PASTORS, BE WARNED!

PASTORS, BE WARNED!

Ezek. 34:1-2 Then this message came to me from the LORD, “Son of man prophecy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: Destruction is certain for you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?” NLT

       This devotional today is about pastors and for pastors.  In the Scriptures pastors are often depicted as being shepherds, overseers of the people entrusted to them.  This passage is a stern warning for pastors.  God is warning those who are overseers who look out for themselves at the expense of their people.  These are people who feed off of people instead of feeding people.  God declares very clearly that their destruction is certain.

       If you have a pastor who is not taking care of his people, you must do something about it.  If you are not being fed, you are starving your soul to death.  Your pastor has the responsibility to lead you into the Word where your soul can be fed.  Only as you are continuously fed the Word are you able to feast and grow.  Your pastor must constantly feed and challenge you on so that you don’t get lazy or satisfied with where you are at.  Your pastor must stand guard over your soul so that any potential danger can be addressed before you are harmed. 

       A pastor who is not feeding his people is not fit to serve as a pastor.  It is a grave sin for a pastor to take advantage of people or use them for personal gain.  Anyone who would be more concerned about themselves and their personal comforts than they are about the needs of the people they serve will feel God’s wrath.  Pastors should always feed their people.

      Dear friend, hold your pastor accountable, but when you do, hold yourself accountable as well.  No matter how well your pastor may be feeding you, you have to do your part.  You must take what is being offered to you, chew on it, and swallow it before it can do you any good.  You must be careful what you feast on and avoid those things which are bad for your spiritual health.  You must be discerning and feast on what you need.  What you need today may be different than what you need tomorrow.  Listen to the Spirit of God and chew on what you need and not just what you want. 

       Don’t rely just on what your pastor may offer you.  A once-a-week feeding binge will not meet your spiritual needs.  You must be taking care of your soul daily.  Your pastor can only do so much for you.  Pray much for your pastor.  If your pastor is feeding your soul, support, encourage, and thank your pastor often.  If he isn’t, pray much for him.  If he doesn’t change, find another pastor who will feed you.

BE WARNED!

Ezek. 34:1-2 Then this message came to me from the LORD, “Son of man prophecy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: Destruction is certain for you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?”  NLT

       This is a message that should be engraved on every pastor’s heart.  There is grave danger for those whom God calls to shepherd His people when they fail to properly take care of their flock.  There are so many so-called leaders in the church who are more concerned about themselves and their personal gain instead of the welfare of the church family.

        I believe with all my heart that God will be very harsh on them come Judgment Day.  There is no mercy for those who abuse others for their own gain.  There is no mercy for those who abuse the gifts of God given for the sake of others for personal gain.  There is no mercy for those who seek the affections of man instead of the affections of God.  There is no mercy for those who don’t respect their calling before God to minister to the spiritual needs of others.  There is no mercy for those who would seek to be shepherds on their own without the blessing and calling of God.

      What is true for leaders in the church is true for all of us.  We must always strive to be servants of God in all we do.  We are not to live for ourselves and ignore the needs of others.  It is so easy to live unto ourselves and neglect others.  The Lord makes it very clear that if we love Him, we will love others.  We cannot love the Lord and not love others.  If you find that you have very little concern for others, you need to bow before the Lord and ask Him to change you.  You need to confess your self-centeredness and ask Him to revive within you a genuine love for others.  You need to take advantage of the opportunities the Lord gives to you daily to show compassion for others, both inside and outside your home.

       Destruction is certain for all who don’t take an invested interest in others and minister as they can to their needs.  We are in the feeding business.  God gives us His love and gifts us to share with others.  God will not honor those who hoard their salvation.  In fact, He will reject them as His own.  You cannot be a child of God and not impact the world for Christ.  If we are not salt and light in the world, we are not living in Christ.

WHAT YOU DO MATTERS

WHAT YOU DO MATTERS

Ezek. 33:17-20 “Your people are saying, ˜The Lord is not just,’ but it is they who are not just. For again I say, when righteous people turn to evil, they will die. But if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live. O people of Israel, you are saying, ‘The Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your deeds.”  NLT

      Our problem with justice is that we don’t see the awfulness of sin like we should.  We don’t see how sin wreaks havoc on the soul like God does.  We don’t see how much God actually hates it because of what it does to us.  Because God loves us and desires a pure relationship with us, he hates sin.  He doesn’t want to see anyone miss out on heaven, but He knows most will because of sin.  Justice is God’s response to sin.  Sin must be punished.

