Eze. 16:1-14 THE GLORY OF GOD'S GRACE
Intro: In this passage, God is dealing with the city of Jerusalem. They have
once again descended into idolatry and the Lord is trying to woe them back
unto Himself. He does this by reminding them of His great love for them
and of all the wonderful things He has done for them, in them and through
them. This is a declaration of God's grace on behalf of the people of
Jerusalem. He reminds them that they were nothing when He found them.
By using the image of a baby that has been cast out by its parents, God
shows Jerusalem that they were unloved, unwanted and on the verge of
death. But, He took them and blessed them and made them great among
the cities of the world. His activity in the life of Jerusalem can be summed
up in one word: Grace!
However, there is another picture here. In these verses, we can see
pictured the grace of God as it is revealed in the lives of everyone who
places their faith in Him for salvation. In these verses, we are reminded
again of what the Lord has done for each of us who are saved. These
verses are chocked full of spiritual vitamins that will help us if we take them
and let them.
Today, I would like to take a few minutes to look into this great passage
and preach for a while about The Glory Of God's Grace. As I do, I would
like remind you that you are what you are by grace, 1Cor. 15:10. Grace is
what saves us, Eph. 2:8-9. Grace is what keeps us saved, 1 Pet. 1:5.
Grace is what helps us day by day, 2 Cor. 12:9. Even the lost people in this
congregation owe everything to the grace of God! With all that in mind, let's
look together at this passage which has the tremendous grace of God on full
dress parade. Let's think together about the Glory Of God's Grace.
I. V. 1-5 THERE IS A WRETCHED CONDITION
(Ill. In the description of this helpless infant, there is a perfect picture of how
everyone of us was before we were saved. If you are lost this morning, then
you need to know that this is a picture of how you are right now! It is truly
a description of a wretched condition.)
A. V. 4a As Lost Sinners We Were Unclean - (Ill. This child had never
been washed.) Rom. 3:10, 23; Isa. 64:6. Our sins had created a
wide gulf between us and God, Isa. 59:2. We were separated from
Him here and doomed to be separated eternally in the fires of Hell, 2
Thes. 1:8-9. We needed a spiritual washing!
B. V. 4b-5 As Lost Sinners We Were Uncared For -(Ill. This child had
never had its navel cut, neither was it washed, salted or swaddled.
No one card if it lived or died! It appears as though everyone around
this little baby hated it to the point of committing infanticide, v. 5c.) (Ill.
Satan, the world, and many in our own families did not care for us!
That is why the Bible says that "the way of the transgressor is
hard", Pro. 13:15.) Many were like David when He said, "No man
cared for my soul.", Psa. 142:4.
C. V. 4c As Lost Sinners We Were Unclothed - (Ill This child had been
thrown into an open field naked and exposed to the elements.) We
were clothed in the rags of our sins, but in the eyes of God our lives
were naked and open to Him. We stood in all the shame of our sins,
Psa. 139:7-12, Heb. 4:13.
D. V. 5b As Lost Sinners We Were Unclaimed - (Ill. No one wanted
this child. Neither mother nor father would claim it as their own.) Like
this little child, we had been cast upon the sea of time by Satan and
our own sins. We were orphaned and all alone in this world without
God, Eph. 2:12. Oh, there were family and friends about us, but they
could never satisfy the deep longings of the soul. We needed what
we did not have, a relationship with God.
E. V. 4-5 As Lost Sinners Our Situation Was Uncontrollable -(Ill. This
newborn baby was totally helpless to change its condition. If
someone did not interfere, then this child would surely die.) My
friends, when we were lost, we were in a shape that we could not
change! We could not save ourselves. We could not bring life into
our dead hearts. We could not get to God on our own! We were
helpless!
(Ill. This is the condition of everyone who is outside of a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ right now. You, like this little baby, and
just like I used to be, are totally helpless to save yourself from an
eternity in Hell. All of these things are true about you. You are in a
wretched shape this morning and you need to be saved by the grace
of God.)
(Ill. If the story ended here, it would be very sad. Thankfully, there is more
to tell.)
I. There Is A Wretched Condition
II. V. 6-9 THERE IS A WONDERFUL COMPASSION
(Ill. God pictures Himself as One passing by. Who sees the child and stoops
down to rescue it from a certain death. In this picture, we can see what the
Lord has done for everyone who places their faith in Him.)
