Restoration and Revival
Ezekiel 36:22-30
September 12-13, 2026
Everyone joining us online, everyone in the fellowship hall as well. Hey, we are in the book of Ezekiel 36. Would you all open your Bibles there? We're going to begin in verse 22. Title of our message, Restoration and Revival. Oh, very important what God has for us in His word. Let's pray and receive from God's word together. Lord, we are so thankful. We know that You send Your word to stir up our faith, to bring us to Yourself. God, that's our desire. We pray that You just use the word of God to bring revival to our lives. Pour out Your Spirit, meet us in this place. Be honored as we study Your word, we pray in Jesus' name. Everyone said, Amen.
We're about to enter the last section of Ezekiel, which is prophetic. Very amazing prophecies here in the book of Ezekiel. Before he finishes the last section, he brings the last set of chapters into a grand conclusion that God is going to bring restoration and revival. Now, there are a lot of similarities between Israel in those days and our modern times in this sense. God is sending an encouraging, strengthening word to people who have been defeated, destroyed, discouraged, even to the point of despair. God sends a word through the prophet, in those days, it was Ezekiel, that He would do a great work of restoration and revival. Though they had lost all hope, He's going to speak a word into their despair. He's going to speak something so amazing. They have no idea that God is going to do something glorious.
In fact, earlier in the chapter, He says, "I will treat you better than at the first, and then you will know that I am the Lord." That is amazing. There is a spiritual principle at work here. Discouragement can be all-consuming. When you've lost everything you've ever held dear, it's hard to think about much else. It's all-consuming. It's like when you hit your thumb with a hammer, the immediate pain of that is all-consuming. It's all you can think of. They say many people in a circumstance of despair and discouragement allow their thoughts to defeat them. Those defeated thoughts consume them, and those defeated thoughts keep them defeated. I like what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."
All such thoughts take captive, notice he says, to the obedience of Christ. In other words, Jesus speaks a better word into the circumstance of the despair. Jesus speaks a better word and has the authority as Savior and Lord to say to you that if you would take hold of my word and you let my word abide in your heart, you will be set free. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. That is a verse of declaration. He speaks here similarly in Ezekiel 36. God speaks a better word, and if they would take hold of it, if they would believe it, they would be transformed by it. See, this is what I mentioned before. It's not enough just to go through trouble. You need to have a word that breaks through. You need a better word. Take hold of that and believe and live, and you will be transformed by it. He's promising to bring restoration and revival.
Notice that it is His doing, not their doing. God is going to make His name high and holy among the nations when they see what God has done for Israel, and they deserve none of it. This is what we're going to see. Let's read it in Ezekiel 36. We'll begin in verse 22. As I mentioned before, we'll cover the other verses around this at our midweek, verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter study. Chapter 36:22. "Therefore, say to the House of Israel," you say, "thus says the Lord God, it is not for your sake, O House of Israel, that I'm about to act, that I'm about to do this great thing, but for my holy name, which, by the way, you have profaned among the nations where you went, and I will vindicate the holiness of my great name."
I. God’s Name is Holy
I love the way that is said. I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which, by the way, you have profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. "And then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when I prove myself holy among you in their sight." This is what He's going to do. "I will take you from the nations, I'll gather you from the lands, I'll bring you into your own land, and then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and then you will be clean. I will cleanse you from your filthiness and from your idols. And moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I'll remove that heart of stone, and I'll give you a heart that's alive. A heart of flesh." And then the grand declaration in verse 22, "And I then will put my Spirit," and here He means the Spirit of the living God, "I will put my Spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances. And you will live in that land that I gave to your forefathers, and you will be my people, and I will be your God."
What a great verse. The culmination of it is this glorious fellowship together. "Oh, you will live in that land, and you will be my people, and I will be your God, and we're going to have glorious relationship together." This is what God desires, that we would walk in this journey of life together. He would be in relation to us. That declaration, He will be our God, we will be His people, and then He says, moreover, verse 29, "I will save you." It's beautiful. "I will save you from your uncleanness, and I will call for the grain, and I'll multiply it. I will not bring famine on you. I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, that you may not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations."
What great verses. What a wonderful understanding. Starting with this, how He begins. He says, "God's name is holy." He's going to do great things because of that great name. Restoration did not begin with Israel's idea. That was not their idea. It was God's. It was His word from the beginning. Revival begins the same way. God speaks. We listen. God is pursuing you for the purpose of restoring and reviving. Notice verse 22. "It is not for your sake, O House of Israel, that I'm about to act. It's for my holy name, which, by the way, you have profaned." In other words, they didn't deserve it, which, right there, we can relate. None of us deserve God's grace. If we got what we deserved, we would all be in deep trouble. Anybody want to agree with this? We would be in such deep trouble if we got what we deserved.