       God gives us a way out of sin.  We can have a relationship with God through Christ.  God has made a way for us to live and not die.  He has given us the freedom to choose what kind of life we live.  If we choose to live in Christ, we will be saved from hell.  If we decide to reject God’s way and live in sin, we will not go to heaven when we die. 

       God knows how we are living and the choices we make.  He will execute perfect justice on every soul.  There will be no one who will be able to avoid God on Judgment Day.  He will judge us based on how we live before Him.  How we live will carry more weight than what we claim to believe.  Profession without practice is worth nothing.  He who lives in Christ will surely live.

         If we are living in the righteousness of Christ, Christ will reward us according to what our faith deserves.  If we are not living in Christ, God will judge us according to what our sin deserves.  It is strictly up to us whether we will spend eternity in heaven or hell.  How we live reflects the choice we make.

SINS OF THE RIGHTEOUS

Ezek. 33:17-20 “Your people are saying, ‘The LORD is not just,’ but it is they who are not just. For again I say, when righteous people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live. O people of Israel, you are saying, ‘The LORD is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your deeds.”  NLT

       Look carefully so you don’t miss what the Lord is saying here. He says when RIGHTEOUS people turn from their wicked ways. There is no other conclusion you can draw from this. Not only can righteous people fall into sin and live in it, many do. Don’t get the idea that the righteousness of Christ will automatically keep you from sinning. Jesus does not take away from us our freedom of choice. To do what is just and right before God is a decision we must make and remake continuously in our lives. If we don’t choose to obey God, we are choosing to disobey Him. The only way we are going to not sin against God is to choose to not sin.

      What happens when righteous people choose to not turn from their sin? The implication of today’s text seems to suggest they will die in their sins. Does that mean they will no longer be considered by God to be righteous and acceptable to Him? All that He says here is that He will judge each one according to his deeds. The Lord’s judgments are just and right and He will make no mistakes on Judgment Day.

       Live righteously and you won’t have to be concerned about what is going to happen on Judgment Day.  Mess with sin and you will answer to God for it.  God knows our hearts and our motives and will judge fairly our souls.

FROM BAD TO GOOD

Ezek. 33:14-16  “And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. For instance, they might give back a borrower’s pledge, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live.”  NLT

       This is God’s Good News for all mankind.  We all have a death sentence over our heads.  We are all sinners before God.  But, there is forgiveness in Christ.  We can break the bondage of our death sentence before God.  We can change the way He thinks about us.  We can change the way we think and act.  There is hope for all of us, no matter how bad we are.

      When Christ forgives us and purifies our hearts, we do think and act differently than we ever had before.  Pleasing God becomes our way of life rather than pleasing ourselves.  We are more concerned about God’s glory than our own.  We love others as much as we do ourselves.  We live to serve God instead of seeking personal pleasures and gains.  Everything changes when we let Jesus take over our lives.

       If we are not different, then nothing is really different in our souls.  Professing faith and actually living in faith are two different things.  Our lives must reflect our profession of faith.  If you find that your profession is not backed up by your living, then you need to fall on your knees before the Lord and renew your commitment to Him.  You need to confess your sins and seek His help to overcome them.  You need to vow to be different.  If you do these things, you will indeed find peace with God and will be saved.

A RUDE AWAKENING

Ezek. 33:13  “When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin,, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their good deeds will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins.”  NLT

      This truth should be branded deep into our hearts.  Far too many professing Christians think that since they are saved they are free to live as they choose to live.  They do not concern themselves with their sins.  They are forgiven and going to heaven and it doesn’t matter what is done here on earth.  How foolish to think like this!

      Our Father will not let us get away with sin.  Sin destroys the soul.  God hates it and will never let it in His presence.  Sin is what put Jesus on the cross.  Sin will be punished and all those who live in it will not be allowed into the presence of God.  It doesn’t get any simpler than that.  Don’t think for a moment that because you professed Jesus as your Savior sometime in your past that your present living doesn’t matter.  Your sin condemns you to certain death.

