Repent, Turn, and Live!
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New Year’s Resolution: Draw closer to God than every before! How? Read Bible more, pray more, go to church more, all good ideas. Any motion toward God must first begin with repentance.
We don’t like to talk about repentance much let alone put it into action.
This same problem was facing the Jews in Ezekiel’s day. They first of all doubted God’s justice and secondly make every excuse they could think of so that they wouldn’t have to turn to God in repentance.
Ezekiel wanted the Jewish exiles in Babylon to understand that God would justly hold them accountable for their own sin if they did not turn to God in repentance.
Friends, we must understand and believe that God’s judgement is always justly measured out to each individual person.
How do we know that God’s judgment is always justly measured out to each individual person?
Ezekiel gives us two arguments for the just judgement of God.
God’s judgments are always just because:
Argument #1: Each individual is held accountable for their own sins (vv. 1-20)
Argument #1: Each individual is held accountable for their own sins (vv. 1-20)
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
Proverb: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
Explanation: Growing up as a child we have numerous sour things to eat in my backyard—rhubarb, crab apples, gooseberries, and red grapes. Red grapes were the kind with seeds in them, you could pick and eat them while they were still green and they were extremely sour. Imagine that sharp feeling in the back of your cheeks, imagine how your face twists when you eat something sour! Now imagine, if one of your family members took a cluster of those green sour grapes and popped several in their mouth at the same time, but instead of their face twisting from the sourness of the bite—instead you felt the full force of the sour grapes in your mouth!
The point was that the exiles of Ezekiel's day were claiming that they were suffering, not for their own sins, but for the sins of their ancestors.
Ezekiel was taken captive in 597 BC with a large group of Jews. He ministered as a captive in Babylon. Apparently the captives in exile in Babylon thought that their captivity was not their fault. They concluded that they were having to suffer for the sins of their ancestors and that this was an injustice brought upon them by God.
God was using the ministry of Ezekiel to combat this heretical thinking.
3 As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
Issue: Hebrew word “soul.” This verse is used by JW’s as a proof text for soul destruction. Soul’s die, they do not suffer eternal punishment in the lake of fire (so they claim). But, the Hebrew word for “soul” carries the idea of “life” or “person” and should not be confused with the concept of “soul” as the spiritual and eternal part of a person. This thinking would have been foreign to the Hebrew mind-set. To the Hebrew each person was regarded as a “life” or a “soul.” So the idea is, “the person who sins shall die.”
Important Principle: v. 4-
Ezekiel 18:4 (HCSB)
4 Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.
Important theological principle: Every life BELONGS to God! This is consistently taught in the Scriptures.
Colossians 1:16 (ESV)
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Romans 11:36 (ESV)
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 8:6 (ESV)
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
All things were created by God. All things were created and continue to exist through Him, and therefore all things are FOR HIM. We were created and we continue to exist for God, for the glory of God.
Therefore, God can rightly claim:
Ezekiel 18:4 (HCSB)
4 Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.
Because God created you, your life belongs to God. Because all life belongs to God, God has the right and the authority to hold his creation accountable to HIS OWN standard of righteousness. When you stand before your creator one day He will utilize his own standard of justice, not yours! And what is God’s standard of just judgment?
Ezekiel 18:4 (ESV)
4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
The person who sins is the one who will die. Or, all people are personally responsible to God for their own sins.
You will not face God’s judgment for the sins of your ancestors. You will face God’s judgment for your own personal sins.
Important clarification: God is not addressing a means of salvation in this context. God is not dealing with salvation or the permanence of salvation in this context. He is dealing with the idea of judgment. And the setting for God’s judgement is in relation to the Mosaic covenant.
11 I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live.
Mosaic Covenant: If you obey the covenant God will bless you and you will live. If you disobey the covenant then God will curse you and you will die. This is not in relation to salvation, but in relation to the blessings or curses of the covenant. We are talking about God’s earthly judgement in this context. Each person will be held accountable for the guilt of their own sin.
