Ezekiel 36: God’s Renewing Grace and Our Transformed Hearts

1. I have been studying philosophy and theology for over 20 years. Among different philosophical ideas, I prefer empiricism, which focuses on human experience. David Hume, who wrote about empiricism in the early 18th century, said that human experience comes from our minds and inner thoughts. He believed that if we want to understand our outside experiences, we need to understand our inner minds and ideas first. His understanding of experience is that our expectations control what we experience. So, if we look at our heart, which includes our mind, will, and even emotions, we can understand the root of our outward experiences.

2. This philosophical approach helped me understand my parents' situation when I was in 9th grade and read his work for the first time. My parents didn't know how to love each other or their children. Their lives were very similar to what they had experienced with their own parents. Because they couldn't change their old ideas and ways of thinking, their past experiences shaped their present lives. This happens often in our daily lives - we experience what our minds expect. This idea helps us understand God's work of saving and changing us. Through Ezekiel 36, we will discuss what God has done in our lives and what kind of thoughts and attitudes we should have to experience His saving work.

Ezekiel 36:26–28 NASB 2020

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit 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 bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36:29–32 NASB 2020

Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. Instead, I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your wrongdoings and your abominations. I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord God; “let that be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated for your ways, house of Israel!”

3. This is a summary of the book of Ezekiel. 

The Book of Ezekiel delivers a message of hope in the midst of despair during the Babylonian exile. Ezekiel was a priest who had been living in Jerusalem during the first Babylonian attack and was taken into exile. The central theme that runs through all 48 chapters is "that you may know that I am the Lord" - a phrase that appears over 60 times throughout the book. The structure of Ezekiel reveals God's redemptive plan: chapters 1-24 contain prophecies of judgment against Jerusalem and Israel, chapters 25-32 pronounce judgment on surrounding nations, and chapters 33-48 offer promises of restoration and the new covenant. Chapter 36, which we're examining today, falls within this restoration section. Ezekiel is known as "the prophet of the Spirit" because he dealt particularly with the Person of God and spiritual transformation. His ministry was to remind the exiles that their sins had brought God's judgment and to assure them of God's future blessing and His faithfulness to keep His promises.

4. Let us talk about an outline of Ezekiel 36. 

Verses 1-15: Land Restored: God promises to restore Israel's desolate land, making it fruitful again after its enemies rejoiced in its ruin.

Verses 16-21: Judgment's Reason & God's Motive: Israel was scattered due to their defilement, but God acts for the sake of His profaned holy name, not for Israel's sake.

Verses 22-32: The New Covenant's Core

Verse 24: God gathers Israel from nations, bringing them home.

Verse 25: He cleanses them with pure water from all impurities.

Verses 26-27: God gives them a new heart and spirit, replacing stone with flesh, and puts His Spirit in them for obedience.

Verse 28: They will be His people, and He will be their God.

Verses 33-38: Restoration's Outcome: The land will flourish like Eden, and nations will recognize God's work.

5. Through Ezekiel and other prophetic books, we see a consistent pattern of God's judgment followed by restoration of Israel. The Israelites sinned against God, and as a consequence, God allowed them to be conquered and exiled by Assyria and Babylon for a specific period. However, God promised to redeem and restore them from their oppression. Within this pattern, I want to focus on Ezekiel 36:26-32, where God speaks about renewing the hearts of His people. 

6. When people define the "heart," they often have different ideas. Some think it refers to the physical organ, while others equate it with the mind or the source of emotions. In the Bible, the concept of the "heart" is multifaceted and encompasses all these aspects, acting as the core of a person's inner being. In biblical terms, the "heart" is not just a muscle pumping blood; it is the comprehensive center of a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life. It is described as the "inner man" and the essence of one's personality.

Seat of Emotions and Desires: The heart is often seen as the source of emotions, feelings, and desires, including joy, pain, love, and hatred.

Center of Intellect and Thought: The Bible also links the heart to understanding, reasoning, and thought. It's considered the place where self-consciousness occurs and where wisdom enters. In some contexts, the Greek word for "heart" (kardia) can even be translated as "mind," highlighting their close connection.