      Anytime we wander away from under the blood of Christ shed for us, we do so at our own peril.  All who live in Christ will be saved and all who don’t will be condemned.  How we live day by day does matter to God and it certainly should matter to us.  Don’t believe the lie that your salvation gives you the freedom to live as you choose, even if it is a life of sin.  Grace does not excuse us.  God will never violate His holiness.  All sin will be accounted for and punished.

TURN! TURN TO GOD!

Ezek. 33:10-11 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ˜Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” NLT

       Here is the passion of God’s heart.  The Lord does not want anyone to die in their sins.  He takes no pleasure whatsoever in the death of those bound for hell.  He wants all people to repent and find their way to heaven.  However, God cannot overlook sin.  He who sins must surely die.  He can never allow sin in His presence.  So, he who dies in sin will live in sin forever and ever.

       Sin weighs heavily on the heart of man.  Sometimes it gets so heavy that one can scarcely live.  The guilt and shame of sin become an unbearable burden on the soul.  For some the burden is so heavy that they do whatever they can to forget the pain and agony of the heart.  They wrap themselves up in the offerings of the world so they don’t remember, all to no avail.  For some, the pain is so great that all hope is gone and they take matters into their own hands and end their lives.  What a tragedy!

      The end of all sin is death.  There is a separation that takes place from the living.  He who is physically alive and lives in sin has no help or hope from God.  He is left with the misery of a sin-infested life.  Sin often separates one from those who love him and desire a relationship with him.  Sin is ugly no matter how you look at it.  It is the death sentence of the soul.

      The cry of God is, “Repent!  Why should you die in your sin?  I love you and want to remove your sin from you.  Repent!  I am merciful and gracious and will forgive all who come to me with a humble and broken heart confessing their sin.” 

      It breaks the heart of God when we spurn Him.  He longs for a relationship with all people.  Don’t let sin come between you and God.  Confess your sin and you will live and you will know the joy of living in relationship with the Lord, our God.   Turn to Him and you will find peace and rest for your soul. 

STANDING IN THE GAP

Ezek. 22:30-31  “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land.  I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.  So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them in the fire of my anger.  I will heap on them the full penalty for all their sins, says the Sovereign LORD.”  NLT

      These verses ought to grab our attention today.  God says He looked for someone to rebuild the wall of righteousness guarding the land, but He could not find anyone.  Look around you.  Is there a need in the land for the walls of righteousness to be rebuilt?  Regardless of where you may live, I am quite sure that there is a desperate need for righteousness all around you.  Without righteousness guarding the land, evil prevails.  All kinds of wickedness run wild where there is no righteousness.  We have seen it in our history books; we see it all around us.  Wickedness rules and God makes it clear that judgment falls on the wicked.                     

       God delays judgment so that people will repent and come to Him, but His patience with wicked man does run out.  He puts up with wicked people just so long and then He steps in and destroys their land.  How long will God put up with the wickedness in your land?  Only God knows when judgment will fall on you.  In the meantime He is looking for someone to stand in the gap for righteousness so He won’t have to destroy your land.  He is looking for us to stand strong for righteousness.  If we are gutless and do not stand, God in His anger will heap on us the full penalty our sins deserve.

      We don’t know if it is too late for us or not, but that is not the point.  God needs us to do what we can to stem the tide of wickedness so that He can delay our punishment.  He has no desire to destroy, but He must if righteousness is not found.  We must set the example of righteousness for others to follow: in our homes, churches, workplaces, and in society as a whole.  If godly people do not let their godliness be seen and known, wickedness will continue to be seen and flourish.  Only the godly can stay the hand of God.  Will you stand in the gap and be a righteous influence in your world?  Will you do your part in rebuilding the wall of righteousness in your land?  Will you be an example for others to follow in godly living? 

        We have no one to blame but ourselves if we don’t let our lights shine in the darkness of the world and things continue to get worse all around us.

GOD'S NAME IS HOLY

Ezek. 20:39 “As for you, O people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says.  If you insist, go right ahead and worship your idols, but then don’t turn around and bring your gifts to me.  Such desecration of my holy name must stop!” NLT

      Many people have such a low regard for the Lord.  They do not hold Him up in high esteem.  God is treated as one of us.  Many have taken the truth that God is with us to mean that He is one of us.  God may be deemed to be greater than we are, but barely.  Many speak of Him in ways that make Him to be less supreme to us than He actually is.  God as being perfectly holy and worthy of our humility before Him does not captivate most of us.

