The Indifferent Watchman: Sinners

Ezekiel 3:16–21 CSB

Now at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me. If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself. Now if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, and I put a stumbling block in front of him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die because of his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to your warning, and you will have rescued yourself.”

Grab Attention:

FCF:

Context:

Purpose:

Main Idea of the Text: Indifference

Plural Noun Proposition:

Indifferent regarding sinners

When we consider what God calls wicked and his response to the wicked, it is an absolute travesty that we can remain indifferent.

Who are the Wicked

Wickedness is determine by God and He defines it as being guilty of sin. For the Israelites it was idolatry, worshiping other things. It was the love of wealth and prosperity. It was the pursuit of power and authority was inflated their ego. It mainly it was reflecting the world that took them captive and not the God who created them. In short they were sinners.

The Wicked are Guilty

God is the judge, not other Christians, this world, or yourself. God determines not only what wickedness is but also who is wicked, who is a sinner.

God also concludes the people are personally responsible for their sin.

The Fate of the Wicked

Death is the result of wickedness, death is the result of sin

There is nothing the wicked can do on their own to avoid it.

The Only Hope for the Wicked

Ezekiel 33:10–11 (CSB): 10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have said this: “Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them! How then can we survive?” ’ 11 Tell them, ‘As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord GOD—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’

Ezekiel 33:10–11 CSB

“Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have said this: “Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them! How then can we survive?” ’ Tell them, ‘As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’

God says the only way the wicked can be saved is if they respond to His words through repentance.

Repentance implies first that the wicked must trust God, trust what He is saying.

Second, repentance is turning from who you used to be, and turning to who God wants you to be.

So how is the Wicked to hear the Words of God that lead to repentance.

Is it logical for us to believe that someone who has been consumed with sin to seek God on their own? Absolutely not!

What is logical is that those who know the word of God take that Word to the wicked.

A wicked person hope of being saved is not dependent on God desire to save but also on the faithfulness of the believer to speak up up concerning the truths of God.

How can God put so much pressure on us?

The only pressure on us is whether or not we will be faithful to share. We are not responsible for their sins or their response. We are only responsible to share.