Issue: What about?
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Individually each person is responsible for his or her own guilt of sin. But we must always be aware that the consequences of sin will affect others who may be innocent of the guilt for that particular sin.
God is wise enough, powerful enough, sovereign enough to take care of complicated situations like these where you might be effected because of the consequences of the sin of others. Even though you might feel sin’s consequences from others, God is still firm in His justice that you are responsible for the guilt of your sin alone.
Now that Ezekiel has stated the first argument for the just judgement of God, that is- the person who sins is the one who will die. Or, all people are personally responsible to God for their own sins. With that thesis stated Ezekiel now presents three examples of this in real life in vv. 5-20.
Example #1: A righteous man (vv. 5-9)
Example #1: A righteous man (vv. 5-9)
Ezekiel then presents five principles that characterize the life of this kind of person. These principles are then repeated in various forms for the rest of the three examples.
Principle 1: He deeds are characterized by justice and righteousness
5 “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right—
Principle 2: He worships Yahweh alone
Ezekiel 18:6 (ESV)
6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Principle 3: He carefully guards and maintains marital fidelity and moral purity
6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity,
Principle 4: He is a good neighbor. He treats others with kindness, generosity, and justice. This kind of person does not steal, nor does he wrong or take advantage of the needy. He gives food and clothing to the poor and promotes ethical behavior in others.
7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
8 does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man,
Principle 5: This principle summarizes the others—the righteous person faithfully respects and obeys the statues and rules of God.
9 walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.
All people are personally responsible to God for their own sins. So if a person lives righteously— he shall surely live.
God is a just God and exercises just judgement. If a Jew in Ezekiel’s day lived righteously and followed the Mosaic covenant, God’s promise is that they would live. They would not face God’s judgement because of their own guilt. They would instead receive God’s blessing—they would live.
Example #2: A wicked son (vv. 10-13)
Example #2: A wicked son (vv. 10-13)
10 “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things
If the righteous man father’s a wicked son who’s life is not characterized by the principles of righteousness (He does not act justly and righteously, he does not worship God alone, he is not faithful to his marriage or morally pure, he is not a good neighbor to those around him, and he does not keep God’s statues or obey God’s rules…)
Ezekiel 18:13 (ESV)
13 He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.
Should the wickedness of the son go unpunished because of the righteousness of the father? God answers this very forcefully- NO!
Each individual is held accountable for their own sins. God justly judges each individual person.
Example #3: A righteous grandson (vv. 14-18)
Example #3: A righteous grandson (vv. 14-18)
14 “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise:
The wicked son fathers a righteous son- so the grandson of the first righteous man. This righteous grandson rejects the wickedness of his father and instead follows the righteousness of his grandfather. Should a godly, righteous son assume the guilt of a wicked, ungodly father?
17 withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live.
18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.
Each individual is held accountable for their own sins. God justly judges each individual person.
Ezekiel then restates the first argument in vv. 19-20.
19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live.
20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
God’s judgment is always justly measured out to each individual person.
Each individual is held accountable for their own sins.
Refutation: I am suffering because of the consequences of someone else’s sins. I agree that I also suffer from the guilt of my own sins and not the sins of others. But, enduring the consequences of other’s sins is still really hard. What should I do? (Example: children suffering the consequences of the parent’s sin- divorce)
Do not allow a bad situation to cause you to transfer responsibility and blame to someone else. Do not believe the lie that your situation is entirely someone else’s fault and that there is nothing you can do about it. Do not believe the lie that you are an innocent victim of an unfair God.
Step #1: Change your thinking! God’s judgment is always justly measured out to each individual person.
Step # 2: Place your faith in an all-wise God.
2 Peter 2:5–9 (ESV)
5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked
8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
Sin makes a mess out of everything it touches. You may be suffering the consequences of someone else’s sins, it may be extremely difficult to go through, but you must place your faith in an infinitely wise, sovereign, providential God who knows exactly how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement.
