Ezekiel 20:41 I will accept you with your sweet smell, when I bring you out from the people… I. WHAT IS IMPLIED IN OUR BEING ACCEPTED WITH GOD. 1. It supposes a drawing near to Him on our part. Acceptance on one part implies application on the other. Our whole life should be a continual coming unto God by Christ. Duties should closely follow one another, like the successive products of the field, and even our ordinary concerns in life should be so conducted as to bring us nearer and still nearer the Lord. 2. It implies approbation and delight on God's part. "Him that cometh unto Me," etc. 3. When God accepts, He not only approves, but grants some visible token of His favour. "I will accept you with your sweet savour," and you shall know it; yea, and the world shall know it. 4. Our persons must be accepted before our services can be so, and the latter are accepted for the sake of the former. II. WHAT MUST ACCOMPANY OUR BEING ACCEPTED OF GOD: "I will accept you with your sweet savour." 1. Our approaches to God must be accompanied with spiritual and holy dispositions, or they cannot be acceptable to Him. Duties without grace in exercise are like dead caresses, not fit to be presented before the Lord. 2. Though the exercise of grace in holy duties is pleasing to God, yet they are accepted only through the sacrifice of Christ. (1) How dreadful, then, is the state of the unregenerate! (2) How happy for the people of God to find grace in His sight, and what encouragement to abound in holy duties! (3) Let acceptance with God be the great object aimed at in all our religious duties, and let us rest in nothing short of it. (B. Beddome, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. |
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