Title: Good Church (Ezekiel 47:1-12)
If the life of the people of Israel can be described in one word, it can be said to be a <temple-centered life>. First of all, if we look only at the wilderness life, they lived only centered on the tabernacle. When they marched in the wilderness, they marched around the tabernacle, and when they set up camp, they camped and rested around the tabernacle. And even after they settled in Canaan and built the temple, they lived only around the temple.
There was a time when they were invaded by Babylon and taken captive, and in the midst of that, they lived while looking at them. We prayed toward the temple and kept our faith while looking at propaganda. In particular, if we look at Daniel, we can see how thoroughly he lived his life centered on the temple.
Dan 6:10 - "When Daniel knew that this decree had been signed, he went back to his house and went to Jerusalem in the room and from the open window he got down on his knees three times a day in prayer and gave thanks to God, as he had done before.
What is surprising, however, is the fact that God's amazing work has always supported the faith that was centered on the temple. People who ate only grass had greasy faces, and they were much healthier than those who ate meat. He went into the den of hungry lions and nothing happened, and when he went into the scorching furnace, not a single hair was scorched. It means that even if the body cannot go to the temple, God is pleased and blesses those whose hearts are open toward the temple of God.
The church is a place where we worship God. Of course, God is everywhere. There is no place in this outer space that is not. In theological terms, this is called “the omnipresence of God”. He is also said to be an omnipresent God. But even as such a great and broad God, God's heart always stays in a place called by His name, and He is interested in the gatherings of those who believe and fear Him. So he says to Solomon:
1 Kings 9:3 - "I will sanctify this house that you have built, and I will set my name there forever, and my eyes and my heart will always be there."
In other words, the temple is where God's <eyes and heart> always stay. It says that the place where God watches and is present is the temple.
That's what the Bible says about it.
1 Kings 8:37-39 “If there is a famine or a pestilence in the land, if there is a famine or a pestilence, if there is a grain withers or a rot, or locusts or locusts arise, or if an enemy country comes and surrounds the city, or if there is any plague or any disease, If you stretch out your hands and make any prayer or any supplication, hear from your dwelling place in heaven, and forgive and give back."
Therefore, the temple is a place where God's blessings come. It is a place where prayers to God are received and worship is answered.
However, not all churches receive God's blessing just as God received <Abel>'s altar but did not receive <Cain>'s altar. You need to know that there are churches that God approves, and there are churches that God does not.
Now, our church has become a church recognized by God, and I pray that you will meet God here, grow your faith here, receive grace and blessings here, have beautiful fellowship here, and become the saints who win the victory of faith .
From the words we read now, we can see what kind of church our church must become today to become a good church that receives God's approval and God's love.
The text is the church in the vision that the prophet Ezekiel saw. This is the vision God showed him when he was taken captive to Babylon and was in deep frustration and disappointment. Its content is that 'in the near future, we will be liberated and return to our homeland, and we will restore the lost temple'. In other words, it is the word that shows the vision of the restoration of the temple. Therefore, the temple in this vision is also a model for the new temple that God will make in the future.
If you look here, the water flows from under the threshold of God's temple facing east. The water flows out of the temple. We measure the amount of water according to God's instructions, and the amount of water is increasing. After measuring a thousand cubits for the first time, when I entered, the water that had filled my ankles was filled to my knees again after I measured a thousand cubits. Then, after measuring a thousand cubits again, he went in, and this time he was kicked to the waist, and after measuring a thousand cubits again, he had to swim because he couldn't just cross on foot.
Then, in the place where the water continues to flow, the Dead Sea, the sea of death, turns into a sea of life, and many fish live there. Various fruit trees grow on the left and right of the river. Fruits are constantly growing, and the leaves of the trees become medicinal herbs.
This vision presents a vision for a new church. It is saying that our church will become such a church, and the water of life will overflow like a river, affecting this region and the whole world. This is the reason why I chose this sermon for the first Sunday of the new year. What kind of church should our church be?
1. It is an east-facing church.
1 - "He brought me to the gate of the temple, and the front of the temple was facing east."
The fact that the temple faces east here means that it is facing the sun. Because east is the direction the sun rises.
Mal 4:2 - "For you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with a healing beam, and you will go out and leap like calves out of the stall."
