Recently, I had a terrible experience at a restaurant I used to frequent because of its good food. But for the past few years, the restaurant has been in decline. The service is not up to par, the staff is indifferent, the proprietors don't seem to care about improving, the wait times for food are long, and the food quality has declined. I had hoped against hope that the restaurant would improve, but it didn't. After my latest experience, which was really for nostalgic purposes, I said to myself, "Enough is enough. I'm never going back." My patience with that restaurant ran out.
I'm sure you have had a similar experience with all types of stores, businesses, and service operators—from airlines to grocery stores, from hair salons to even schools. You've had enough; your patience has reached its justified end, and you say, "I'm never coming back."
Now, what about when it comes to dealing with people? How many times have you threatened someone, saying, "If you continue doing what you're doing—like abusing drugs and alcohol, not paying back a loan, lying to me, betraying me, speaking badly about me behind my back, threatening me, stealing from me—I'm going to have to distance myself from you, cut you off, and stop being your friend." And when they won't stop, you finally have had enough. You break off that relationship because you can't put up with their toxicity and their destructive behavior. I'm sure many of you have had these justified experiences.
Now, if I asked you if you believe God could do this to His people, what would be your answer? You may say no because you know God to be a loving, gracious, and forgiving God, which He is. However, you may be surprised to know that in the Bible, there are times when God's patience runs out. When His own people won't stop or change their sinful ways, He justifiably had to leave them. One of those times was the sad day when God's glory left His people. It happened in the Old Testament and is described in the Book of Ezekiel. If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to the Book of Ezekiel as we begin in chapter 8, continuing our sermon series, "Checkmate."
Now, you may be wondering why we will be talking about the day the glory of God left the temple even before we talk about its building and construction in our sermon series on the life of King Solomon. The reason is that I want us to see that while the building of God's temple in Jerusalem was very special and commanded by God in the Old Testament, what was more important to Him is the heart condition of the people and how they lived in relationship to Him.
You see, to the Lord, it's always been about obedience over sacrifice, attitudes over actions, and a right heart over works. The people were not to build a temple as simply an exercise for project completion, but it should be driven by their love for God, with the right attitude and a right heart. Even after the building of the temple, their love for God should have shone through. Because, my friends, one's relationship with God should always be consistent, coming from a heart that genuinely loves Him and desires to be in intimate fellowship with Him.
So let's look at what happened that caused God's patience to run out, so we can avoid it happening in our own relationship with the Lord, to ensure that there be no barriers or hindrances in our fellowship with the Lord today.
Today, as you're turning to Ezekiel 8, by way of reminder, in the Old Testament, before the sending of God the Holy Spirit, after God the Son, Jesus Christ, died, resurrected, and ascended, the glory of God—the very physical presence of God—resided in the temple in Jerusalem. Specifically, it was in the Holy of Holies on the Mercy Seat between the two guardian cherubim on top of the Ark of the Covenant. That's why no one was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies except the high priest once a year, because God's holy presence was there, lest they die. That's also why one could not touch the Ark of the Covenant, or else they too would die because of God's holy presence.
Perhaps the people of Ezekiel's time began to take God's presence with them for granted, just like we do today. Because the people of Israel continued to sin or reverted back to their wicked ways, especially those living in the city of Jerusalem, they were doing wicked things even though God's presence and glory was residing right there with them in the city. That's why the prophet Ezekiel, in chapters 4 to 7 of his book, prophesied about the judgment for the Jewish people in the then-future siege and destruction of Jerusalem.
But what horrible sins and wickedness specifically did the people commit to deserve God's rightful wrath as His patience ran out? It is described in chapters 8 to 11. In verses 1 to 3 of chapter 8, Ezekiel is shown a prophetic vision. According to these verses, while the elders of Judah were in his house seeking counsel, Ezekiel sees a theophany of God, or an appearance of God, with a description like that of what he first saw in chapter 1 of his book. In this vision, Ezekiel was transported to Jerusalem, as verse 3 says, and taken to the north gate of the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon. There, in God's holy place, God will show Ezekiel just how far wickedness had worked its way into the lives of the people. It will be a sad vision of sin's ugly progression.
