FROM BAD TO GOOD

 

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. The Lord can break the bondage of our death sentence before God. He can change the way God thinks about us. He can change the way we think and act. There is hope for all of us, no matter how bad we are. He can change the bad in us into something very good.

When Christ forgives us 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

 

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.

SIN MATTERS TO GOD

SIN DOES MATTER TO GOD

Ezek. 33:12 “Son of man, give your people this message: The good works of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the sins of evil people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins.” NLT

Hear this message of God to Ezekiel. No matter how well you are grounded in Christ, if you decide to turn from righteous living and live in sin, your previous righteousness will not save you. We cannot escape God’s warning. The righteous live by faith in Christ and produce the fruit of righteousness. They do not live in sin. The sins of the heart condemn us. The Lord judges us according to how we are living, not by how we lived.

Those who turn from their sins and live righteously before God will be saved. The past, no matter how bad it may have been, is no longer held over their heads. All who repent of their sins will be saved. Those who live righteously before God will be saved. The past, no matter how bad it may have been can be changed; there is no past sin that cannot be forgiven if we turn to God and confess them.

We cannot change what God has spoken. We cannot explain it away. It is what it is. Let us take it to heart and live lives that are consistent with repentance. Why should we take the chance that we might die in our sins? Live honorably before God in righteousness and you will be saved.

Jesus died on the cross to make you righteous before God. He died so that your sins may be forgiven. He died to set you free from the bondage of sin that condemns the soul to hell. You don’t have to die in your sins. The choice is yours alone to make. Is Jesus your righteousness today?  

TURN! TURN TO GOD!

 

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 sins 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. Turn! Turn to God right now! You will be so glad you did.

STANDING IN THE GAP

 

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

 

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 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

 

GOD WILL JUDGE US

Ezek. 18:30-31 “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.