DOES CHARACTER MATTER?

(GOD'S LOVE AND JERUSALEM'S SIN)

 

Ezek. 16:1-43

 

Prayer

 

As a young man, Ezekiel was captured by Babylon and deported to Egypt.

He spent about five years in captivity and then he started prophesying.

 

 

He told the Jews they would have to change their ways.

Or God wouldn’t let them return to Jerusalem.

 

 

There were false prophets in the land;

False prophets who said they didn’t have to change their ways.

 

 

And the Jews chose to believe these false prophets instead of Ezekiel.

So Ezekiel started using illustrations to get his message across;

 

 

Mental pictures to help the Jews understand just how bad they were.

In today's text, Ezekiel compared Jerusalem to a female;

 

 

A female born of poor parents who abandoned her when she was just a one  

day old baby.

God found her, raised her, loved her, married her.

 

 

But she turned her back on God.

And committed adultery.

 

 

1^st---Let's look at what God said about Jerusalem's parents.

“Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem;”

 

“Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan:”

“Thy father was an Amorite and thy mother a Hittite” (Verse 3).

 

 

When the Jews first went to Jerusalem the city was occupied by the Amorites         

and Hittites.

God said drive them out.

 

 

But the Jews didn’t do it.

The Jews moved in with them;

 

 

Adopted their ways;

Worshipped their gods;

 

 

Took on their character.

We do that.

 

 

We’re told not to conform to this world;

Not to marry unbelievers.

 

 

But we take on their character.

One time, some Jews told Jesus “Abraham is our father.”

 

 

He said, “Ye are of your father the devil” (Jn. 8:33-44).

He was saying, “If God was your father, you would take on the character of

God.”

 

 

“But you haven’t taken on the character of God, so God is not your father.”

The Jews in Ezekiel's day took on the character of the Amorites and Hittites.

 

 

 

And God was saying your parents are foreigners;

People of low character.

 

 

They’re not my children.

And you’re not my children.

 

 

It's bad to insult someone's parents.

But let’s get this teaching of Jesus straight.

 

 

We’re the children of the one we obey.

If we’re trying to obey God, He is our Father.

 

 

But if we’re not trying to obey God, the devil is our father.

2^nd---Let's look at what God said happened to Jerusalem on the day she was

born.

 

 

“And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy naval was not cut,"

“Neither wast thou washed in the water to supple thee;”

 

 

“Thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.”

“None eye pitied thee,”

 

 

“To do any of these to thee,”

“To have compassion upon thee;”

 

 

“But thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the          

day that thou wast born" (Verses 4-5).

A few years ago (1988), a woman gave birth to a baby in the bathroom of an airplane.

 

 

She put the baby under the sink in the bathroom.

And left it on the day that it was born.

 

 

Soon after that (Nov. 7, 1988), another woman gave birth to a baby in the     

dormitory of the college she attended.

She put the baby in a trash bin.

 

 

And left it on the day that it was born.

In 1998, a woman threw her baby out the window of her car on the Interstate.

 

 

It’s sad.

But these are true stories about women who abandoned their babies.

 

 

God was telling Jerusalem the Amorites and the Hittites did that to you.

They threw you out in the field.

 

 

They abandoned you on the day that you was born.

3^rd---Let's look at what God did when He saw this abandoned baby called    

Jerusalem.

 

 

“When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood,”

“I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood;”

 

 

“Live yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live” (Verse 6).

When that little baby was put under the sink on that airplane, someone found it

and said, “Live.”

 

 

When that little baby was tossed out the window of that car on the Interstate

someone found it and said, “Live.”

When the Amorites and the Hittites abandoned Jerusalem God found her and          

said, “Live.”

No one could make God find Jerusalem.

No one could make God have pity on Jerusalem.

 

 

It wasn’t Jerusalem’s goodness, power, or wealth that caused God to have   

pity on her.

God had pity on Jerusalem because He didn’t want her to perish.