Let me give you the principle first, and then we'll flesh out the details.
Number one: God's patience runs out when sin's ugly progression is unstopped. God's patience runs out when sin's ugly progression is unstopped. What does this progression look like? Let's take a look, starting in verse 4 of chapter 8.
"And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain. And He said to me, 'Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.' So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance there by the north gate of God's temple." The people had put up an idol. Ezekiel refers to it as the image of jealousy, which provoked God to be jealous for His people. God was deeply offended by this idol in His house, a place that was supposedly holy.
As I mentioned previously, jealousy is not a sin if that jealousy is for something that is rightfully yours. God was rightfully jealous for His people, and to see an idol there taking the people's rightful worship of the one true God caused Him to be rightfully jealous. Although unnamed, many biblical scholars believe this idol to be Asherah, the Canaanite goddess of fertility, because previous evil kings like King Manasseh had done such a thing.
My friends, can you imagine putting a giant idol by the gate of this church? I think most of you, hopefully, would oppose such a sacrilegious act. And yet, many of us have erected idols in the doorways of our lives that make God rightfully jealous. An idol is anything in your life that takes priority over Him—be it your work, your studies, your career, your hobbies, your social media time, your time in general, or your family.
Look at verse 6: "Furthermore, He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again; you will see greater abominations.'" After seeing this idol so close to where the glory of God resided, God said very clearly that this wickedness and sin would make Him go far away from His sanctuary.
My friends, sin drives God away. Sin drives God away. If idols, wickedness, and sin are what people want, then God will not stick around. It is something we need to understand: God will not fight for our attention. He doesn't need to. He's already done so much and poured out His grace in our lives that should be enough for us to seek and worship Him daily.
As Christians, if we want God to be with us and if we want to fellowship with Him, then we should avoid sin. If we are willfully sinning and living in disobedience and wickedness, then our relationship and fellowship with God will be strained. That's why spiritual growth and spiritual maturity, love for God, will not happen if there's undealt with sin in our lives. That's why so many people often wonder why they're not growing in their Christian faith walk—because of unchecked and accepted sins in their lives.
The first step in sin's ugly progression in our lives is this: a sin in plain sight—unchecked and accepted sin in plain sight. My friends, if you allow a little sin and tolerate a slippage in your character, then quite frankly, you're doing nothing about sin. It is left unchecked and accepted. And when you or someone else knows that we can seemingly get away with sin, it will be done more often.
We may think to ourselves, "Well, no one saw me. I didn't get caught. Nothing bad happened to me, so I guess I can continue to do it. God doesn't care." I've had it said to me, "Pastor, don't always harp on the fact that students cheat. Everyone cheats. All students do, especially in Chinese language subjects. It's been happening for decades. It is a fact of life, and it is normal."
As someone who was cheated in the past as a student, I know this to be true. I know it is rampant. But my response is, if I don't talk about it, and if you accept cheating in school to be okay—even encouraging it, as some parents do—then you have no moral authority to get mad at politicians and government officials who steal. See my point? Because in both cases, you are accepting sin and leaving it unchecked.
That's why character counts. Even if everyone is doing it, it doesn't make it right. The truest test of character is doing what is God-honoring even when no one is looking.
Now, if you thought that bringing an idol into the house of God was bad, God says it gets worse. Look at verses 7 to 10: "So He brought me to the door of the court, and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall. Then He said to me, 'Son of man, dig into the wall.' And when I dug into the wall, there was a door. And He said to me, 'Go in and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.' So I went in and saw, and there, every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel portrayed all around on the walls."
The Bible tells us God took Ezekiel in that vision to a hole in the wall of the inner court. Ezekiel was told to dig into the wall. When he sees a door, and when he enters that door, Ezekiel sees all kinds of gross, crawling things, abominable beasts, and idols of various types. Perhaps there were idols from all the nations that surrounded Israel that the Jewish people had adopted at one point or another in their history. These idols were hidden in this concealed wall, brought inside the temple in secret.
