“And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.”
In Ezekiel 16, we find that the prophet Ezekiel, whose name means “Strength of God” or “when God strengthens,” is a messenger of God to children of Israel who were born in captivity. In the first 14 verses of this chapter, Ezekiel is dealing with the Birth of the nation of Israel. He is dealing with where God found them and where He brought them from. And then in verses 15-63, he is going to deal with the Backsliding of that same nation.
- He deals with how they left God;
- He deals with how they forgot God;
- He deals with how they turned to false idols.
But I want you to notice with me in verse 6, the Bible says, “And When I Passed by thee . . .” and that is going to be the topic of this message “WHEN THE LORD PASSES BY.” And I’m telling you, things happen when the LORD passes by!
I would love to take you through the Bible t and show you all the pictures of God’s Grace:
- Like when Abraham took Isaac up on the mountain top to offer as a sacrifice;
- How one the way in Luke 10 when a man was robbed, and beaten and left for dead, and how a “Good Samaritan” stopped to help him;
- Or how the prodigal son took his inheritance and spent all that he had, when he got down in the filth of the world, his daddy welcomed him home with open arms.
But I want to show you a wonderful picture of the Grace of God in Ezekiel 16, so let’s back up a minute and look at verse 3:
“And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.”
So notice here with me, A REASON FOR GRACE. God is dealing with their birth and in verses 3-5, He’s going to show us their Condition:
“3. And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. 4. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 5. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.”
I want you know that this is the same condition that God found me in. Notice verse 4 says, “In the day thy naval wast not cut.” This is a picture of an aborted baby:
- It’s mother didn’t want it;
- It’s father didn’t want it;
- It’s mother said he looked too much like an Amorite;
- The father said he looked too much like a Hittite.
- So they both said, “We don’t want it.”
They cast it into the field and the cord is uncut. This baby is UNWANTED.
I remember when I was attached to this ole world and I couldn’t cut myself free:
- I tried religion;
- I tried restoration;
- I tried rehabilitation.
I tried everything to cut myself free of this ole world, but I just couldn’t do it.
Then he said “neither wast thou washed in water.” The baby was not only UNWANTED, it was also UNCLEAN – “Neither wast thou washed in water . . .”
Can you see this baby with the placenta on it; with the afterbirth on it? So here is this baby and it is laying out in the field UNWANTED AND UNCLEAN.
If you are reading this and you are saved, you are a part of the family of God, do you remember where God found you? Do you remember how UNCLEAN you were?
Isaiah said, “All our righteousness is like filthy rags . . .” We were UNCLEAN.
Not only were they UNWANTED AND UNCLEAN, But, they were also UNCLOTHED – “ . . . nor swaddled at all.”
They were naked. Oh, I can remember the day that Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and God opened their eyes to their nakedness. And I remember this morning when I was naked in my trespasses and sins. So, I see that little baby laying out there is that field,
- he’s alone;
- he’s filthy;
- he’s bloody;
- he’s unclean and unclothed.
I believe the buzzards were circling overhead waiting to have some dinner. And let me tell you what else I believe – I believe that baby was dead! Now I know you are asking, “Why in the world would you think that? WELL, why else would God have to tell it to LIVE?
Now the Bible tells you and I that we were dead in our trespasses and sin. Oh, but praise God, One day JESUS PASSED BY and found you!
If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you are spiritually dead the Bible tells us.
Those of us that are saved, do you remember when you were dead in your sin? When you were unclean and unclothed, then sitting in a church service somewhere – JESUS PASSED BY????
When you felt Unclean and Unclothed and then verse 5 says, “None eye pitied thee.”
- This baby was unwanted, unclean and unclothed;
- Nobody wanted anything to do with it;
They said, “He’s dead, just let him go.” That’s probably what the devil was saying about us:
- “They’re dead;”
- “They’re Unwanted;”
- “They’re Unclean and Unclothed;”
- “They’re ain’t nothing good about’em – just leave them alone.”
Let me tell you something, I grew up in church, but there were periods in my life when I lived wicked and outside of God’s plan for my life. I mean, I was Unclean; I felt like nobody pitied me.
And I promise you, out there, people are waking up this morning in their vomit from a drunken stupor; they’re waking up with needle marks in their arms; They feel like nobody loves them and worse, nobody even cares. There is a world out there that is bleeding and dying. They’re just looking for somebody to care for them.
The CONDITION of that baby: Unwanted, Unclean, Unclothed, Uncared for. So here’s that baby, laying out in that field all alone, and he is also UNDESIRABLE – “To the lothing of thy person.”