Notice it's a theme of the scriptures throughout the Bible. For example, Deuteronomy 9:6. Know, then, now this is Moses speaking to Israel before they entered that holy land. "Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess. No, you are a stubborn people." Don't you love God's straightforward, honest statement? You know it is not because of your righteousness that God is giving you this good land. You're stubborn. Notice Deuteronomy 7:7. "The Lord did not set His love on you, nor choose you because you're greater in number than any of the peoples. No, you're fewest of the peoples. It's because the Lord loved you. Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments."
A. You carry His name
In other words, God's name is holy, and He wants them to understand. You carry that name. You're called by that name. Notice verse 22. I am about to act. I'm about to do something great and glorious for my holy name, which you have profaned my holy name among the nations where you went. They did not live by that name. They were called by it. They carried that name, but they didn't live by that name. Now, this is important to understand, for you and I also carry that name. Now, it's a beautiful, I think, powerful understanding. They were known by that name. Yahweh was known as the God of Israel. You and I carry that name. Notice, for example, the very famous verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people," notice how he says it, "If my people who are called by My name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I would hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."
In other words, there is this between us. We have this wonderful relationship. He says, I call you My people, and that you are called by My name. If you would understand what that means, that you are called by My name, that you carry that name, then you humble yourself, and you pray. I will listen. I will hear from heaven. I'll forgive your sin. I'll heal your land. Not only is it there in the Old Testament, it's a New Testament understanding as well. For example, Revelation 3:12: He's speaking of the latter days, the trouble that will come upon the world. He says, "He who overcomes, I will write on him the name of my God, and I will write on him the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem." What a wonderful picture. I will write on him the name of my God. Then He says, during the tribulation, when there will be 144,000 witnesses for Jesus Christ from the tribes of Israel, that's amazing. It says, in those latter days, Revelation 14:1, they will have His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
You could say a lot about that deep verse there. The name of the Lord Jesus and His Father will be written on their foreheads. They will be called by that name. They're going to carry that name. You and I carry that name. Let it be known that you carry that name. I was thinking of an illustration. Many years ago, when I was going to Bible college, I worked in several different restaurants. Not many of you know I used to own a restaurant. I was partners in a restaurant. When I went to Bible college, I became a waiter because I knew that waiters make more money per hour than anybody else, including the manager. I became a waiter. Whenever I would get a new job at a new place, I wanted it to be known. I wanted them to know who I was so there was no confusion. I wanted them to know I carry that name. I'm going to live by that name. I wanted them to know. No confusion in case they wanted to invite me to their parties, because there was a lot of parties. I wanted it to be very, very clear who I was.
Although I have to say, I had no qualms about inviting them to my parties. You say, "Did you have parties?" I did. It's called church. I had parties. I had no qualms about inviting them. In fact, there's this one time, I mentioned it, where now I'm a Bible student. I had an opportunity to speak in a church. That's a big deal to a Bible college student. I'm telling my coworkers there at the restaurant, "You will believe it. I have an opportunity. I want to speak at this church." Then I said, "Hey, I know what. Why don't you all come and hear me?" They said, "Really? Us?" "Well, yes. You don't have to sit in the front. You can sit in the back." They said, "Would you introduce us?" "Yes, I'll introduce you." They said, "Well, how would you do it?" I said, "I will do this. I'll say, "Hey everyone, I want you to meet my sinner friend sitting in the back." They all laughed, of course. By the way, they did come. They did sit in the back. I did not introduce them as my sinner friend.
I wanted it to be known. Let there be no confusion about who I am. It reminds me of Colossians 3:17. Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do it all in that name. Do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. That is a powerful verse. Whatever you do, word or deed, do it in that name. That's why the Scripture says not to carry the Lord's name in vain. You've heard that verse, "Don't take the Lord's name in vain." The literal translation is, "Don't carry the name of the Lord in vain," not in emptiness. You carry that with honor, with glory. It's like I mentioned recently, in the night that Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night that Peter denied the Lord three times, that it was the third time that Peter denied the Lord that he did it with cussing.