      God is often treated as an extra in our lives.  We give Him attention, but He is not the center of our attention.  We acknowledge His realness and presence, but we don’t invest our lives in Him in such a way that He is Lord over us.  In practice, we devote more time and energy on other things than we do God.  He is not our supreme God.  We allow idols in our lives and give them the place in our lives that God alone deserves.

      The Lord says that we must stop putting other things before Him.  He is not pleased with us when we give Him lip service and when we do, He will not acknowledge the time we do give Him.  What we offer to Him is regarded as an insult to Him.  If our hearts are not devoted to Him, the Lord will not tolerate what we do in His name.  We live and worship in vain if God is not supreme in our lives.  God is a jealous god and He says all such things must stop; they are a desecration of His holy name.

      How convinced do you think God is when you claim that He is yours and you are His?  He knows your heart and is not fooled by the things that fool us.  If Jesus is not your Lord you are not living a life pleasing and acceptable to God.  He demands our full attention.  We are to love Him with all of our heart, mind and soul.  There is no room for anything less.  We need to stay in constant vigilance over our souls.  We need to examine our hearts to see if Jesus is indeed Lord of them.  If Jesus is not your Lord, you need to bow before Him today until He is.  He will not take a backseat in our lives.

GOD WILL JUDGE US

Ezek. 18:30-32 “Therefore, I will judge each of you. O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn from your sins! Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and get for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live!” NLT

      The Lord does not want anyone to miss out on heaven. He wants all to turn to Him and change their ways. He wants everyone to not sin. It breaks His heart knowing that most people will not listen to Him. Most people don’t want to change their ways. They enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin and refuse to give them up.

      The wages of sin is separation from God. Sin pulls us away from God and prevents God from drawing near to us. No one can get rid of sin on their own. Jesus alone has the ability to get rid of sin and change our ways. All who die in their sin will spend eternity in hell. It’s not what God wants for you, but it is what He will do to you if you don’t accept Jesus as your Savior and let Him change your ways.

      Sin is appealing and pleasurable for the moment, but it destroys the soul.  It keeps us away from God and God away from us.  It is cancer to the soul and the more it is allowed to stay in the heart, the more hardened the heart becomes against God. 

      God longs to have fellowship with us.  Don’t let sin get in your way.  Don’t let it get a foothold in your soul.  Deal with it right away and you will have peace with God and enjoy His presence with you both now and for all eternity.

GOD IS JUST

Ezek. 18:25-28  “Yet you say, ‘The Lord isn’t being just!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one who is unjust, or is it you? When righteous people turn from being good and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds. And if wicked people turn away from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives. They will live, because after thinking it over, they decided to turn from their sins. Such people will not die.” NLT

       It is very simple really.  God lets us choose whom we will serve.  If we choose to not live in His righteousness, we will pay the price for it.  If we choose to live righteously, we will be rewarded for it.  We cannot live on past laurels and think that it’s good enough.  It is how we are living now that matters to God.  Judgment will be made on how we are living when we die and the motives of our souls.

       It is possible for righteous people to get caught up in sin and reject God in their lives.  And it is possible for sinners to reject their sins and turn to God.  No matter how we may think about it, God does not change His mind about sin.  It is an abomination to Him and must be punished.

      I believe that sometimes our concept of eternal security can become a false security.  Salvation does not give us a license to sin.  We are not free in Christ to live contrary to His holiness.  We can never get away with sinful living.  Salvation changes the heart of man so that he no longer can be comfortable with sinning against God.  It moves us to want to please God by resisting the urge to sin against Him. 

      Past profession doesn’t always translate into present living.  It behooves us to always be vigilant guards over our souls.  He who sins must repent, change his ways and go and sin no more.  God rewards those who turn from their sins and live in Him.

SAINT TO SINNER

Ezek. 18:24  “However, if righteous people turn to sinful ways and start acting like other sinners, should they be allowed to live?  No, of course not!  All their previous goodness will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.” NLT

        This truth should get our attention.  Regardless of how you understand the issue of eternal security of the soul, we must hear what this verse says.  The fact of the matter is, if righteous people turn away from the Lord and live lives of sin, they will die in their sins.  Whether or not one’s previous righteousness will still get them into heaven only the Lord really knows.  He alone knows those who are worthy to be with Him throughout eternity.