Source of Will and Decisions: The heart represents a person's will and capacity to make decisions. It's the place where intentions are formed, and where one chooses to be obedient or rebellious.

Essentially, the heart is the command center of a person's internal life, serving as the origin of all thoughts, feelings, and volitions, whether good or evil. It is the foundation from which all outward experiences and actions flow, as it directs one's words and actions.

Matthew 5:8 ESV

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Romans 2:14–16 NLT

Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

James 4:8–9 NIV

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

7. In this way, the heart the Bible talks about is the center of our whole personality. God's promise to give us a new heart means He will soften and change our stubborn "heart of stone." I have also experienced this kind of change in my own life. My right heart is the source of my life's motivation. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes, which meant I needed to start a special diet. I had actually known for several years before my diagnosis that I needed to make a change, but my mind was too lazy to start, and I kept postponing. However, through this diabetic journey, God gave me the motivation in my heart. I realized I had to start a special diet to control my blood sugar. In six months, I lost 16 kg and successfully managed my condition. I believe this was part of God's healing in my life. God renewed my mind, and my will is now able to follow God's motivation to take control.

Proverbs 3:5–6 MSG

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

8. We know from experience that we can't truly follow God or accept Jesus using just our own understanding. That's because our minds always lean towards our own desires—we always want to do what we want. This makes it impossible to hear God's voice when we're focused on our own wishes. Our expectations can also prevent us from experiencing God's love; we often only experience what we're looking for. This is why we can't fully understand God unless we let go of our own desires. But we also know we can't abandon those desires unless God renews our minds first. 

9. Through the prophet Ezekiel, we can understand why the Israelites failed to keep their minds and hearts focused on God. This was primarily due to their lustful desires. In chapter 16, Ezekiel explains that their failure was because they pursued earthly wealth and lust. Later, in chapter 22, he shows how they abandoned God's law to fulfill their own desires, leading to their disobedience. In essence, they had no intention of following God at all. In this situation, God showed the Israelites that He would renew their hearts, not just their behavior. God's redemptive work would focus on their hearts. He promised to give the Israelites new minds, wills, and emotions. Only then would they begin to experience God's new work.

10. God glorifies His holy name by saving His people. All of this happens not because of anything we do, but entirely through God's grace and righteousness, which were accomplished through Christ alone. In the Old Testament, God always redeemed His people from a specific place or country. Because of this, the concept of holiness in the Old Testament meant setting His people apart from a particular location for His name's sake. A key example of His redemptive work in the Old Testament is the Exodus. Now, in the New Testament, while His people are still set apart for God, God chose to perform a new, special work. He sent His only Son to be with us, which means Emmanuel (God with us).

Matthew 1:22–23 NASB 2020

Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

11. As I mentioned earlier in this sermon, our mind, will, and emotions are the foundation of our experience. In other words, to experience God's work, we must first know God. God chose to demonstrate His love by sending His only Son. Therefore, knowing Jesus Christ is to know God Himself, because God decided to reveal Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:1–2 NASB 2020

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.

Hebrews 1:3–4 NASB 2020

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

John 12:44–45 NASB 2020

Now Jesus cried out and said, “The one who believes in Me, does not believe only in Me, but also in Him who sent Me. And the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.

12. So, God decided to renew our minds when we know Jesus Christ. However, we can't fully know Jesus Christ unless the Holy Spirit helps us. This is why knowing Jesus Christ and the renewal of our hearts is the Holy Spirit's primary work within us. Then, because of the Spirit's renewing work, we can begin to truly know Jesus and experience His love. This is all part of God's grace.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NASB 2020

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

13. Because we know Jesus through His grace, we are able to experience His grace in our daily lives. This is because our entire life is a consequence of God's redeeming grace through Christ. Therefore, it is right for us to live our lives with a heart renewed by God first, and to experience God's love every day. Because our hearts are renewed by God, we know how to live our lives. However, sometimes people teach that we can experience God only when we follow God's law. While this might be partially true, it often leads to legalism. The reason God shows His grace is precisely to renew our minds. Through God's grace, we can abandon our old desires, minds, and emotions. Then, we can truly know what we should do, as Paul mentions in Romans 12:1-2.