Like, "I tell you, I don't know the man. Cuss, blankety blank, blank, blank." Why the cussing? It should be more convincing. They're like, "Oh, yes, he can't be one of those. No one who goes by that name would talk like that." You carry His name. God says they profaned His name among the nations where they went. They carried the name, but the way they lived, they did not live according to that name. Maybe a modern illustration would be this. It's like having a Christian bumper sticker on your car and then cutting everybody off in traffic. Everybody sees you're cutting them off, and then they see your bumper sticker. Like, "Wait a minute, that doesn't compute." "Honk if you love Jesus." Oh, they're honking all right. It's not because they love Jesus. No, that doesn't compute.
B. God’s ways are higher than your ways
Now, if you had a devil thing on there, "Hold on, that makes sense. Look at the way he's driving. See, that makes sense." You're carrying the name. That name is high. That name is holy. You carry that name. It's a call, isn't it? It's a call to live by that name. Then He's making it clear. Like, God's ways are higher than your ways. Notice verses 22 and 23. "I will act. I'm going to do something great for my holy name. I will vindicate the holiness of my great name." See, now, the Hebrew word for holy or for holiness is kidosh, easy word to know. Now, we often think when we hear the word holy or holiness, we often think of it as describing the nature of God in purity. That is not actually the primary meaning of the word in Hebrew.
The word holy in Hebrew means literally set apart. High, lifted up. Not common. Not common. Separate. High. See, for example, God says that Israel was holy. Now, it's not because of the righteousness of their purity and glory. He already said they were a stubborn people. Well, then why does He call them holy? Because they're set apart. Of all the nations of the world, I call this people by My name. That's why they're separate. It means holy. The Sabbath is holy because it's set apart from all other days. Marriage is holy because you are set apart unto your husband, or you are set apart unto your wife. It's holy. Being set apart means that you're set apart in your living. You live according to it. Since you're called by that great name, live according to that name. Live distinctly different from the way the world lives.
Anybody can live common. Anybody can live like the rest of the world. You're in the kingdom of God now. The kingdom of God has principles that are higher, more glorious. Anybody can live common. You're called by my name. You carry my name. It's like Isaiah 55:8-9. He says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways, declares the Lord, for as the heavens are higher than the earth," which is way high, "so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." He means that you're in the kingdom of God now, and you carry that name. It's high. It's holy. It's different. Anybody can live common. Jesus gave a lesson in this very truth. This is out of Matthew 20:25-28, where He says, you know how it is in the world, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them."
It means they're bossy, and they're dominant, and they just speak a hard word and a harsh word. Those in authority, they think that all that. You know how it is. Not so among you. No. You're in the kingdom of God. It's different. Anybody can live common. It's different among you. Whoever wishes to become great, and you ought to, He says, wonderful. Wish to, desire to be great in the kingdom of wonderful. "He who desires to become great among you shall be your servant." Well, that's different altogether. "Whoever wishes to be first shall be your slave." Then He uses Himself as the example of that, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. You're in the kingdom of God. You carry that name. Anyone can live common. He gives many examples.
Here's another one out of Exodus 23:4-5. He says, now, "If you see your enemy's ox or donkey wandering away," in other words, it got out of the pen, it's loose out there in the wilderness or whatever, notice, He says, it's your enemy's ox or donkey. Enemy. It means there's enmity between you. It's not your neighbor, your brother-in-law, or something. No, it's your enemy. You see him wandering away, you're different. You live by that name. You carry that name. You go get it, and you bring it back to him. Now, that's not the way the world is. You know how the world would be. They see their enemy's ox or donkey out there in the wilderness, they say, "Oh, he deserves it. Serves him right." That's the way the world is. You carry that name. It's different. Then He goes on. "If you see the donkey, the one who hates you," he hates you, but, "you see the donkey, the one who hates you, lying helpless under a load," it's way overloaded, "you shall refrain from leaving it to him. No, you will surely release it with him."
II. God will Prove Himself Holy
You're different. Anybody can live calmly. You carry the name. Then He says, "God will prove himself holy." Notice verse 23, "Then the nations will know that I am the Lord when I prove myself holy among you in their sight." They're going to see it. They're going to see what I do, and they're going to know that I am the Lord when I do it. See, He's about to act. He's about to do something great. He's going to tell us. He's going to act according to the holiness of that great name, and when He does, the nations will know that He's the Lord. He's declaring in advance what He's about to do. It's not for their sake. No, they didn't deserve it. They had profaned His name, but because of the greatness of His name, He will move. He will act. He will do something great because He gives glory to the name.