Nobody loved that baby. And I will tell you right now, you would not have liked me very much back then either, when I was dead in my trespasses and sin.
Listen – I was Unwanted, Unclean, Unclothed, Uncared for and Undesirable. This baby has been out there since it was born:
- It couldn’t help itself;
- It couldn’t clean itself;
- It couldn’t clothe itself;
- It couldn’t care for itself.
So that babies laying out there with the filth of the world, just laying there dead. But thank God verse 6 says, “AND WHEN I PASSED BY THEE . . .”
When you and I were out there dead in our trespasses and sin, we couldn’t help ourselves; we couldn’t get to Him, because the Bible says of us in Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
So here’s this baby laying helpless and homeless. What a pitiful picture – I mean, somebody ought to do something! Well . . . Somebody did do something, look at verse 6:
“And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.”
We saw the REASON FOR GRACE. NOW, Notice with me the RESOURCE FOR GRACE. This is where we see Grace going to work!
Here is that little baby out there all alone, and God takes notice of that baby. I’m glad this morning that God took notice of:
- Abraham and Isaac;
- That thief beaten on the side of the road;
- The prodigal son.
And I’m glad thank God that He took notice of you and I.
Verse 6 says, “And when I . . .” here we see the Pursuer! The one that took the initiative. I’m glad thank God that He came looking for me!
Somebody said about that little baby, “Just leave him out there – he’s dead; he’s worthless. Just leave him alone.”
That what’s people probably said about me and you one day as well. But I’m glad God, the Pursuer didn’t see it that way.
“And when I PASSED BY . . .” We see the Provision. How many of you remember the day that Jesus passed by?
I praise God that in 1969, Jesus PASSED BY a little ole Sunday School class at 4th Street Baptist Church in Hartsville, South Carolina and found a little ole bus kid like me!
- I’m glad that when I couldn’t find Him – He found me!
- When I couldn’t reach up to Him, He reached down to me!
“When I (the pursuer) passed by (the Provision) thee (the Pursued).” Now I don’t know how many people God pursued in that little ole Sunday School class, or how many He passed by in other churches across our Great Land that day – but I know He found me Praise His Holy Name!
Let me just say right here, it was the Potter that went looking for the clay! That clay didn’t jump up out of that riverbed and go looking for the Potter.
That Potter goes looking for the Clay just like the Shepherd goes looking for His sheep!
“And When I (the Pursuer) passed by (the provision) thee (the pursued), and saw thee polluted in thine own blood (he pollution)” You know something, the closer I walk with God, the more wicked I see my sin. The closer I get to Him, the more I see pollution for what it really is.
God saw that baby laying out there in that polluted blood. Let me ask you this morning, Do you remember the condition God found you? Hey, some of you here haven’t always been the dignified christian that you are now! Some of you here haven’t always loved your spouse the way you should, or your kids the way you should.
Some of you here used to wake up in the morning and wipe the crap out of your eyes, the vomit off your clothes, and the blood off your face and you’d say, “What in the world happened? What have I done? How did I get here?”
What I’m saying is that some of you know what it’s like to be polluted! But here is the amazing thing:
HE SAW US IN THAT CONDITION AND HE CAME FOR US ANYWAY!!!!!
“And when I (the Pursuer) passed by (the provision thee (the pursued), and saw thee polluted in thine own blood (the pollution) – LIVE (The Power of Grace)!! LIVE!! LIVE!!!
This is the Power of Grace:
- Religion can’t do that;
- The Mason’s Lodge can’t do this;
- The Motorcycle Clubs can’t do this;
- Your mommy and daddy can’t do this.
I’m glad that when I was dead in my trespasses and sin, Jesus Passed By and saw the condition I was in and said, “When thou wast in they blood, LIVE. Thank God He brought me out of the pit and breathe life into my dead bones!
Now, “Old things have passed away and behold all things have become new.”
I’m glad that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. I’m glad that where sin abounds, GRACE did much more abound!
If you have never trusted Christ as your Saviour, there is absolutely no reason for you not to come to Him today. You can rest assured that you will be received, for He promised, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” No matter how sinful you may have been, Christ will receive you.
If you will trust Him now, I ask that you pray this simple prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, and I do believe You died for me. Here and now I trust You as my Savior and completely depend on You to take me to Heaven when I die. Help me to live for You and to be a good Christian. Amen.
Fighting for My Pea Patch 