       Can righteous people turn to sinful ways and act like other sinners?  This verse seems to suggest they can.  We cannot go beyond what the Scripture says.  We know that there are those amongst the righteous who do turn away from God and go their own way.  There are those who end up denying the faith and live sinful lives.  Were they ever saved?  Only the Lord knows the answer to that.  All I know is what the Word proclaims. 

       This verse tells us that all the previous goodness of the righteous who turn from God will be forgotten.  It’s a hard truth to digest.  Other people can debate what it means.  Should we make a distinction between a person’s righteousness and his goodness (see Ezekiel 33:13)?  All I know is that God says what He means and means what He says.  Does the fact that we live under grace and not the law change this truth?  I am not smart enough to give an absolute answer to that one.  We are told that their previous goodness will be forgotten and they will die for their sins.

      One thing is for certain.  I do not want to die for my sins.  In order for us to avoid this, we must strive to live righteously at all times.  When we are living submissively to Christ, this is a non-issue for us.  The Lord blesses and rewards those who live godly lives.  When we live righteously before God and die in our righteousness, we will be ushered into heaven when we die.  There is no debating the destiny of those who do not wander away from God.

FROM GOOD TO BAD

Ezek. 18:24 “However, if righteous people turn to sinful ways and start acting like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their previous goodness will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.”  NLT

      Let me be very upfront. I don’t have it all figured out. I have been a student of God’s Word all my life and I still have to simply accept the fact that I don’t know how to balance out all that the Word says about our salvation. What I don’t know, I know to be true because God said it. It may not all fit into my understanding, but it doesn’t have to. I will just let the Word say what it says and leave the rest up to someone else to determine how it all fits together.

      A lot of questions can be asked from today’s verse. Who determines who is among the righteous and who isn’t? Can the righteous fall into sin, and if so, how? What happens to the righteous if they do fall into sin? Is the death spoken of here that of physical or spiritual death? Is it eternal or not? To what extent does God allow us to sin and not die? Can the believer revert back to a life of sin and still make it to heaven? Only God knows the answer to that one.

      If we are continuously striving to live a life of submission and obedience to Christ, it’s not an issue to be concerned about. The Lord alone knows the righteousness of the heart and He will accept all those who are righteous in His eyes. Our opinions about ourselves don’t matter. What God thinks of us in light of the cross does. He will not make any mistakes in judgment.

      Is your heart right with God today?  Are you living the righteous life you claim to have?  Or, are you acting more like a sinner than a saint?  God knows how you are living and your thought life and will hold you accountable for them.  Take to heart what God says.  He means exactly what He says.

LOVE AND HOLINESS

Ezek. 18:23  “Do you think,” asks the LORD, that I like to see wicked people die?  Of course not!  I only want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.”  NLT

     We must understand this truth.  The Lord does not like to see wicked people die.  God knows that those who live wicked lives will go to hell when they die if they don’t repent.  They must be sent to hell for no sin can ever be in His presence.  In human terms, it’s not God’s most favorite thing to do.  His holiness demands it, but His love does not want to do it.

      The Lord does all He can do to get people to repent.  He shows himself to us in a multitude of ways.  He can be found by anyone who sincerely is looking for Him.  He bears witness of His existence and love in all of life.  For those who have eyes to see, what man needs to know about God in order to be saved is everywhere.  God wants people to open their eyes and see Him.  He wants them to see themselves as sinners in need of a Savior.

        But, He also knows that sin darkens the mind of man and prevents the soul from seeing or wanting God.  The deeper one goes into sin, the harder it is for the soul to find God.  God allows man the freedom to choose how deep into sin he will go.  No one has to be a slave to sin.  Living in sin is a choice that is daily made.  It is the natural tendency of the heart, but it is not the way it has to be.  God provides a way out of sin and a way to stay out of it.  It is God’s heart desire for us to choose to come out of sin and live in righteousness.  There is a way out; there is hope for the soul.  Jesus is the way, truth, and life.  We come to God only through Him. 