A. He will sprinkle clean water
When God forgives us, it's certainly not because we deserve it. No, He forgives because He declares the glory of that great name. When He pours grace out upon those who don't deserve it, He declares the glory of that great name. By the kindness of God, He leads you to repentance. When He pours out the generosity of His favor upon you, He declares the greatness of that great name. Amen? Can we give God praise and glory? He does that. Great name. He says, "I will prove myself holy." How? He says, "I will sprinkle clean water." Notice verse 25. "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and your idols." It's an analogy. It's a picture. They will certainly understand it. Water is that which washes away. Filth, you got dirty hands, you're washing with water. It's a spiritual picture. They understood washing with water.
Now, when I think of that, I think of when Jesus washed the disciples' feet. Now, feet in those days were really filthy. We got shoes, we got socks. Even if you're walking in the dust, your feet are clean, basically. In those days, they would wear sandals out there in the street. They're dirt streets, and the animals are walking up and down the streets. You're with me on this? It's a mess. You walk in there, you're sweaty, it's hot. Can you imagine what your feet would look like? Just black with that stuff. Then you're going to come in the house, and you're going to eat dinner? You're going to have dinner with feet that look like that? They stink. They would typically have a stool or a bench and a basin of water. Then the lowest person in the house, the servant, would come. There would be a towel, a basin of water, and would wash those feet. It's very common. They would do it all the time.
Today, that's foreign to our understanding. No, this is every day they would do this. Jesus washes their feet. Then He comes to Peter. Okay. He comes to Peter. Bold, brash Peter. The Peter who thought a little bit too much of himself. That Peter. The Peter who got himself in trouble with the Lord all the time. That one. He comes to Peter. This is John 13:6-9. "Peter said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet?" You can hear the tone there. "Lord, my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do, you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter." Peter said, "Never shall you wash my feet." Jesus answered, "If I do not wash you have no part with me."
Immediately, it cut Peter to the quick. He immediately understood what it meant, the significance of it. It cut him right to the heart. Simon Peter answered, "Lord, if that's what it means, then wash not only my feet, wash my hands, wash my head." Lord, if that's what it means, then do it. Water is a symbol of a great spiritual truth. Water washes filth. Water washes the stain that sin brings upon the soul. Must have that soul cleansed, washed. That's why baptism is such a powerful spiritual picture. Scripture says, "The wages of sin is death." If anybody then is walking like that in the wages of sin, there is the judgment of condemnation of death hanging over their head. This is the condition. Anybody walking in that, there's the condemnation, the judgment of sin, it's death hanging over their head. If that sin is forgiven, washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, then you have been raised from death into life.
The condemnation, the judgment of death hanging over your head, no longer hangs over your head. You have been raised from death unto life. The resurrected King is resurrecting you and me. Yes, that's absolutely right. See, that's why we baptize by lowering them into the water as though we were lowering them into a casket. You say, "Oh, that's a little morbid." Even they'll even be like this. You lower them down. Someone might say, "You're lowering them into a casket, and you're celebrating?" Well, yes, because we don't leave them there. We don't throw dirt on them. We bring them up. Then the moment we bring them up, everybody breaks out in celebration and clapping. It's a glorious moment because they've been raised from death into life.
As the Scripture says, "The angels of heaven rejoice when one sinner repents." This is a glorious moment. It's a beautiful picture, isn't it? Let me give you a great verse, Romans 6:3-5. "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?" This is a great verse, very deep, very important. We have been crucified with Christ, Paul wrote, Galatians 2. Do you not know, "Therefore, that we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life? For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, then certainly also we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection." That is how we have life. Yes, let's give the Lord the praise. He says He is proving Himself holy by doing this great thing by His great name. He'll pour out clean water. Then He says, and He'll give you a new heart. Verse 26, "Born over, I will do this. I will give you a new heart, new spirit within you. I'm going to remove that heart of stone," because that's what they had. "I'm going to remove that heart of stone, and I'm going to give you a heart that's alive. I'm going to do this."
B. He will give a new heart
Now, maybe you heard the expression. No doubt you heard the expression. Someone once said that religion is just a crutch. No, the problem is not that people have a bad leg and they need help walking. No, the problem is that they got a bad heart. They got a heart of stone. If God doesn't give them a heart and give them a spirit, new spirit, they're going to die in the condition of which they were born. You don't need a crutch. You need a heart because you can't live with that heart of stone. See, a heart of stone is hard. It doesn't care. It's insensitive. It's cold. That's what got them into trouble in the first place. The heart that's hard is stubborn. That's the condition of man. It's like Jeremiah 18:12. "But they will say, "It's hopeless. We're going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his own heart." There's man right there. In other words, nothing's going to happen until that heart of stone is removed. Nothing. There will be nothing. There'll be no transformation until that heart of stone is removed.