A. V. 6a He Came To Us - (Ill. Knowing this child's inability to come to
Him, God made the first move.) I am grateful this morning that God
knows about our condition. I am grateful that He always makes the
first moves in salvation, John 6:44. It encourages my heart this
morning to know that the Lord is the One who is seeking and saving
sinners today, Luke 19:10; 1 Tim. 1:15. (Ill. I remember my condition
when I got saved. I was not looking for Him, but thank God, He was
looking for me!)
B. V. 8a He Had Compassion On Us - (Ill. The Lord saw this little infant
and loves it and knew instantly what had to be done to rescue it. He
knew what to do and he did it!) (Ill. Thank God, in spite of our sins
and our wretched condition, God still loves us! He looked upon sinful
man and saw what needed to be done and He did it. He paid a great
price to make salvation available for you and me - Rom. 5:8; John
3:16. God's answer for our need was the cross of Calvary.)
C. V. 6b He Commanded Us To Live - (Ill. The Lord tells this child to
live.) His command is the same for us. When He comes to us in
grace and we respond to Him in faith, His command to us is that we
live. He didn't save us to watch us die, He gives us everlasting live
through His Son, the Lord Jesus, John 6:47; John 3:16. (Ill. God
takes those dead in their sins and causes them to live through the
blood of His Son.)
D. V. 8a He Covered Us With Himself - (Ill. The Lord stooped down and
spread His skirt over this infant thereby covering its nakedness.) Did
you know that He did the very same thing for you and me when we
got saved? That's right! When we got saved, we entered into a place
of shelter where we are forever covered by the Lord. In this shelter,
we are safe from His wrath, Rom. 5:9. We are protected from Hell,
John 10:28. We are shielded from those who would harm us - Psa.
57:1
E. V. 8b He Claimed Us As His Own - (Ill. The spreading of the skirt
over another was used to claim that one as your own. When a man
found a young woman that he desired for his wife, he would spread
his garment over her claiming her for his own. This is the picture
here. Jerusalem has grown up, v. 7-8, and God is claiming her for
Himself.) When we were saved, we were also claimed by the Lord.
He adopted us into His family, Eph. 1:5, and we are His forever, John
6:37. (Ill. At one time we were unwanted, uncared for, and unclaimed,
now we have been accepted by God and are His, Ill. Heb. 11:16.)
F. V. 8c He Made A Covenant With Us - (Ill. God entered into a
covenant with this one He had claimed. A covenant is different than
a contract, because a contract can be broken. A covenant, on the
other hand, is eternal and binding) Ill. When we got saved, God also
entered into a covenant with us. He gave us a salvation that is eternal
and that will never pass away. Once you are His, you are His forever!
(Ill. If we can lose our salvation, then words like eternal, everlasting,
forever, mean absolutely nothing! If we can be lost then verses like
John 6:37; 1 Pet. 1:5; John 10:28, etc are best cut out of the Bible and
burned as trash. No, salvation is a forever deal. Once it is yours it is
always yours!)
G. V. 9a He Cleansed Us - (Ill. God took this one He loved and
"thoroughly washed away" all the impurities from her.) Ill. What a
picture! When the Lord saved our souls, He didn't whitewash our
lives. He washed us whiter than snow, Isa. 1:18. Every stain that sin
had left in our lives was forever cleansed away by the blood of Jesus.
When God saved your soul, He washed you absolutely, perfectly and
purely clean! He did it right - Ill. I John 1:7; Psa. 103:12; Micah 7:19.
H. V. 9b He Cured Us - (Ill. Next, the Lord is pictured as anointing this
one with oil. Oil was used as a medicine in those days. He cured this
one from all the ailments that afflicted her.) Ill. In a spiritual sense, we
have experienced the same thing. For when the Lord saved our
souls, He cured us of the old life. When we got saved, we were
healed from the curse of our sinful natures and were made new
creatures by the power of God - 2 Cor. 5:17.
I. V. 9b He Consecrated Us - (Ill. Oil is also a picture of the Holy Spirit.)
When the Lord saved us, He put His Spirit in us, 1 Cor. 12:13. Rom.
