This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Setting Boundaries", 11/23/2014

SETTING BOUNDARIES

 

Ezekiel 47:13-23

 

V:13. " This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel, with two portions for Joseph."

 

When the Israelites came into the promise land, God divided the land among the 12

tribes. He set boundaries for each tribe. More importantly, were Gods commands.

God's commands are the boundaries of their lives.

 

Over time the boundaries were erased.  God selected people, corrupted themselves by going out side of His boundaries and rejecting His commands.

 

In life we have national boundaries, community boundaries, family boundaries and individual boundaries.

 

In this text, God resets the boundaries for the millennium kingdom.

 

V:14. "You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will become your inheritance."

A. God keep his promises.

    1. Time and circumstances does not change the promises of God.

    2. God made a covenant with Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation

        and set the boundaries of the land recorded in the 13th chapter of Genesis (1900 BC).

    3. The nation of Israel did not take possession of the land until 1450 BC.

 B. Overtime, the boundaries of the land changed because of the disobedience of Israel.

    1. God is not bounded by the boundaries that man sets.

    2. From time to time, God reminds us of His promises and His boundaries.

 

 V:15-20 "This is to be the boundary of the land: "On the north side it will run from the Great Sea by the Hethlon road past Lebo Hamath to Zedad, 16 Berothah and Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 The boundary will extend from the sea to Hazar Enan, along the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This will be the north boundary. 18 "On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This will be the east boundary. 19 "On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi [of Egypt] to the Great Sea. This will be the south boundary. 20 "On the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the west boundary.

 

A. God set the boundaries of the nation.

    1. In the boundary of the nation, God set the boundary of each family.

    2. As a nation of believers, the Word God is our boundary.

    3. Any time we go outside of God's Word, we go outside of the will of God.

B. One of the major issues of Israel was idolatry.

    1. Thou shall have no other gods before me.

    2. The nation of Israel grew up in Egypt, with a  people who worshipped idols.

    3. God freed Israel from the worship of idol gods and established himself as the one

        true living God of Israel.

    4. From time to time Israel rejected the true and living God in favor idol gods.

    5. Anything we put before God becomes an idol.

    6. Trusting in anything or anyone other than God puts us in idol territory.

 C. Boundaries establishes the standards for living.

    1. With boundaries, there are places you can go and places you can't go.

    2. With boundaries, there are people you can associate with and people you can't be

         around.

    3. With boundaries there are thoughts you can entertain and thoughts you can't

         entertain. Phil 4:8,9

    4. With boundaries there is a God to worship and gods not to worship.

    5. Boundaries set the standard of truth and defines evil.

 D. Notice, God is exact in setting the boundaries of the promise land.

    1. God defined the north, south, east and western edges of the promise land

        with specific places on the map.

    2. God is very specific in identifying those He selected to be part of the body

        of Christ.

    3. God is specific in identifying His truths from that which is false.

    4. God is specific in identifying righteousness from that which is evil

E. Ezekiel's vision set's the stage for the inheritance of the spiritual Israel.

    1. All those who accept Jesus as their personal Savior are the spiritual

        Israel.

    2. The spiritual Israel are all those who obey the commands of God.

       a. Jesus asked the question, "Who are my brothers and Sisters?"

       b. The answer is those who obey God's commands.

 

 V:21-23. "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign Lord.

  

The inheritance of the spiritual Israel can be defined in this manner:   (Pulpit Commentary)

  

A.  IT IS A DIVINELY APPOINTED INHERITANCE.

 

   1. Before the foundation of the world God decided on the redemption of man.

       Eph 1:4-5

   2. God created everything perfect.

       a. It was in God's plan that man would sin and be in need of redemption.

       b. God knows the end from the beginning and everything in between.

   3. At some point in God's creative process, He allowed one of His angels to corrupt

       heaven resulting in the fall of Satan and his demons.  Isa 14:12

  4. We are not told when Satan was kicked out of heaven, but we know he was present

      in the garden of Eden before Adam sinned.

   5. Immediately after Adam's sin, God promised a redeemer for mankind.  Gen 3:15

 

B. IT IS A SPECIAL INHERITANCE FOR EACH BELIEVER

 

  1. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is the promised redeemer.

  2. The death of Jesus on the cross atoned for all of mans sins, but not all men were

     elected to be saved from sin.  Mat 24:31, Ro 8:30

  3. There are two classes of people in  the world; those elected for salvation and those not

      elected for salvation.  2 Tim 2:19

  4. There are those who will receive the Spirit of God and those who will not receive the 

      the Spirit of God.  John 14:17

  5. No one deserves salvation, but God makes us SPECIAL by drawing us to Himself.

      a. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them.  John 6:44

 

C. IT IS A SUFFICIENT INHERITANCE FOR ALL.

 

    1. The Church started with Jesus and His 12 disciples in a very small place on earth.

    2. The Gospel has expanded to most of the earth and is still spreading, according to the

        great commission that Jesus gave us.  Mat. 28:19

    3. The Gospel is by the Grace and Mercy of God and there is no limit to His resources.

    4. There is enough Grace and Mercy for every one God has elected for Himself.

 

D. IT IS A PERPETUAL INHERITANCE.

 

   1. All who accept Jesus has a present inheritance of the righteousness of God and an

       eternal, everlasting righteousness with God.

   2. Jesus said to us, where I Am, there you will be also.

   3. Heaven is present in our mist because we have the indwelling of God's Spirit.

   4. Our inheritance include all the promises in the Bible, the divine Word of Truth.

   5. What the Lord has given us, the world cannot take away.

   6. Neither trials and  tribulations of this world nor death can separate us from the love

       of God.  Ro 8:39

   7. In Jesus Christ, we live forever.  John 3:16

 

 E. WE WERE ALL STRANGERS TO THE INHERIENCE

     1. We all were strangers  to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

     2. We were all born in sin because of the sin of Adam.

     3. But God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotten son, so that

         all who believe in Him have eternal life.

 

 F. GOD'S BOUNDARIES BENIFIT ALL BELIEVERS.

 

     1. God set the boundaries of Israel to separate them from the pagan nations around

          them.

        a. God gave Israel His law so that Israel would not follow the ways of the world.

        b. The Church is under the laws of God.

    2. Boundaries separates us, the Church,  from the ways of the world.

        a. Boundaries separates love from hate.

        b. Boundaries separates righteousness from sin.

        c. Boundaries separates good from evil.

        d. Boundaries separates hope from hopelessness.

        e. Boundaries separates joy from sorrow.

        f. Boundaries separates right relationships from wrong relationships.

        g. Boundaries separates heaven from hell.

        h. Boundaries separates successful living from unsuccessful living.

        i. Boundaries separates peace from disruptions.

        j. Boundaries separates God from Satan.

 

THANK GOD FOR HIS BOUNDARIES

 

Rev. M. Mitchell,  Asst Pastor of GMBC