(last clause, "And I will accept you, saith the Lord God")
Accepted by God.
I. CONSIDER THE MOTIVES THAT MAY INDUCE GOD TO ACCEPT MEN. It might be supposed that God was self-sufficient and would not look beyond the range of his own infinite Being; or that, if he took note of what was other than himself, he would be satisfied with the high intelligence and pure character of angel-beings, and not condescend to notice such feeble and sinful creatures as mortal men. Yet God has reasons for accepting men.
1. His infinity. This, which has been raised as an objection, really works the other way, for an infinite Being is not simply vast and only concerned with vast things. To him the greatest finite thing is infinitely small. If he attends to the greatest he may as easily stoop to the smallest. But, further, his very infinity embraces all things, the moat minute as much as the most gigantic.
2. His royalty. God is the supreme Sovereign of the universe; therefore he is concerned with all the subjects of his realm.
3. His justice. Having made men, he will not desert his own creatures.
4. His love. God is love, and love is full of sympathy. From this supreme motive God must be ever yearning to gather his children to himself, ever longing to give them a welcome home.
II. OBSERVE THE GREAT HINDRANCE THAT MAY PREVENT GOD FROM ACCEPTING MEN. If God is the infinite Sovereign of the universe, what is to hinder his welcoming whomsoever he will? The Greeks dreamed of a fate ruling supreme even over the dread Olympian deities; but we hold that there is no power above that of God. No power, it is true. Yet there is the awful principle of righteousness, and even God follows and does not bend that supreme principle. It may be identified with his own holy nature. Then we must say that God cannot but be true to himself. This being so, a great obstruction stands in the way of man's being accepted by God, viz. man's sin. The holy God cannot give a free welcome to the unholy man. It would be to contradict his own being and character.
III. NOTE THE CONDITIONS OF WHICH GOD ACCEPTS MEN. The Divine act of receiving men is placed by Ezekiel after the sacrificial ritual. God accepts on condition of sacrifice. There were first of all sin offerings, and then dedication (burnt) offerings and thank (peace) offerings. With us the first grand condition is fulfilled. Christ is the one Sacrifice for the world's sin. In Christ's great surrender of his pure soul to God through death, God sees the sacrifice of man by his Representative, and therefore, accepting the sacrifice, accepts man on whose behalf it is offered. We must make the sacrifice our own by entering into the spirit of it, by ourselves dying to sin and yielding our hearts and wills to the crucified Savior. Then God accepts his penitent children. But for full acceptance thank and dedication offerings were added. God expects us to come to him with grateful hearts, and to yield our souls to him in obedient service. When we approach him thus, as it were with our peace and our burnt offerings, he accepts us.
IV. LOOK AT THE RESULTS OF BEING ACCEPTED BY GOD. The first is immediate and personal—the reconciliation of the child with his father, and the glad return of the wanderer to the home of his childhood. But from this follow other consequences. We desire that God will accept us as his servants; when he does we have the privilege of living and laboring for him. We would have our work and gift accepted by God; for him to receive our offerings of service or sacrifice is to be most honored by God. At death he will receive his faithful servants to the heavenly rest.
HOMILIES BY J.R. THOMSON