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

14. I don't agree with the Church Growth movement that Donald McGavran promoted starting in the 1980s. This movement primarily focused on the church as an organization that should constantly increase in size. It suggested that a healthy church must grow numerically. Because of this, people began comparing their churches to others. If their numbers were smaller, they often felt like a failure. This approach has created a false understanding and experience of what the church truly is. I believe if a church is truly spiritually healthy, its main focus will be on renewing its mind in Christ first. Before asking about church growth, people in such a church will ask, "How can we renew our minds with the help of the Holy Spirit?" This is the core of both church life and a Christian's life. The most important work of the church isn't just about asking for God's blessings. Instead, we should seek God's renewing work every day and every moment. Then, through God's renewal in us, we can begin to experience God, His presence, and His great love. We shouldn't just try to change our outward behavior. Before doing that, we should examine our hearts first with the Word of God. Only then can we ask God to lead us in His way.

podcast: https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/8f08f90a-8223-4daf-bf78-6137ab6b0175/audio

Quiz

Answer each question in 2-3 sentences.

• According to the speaker, how does David Hume's understanding of "experience" relate to our "heart"?

• How did the speaker's parents' situation illustrate Hume's philosophical idea about experience?

• What is the central theme that appears over 60 times throughout the Book of Ezekiel?

• Within the outline of Ezekiel 36, what is promised in verses 26-27 regarding the "heart"?

• Beyond being a physical organ, how does the Bible define the "heart"?

• How did the speaker's personal experience with diabetes demonstrate God's renewing work in their life?

• Why does the speaker believe humans cannot truly follow God or accept Jesus using only their own understanding?

• According to Ezekiel chapters 16 and 22, what was the primary reason the Israelites failed to keep their minds and hearts focused on God?

• In the New Testament, how does God demonstrate His redemptive work and reveal Himself to humanity?

• Why does the speaker disagree with the Church Growth movement, and what do they believe should be the core focus of a healthy church?

Answer Key

• Hume believed that our expectations control what we experience. The speaker connects this to the "heart" (mind, will, emotions) by stating that understanding our inner heart is key to understanding the root of our outward experiences.

• The speaker's parents were unable to change their old ideas and ways of thinking, causing their past experiences to shape their present lives in a negative cycle. This exemplified Hume's idea that our minds expect and thus experience certain realities.

• The central theme that runs through all 48 chapters of the Book of Ezekiel is "that you may know that I am the Lord," a phrase emphasized as appearing over 60 times.

• In Ezekiel 36:26-27, God promises to give His people a new heart and put a new spirit within them. He also vows to remove their heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh, and to put His Spirit in them for obedience.

• In the Bible, the "heart" is defined as the comprehensive center of a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life. It is considered the core of one's inner being, encompassing emotions, intellect, and will.

• The speaker's diabetes diagnosis motivated them to adopt a special diet, losing 16 kg. They realized this was God's healing, renewing their mind and enabling their will to follow His motivation for self-control, despite prior laziness.

• The speaker believes humans cannot follow God or accept Jesus with their own understanding because our minds naturally lean towards our own desires, making it impossible to hear God's voice when self-focused. Our expectations also limit what we experience.

• According to Ezekiel chapters 16 and 22, the Israelites' failure to focus on God was primarily due to their lustful desires, their pursuit of earthly wealth, and their abandonment of God's law to fulfill their own wishes.

• In the New Testament, God demonstrates His redemptive work and reveals Himself by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be with us, fulfilling the prophecy of "Immanuel" (God with us). Knowing Jesus is therefore knowing God.

• The speaker disagrees with the Church Growth movement's focus on numerical increase, which they believe creates a false understanding of the church. They advocate that a healthy church's core focus should be on renewing its mind in Christ with the Holy Spirit's help, rather than just seeking blessings or comparing numbers.