And look, it gets worse. Verse 11: "And there stood before them 70 men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up." Here, the Bible tells us Ezekiel sees 70 men who were leaders of the city of Jerusalem. He recognized one of them as being Jaazaniah, whose family was faithful to God. Ezekiel was so surprised to see him with these 70 elders doing these evil things.
Verses 12-13: "Then He said to me, 'Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, "The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land."'" And He said to me, "Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing."
These 70 leaders of Jerusalem were each offering prayers to their own preferred false gods in the form of idols right inside God's temple. They do it in the dark, thinking God cannot see them, and they do it because they think He has forsaken the land. These are leaders, mind you, which shows that no one is immune from hidden sins—a warning to those in leadership. They thought they could do whatever they wanted because God doesn't see nor care. But God does see them; He knows where they're hiding.
You know, it's like people worshiping the idols of their phones, even this morning, checking messages and playing games when they have come to supposedly worship God. They don't think anyone sees, but God sees. Sadly, the progression of sin went from sin in plain sight to sin in the dark—hidden corners of their lives. That is the next progression of sin: sin is hidden, unseen except by God.
Let me ask you a hypothetical question: which is worse, sin in plain sight or sin that is hidden? I would suggest that sin that is hidden is worse because when it is in the dark places of our hearts, we begin to think that God is not able to see it and forget that He does. People who have hidden sins do not address the sins by the very fact that they are hiding it. It is tolerated in our lives. You are not ashamed to do it; you hide it because you think no one will find out.
These hidden sins are harder than the ones in plain sight because there is no one to rebuke you, no one to call you out, no one to keep you accountable. They are the sins only others know about if you share about it, but you and I don't. That means these hidden sins are the ones that you alone need to want to deal with, or else it just sits there. But most choose not to address these hidden sins—like lustful thoughts, inappropriate fantasies, pride and envy, watching porn, hatred, deceit, revenge, and the list goes on.
If what is happening in your rooms behind closed doors, or on your screens, or in your minds were suddenly exposed, what would people see? I'm sure they would find sins that are actually quite dark. That's why we're always shocked when we find out about the moral failings of a pastor. But we should not be. Just because someone is a pastor or a minister or is experienced or famous doesn't mean he or she cannot sin. A quick Google search can list famous and not-so-famous people who were in Christian ministry but have been disciplined because of undealt with hidden sins that were exposed.
My friends, pray for those in the forefront of ministry that not only will they be protected from Satan's temptations and attacks, but that they will openly deal with hidden sins and issues in their own lives if there are any. No one is perfect, but that doesn't mean we allow hidden sins to stay hidden. Sadly, these hidden sins weren't even the worst of it.
Look at verses 14 and 15: "So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord's house, and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. Then He said to me, 'Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again; you will see greater abominations than this.'" Ezekiel was brought by God to the entrance of the north gate of the temple. There he sees many women crying and weeping for the false god Tammuz. Tammuz is the alternative name of the Babylonian god, a deity associated with fertility and vegetation.
The people had replaced the one true God, who gave life and provides rain, with a false god who really didn't do anything. But what is different here is that there is now an emotional connection with the sin. This is part of the ugly progression of sin. See, there is an emotional connection to sin. There is an emotional connection to sin. When you long for sin, that means the things of God no longer appeal to you. When you love something more than you love God, then you won't care about the things of God.
What happens to people who were once on fire for the Lord, especially when they were young, but then forget about Him as they get older? What happens is that they are overtaken by life events. They begin to place greater importance on other things rather than God. They prioritize and love someone more than they love God. Oh, they would say they love God, but the problem is they love someone or something else more.
Remember what is the condemnation of the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:4? What was the condemnation? They left their first love. They left their first love. Life happens; people get busy; other things take priority. So we naturally fall in love with life's many idols and sinful acts.
My friends, there's really no one method for not sinning. The only effective method is for you to love God more than you love sin. We must love God and hate sin. That is how we deal with sin—with the help of the Holy Spirit. If you love the things of life more, you will never sacrificially live for the Lord because you cannot emotionally break from your sins.