      “Thank you, O Lord, for your righteousness and holiness that keeps us out of hell when we give you our hearts.  Thank you, Lord, for making it possible for us to know the love of God for us and to be bathed in it daily.  Thank you, Lord, for saving our souls and setting us free.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

SINNER TO SAINT

Ezek. 18:21-22  But if the wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my laws and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die.  All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.  NLT

      Wicked people do what wicked people do; they blatantly sin against God.  Nothing they do should ever surprise us.  But, wicked people are not necessarily stuck in their wickedness.  People can, and do, change.  When wicked people get tired of their wickedness and turn to the Lord, they change their ways.  When they do change, they shall live and not die in their sins.  It is an amazing thing when the Lord redeems the wicked. 

      No matter how bad of a life a person may live, when Jesus takes residence in the heart, an amazing thing happens in heaven.  God wipes from His memory bank all their past sins.  He has the mysterious ability to remember their sins no more.  He looks upon the righteousness of Christ in the soul and looks no further.  It seems like God would be like us, but He’s not. 

      When we are forgiven and let Christ take over our lives, we still remember what we have done.  We may be able to bury our wicked deeds deep within our memory bank, but they are still there and come back to haunt us throughout our lives.  Satan refuses to let us forget how bad we were and he tries to convince us we are still as bad as we were.  But, God declares us to be different. We become new creations in Christ; the old self passes away and we become new in Christ.

       In Christ we live.  We live differently and we are deemed to be righteous in Christ.  We live honorably before God and man.  What we do pleases God.  Only in Christ can our wickedness be done away with.  Only in Christ can God consider us to be righteous.  Yes, the wicked can be miraculously changed.  It is possible for our standing with God to change.  It is possible for us to live eternally in God’s presence. 

      Don’t ever let Satan try to convince you otherwise.  It is impossible for us to do it, but with Christ all things are possible.  Believe God, trust Christ with your soul, and you will be forever set free from the sins that bind and destroy you.  No matter how bad of a sinner you may be, Christ can forgive you and change your life forever.

HE WHO SINS DIES

Ezek. 18:20a The one who sins is the one who dies. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. NLT

       The one who sins is the one who dies. I cannot die for you and you cannot die for me. No one can take the blame or responsibility for my sins but me. No matter how much I may love you and want to spare you the consequences of sin, I can’t. There are a lot of things we can do for each other, but intervening before God in each other’s place for our sins is not one of them.

       Only Jesus is qualified and capable of sparing us from the consequences of sin. Only Jesus can satisfy the demands of God’s justice and make us holy before Him. Only Jesus can forgive us and remove our sins from us. Only Jesus can make it possible for us to not sin against God. Only Jesus can spare us from eternal separation from God.

       The closer you walk in fellowship with Jesus daily in your life, the less you will fall into sin.  

      He will change the desires of your heart so that you won’t want to sin. Jesus opens our eyes to see sin for what it really is, the destroyer of our souls.

       You will spend eternity where you deserve to be.  If you choose to be with God, you will let Jesus take away your sins now.  You cannot take one with you into heaven.  They must all go.  If you choose to hang onto any of your sins, you will answer to God for it.  He who sins will die and spend eternity in hell without God. 

       Choose you this day whom you will serve, God or Satan.  Today is the day of salvation; you make never make it to tomorrow.

PROTECT THE TRUTH

Ezek. 13:1-3 Then this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, speak against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Tell them to listen to the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says. ˜Destruction is certain for the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!’”  NLT

      This is a timeless message for all who would be leaders in the Church.  There are false preachers, teachers and representatives of Christ everywhere.  The Church is full of people who are not telling the truth or are using the truth for their own purposes and gain.  It will not bode well for them on Judgment Day.  We dare not ignore what they are doing.

       Instead of standing up against them, we so often look the other way.  We tolerate their teachings or for the sake of unity try to meet on common ground.  We tend to talk about them behind their backs, but not to their faces.  We need to speak out against them and their teachings.  We need to proclaim truth to them that perhaps they may repent.  If they don’t heed the Word, perhaps some of those who follow them will. 

      God declares that destruction is certain for those false teachers.  There is no hope for eternal life in Christ for those who are not proclaiming the truthfulness of God’s Word.  They follow their own delusional thinking.  They will be held responsible for their false teachings.

      Let us be diligent protectors of the truth.  Let us not grow weary in our proclamation and defense of God’s Word.  Let us not turn away from those who are proclaiming untruth and pretend that it doesn’t matter.  The very soul of man is at stake!  We must be vigilant defenders of the Word of God.  There are those who are undermining and seeking to destroy the Word.  If we aren’t defending the truth, by our actions we are agreeing with those who say that God and the Word are no longer relevant to us.  We will answer to God for it.