8:9. At the moment of salvation, we became the living Temples of
God, 1 Cor. 3:17; 6:19. As such, we are set apart for His use and
have been consecrate for His glory. Therefore, we have no right to
do anything with our life, or with this body, that doesn't glorify the Lord
God of Heaven.
(Ill. As you can see, everyone that has been saved by grace has been
blessed with some pretty tremendous gifts of grace. However, it doesn't
stop there.)
I. There Is A Wretched Condition
II. There Is A Wonderful Compassion
III. V. 10-14 THERE IS A WONDROUS CHANGE
A. V. 10a We Have Been Clothed - (Ill. This verse tells us that the Lord
clothed His chosen one in the finest of garments. He clothed her in
glory and beauty.) Ill. He has done the same thing for you and me.
All we can see today are these outward appearances. The bodies
and these clothes are all we can see with our human eyes. If we
could see with the eyes of God this morning, we would see that every
child of God has been gloriously clothed by the Lord above! At the
moment of salvation, we were clothed in the righteousness of Jesus
Christ Himself, Isa. 61:10; Phil. 3:9; Rom. 3:22; Gal. 3:27. (Ill. The
robe that was given to the Prodigal - Luke 15:22)
B. V. 11-14 We Have Been Made Comely - (Ill. These verse describe
all the things God gave her and blessed her with to make her look the
best she could possible look. He took her, changed her completely
and made her life a thing of great beauty.) Ill. He has done the same
for everyone of His saints. By saving us, blessing us, changing us,
gifting us and using us, He has made us far better than we ever could
have been otherwise. He can take the most wretched of lives and
transform them into trophies of His grace and power. When God
saves a soul, it is the greatest miracle that He could ever perform!
When He comes in, there is a drastic change in that life, 2 Cor.
C. V. 12 We Have Been Crowned - (Ill. The Lord took this woman and
made her His queen. He blessed her and raised her up to sit with
Him in His throne. He literally crowned her life with His glory.) Ill. He
has done that for His saints as well. He saved us by His grace and
has promised to be with us all along the way home. Then, when we
get home, the Lord is going to take us and reward us for those things
we did for Him along the way. Things that He empowered us to do.
Things He gifted us to do. Things He allowed us to do and still He is
going to reward us - Rev. 22:12. There will be crowns to cast at His
feet when we get home - Rev. 4:1-11.
D. V. 14 We Have Been Changed - (Ill. The Lord tells this one that
there had been a day when no one cared and no one wanted anything
to do with her. But, He came to her made a difference in he and now
she is the envy of the world. He made a change in her and all the
world wanted what she had.) Ill. What a picture of what the Lord has
done for you and me! When He found us, we weren't loved, wanted
or cared for, but He loved us, He cared for us, He wanted us! When
He came to us, He changed us by His great power and made us new
creatures through His grace, 2 Cor. 5:17. Now, we are different than
we were before. Now, others look upon us with envy. They may
never admit it, but they would love to have our peace. They would
love to have a new life like ours. They would love to be in a
relationship with God. They would love to experience the same kind
of change that we have experienced. They can if they will come to
Jesus for salvation as we ourselves have done.
Conc: The Lord has taken a bunch of unwanted, unloved people, saved
them by His grace and set them out on display and He says here is what
grace can do for you too! Friend, I don't know where this message finds you
today. You may like that little baby that has been cast away and left to die.
You may feel unloved, uncared for and unwanted today. Let me encourage
you for a minute. Jesus loves you. So much so that He went to a cross and
died for your sins. If you would only come to Him and ask Him, He would
save you soul, right now, today.
Saints of God, if had continued to read in this chapter, we would have
found that Jerusalem took these blessings from the Lord and despised
them. It says in verse 15 that they played the harlot against God. That is,
they ran after and they served other Gods. Some of you may have done the
same thing! Oh, you're saved, but you are not living like it this morning.
God has changed you, but you have gone back on Him. In your heart, you
know that you are cold and not where you need to be. I invite you to come
to Him today. For, just as He saves the sinner, He also restores the saints.
He will forgive you if you will come to Him, 1 John 1:9.
Some may just be glad that you are saved. It may have been a while
since you bowed before the Lord for no other reason than to say, "Lord, I
love you and I thank you for saving me." Maybe you just need to come and
be a blessing to the Lord this morning.
Whatever the need, there is help and hope in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. You come if He is calling.