Rather than using your situation as an excuse to sin, change your thinking about God and put your faith in Him! Each individual is held accountable for their own sins- the person who sins they shall die. God’s judgement is always just. Knowing that and walking by faith with that right theology will make all the difference.
God’s judgments are always just because:
Argument #2: God honors true repentance and genuine faith (vv. 21-32)
Argument #2: God honors true repentance and genuine faith (vv. 21-32)
Apparently the captives in exile in Babylon thought that their captivity was not their fault. They concluded that they were having to suffer for the sins of their ancestors and that this was an injustice brought upon them by God.
God corrects their error- Each individual is held accountable for their own sins. And now God explains to these rebellious exiles that furthermore, if they will accept personal responsibility for their actions, and genuinely repent of their sins God will forgive their past wrongs.
21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Excellent definition of repentance: It involves two stages: first, a turning away from sin and second, a determination of loyal obedience to God.
22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live.
If you will repent: If you will turn to God and away from sin- none of your transgressions will be remembered against you!
23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
Important principle: God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked! God is not vindictive and takes no pleasure in bringing judgment on the wicked. Judgement to God is a necessity because of his righteous nature, but what delights God is when the wicked turn to Him in repentance! Why? Because it allows God to forgive and restore.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.
Remember not talking about salvation- the righteous person is not at risk of losing their salvation. But, past acts of righteousness are not enough to save a person from God’s judgement if that person falls into wickedness in the future. God will judge justly. God will bring to bear his judgment on a righteous person if that one turns from following God and acts wickedly. Instead of God’s blessing all they have to look forward to is his judgement. For a believer we call that judgment God’s chastisement. Like a loving Father He will discipline His children when they wander off into wickedness. His judgement is meant to lead them back to Him by means of repentance.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
God is just to judge people for their own sins, but He is also ready to forgive those who turn in repentance.
26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die.
27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life.
28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Aspects of Repentance: Considered! He thought it over. He changed his mind about his sin! And then turned away from all the transgressions!
4 Aspects of Repentance:
1. Turning away from sin
2. Turing toward God
3. Considering or thinking through the ramifications of sin
4. Determination of loyal obedience to God
If you repent in this way God will forgive and restore.
29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
Not turning to God in repentance! Instead blaming God! And blaming others (our fathers). Tendency of the sin nature! Opposite of repentance!
Conclusion:
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
God’s judgments are just: He metes out judgment to everyone according to their own ways! But God also gives ample time and warning to repent!
31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?
Solution to sin problem: Cast away all the transgressions that you have committed! Repentance!
New idea: make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! New birth! Salvation! Need God to do this for you. Through faith in Christ!
17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’
18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.
19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.”
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”
Illustration: Many churches today will talk about forgiveness. They will tell people just ask God to forgive you of your sins! That is not the full message of the gospel! We must talk about repentance! Why? Jesus did!
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
God will forgive your sins, but God forgives those who are repentant and who place their faith in Christ!
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Unsaved: Consider your sin, think about the future if your sin is left unforgiven, turn from your sin, turn to God, and determine to love and obey Him. Ask God to do the miracle of salvation within you. Ask God for a new heart and a new Spirit. God offers you this free gift through the person and work of His Son Jesus Christ. Repent of your sin and place your faith in Christ alone! Receive God’s give of salvation today.
Saved: Turn and live! Consider the end result of your sin (shame and death). Turn away from your sin, turn toward God, and determine to love and obey Him. Maybe this year you will resolve to draw closer to God than ever before. Any attempt to draw closer to God must begin with repentance! What sin do you need to repent of today? Turn and live!
Friends, we must understand and believe that God’s judgement is always justly measured out to each individual person.
How do we know that God’s judgment is always justly measured out to each individual person?
Because God holds each individual accountable for their own sin.
Because God honors true repentance and genuine faith.
God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, so turn and live!