GUARD AGAINST SIN

Ezek. 3:20-21 “If good people turn bad and don’t listen to my warning, they will die. If you did not warn them of the consequences, then they will die in their sins. Their previous good deeds won’t help them, and I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. But if you warn them and they repent, they will live and you will have saved your own life too.”  NLT

       These verses have always had a sobering effect on me.  The Lord says that if good people turn bad and refuse to listen to Him, they will die.  It is possible for good people to turn bad.  Can they lose out on their salvation?  Only the Lord knows that for sure.  The issue is that we can slip into a life of sin if we are not carefully guarding our souls.

       It is imperative that if we see a brother or sister in Christ fall into sin that we warn them of what they are doing.  Sin blinds us and they may not even realize what they are doing.  If no one tells them, they will die in their sins.  I shudder to think what that may mean for them as they stand before God.  God says their previous good deeds will not help them.  They will be judged by the condition of their heart when they die.

        If we decide not to get involved and warn them, the Lord will hold us responsible for our callous attitude.  He will treat us justly.  But if we do care and warn them, we will be off the hook.  If they heed the warnings and repent, they too will be off the hook. 

        Let these verses sink deep into your soul today.  Let us take care of our souls and not let sin overtake us.  Let us humbly seek the Lord’s righteousness all the days of our lives.  Let us be faithful witnesses to those living in sin.  Let us not let fear keep us from warning others to repent.  Let us proclaim salvation often to all who would hear that some might be saved.

GOOD PEOPLE TURNING BAD

Ezek. 3:20-21 “If good people turn bad and don’t listen to my warning, they will die. If you did not warn them of the consequences, then they will die in their sins. Their previous good deeds won’t help them, and I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. But if you warn them and they repent, they will live and you will have saved your own life too.”  NLT

       Every time I read this passage and meditate on it, it challenges me.  I know God spoke to Ezekiel during a different time than we live in.  The Israelites were living under the law and not grace.  God dealt with His people differently then than He does now.  Yet, I can’t help but take this passage and draw a parallel to our living. 

      The Lord suggests that good people can turn bad.  Can godly people turn away from their godliness and sin against God?  I believe so.  We do not lose our freewill when we give our hearts over to Christ.  We still choose between good and evil.  We still choose whether or not we are going to live by God’s Word or not.  We daily make spiritual choices.  So, what happens when godly people turn away from God and choose to live in sin?

       This passage tells us that the people of Ezekiel’s day would die if they did not repent.  Does this mean that they would lose their standing with God?  I will let others debate that issue.  All I know is what the Word declares.  Here God says that their past goodness would not help them.  God says He would hold them responsible for their sins.  I believe that God has not changed.  He still holds us responsible for our sins.  How can it be otherwise?  God is holy and there will be no sin in heaven whatsoever.  One way or another, all sin will be dealt with before we are allowed into heaven.  God makes it clear in His Word that when we sin we must confess it and seek Christ’s forgiveness.  Only the pure in heart will see God.  What happens if we don’t confess our sins and seek God’s forgiveness?  He will deal with us accordingly.  He judges each of us by the righteousness of Christ and the standards of His Word.  He will judge each of us rightly.

      I would caution each of us to not ignore this truth.  It is a very serious thing to harbor sin in our hearts.  It leads us away from God and soon takes over our lives.  If we turn away from God and live sinful lives, we will stand before God and give an account for our lives.  Listen to what God says about sin; let His Spirit lead you according to His Word. 

ACCOUNTABLE FOR TELLING

Ezek. 3:18-19  If I warn the wicked saying, “You are under the penalty of death, but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. If you warn them and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you did what you were told to do.”  NLT

       God’s warning to Ezekiel has always pricked my soul.  It is serious business to be given a message of warning from the Lord to people.  He compels us to tell people that sin is a death sentence for the soul.  People who live in sin will die in their sins and spend eternity in hell.  There is no sugar coating the message.  We must tell people of God’s judgment that they might be saved.