 

 

She was like a newborn baby that hadn’t been cleaned up.

She was conceived in sin, dirty and polluted;

 

 

But God had compassion on her.

He picked her up and said, “Live.”

 

 

We reach the age of accountability.

We break the laws of God.

 

 

There’s no reason why God should love us.

But He loves us.

 

 

He has compassion.

He says, “Live.”

 

 

“Be born again.”

“Receive Christ.”

 

 

“Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us.”

“God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,      

Christ died for us” (Jn. 5:8).

 

 

 

God comes to us and says, “Live.”

4^th---Let’s look at Jerusalem while she was growing up.

 

 

God said, “I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field,”

“And thou hast increased and waxen great and thou art come to excellent      

ornaments:”

 

 

“Thy breasts are fashioned and thine hair is grown whereas thou were naked,          

and bare” (Verse 7).

God took care of Jerusalem.

 

 

She grew into a beautiful young lady.

He gave her priests and prophets;

 

 

Laws and leaders;

Character and reputation;

 

 

She was becoming a respected city.

What would we be, if we had grown up without the care of God?

 

 

Without Christian relatives, friends and neighbors?

Without pastors and Sunday School teachers?

 

 

Without people to teach us character?

People who not only taught us character;

 

 

People who demonstrated character before us.

I’m talking about people of integrity.

 

 

 

God's provision for us.

America was born of foreigners;

 

 

Not Amorites and Hittites.

Our ancestors came from England, France, Germany, Holland, Scotland,      

Spain and other places.

 

 

God took care of America.

He gave us children and the freedom to educate them;

 

 

The freedom to work and own property;

A Bible-based constitution and Bill of Rights;

 

 

A strong Church and great Church leaders;

A strong economy and great military.

 

 

God gave us people of character;

People who believed that good words should be followed up with good

deeds;

 

 

People who said, “Obey your parents;”

“Love your neighbor;”

 

 

“Practice what you preach;”

“Work hard;”

 

 

“Pay your taxes;”

“Defend your country;”

 

 

 

These blessings were God's gifts as He brought America from infancy to      

adulthood.

5^th---Let's look at God's relationship with Jerusalem after she became a grown        

young woman.

 

 

The Living Bible reads, “Later when I passed by and saw you again,”

“You were old enough for marriage,”

 

 

“And I wrapped my cloak around you to legally declare my marriage vow.”

“I signed a covenant with you and you became mine.”

 

 

“Then, when the marriage had taken place, I gave you clothes of linens and   

silk, embroidered, and sandals made of dolphin hide.”

“I gave you lovely ornaments, bracelets and beautiful necklaces.”

 

 

“A ring for your nose, two more for your ears, and a lovely tiara for your      

head.”

“And so you were made beautiful with gold and silver, and your clothes were         

silk and linen and beautifully embroidered.”

 

 

“You ate the finest foods and became more beautiful than ever.”

“You looked like a queen and so you were” (Verses 8-13).

 

 

God looked at the young woman He raised.

She was grown.

 

 

She was beautiful.

He offered to marry her.

 

 

“God offered.”

God didn't have to enter into a covenant with anyone.

But He offered to bind Himself to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem accepted God's offer.

 

 

They were married.

And notice what God did right away.

 

 

“Then washed I thee with water.”

God cleansed Jerusalem.

 

 

He forgave her sins.

When we enter into a relationship with God, the blood of Jesus Christ (God's         

Son) cleanses us from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:7).

 

 

Next, God clothed Jerusalem.

He gave Jerusalem His righteousness.

 

 

And when we accept Jesus, God clothes us.

He imputes the righteousness of Christ to us.

 

 

Then, God adorned Jerusalem with jewelry;

With faith, love, kindness, meekness and character.

 

 

I know a young lady who used to say, “I'm pretty.”

God said, women should “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with   

shamefacedness and sobriety;”

 

 

“Not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;”

“But with good works (I Tim. 2:9-10).