Here, the sun refers to Jesus Christ, the Sun of righteousness that forgives our sins and heals our sick bodies. Therefore, a good church is one where Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness, is always at the center, and all the saints aim only for Jesus Christ. Because the church without Jesus Christ, the church from which Jesus Christ has departed, is no longer a church, and is just a fellowship in the world.
A person who likes the night is not a wholesome person. So everyone waits for the dark night to pass quickly and the bright sun to rise. Therefore, the sun is the hope of salvation that brings a healthy tomorrow and promises a hopeful future.
Jesus Christ is the One who always promises a healthy tomorrow and brings a blessed future. Therefore, our church must always keep an eye on Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. Because such a church is a good church.
When Peter looked at the Lord and went out, he could walk on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, but when he turned his gaze away, he fell into the water. Just as the direction of the temple always faces east, our gaze must always be directed toward Jesus Christ. Instead of turning our ears away from His words, we must come before the Lord, expecting what He will give us today.
When our church always has hope in Jesus Christ and all the saints have a vision, our church will become a better church. In the new year, may we all have higher dreams and greater visions of Jesus Christ.
2. It is a church where the water of life flows.
1 - "He brought me to the gate of the temple, and the front of the temple was facing east, and water came out from under the threshold and flowed to the east, and then flowed down to the right hand side of the temple, the husband of the altar."
If you look here, water flows under the threshold of the temple, and wherever the water flows, the work of life takes place. The dead sea of salt becomes the sea of life, various fruits are opened in the forests on the left and right of the river, and the leaves are used as medicines to heal the sick.
That water of life came straight out of the temple. That's right. A good church should be a place where the water of life flows abundantly. Therefore, it should be a place where not only sinners can be saved, but the sick can be healed, and broken hearts can be healed and comforted.
However, they are telling us not to just look at the water of life, but to go in and check it. So Ezekiel goes in and confirms. First on the ankle, then on the knee. When I went back in, I had to wear it on my waist, and when I went back in, I had to swim. It is not a grace that kicks in the ankle. It's about being completely immersed in the water of grace and swimming. It means not only that a church with abundant water of life is a good church, but also that those who completely entrust themselves to the water of grace and live like that are good saints. <Hallelujah>
So the Lord is telling us today:
John 7:37,38 - "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture says, from his belly will flow rivers of living water."
John 4:14 - "He who drinks the water that I will give him will never thirst. The water I will give him will become in him a spring of water springing up to eternal life."
Just as the grains and vegetables in my paddy field can grow fresh by bringing flowing water into my fields, so the water flowing from the temple of God must flow into my stomach, not elsewhere. For that, the Lord tells us to <drink>.
The church is a place to drink living water. Worshiping God is meeting living water, listening to a sermon is drinking living water, and singing a hymn is singing the joy and emotion of drinking living water. We pray that our church will become a church with abundant water of life, and that the saints will drink the water of life satisfactorily.
3. It is a church where the water of life spreads.
In the church in the vision Ezekiel saw, the water of life did not only exist in abundance, but as it turned and flowed in all directions, the ditch water became river water, and the river water became the sea again. And as the water spread out, a miracle happened, saving countless lives.
This explains the missionary mission that our church must fulfill today. This is a word that explains that a good church is a church that saves many people by distributing the water of life to all sides.
The water of life that God gives is by no means small. It's not just about what I can eat, it's about the amount that everyone can eat. A person who has a clear purpose in life knows that the number of lives is so abundant just as the influence of that life is widespread and spread, and so must the mission.
People who do not know the purpose of life are only putting all their energy into solving one problem for their family members. No matter how educated or rich people are, people who live without realizing their mission other than themselves are ordinary people.
A person of God is a person who shares his purpose with God. I am a person who tries to align my will and vision with God's will and vision. People of God are people who try to know what the purpose of our coming to this world is and try to achieve that purpose. Take a look at today's text. It is said that when the water of life entered the sea full of death, the sea overflowed with life.
47:8 - "Wherever this river goes, every living creature that prospers will live, and there will be very many fish; and the water will flow in, and the sea will be refreshed, and everything will live wherever it goes."
Our church is a church that has been given a mission to do just that. It is a church with a mission to make the work of gaining life and life for all people through the gospel we preach. So we pride ourselves on being a good church.
In the new year, our church also increased the cost of the mission to further broaden the scope of missions. We will send more missionaries and help more difficult churches. This is because we believe in your prayers and devotion without any doubt.
Let's read the New Year's motto of our church together.
<A church serving the world with love>
I pray that you will become the saints who make our church a better church.