Then He says gloriously, but I'll do it. By my great name, I'll do it. I'll give you a new heart, new spirit. See, the heart of the matter is the heart. Heart of stone cannot love, cannot worship, cannot receive a good word from the Lord. If you can't receive a good word from the Lord, nothing's going to happen. Heart of stone is cold, dead. No pulse, no warmth, no life. Hardened to the things of God, unresponsive, stubborn. It represents a stiff-necked, stubborn condition that turns his heart cold against God. Mocking and ignoring His word until there is no human remedy. Then, beautiful, glorious, I will prove the greatness of my name. He says, I'll do divine surgery. What a beautiful way to say it. I'm going to remove that heart of stone, and I'm going to give you a heart that's alive. Notice who's doing the action. God. God doesn't say, "You got to figure this thing out. That heart of stone of yours is what you got in trouble. You need to try harder. Go home. Polish the stone a little more, maybe."
C. He will put His Spirit within you
No. You cannot make yourself holy. You cannot transform your own nature by sheer human effort or willpower. You need God to move. The heart is where love abides. Love. We were made for love. God speaks to that. He stirs love to love. Then, the glorious declaration in verse 27, "I will prove myself holy." He says, "I will put my Spirit within you." He means the Holy Spirit of the living God. This is a powerful declaration, verse 27. "I will put my spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in my statute." In other words, by that Holy Spirit, it will move you to move. The Holy Spirit is the power of the living God, and it will move you to move. This is the great promise of the chapter. The key to transformation. God Himself will do it by taking that heart of stone, giving you a new heart, and then pouring His Holy Spirit out in the very presence of the living God. This promise fulfilled when the Spirit was poured out on the Jews, the church there in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit would be the power that moves them.
God is even going to change their desire. This is the power of the Spirit moving them to move by that which He does in the heart. He stirs love in them. It's the difference between the obligation of the law and the compelled heart that loves. I was thinking of an illustration. It would be like this. Did you know that there is a law today in the books? It's one of the laws of the state of Oregon. I looked this up on the internet, so you know it's true. There is a law in the state of Oregon that parents are required to care for their children. It's the law. Why do you care for your children? "Because it's the law? I have to. 'Okay, kids, here's your dinner.' I had to. Law made me do it." You don't need a law telling you to care for your kids. You probably didn't even know there was one. You don't need a law. Why? Because you're compelled by love.
This is what the Spirit does, compelling by moving. We need the Holy Spirit to move among us, to stir us up, to fill us with His presence, to fill us with His glory. Then by that love, you will live by that great name. Not because it's the law. Because you love. You're compelled. 2 Corinthians 5:14, "The love of Christ compels me." Then the chapter moves to the promise of restoring. God will restore. He's going to do this great, glorious wonder by His great name. Then He'll restore what the locusts have eaten. He'll restore all that was lost. He'll rebuild. He'll renew. Notice verse 35. "They will say, "This desolate land has become like a garden of Eden. That waste, desolate, ruined cities are fortified and inhabited." God will restore, rebuild, renew by His great name. Be patient. He'll do it. The promise is there for you and for me to take hold of, to abide in. He'll do it. Patient. He'll do it because He has declared the greatness of His name over you. You are called by that name. You carry that name. You are known by that name. He'll do it because of the greatness of that name.
Lord, we honor you. Thank you. What can we say? You have proven Yourself. You have proven Your name. Holy. Oh, what You have done in our lives is amazing. Church, as we're praying, The Lord has stirred you. When you say to the Lord today, "I want to live to the glory of that name. I want to carry that name. You say that You have written Your name on my heart. I want to carry that name with glory and with honor." Church, if that is you, would you just raise your hand as a way of declaring that, as a way of saying that to the Lord? I want to live to the glory of that name. I'm so thankful that you've written your name in my heart. I want to give glory to that name. I want to give honor to that name. The way I live my life, I want it to be lived by that name. High, not common. Unto You, to Your great name. Lord, we thank You and honor You for how You have moved in power by Your Holy Spirit poured out upon Your Church. We welcome You in this place to move by the power of Your Holy Spirit upon Your Church and to move by the power of that great name. We honor You and thank You for it all in Jesus' name. Everyone said amen. Amen.