Year 3 Day 34

Year 3 Day 34


Pray (ACts)


Read - Ezekiel 2:1-2


Message - Alan Burke 


In C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia there is a name given for male and female humans. If you have read the books you’ll know it, although the significance of it may have passed you by. The Narnian name for a male human is ‘Son of Adam’ and for a female human it is ‘Daughter of Eve’. They are those who are created by the Emperor Beyond The Sea, the father of Aslan. The imagery that C.S. Lewis uses is that of scripture and the point that is made by calling male humans ‘Son of Adam’ and female humans ‘Daughter of Eve’ that we are their descendants. 


In the fall, Scripture teaches that Adam and his posterity, all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression. As Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve we are sinners by our nature. I start with this because although the English translation of the Word of God before you from Ezekiel says ‘Son of man’ literally it is ‘Son of Adam’ (there might be a footnote to this effect). 


Here we have Ezekiel a son of Adam, a fallen sinful man, in the presence of the living and true God and he is invited to stand up, on his feet. It wasn’t though in his own strength. Notice how Ezekiel is able to stand, v2, for as the Lord spoke the Spirit came into him, raised him up. It is not Ezekiel who by his own power was able to stand in the presence of the Lord it is by the work of God though the Spirit that came and raised him to his feet. 


Ezekiel had witnessed some of the greatness of God, he fell flat on his face as a sinful creature yet is enabled by the Spirit of God to be able to stand in the presence of the Holy God, the Lord God Almighty. God in his Grace, revealed himself to Ezekiel, and invited him to come and stand in his presence, but not only invited, enabled him for he could not stand before the Lord as a Son of Adam as a sinful man, but the Spirit at work enabled him to do so. 


In Acts 26 as Paul is recounting his experience on the road to Damascus (9:1-19), speaks of how when Jesus appeared to him, as he lay on the ground in the presence of the Lord Jesus, there Jesus likewise commands Paul to stand. The Triune God was at work also calling and commissioning Paul, changing his heart, Paul could not stand until the Lord graciously invited him to do so. The reason why is that the invitation is given, this command to stand, is to consciously participation in God‘s concerns, to be poised for action on his behalf. 


This is something that we who have repented and believed in the gospel are likewise able to do. Our sin is such that none of us can stand in the presence of the Holy God, yet Romans chapter 5 reminds us we are able to stand in the grace of God, we have access to the presence of the living God though faith. No longer are we the enemies of God, for those in Christ Jesus have peace, no longer do we have to lye prostate before him or do we have to knee but we can stand in the presence of the God of grace for we have been elevated to a position of privilege.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q37 What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, (Heb. 12:23) and do immediately pass into glory; (2 Cor. 5:1,6,8, Phil. 1:23, Luke 23:43) and their bodies, being still united to Christ, (1 Thess. 4:14) do rest in their graves, (Isa. 57:2) till the resurrection. (Job 19:26–27)
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