Connect Ezekiel 20:40 with New Testament teachings on worship and holiness. Ezekiel’s Vision: Worship on the Holy Mountain “For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD, “there the whole house of Israel will serve Me, all of them in the land. There I will accept them and will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy sacrifices.” (Ezekiel 20:40) Key notes from the verse • A specific place: God’s “holy mountain” • A gathered people: “the whole house of Israel” • Accepted service: “There I will accept them” • Required offerings: “contributions…choicest gifts…holy sacrifices” The Mountain Theme Carried into the New Covenant • Hebrews 12:22 – “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.” • John 4:23-24 – “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” • The physical height in Ezekiel foreshadows the spiritual height believers now enter by faith in Christ: a present, heavenly Mount Zion that transcends geography. From Animal Offerings to Spiritual Sacrifices • Romans 12:1 – “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” • 1 Peter 2:5 – “a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” • Hebrews 13:15 – “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.” Parallels to Ezekiel 20:40 – “Contributions” → generosity and good works (Hebrews 13:16) – “Choicest gifts” → wholehearted devotion, not leftovers (Colossians 3:17) – “Holy sacrifices” → lives set apart, shaped by Scripture and empowered by the Spirit Acceptance by God—Then and Now • Ezekiel: “There I will accept them.” • Ephesians 1:6 – “to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.” • Our acceptance rests in Christ’s finished work, enabling confident, reverent approach (Hebrews 10:19-22). The Unchanging Call to Holiness • 1 Peter 1:15-16 – “Be holy, because I am holy.” • 2 Corinthians 7:1 – “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “your body is a temple… therefore glorify God.” Ezekiel spoke of “holy sacrifices”; the New Testament shows those sacrifices are offered by people made holy—set apart—through obedience and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Living Out the Vision Today • Gather with God’s people regularly—earthly assemblies preview the heavenly Mount Zion. • Offer praise that springs from truth-shaped hearts, not mere ritual. • Present daily decisions, time, and resources as “choicest gifts” to the Lord. • Guard purity of body and mind; holiness authenticates worship. • Serve others sacrificially; generosity and love are fragrant offerings God still “accepts.” |
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