ponder. “As iron sharpens iron…”

“The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of his land. But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. ” – Ezekiel 36:16-23 (ESV)

I think the first point to be made is rather obvious but commonly brushed off – especially in reformed circles. “The word of the Lord came to me” Our God is a speaking God. He who needed us not created us in His own image and chose to speak to us in clear ways. We have the scriptures and the prophets of old, but do not think for a second that the Lord in this time and place has stopped speaking. Indeed everything in this world is being held together by the Lord’s speaking voice, and He still speaks today to His people in a variety of ways. “He [Christ] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”(Heb 1:3) God’s speaking voice is powerful and kind, working all things for the sake of His holy name and the good of those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). For more on God’s speaking voice, I would highly encourage you to read AW Tozer’s The Pursuit of God (Full chapter on the speaking voice can be found here.)

The other main thrust of this passage I believe is that we are sinful. This may be an intellectual fact for you, but do you understand the gravity of the situation? It says in Psalm 53 that “They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” And again in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. You and I are both sinners by nature and choice, and therefore deserve no favor from the Lord whatsoever, but as it says in James chapter 4, “He gives us more grace.” He lovingly bestows grace unto all men and women of the earth, giving them good and holy gifts like life, food, family, and love. To His elect, those who have turned from their Sin to embrace His love, He gives special graces – gifts of the Spirit, the Church, communion in prayer, fellowship, and others. To His covenant people (in the Old Testament, the Jews, in the New Testament, the body of believers) He has shown love in a special way, but we are still sinful and “defile it by [our] ways and [our] deeds.” The vision given of the people of Israel in this passage is an exact allegory for those who are within the covenant community (the church), but not living in and for Christ. We live sinfully, and defile the promises and grace of the Father by our deeds of lawlessness. But once again, He gives us more grace. This grace however is not for our sakes – as we deserve none of it. From the fall in Genesis 3 we deserved nothing that the Lord gives to us, but “God shows His love to us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8). He has brought the people of Israel back to the promised land, and brought your sinful heart back into His presence by the blood of Jesus Christ not because you deserve it, but for His own name’s sake. 

So what does this mean? The implications are twofold. First – you can’t live a life that is worthy of His love, so stop pretending that you can. His nature is sinless, your nature is sinful, and there is no way to reconcile these two natures apart from the propitiation found in Christ. What would it look like if you stopped counting your steps, and start dancing in light of the favor you have found in the eyes of the Father? How would your life be if you stopped wondering if you are good enough, and starting believing truly that Christ died that you may be justified freely. You must know that the grace of the Father is free, but do not think for one second that it is cheap – it indeed cost everything. 

The second implication is like the first – I would urge you to find all of your strength in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Father sent the Son as a propitiation for our sins, and we are to trust fully in Him and Him alone that one day when we stand before the Father and he asks us upon what grounds we are to be judged righteous, we may say ‘None, my Lord. I have no righteousness of my own, but only that which is imputed to me through Christ. He is my sacrificial lamb, and I place all of my hope in Him.’

Some people would urge you to live today in the light of tomorrow. Some would tell you to live today in light of the next five years, or ten. What I am saying to you today is revolutionary – live today in light of eternity, for that is where you will find both your strength today and your hope for tomorrow. 

-MD Letteney

Well, it seems that google is down (very strange, I know) so I am posting today’s Daily Bible Reflection here on the Isaiah 52 blog. The content of the post being what it is, this post being here actually fits. Here goes:

Today’s reading comes from the book of Mark. You can find all of today’s readings here.

“And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they told him, ‘John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’ And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’” – Mark 8:27-33 (ESV)

There is a song that I love by Caedmon’s Call titled Before There Was Time, and as far as musical exegesis goes it is top notch. The song is based out of Ephesians 1, which explains that before the world began the Lord chose for Himself a people to save and bring into the kingdom through the grace afforded by Jesus on the cross. This passage has stunning implications, namely that sin was not something that surprised God. He was not caught off guard by Adam’s fall, but indeed already had a plan in place to redeem the people who mock and defame His holy name by their sin. The song goes like this:

Before there was time, there were visions in your mind. There was death and the fall of mankind, but there was life and salvation’s design. And before there were days, there were nights I could not see your face, but the night could not keep me from grace. And you came and you took my place. So I cry ‘Holy only begotten Son of God!’ …I sing the praises of the on who saved me, and the promises He made before there was time.

