Something Greater Part 2-New Coverings
(I will be posting "Something Greater" in four parts. This is part 2. Check back tomorrow for the next installment!)
Ezekiel 37:8, “Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.”
Let’s return again to our vision. At the beginning, Ezekiel saw the dry bones scattered all over the valley. Then in the first step, all the bones became connected with each other in their proper places. However, that did not mean they were all set to receive something greater from God-they were still just a bunch of skeletons lying around in a valley! At that point, the scene would have looked far more like a bad horror movie than a revival service. So in step number two, these skeletons were covered with muscles and skin-they now had fully formed bodies and once again looked human!
This experience represents the spiritual covering we need to receive as believers today. What is the covering God wants to put upon you? The covering of His righteousness, the righteousness which comes through faith in Jesus Christ. His righteousness will cover us like a robe (Isaiah 61:10), making us a brand new person. Without the righteousness of Christ upon us, we will be like the skeletons in the vision-ugly, hideous, and without any useful form.
What would you rather wear anyway, a beautiful robe or some filthy rags? Isaiah 64:6 tells us that our righteousness, or all the good things we can do on our own strength, are no better than filthy rags, soiled garments that are an embarrassment to all around. Too often believers try to be righteous in their own strength, in their own power. You want to be a good Christian, so you tell yourself you’re going to stop committing a certain sin. Or you make a list of rules, swearing to follow them-ensuring yourself that if you can just follow those rules, then you will please God. But trying to be righteous in your own power is futile-you will always return to your sin or exchange it for a new one. Sin’s vicious cycle cannot be broken with our meager might!
That’s the bad news, but the good news is that when you accept the righteousness of Christ you can beat sin every single time! True righteousness does not come by following an external list of rules or through our own willpower, but through realizing the victory Christ won on the cross and accepting that victory in faith. If we cry out to God for His righteousness to cover us, He will give us power to live a life that glorifies Him. It won’t be accomplished through our discipline or good works, but His righteousness will change us on the inside and then enable us to have discipline and display good works.
In Zechariah 3, the prophet saw a vision of Joshua the High Priest standing before the Lord in filthy clothes. Satan was standing next to Joshua, reminding the Lord of all of Joshua’s terrible sins. How did the Lord respond to this situation, hearing the sins and seeing the filthy garments of the man who was supposed to be his servant? Did God condemn him and cast him out? No, the Lord rebuked Satan and gave Joshua a completely pure set of new clothes! And that is how God wants to respond to you-He wants to cast your old sins away and change your heart so that you can go and sin no more! But for this exchange to happen, you must ask God for His righteousness. Repent of your sins, repent of your self-reliance, and ask God today for His power to be all that He wants you to be.
2) Accept New Coverings
Ezekiel 37:8, “Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.”
Let’s return again to our vision. At the beginning, Ezekiel saw the dry bones scattered all over the valley. Then in the first step, all the bones became connected with each other in their proper places. However, that did not mean they were all set to receive something greater from God-they were still just a bunch of skeletons lying around in a valley! At that point, the scene would have looked far more like a bad horror movie than a revival service. So in step number two, these skeletons were covered with muscles and skin-they now had fully formed bodies and once again looked human!
This experience represents the spiritual covering we need to receive as believers today. What is the covering God wants to put upon you? The covering of His righteousness, the righteousness which comes through faith in Jesus Christ. His righteousness will cover us like a robe (Isaiah 61:10), making us a brand new person. Without the righteousness of Christ upon us, we will be like the skeletons in the vision-ugly, hideous, and without any useful form.
What would you rather wear anyway, a beautiful robe or some filthy rags? Isaiah 64:6 tells us that our righteousness, or all the good things we can do on our own strength, are no better than filthy rags, soiled garments that are an embarrassment to all around. Too often believers try to be righteous in their own strength, in their own power. You want to be a good Christian, so you tell yourself you’re going to stop committing a certain sin. Or you make a list of rules, swearing to follow them-ensuring yourself that if you can just follow those rules, then you will please God. But trying to be righteous in your own power is futile-you will always return to your sin or exchange it for a new one. Sin’s vicious cycle cannot be broken with our meager might!
That’s the bad news, but the good news is that when you accept the righteousness of Christ you can beat sin every single time! True righteousness does not come by following an external list of rules or through our own willpower, but through realizing the victory Christ won on the cross and accepting that victory in faith. If we cry out to God for His righteousness to cover us, He will give us power to live a life that glorifies Him. It won’t be accomplished through our discipline or good works, but His righteousness will change us on the inside and then enable us to have discipline and display good works.
In Zechariah 3, the prophet saw a vision of Joshua the High Priest standing before the Lord in filthy clothes. Satan was standing next to Joshua, reminding the Lord of all of Joshua’s terrible sins. How did the Lord respond to this situation, hearing the sins and seeing the filthy garments of the man who was supposed to be his servant? Did God condemn him and cast him out? No, the Lord rebuked Satan and gave Joshua a completely pure set of new clothes! And that is how God wants to respond to you-He wants to cast your old sins away and change your heart so that you can go and sin no more! But for this exchange to happen, you must ask God for His righteousness. Repent of your sins, repent of your self-reliance, and ask God today for His power to be all that He wants you to be.
posted by Cameron at 12:53 AM
1 Comments:
"At that point, the scene would have looked far more like a bad horror movie than a revival service."
HAHAHHAHA. Hilarious.
Great articles, Cameron! :)
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