Priorities in life show God, show ourselves, and show the world what we truly love the most. Emotional connections are very strong, and when you are emotionally attached to something, it is very hard to break away from it. That's why in marriage, the Bible tells us we are to leave and to cleave. Because unless you break the strong emotional bond with your parents, you will never be able to love your spouse with a love that is stronger than your love for your parents.
And that's why there are problems with married couples where the man is still a mama's boy or the woman is still a daddy's girl, first and foremost. That poses a lot of issues in a marriage relationship. Likewise, if you don't break the emotional love for the things of the world and of sin, you will never be able to really love God as He should be loved for all that He has done.
When we are emotionally attached to sin and sinful acts, it is very hard to stop doing it. That's why it should be no wonderment how a person can continue to sin and lie and cheat and not feel embarrassed about it. They have grown immune to sin because they love their sinful lifestyle and their sinful thoughts and are used to it so much so that doing right isn't worth doing.
There are many of us whose emotional connections to sin and sinful lifestyles are such that doing right—doing what God wants—just isn't worth doing. No one is going to give up sinful living if they truly enjoy it unless the emotional ties are broken with the help of the Holy Spirit.
But it gets worse. Look at verses 16 to 18: "So He brought me to the inner court of the Lord's house, and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about 25 men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. And He said to me, 'Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence, then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore, I also will act in fury; My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.'"
God now leads Ezekiel into the inner court of the temple, and there he sees 25 men who were most likely priests because of the place where they were—only priests were allowed. These 25 men should have been offering sacrifices to God for their sins and the sins of the people, but instead, they were worshiping the sun in the east.
You see, Solomon's temple was built facing the east, so the priests' backs were turned away from the one true God's presence in the Holy of Holies. In their position, they literally turned their backs to God in His own house. Imagine that! What is so terrible about this is that these priests, who were supposed to be the guardians of the things of God, who were to set an example to the people, did not. They, who were supposed to prevent sin from spreading, actually caused the wickedness and evil to spread to the entire nation as they turned their backs against God.
That's why God was provoked to anger, because the sin and violence that went with it had spread to the entire land. This final progression of sin that called for God's final verdict and judgment is this: when your sin causes others to sin. Your sin causes others to sin.
What about followers of Jesus Christ, who are to be the light of the world, an example to the unbelieving world to push back at sin? Do we set an example of holy living, or do we cause others to sin? My friends, when your sins cause others to sin—as these priests' sins caused a nation to sin because of their example, or lack of it—then that's often when God has had enough.
The very nature of sin makes it very hard to contain. Unchecked, it often grows and spreads. Think of how many lies you have to tell just to cover the original little lie. Sin never just affects you; it affects other people. And horror of horrors, the thought that you would cause others to sin, especially those who look up to you—your own children.
That's why the Bible is so strict and so hard upon those who cause others, especially children, to sin. So many people think that when they sin, they're not affecting others. It doesn't affect others. But I can give you countless examples of how sin affects family members, friends, and other people. Think about how gambling addictions and marriage affairs destroy the entire family.
Chapter 9 is a continuation of the vision that is given and speaks of God's punishment on the people. God calls for presumably His angels to execute judgment upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and gives them an instruction in verses 4 to 5.
Look at verses 4 and 5 of chapter 9: "And the Lord said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.' To the others, He said in my hearing, 'Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eyes spare, nor have any pity.'"
The Bible tells us God would spare those who remain faithful and committed to Him and rejected those sinful practices that were being practiced by the leaders. The rest God did not spare. God is still a very fair judge; He is a gracious judge, and His judgment is always perfect. We can take assurance in that.
I know some of you are trying to live godly lives in this crooked and perverse generation. You're trying to do what is right. God knows what you are trying to do. God knows and sees that you are standing firm. That's the wonderful thing about His omniscience—He sees everything. He knows you're trying.
Those who are really trying to be the salt and light of this world, but to those who are not and just playing the game, the God who sees all may have His patience run out on you, and His judgments are always perfect.