Does this confuse you? It should. Why would a holy and perfect God, who has everything he wants and needs within the three persons of the Trinity, create earth and a people in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27) that would ultimately run away from Him? This is one of the great questions that we will never know the answer to – why the Lord of the universe, who does not in any way need His creatures (Acts 17:25), would create a race of men and women who spit upon His name? We are indeed all sinners by nature and choice, and deserve eternal separation from Him as a result, yet still He saves us. Why?

We cannot ever know why – but we do know by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures that this is true. The Lord chose to create knowing that His creation would hate Him, and also chose before the foundations of the earth were laid to redeem that creation through His son Jesus Christ.

In today’s passage, we see Jesus claiming yet again that He is the messiah, sent to fulfill the prophecies that came hundreds of years beforehand and to redeem the nation of Israel. He alludes to passages such as Isaiah 52 and 53 and Ezekiel 36 when He says that the Son of Man must be killed, and rise again. This was not a coincidence, and the Lord did not see Adam’s sin in the garden and whip something up to fix the problem – no, He planned this all before there was time to bring the Himself glory and the honor and praise that he so rightly deserves.

So what does this mean to us? If you are sinfully doubting the Lord’s sovereignty and providence over the world that He created, repent of your foolishness and turn to the God who before time even began thought of you, and planned to send His only son to die in your place. The father who is not served by human hands still choses to send His love and grace on the whole world, a world which has turned their backs on Him. Know that you are chosen, bought and paid for, and live your life in the light of this truth! Take up your cross, as Jesus commands in this passage, and follow the God who predestined you to life! Do not repeat Peter’s sin of doubt, or try to rebuke God – for you know in part, but He knows fully. Don’t try to come at God with a list of bachelor’s level philosophical syllogisms, instead have faith that He who started a good work in you is faithful to carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus! (Philippians 1:6) Revel in the fact that you are a child of the Most High, and worship Him who planned this from the beginning.

Heavenly Father I thank you that you are both sovereign and good.. I praise you that this world is not a haphazard experiment gone wrong, but that the things of Jesus were foretold, accomplished, and brought to completion in my salvation. You are so holy, and so worthy of my praise! Take my mind from the things of this world and set it upon the things of You, for you are both sovereign, and good. Amen.

-MD Letteney

I am sure you have heard at least something about the cyclone that ripped through Burma a few days ago, and I would like to supplement a little of the knowledge and ask a favor of you. 

This disaster is not over yet. Yes the waters have subsided from the 200,000 square miles of flooded land, and people from all over the country are flocking to the ruins of the most populous cities in search of basic ammenities, but without fresh water and foreign aid, the migration is doomed. The worst hit areas housed over 50% of Burma’s population, and with the death toll at 200,000, the risk of infection for the remaining survivors grows every day the Burmese junta does not step in and start burning the bodies of the dead. These people are not just mourning the loss of 200,000 family, friends, and coworkers, but they are struggling to find the most basic things – food, uncontaminated water, and shelter. The first of the foreign aid flights have landed, but aid packages are still sitting on the tarmac as the government refuses to distribute aid and refuses to give visas to foreign workers, fearing western influence that could compromise the junta’s strangle hold of power over the nation.

As you can see, this is a major disaster, and if no help is allowed in the death toll could reach a projected 500,000. As a point of reference, the boxing day 2004 tsunami took 230,000 lives. 

So when do we start worrying? When do we start praying for our brothers and sisters in Burma? When the death toll gets high enough? Why don’t we flinch until blood is spilt? Why does it take horror stories to move us to even reflection anymore? Why?

Here is what I would like you to do. As often as you think of it, please pray for the families in Burma, and for the government officials. Pray that the Lord would be glorified in the this terrible situation and that He would bring comfort to those who so desperately need it.

Heavenly Father, I praise you because you are both sovereign and good, and you delight in giving good gifts to your children. Father as we survey the world and especially this Burma disaster, we do not doubt your sovereign will but know that all things happen for your Glory and Christ’s name and that even though the evil one is alive and well in this world and has much power over men’s hearts, he is yet restrained from deceiving the nations. For this we praise you. Father I do pray this day that you would move powerfully in the hurting nation of Burma and make your name known to those that will receive the Good News of Jesus Christ. Father bring comfort to the people of Burma and restore to them their basic needs for survival. Soften the hearts of the junta and move them to finally help their own people. Use the junta and foreign aid workers as the hand that carries out your good works of mercy upon us sinners who deserve neither grace nor mercy. Father, be Lord of this situation and bring healing to Burma. I ask these things in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

-MD Letteney