Highland, here is a recap of our current sermon series. I want to keep the Lord’s Word before your eyes so that you can continue to desire and delight in His ways, Highland. This sermon-series is centered on understanding generational sin, our personal relationship with the Lord and the character of God. Here is the framework of our series:
Our Overall Emphasis: An In-House, In-Heart look at Highland. Through Ezekiel 18, our purpose throughout this stint is for us to take an in-house look at our hearts, Highland; our personal relationship with the Lord, as it relates to the outworking of HIS righteousness in our lives.
Our Hope: Lord, give Highland a spirit of repentance so that we can experience a season of refreshing.
Our Initial Text
Ezekiel 18:1-4, HCSB
“The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel:
‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?'
“As I live” —this is the declaration of the Lord God— “you will no longer use this proverb in Israel. 4 Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.”
About the sour-grapes statement: The Israelites were allowing this saying to circulate throughout their days. This saying/proverb picked up a lot of traction because it’s based on how they felt about God’s Word, however their feelings were not based on truth, hence they were misguided by their feelings.
What the statement means: The proverb means that the sons and daughters who were in captivity felt that they were having to pay for their past generations’ sin. When you see someone eat something sour, then as you observe, typically, onlookers will whence and recoil at the thought of being offered that which is sour. Furthermore, the statement indicates that the sour grapes were an inevitable and unavoidable option, hence, the children’s teeth are set on edge, meaning that they are expecting to receive the sinfully-offensive and hostile nature of their father’s relationship with the Lord.
Our Biblical Journey: This then begs us to look more closely at the passage that speaks to the nature of generational sin. To start this closer look, we must take a trip back to Sinai and look back at the 10 Commandments.
Our Most Current Text
Exodus 20:4, ESV
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
A Closer Look at this Text
’You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything…’
As we look closer at this command, note that we are told not to make a carved image. To create or make for ourselves an idol is not simply a common wrestling with temptation from sin, or dealing with the difficulty of our former sin-nature, it is an intentional act of defiance of the Lord’s renown.
To create or make an idol is to rob the Lord of worship due to Him, alone. The Israelites knew the Lord as Deliverer from slavery and had encountered His holiness and power. To create and worship a graven image would be a violation of His Lordship and character, demonstrating our heart’s posture toward the Lord is intentional to deny Him as Lord.
We will continue to look at the rest of this passage throughout this series, hinging back over to Ezekiel 18 as well, plus tying in the new covenant work of Christ Jesus on our behalf. Stay tuned.
Finally, Highland, as we maintain the fruits of repentance, it is my desire that we, as the Highland-tribe, be defined as people who hunger and thirst for His righteousness. May we continue to forsake any other god, cast down idols and yearn to be unhinged from our sin-nature; pressing on to exalt the Lord throughout every circumstance within our lives. He is God! For those who know Christ Jesus as Lord, He is also our Father and He loves us! Let us love Him back with all of our hearts by allowing Him to take His rightful place within our hearts - as Lord!
Honored to serve you, Highland,
Rob