Verse 6: "Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children, and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark, and begin at My sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were before the temple. These angels of death were to begin with the religious leaders in the temple because it was them that was responsible for the sins spreading throughout the nation, because they themselves were not right before God and didn't seek the things of God when they should have.
And this is a warning and admonition to the leaders in our church, to parents, and basically to everyone in general with spiritual responsibility of others—from young to old, men, women, and children. God's judgment is not selective; it is equally doled out to everyone who sins when His patience runs out.
When it was done, the angel or man in linen gave the report back to God that all was done. Verse 11: "Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the ink horn at his side, reported back and said, 'I have done as You have commanded.'"
My friends, always remember that God's justice and judgment will be executed in this lifetime and the next. Chapter 9 gives us our second biblical principle:
Number two: When God's patience runs out, He punishes those who sin. When God's patience runs out, He punishes those who sin. As someone once said, the assurance of forgiveness is not an excuse to continue sinning because there are consequences and punishment for sin.
I know we don't want to hear about God's justice and discipline because we want to focus on His love, His grace, His mercy, and forgiveness. But both aspects are biblical truths taught in balance in the Scriptures. But we tend to forget that God is holy and righteous. Just because He is gracious and forgiving doesn't mean He will allow our unrepentant sins to go unaddressed for our own good.
That's why even for Christians, we need to keep this principle in the back of our minds so that we don't abuse God's grace, and it can serve as a deterrent to sinful living. For Christians, as 1 John 5:16 tells us, there is a sin unto death for Christians who continue to grossly sin. It may result in God's discipline, which is prematurely taking His life in order to prevent that believer from sinning more while on Earth.
So many people willfully sin—Christians especially—thinking they would just ask forgiveness after they do the sinful act, as if they think they can fool God. My friends, God knows your heart. God knows my heart. And when His patience runs out with the games that you and I play, He will punish.
Don't wait until God is at that point with you. Truly repent of your sins today. Trust me, as someone who has experienced God's discipline in my own life to turn me around, His discipline is never something you want to undergo.
Chapters 10 to 11 must be one of the saddest chapters in all of the Bible. It will be the first time in centuries that God's glory on Earth will be leaving the very temple He has instructed Solomon to build. But let me take you back to when God's glory first came to the temple—2 Chronicles 7:1-3.
"When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house. When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, 'For He is good, for His mercy endures forever.'"
So amazing was the glory of God at the temple that the people fell down in awe, fear, and truly worshiped God. But that seemed like such a long time ago as the people forgot and took God's presence among them for granted. They began to replace God with idols. And because God will not share His glory with anyone else, much less share the space with the sins and the wickedness of the people, which had permeated even into the very temple of God, God's glory could no longer remain in the temple.
You know, God had put up with a lot with these people, but enough was enough. And so He started to leave, as recounted in these two chapters. Ezekiel saw the glory of God move from the threshold of the temple, or the doorway, and pause there.
And see what happens in verse 4 of chapter 10: "Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub and paused over the threshold of the temple, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory. The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when He speaks."
There was reluctance, it seems, for God to leave. He pauses at the doorway of the temple. Interestingly, at the doorway, God shows His full glory so that the entire temple and even the court was filled with the brightness of God's glory, as if it was a reminder of what was in the past and what could have been and what they would now be missing.
It was magnificent and amazing that even those in the outer courtyard could hear the sound of God's glory. Oh, what could have been if these people had responded like they did back in 2 Chronicles 7 when the temple was first built and was dedicated? They would have lived under the glory of God and basked in its beauty. But it was too late; God's patience had run out.
So it is with sin. There's always regret, isn't there? There's always regret after we sin. We feel sorry. It's often too late. Remember, just because you ask God for forgiveness after you sin doesn't mean the consequences and its effects go away. The sin is forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, absolutely, but we may live with sin's effects and consequences.
In verses 18 and 19, from the entryway into the temple, the glory of God seemed to once again pause at the outside of the entire temple complex, as if reluctant to leave the very people and the city that He so loved.
Look at verses 18 and 19: "Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them, and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them over the east gate at the edge of the temple complex."
