Useful
Pastor Shin, Seungyoon
Ezekiel 47:1-12
Through todays text, God tells us of the visions of the temple he showed Ezekiel. You and I are Gods temples. Inside us the Lord resides, and we have a mission to tell of our salvation. When we wish to be used as Gods temple, our lives will become the leaves of healing that save the dying, as I once was. To become such a temple,
First, worship and the Word must be restored.
God gives Ezekiel a tour around every nook and cranny of the temple. The tour culminates in the eastern altar at the entrance to the temple. The water first passes the altar where offerings were made to God. Offerings were cut into pieces and burned here, splattering blood all over. There were charred remains and the sears were unsightly. Among all the other clean and pure instruments of the temple, the altar was by far the dirtiest. However hideous and messy, this place was holy for it was here that confession and repentance was made in front of God. Everyday, the flames of gratitude would rise to worship God. It is this altar that the water of life that is the Word flowed through first. Our lives have been scorched, but we must blaze up everyday as Gods altar. We have the mission of receiving the Word first and passing it on. Our service must be restored first. We cannot spread the Word without receiving it first. Only through worship can the tears of repentance, the compelling praise, and the certainty of the mission be restored.
Second, we must not overtake God.
Ezekiel, having seen the small stream, is led out through the north gate and is met with a most spectacular sight. The water starts as just a trickle from the east gate. Then it starts to swell. Gods man, measuring line in hand, measures a thousand cubits (approximately 1700 feet or 530 meters) and leads Ezekiel into the water it comes up to his ankles. Four times this happens, with the water coming up to Ezekiels ankles, then his knees, then his waist, and finally becoming deep enough to swim in. First, the man measures off a thousand cubits. Then, the man leads Ezekiel through the water. Gods man measures a mere one thousand cubits with a measuring line in hand, because God wants us to earn wisdom and reflection through patience. From the measuring of water did the Word of life start to soak us. But our righteousness and greed is yet too vigorous. We must wait as we interpret our trials until the water reaches our ankles and then our knees. Until it comes up to the waist and surges into a river, there is the Word to listen to, there is repentance, and there are trials to endure.
Third, we become the leaves for healing.
The stream has become a river. The arid desert now bears lush foliage as the water flows. Wherever the water flows, life thrives and the salt water becomes fresh. All this new life can grow because this water and its life comes from Gods temple. From this water, fruits will feed the hungry and its leaves will be used as medicine. However, there are the swamps and marshes that we cannot save. We should not be arrogant that we can do everything. We must go and stop as God commands, together with the community. Just as the leaves must be ground and beat to become medicine, opening our humiliating sins can bring misunderstandings and criticism. But confessing the leaves of failure and shame will save someone today who will go on to save another.
I conclude with my healing leaves. I am a gambling addict. From childhood I liked contests competing and winning was my greatest joy. With these twisted values, I conducted various illegal activities, frantically earning money. Together with a few veterans of the industry, I opened a large gambling house and became the owner of three businesses including an internet cafe. But one of the business partners scammed me of most of my money. Feeling betrayed and empty, I ended up addicted to gambling. Going around borrowing money left me with no friends. Eventually, I went to the loan sharks. Every night for several weeks, I hid in an inn with a knife under the pillow, vowing to kill the first person to come through the door and then kill myself. Time passed and I was married with a kid. Deluded of my reformation, I attended a seminary to work as a minister in my hometown. But when financial hardships came, I took to gambling again. I hated myself so much I quit the seminary. After vowing never to gamble again, I went to Yongin city to attend a different seminary. I had quit gambling, but could not shake my love of money. When I was contemplating abandoning the path of a minister, I came upon our church. Listening to the Word and being trained, I realized I had never repented my sins. During early morning sermons, I shared and repented on how I had hurt my family and crippled myself with addiction. Three years later, I received a phone call. The caller said he had visited the church homepage, that he was a minister at a different church but had fallen into gambling on sports. Having blown through his money, he had reached into the church coffers. Inevitably, his wife found out, he was on the verge of divorce, and he had been let go from the church. He despised himself. He felt so sorry towards God. And when the guilt was pushing him to thinking he should rather die, he heard the early morning sermons. He just wanted to speak with someone but had no one else and that was why he had called. Then, he suddenly asked for a prayer. But as I was about to, the sobbing from the other end would not stop, and because I knew what that felt like, the words wouldnt come out. How we cried, 'Lord have mercy, Lord forgive me.' Because I had experienced shame and humiliation and succumbed to sin and addiction, I could feel what he was going through and lament for him. So it is that our weaknesses become the healing leaves that God uses to save others. I believe that God will raise our weakness to humble the strong, use our confessions of humiliation to bear new fruit and bring life, so that we will live as healing leaves.