       If we don’t obey the Lord and share the Gospel with them, the Lord will hold us responsible for it.  Exactly what punishment we will get, I don’t know.  All I know is that it is a grave responsibility He has placed upon us.  He has commanded us to go into the world and make disciples.  We can’t make disciples out of the unsaved.  We must first lead them to the cross that they might be saved.  We must not shrug this warning off.  The Lord holds us responsible for being witnesses of the Truth.

       There are those to whom we share the Gospel with who will not heed our message.  Some will reject the opportunity to be saved.  There is nothing we can do about it.  They will be held accountable for their decision and we will not be held responsible for their decision.  If we do our part, we will be blessed by the Lord for doing what He has commanded us to do.  They will die in their sin, but we will be saved.

       Let us remain faithful witnesses for the Lord whenever we have opportunity that some might be saved.

WARN THE WICKED

Ezek. 3:18-19  “If I warn the wicked saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. If you warn them and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you did what you were told to do.”  NLT

      We are the message bearers.  God wants everyone to know that sin leads to hell.  He wants everyone to hear what the consequences of disobeying God are.  He has placed upon us, His chosen ones, the responsibility to tell them.  We cannot control how the wicked will respond to the message, but we can control whether or not we tell them.

      If we fail to warn the lost of their lostness, the Lord will hold us responsible for our failure.  We may still stay in fellowship with the Lord, but we will not be in His favor.  He does not save us so that we will hoard the Good News.  If we truly appreciate the wonderful gift of our salvation we will want to tell all we can about it.  How can we not be excited enough about our salvation to not want to share it with others?

       There are going to be those who will respond positively to the Good News and be saved and there will be those who will keep on sinning and refuse to repent.  It should come as no surprise to us that most will reject the message.  Jesus made it clear that people in the dark stay in the dark because they know that in the light their deeds will be exposed.  And, once deeds are exposed they must be dealt with and changes made in behavior.  Most people either fear change or simply do not want to change.  Most people will continue to sin and reject the Good News.  Only the Holy Spirit can change the heart of man and if He can’t get through to people, why should we expect positive results?

      When we obey the Lord and share the Good News, we will be blessed by God.  Our obedience assures us of our own salvation.  All we can do is plant the seed.  It is the Lord alone who can make it grow.  The Lord has saved us to be bearers of the Good News.  Do not disobey God in this.  Spread the Good News whenever and wherever you can.  Great will be your reward in heaven when you do.

I AM SENDING YOU

Ezek. 3:7  “I am sending you to the people of Israel, but they won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me.  For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn.”  NLT

       Scripture does not tell us how Ezekiel received this news.  God told him directly that He was sending him to a hard-hearted and stubborn people.  Ezekiel was sent to be a witness to them in spite of the fact that they would probably not listen to him and rebel against him.  There would be those who would mock him, seek to physically harm him, speak lies about him, criticize him, and ignore him completely.  The future did not look too bright for Ezekiel; it was not a mission very many of us would want to go on.

       Yet, is it not what we are to do daily?  Think about it.  The world is not a friendly place for the Gospel.  Most people do not welcome the Christian message, and the farther away we get from the holiness movement of days gone by, the more unwelcome the Gospel is.  Most people in the world are not children of God.  Most people are either antagonistic towards the Gospel, agnostics, or apathetic towards it.  The world is populated with people who have very little grounding in the things of God.

      Yet, the Lord tells us to go into the world with the Gospel and make disciples.  He knows what the world is like.  He knows most people are stubborn and hard-hearted.  He knows there will be much opposition to the Gospel message.  In spite of what the world is like, the Lord says to go into it and make disciples.  He knows that there are people in the world who are actually open to the Gospel message and are just waiting for someone to present it to them. 

      The Lord is working in people’s lives to prepare them for the Gospel.  We don’t know who they are and that is why we are to just keep on being witnesses and ambassadors for Christ.  It’s not our role to convince people of the Gospel; it’s our role to proclaim it.  When it falls on fertile soil, we will know it and then we can begin the process of disciple making.  The Lord gives us a mandate to take the Gospel into the world.  We are to preach and teach it as often as we can.  We are to train ourselves in the Gospel so that when the opportunities come we can help those who will receive it.

       The Lord does not send us alone.  He is with us each step we take and we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to support us.  The Lord has yet many souls to save.  The harvest is ripe and ready.  Are you praying for those who are going?  Are you doing all you can do to reach the world for Christ?