Chapter 11 tells us that God condemns Israel's leaders as He looks back and sees what they have done. But there's a glimmer of hope as God is about to leave. Verses 16-21 tell us God promises that He will preserve a remnant whom He will save, and they will follow in His ways. Because God's judgment is fair, He is gracious. He knows that there are still righteous and faithful people in the nation, just like He knows in a world such as the one we live in, there are still men and women who are righteous and faithful, who are willing to take a stand in a world that is deviant and perverse.
And then, in a final movement of God's glory, look at verses 22 to 23 in chapter 11: "So the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city."
Crossing the Kidron Valley, the glory of God went to the Mount of Olives, from where you can today get a panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem. The glory of God overlooked the city that He so loved, and then leaves. This is His final pause. But He has to leave because we know number three: God leaves when there is sin, however reluctantly, because of His love.
But God leaves when there is sin, but reluctantly because of His love for us. For Christians, let me be very clear: it does not mean we will lose our salvation when we sin. It does not mean we will lose our salvation when we sin. My point is that in our fellowship relationship with a holy God, God will not stick around if we willfully sin. He is very patient with us because of His love and grace. He is reluctant to sever the ties. His love for us is unconditional.
Romans chapter 8 says nothing can separate us from the love of God. But if a Christian continues to sin, while we do not lose our salvation, our relationship with God is strained and somehow severed. Our rewards are lost. But know that a holy God wants nothing to do with sin.
Think of it like when there's a child who is living a self-destructive life, partly enabled by his parents' resources. The parents have no choice but to cut him off. They are still his parents, and he's still their child. The parents still love the child, but the parents can no longer enable the toxic and dangerous and self-destructive lifestyle and do so by withholding resources. That child can return at any time, like the prodigal son does to his loving and welcoming father, but there has to be a change of heart.
And that's what I'm talking about here. God leaves reluctantly because of His love, but He does because of His holiness.
11:24: "Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me." So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the Lord had shown me.
This is the end of the vision, and Ezekiel relays all of what he had been shown to the exiles who were with him so that they will live repentant and changed lives.
I know this is a hard message, and this message may depress and make you feel sad, but that is the very nature of sin. While it may initially seem fun and harmless and wonderful, in truth, sin is ugly, sorrowful, and destructive. That's why we need to be aware that in the progression of sin, God's patience will run out.
Sin in plain sight moves to sin that is hidden, and then the emotional connection is involved, and then it causes others to sin. When the ugly progression of sin is unchecked and unstopped, God's patience runs out. When God's patience runs out, He punishes those who sin, and He leaves when there is sin, reluctantly because of His love.
So if you desire depth of fellowship and intimacy with Jesus, then sin must not be a part of your life and my life. It is not that we must live perfectly, but that our view of sin must be such that we hate it. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to be Spirit-filled so that we can enjoy a personal relationship with our Lord.
While it temporarily ended, sadly for the people of Israel, the Bible tells us God so loved the world that He did what? He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. God provided a way by which sinful people that He so loved can be in relationship with Him and for Him to dwell in their hearts. That's how much God loves us, even when His people don't deserve it.
When did the glory of God return back to Earth? It returned more than 400 years later when, in Luke 2:8-14, we read, starting in verse 9: "And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men.'"
The glory of God returned in the person of Jesus Christ at His incarnation. And the wonderful thing today is that God promises that He will never withdraw His presence again. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, God the Holy Spirit indwells us and resides in us at the moment of our salvation, never to leave us nor to forsake us.
And this truth is assuring, I hope, for us Christians, but it should not be a license for us to sin. Because while God the Holy Spirit will never leave us—once saved, always saved—there may be a strain in relationship because of sin. And why in the world would we ever want that separation from God and His majestic glory?
Knowing these truths, our response should be to repent and ask God to cleanse us from our sins, even the ones hidden, so that we don't get to that point where God's patience with us runs out. As we live changed lives in order to enjoy sweet fellowship with Him, may God challenge each one of us today to live lives that are holy and pleasing to the One who died for us.
on Mar 05, 2024