 

 

 

Young lady, if you want to be beautiful in God’s eyes, adorn yourself with    

the fruit of the Holy Spirit;

Adorn yourself with the character of Christ.

 

 

6^th--- Let's look at the way God's cleansing, forgiveness, laws, and character

affected Jerusalem.

God said, “Thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty; for it   

was perfect through my comeliness” (Verse 14).

 

 

The Living Bible reads, “Your reputation was great among the nations for     

your beauty;”

“It was perfect because of all the gifts I gave you, says the Lord God.”

 

 

The nations of the world noticed Jerusalem.

They noticed her homes, her public buildings;

 

 

Her character, faith, prosperity and power.

And it all came from God.

 

 

If the Church more truly reflected the character of Jesus, the world would     

notice us.

And we could win the world for Christ.

 

 

7^th---Let's look at what Jerusalem did when the world noticed her.

“But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and played the harlot because

of thy renown; and poured out thy fornications on everyone that passed by;  

his it was” (Verse 15).

 

 

We call it pride, the big head, self-sufficiency.

Jerusalem’s beauty went to her head.

 

 

She became a flirt;

Ran with the wrong crowd;

 

 

Committed adultery;

And became a harlot.

 

 

Her beauty came from God.

It was the result of His blessings.

 

 

But she gave the glory to herself;

Courted the flattery of other nations;

 

 

Liked what they liked;

Did what they did;

 

 

Honored their gods;

Took on their character.

 

 

God said, “You used the lovely things I gave you for making idols.”

“You took the gold and silver I gave you and made statues of men and         

worshipped them” (Verse 17).

 

 

You took the Scriptures that I gave you and twisted them.

You took the wealth that I gave you and made an idol out of it.

 

 

My friend, what we have is not our doing;

It’s God’s doing.

 

 

Except for the grace of God not a one of us would be alive today;

Not a one of us would have any education or a job.

Every good thing we have comes from God.

The Scriptures, the Church;

 

 

Our money, our property;

Our gifts, our talent comes from God.

 

 

We should use these things to honor Him.

If we depart from the teachings of the Bible;

 

 

Fail to use what we have for Him;

Or fail to give Him the glory, we are committing adultery.

 

 

If our government abandons our God-given heritage,

If our government takes our God-given prosperity and spends it on abortion,         

the gay agenda, world government, Allah or any other religion, our

government is committing adultery.

 

 

8^th--- Let's look at God's response to Jerusalem's adultery.

“This is what I am going to do.”

 

 

1) I will gather together all your allies,

    And I will make you naked before them, that they may see you.

2) I will give you to your lovers -- these many nations to destroy and they will         

    knock down your brothels and idol altars and strip you and take your

    beautiful jewels.

3) I will burn your homes.

4) I will fully repay you for all your sins (from Living Bible, Verses 37-42).

 

 

This sounds harsh.

But suppose you found a one day old baby in the trash.

 

 

You cleaned her up;

Saved her life;

 

 

Gave her jewelry of gold and silver;

Dressed her in expensive clothes;

 

 

Raised her;

And she turned her back on you;

 

 

And became a harlot?

How would you feel?

 

 

That’s what God said Jerusalem did to Him.

So He let her allies abandon her;

 

 

Let her enemies attack her;

Let them take her wealth;

 

 

And let them destroy her.

In closing, some people say character doesn’t matter.

 

 

If character doesn’t matter, why did Jesus have to die?

Why do we need to be born again?

 

 

Why do we need to keep the Ten Commandments?

If character doesn’t matter, why do we need to attend Church?

 

 

Why do we need to follow the example of Christ?

If character doesn’t matter, why did God destroy Jerusalem?

 

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was asked if character matters.

He said, “The answer is an emphatic Yes!"

 

 

“Character is all that matters---our character.”

If you want your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you will have to   

have character: the character of Christ.

 

 

But you can’t inherit the character of Christ.

You have to seek it.

 

 

And you seek it by accepting Him as your Savior.

Will you do that?