The People God Looks For (Ezekiel 22:28-31)

The People God Looks For (Ezekiel 22:28-31)

 

28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken.

29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.

30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

 

1. Our God is the Almighty God. He has the power to do anything; nothing is impossible for Him. But there is one thing our Lord loves to do and that is being with the very people He created. God seeks work with us and through us, to love us, and find people to bless.

 

That is why he chose and called on Israel and then called us through Jesus Christ. He is with us and works with. Even today He is still searching for people to call on. Let us take a look at what kind of person God is looking for.

 

A) He looks for those who pray.

1. This includes intercessory prayer, meaning you pray for and on behalf of others.

 

2. The setting of today’s scripture is 130 years after northern Israel was taken over by Assyria, when Judah was taken over by Babylon, where the Lord shows visions to Ezekiel by the Kebar River.

 

God had been looking for a reason to not destroy Jerusalem for a long time. He had been looking for an excuse, and that excuse was intercessory prayer. However, not a single person within Jerusalem prayed for someone else.

 

Take a look at verse 30-31 of today’s scripture:

“30 ‘I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

 

3. Why do we need to pray for each other? The Bible illustrates the importance of intercessory prayer multiple times:

 

4. In Exodus 32, the Israelites create a golden calf then worship and idolize it, claiming it brought them out of Egypt. Seeing this, God was filled with anger and wrath and said He would annihilate the worshipers and create a new nation through Moses.

 

Just when Israel was on the verge of destruction, Moses kneeled and prayed. He asked God to save the Israelites and instead take his own name from the Book of Life. The Lord heard and granted Moses his prayers and gave the Israelites another chance. Moses’ prayer for Israel saved them.

 

5. Exodus 17 depicts another instance where Moses’ prayer for others saved Israel. When the Israelites were marching through the desert, the Amalekites attacked and killed the women and elderly who were trailing behind, leading to war. The Israelites were no match for the Amalekites for they had been in slavery all their lives and had never fought in a war.

 

But Moses prayed and the Israelites were victorious. Moses had climbed to the top of a mountain and prayed with his arms stretched out; if his arms were raised the Israelites would win while if they dropped they would lose. So Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms so they would not fall. Thus the Israelites achieved an impossible victory over the Amalekites.

 

6. In the early 1900s, there was a young man named Evan Roberts in Wales. Roberts looked upon the corrupted and decaying Britain with dismay. So, he prayed for the revival and salvation of Britain for 10 years.

 

After 10 years, the Holy Spirit took over and great revival took place in Wales. Bars closed, prisons emptied, money taken immorally was returned, miners worked in the mines while singing hymns, church pews were overflowing, and 100,000 people turned to Jesus within 2 years.

 

7. A church in the US asked if a family would volunteer to do mission work in Africa. one missionary came forth and volunteered, as long as the church agreed to always pray for him and his family. The church members promised to do so and the family left.

 

Time passed for the family and the children became sick. Not long after his wife also fell ill. He had no choice but to return home. When he did, he went back to his old church only to find that no one had been praying for him and his family. They did not even recognize or remember him. Intercessory prayer is exceedingly important.

 

B) He looks for true worshipers.

1. John 4:23 says, “23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” Who are the “true worshipers” God seeks?

 

2. They are those who worship in Spirit.

“Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit. Those who worship in spirit are those who worship in the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit. The power and work of the Holy Spirit is vital to Christian faith. Worship without the Spirit is false.

 

Worship guided by the Spirit has order, holiness, and love. Worship with the Spirit acknowledges Jesus is the Savior and praises Him. Worship without Jesus is no different from idolatry. Worship with the Spirit bears fruit. It is worship that brings love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control through and in Jesus.

 

3. They are those who worship in truth.

“Truth” refers to the Word that testifies the truth of Jesus Christ. John 14:6 says, “6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We must hear His Word and act according to it.

 

The Word is the key to a genuine life of Christian faith. For the Word to be genuine, it must speak of the Father’s love and forgiveness, as well as Jesus Christ, His Truth, His grace, His sacrifice, His revival, and His ascent into Heaven. The Gospel of Jesus needs to be preached in the purest form.

 

A pastor visited a congregation member on his deathbed. As the old man’s final moments approached him, he confessed he was scared. In his final breaths he admitted to the pastor,

 

“I have attended church for decades but not once have a properly listened to a sermon. Whenever the sermon would start I would go to sleep to make plans for my business. Now, I am moments before standing in front of God, and I can’t remember a single message. So, I’m scared.” 

 

Coming to worship out of habit or merely being in church physically is nothing but for show. There is no truth or genuineness. God seeks to find and bless those who worship in Spirit and in truth.

 

C) He looks for the righteous.

1. In today’s scripture, God laments the corruption of the prophets, priests, and officials of Judah. This is the reason why Judah was captured and slaughtered by Babylon.

 

Take a look at verses 25-27: “25 There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain.”

 

Similar things are said in Jeremiah 5:1, ““Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look

around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.”

 Since Jeremiah, the Lord said he would not destroy Jerusalem if just one righteous person were found. During Abraham’s time God asked for 10 righteous people; this time He was even more generous seeking merely one righteous person. Yet not one person in all of Jerusalem was truly righteous, leading to its destruction.

 

D) Last, He looks for repenting sinners.

1. Luke 15:3-7 tells us the parable of the shepherd and his sheep. A shepherd had 100 sheep, but one day he loses one. Despite having 99 sheep left, the shepherd searches all over for the single lost sheep, rejoicing when he finally finds it and even calling his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him.

 

2. The following verses of the same chapter tell the parable of the lost coin: “a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’”

 

3. The last story of Luke 15 is the familiar parable of the prodigal son. A father had two sons. one day, the younger son asked his father for his share of the inheritance then leaves his home, wasting his life and the money recklessly. Having nothing left, the son returns home hoping to become a servant in his father’s home. But he instead finds his father had been waiting for him. His father rejoices and welcomes him back as his son, holding a feast in celebration of his return.

 

Jesus tells us three different parables with the same message to let us know just how important it is to find what was lost. There is nothing that makes the Lord rejoice more than to have His children return to Him. God never gives up on finding His lost children. He wants us to return to Him. That is why He sent us Jesus Christ.

 

4. A missionary in Thailand wrote in 2006 that there was a tribe living in the mountains that worshiped bananas. This tribe lived in homes made of fresh banana leaves, and when theses leaves withered they would move to find more. This tribe was constantly moving, so the missionary found it difficult to preach to the Gospel of Jesus. He searched for them for 40 years before the finally found the tribe and told them about Jesus.

 

Dearest congregation! What kind of person does God look for? He looks for:

1. those who pray    2. true worshipers     3. those who are righteous

4. repenting sinners

 

Take a moment to think about the meaning behind this and understand what it is God wants from us. Let us all receive the blessing of grace God gives to those He seeks. Hallelujah!                                    *Translated ye-bin,Choi  020616