The Righteous and the Wicked
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· 174 viewsApril 10, 2022 Morning Worship
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back!
This morning if you will, turn back in your Bibles to Ezekiel 33.
We are going to continue in this chapter and pick up where we left off last week.
And just as a quick recap, remember, last week we were talking about “The Watchmen” and how we are all called to be Watchmen of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are all called to sound the alarm of the need for repentance and the coming judgement of God if we fail to repent.
And we also discussed how there are really two types of Watchmen, the good watchmen who did their job well and stayed true to their calling.
And the bad watchmen who either abandoned their post, fell asleep at their post, or just were too afraid to sound a good warning to the people.
And then finally we ended up talking about the result of whether we are good or bad watchmen.
If we are the good watchmen and people heed the warning, then it is good for everyone and everyone is saved.
If however, we are bad watchmen, the people will be held accountable for their sin, but we also will be held accountable for not doing the job God has given us.
And the key is being the good watchmen, because so long as we do the job God has given us, it is all out of our hands anyway.
So, in this morning’s passage, Ezekiel is going to take it one step further and being talking about those who are righteous and those who are wicked.
And he is really trying to show the people that the choices they make and the direction they go in, is really their choice and their choice alone.
They will be held accountable for their choices and subsequently so will we.
So, let’s read through the passage and then we will back up and break it down in a bit more detail.
Again, we are in Ezekiel 33, starting in verse 10.
Ezekiel writes . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
“Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?” ’ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ “Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.’ If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right— if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live. “Yet your countrymen say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so. Yet, O house of Israel, you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his own ways.”
Why Would You Want To Die?
Why Would You Want To Die?
Now we see here that Ezekiel cuts right to the chase and gets right to the point.
And it is an important point that we also need to really pay attention to.
Because this isn’t just “Old Testament stuff” that doesn’t apply to us as “modern” Christians.
This word is universal and applicable for all of God’s people across all generations— Past, Present, and Future.
But again, Ezekiel starts out . . .
“Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?” ’ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’
Listen to what he is saying here: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them...”
The writer of Hebrews tells us . . .
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
People are being weighed down with sin and destroyed by it.
This is not God's plan.
God takes no pleasure in seeing the wicked die.
God wants us to turn from our wicked ways and repent so we can live!
And we know this so, WHY DO WE WANT TO DIE?
Why do we want to waste away in our sins?
There is a way out of it.
In 2 Chronicles it tells us . . .
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
God wants to choose us.
God wants to reside with us.
God wants to deliver us.
And God is willing to do whatever it takes to try and make that happen as well.
2 Peter 3:9 tells us . . .
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God is willing to do whatever it takes to deliver and save our souls.
1 Timothy reiterates this point . . .
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Past Righteousness Does Not Erase Present Sin
Past Righteousness Does Not Erase Present Sin
But the problem is—and I am talking to Christians here now more than those who have no relationship with Christ—is that we are planning on our past righteousness carrying us through and erasing our present sin.
And folks it doesn’t work that way.
Back to Ezekiel 33 . . .
“Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.’ If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.
It does not matter how much good you've done in the past.
How much you've paid to the church.
How many work days you've attended.
How many times you've cleaned the pews.
How many Sunday School classes you've taught.
How many messages you've preached.
IF YOU TURN FROM RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GO INTO SIN AND YOU DIE WITHOUT REPENTANCE YOU WILL NOT GO TO HEAVEN.
YOUR PAST RIGHTEOUSNESS CANNOT COVER UP AND MAKE UP FOR PRESENT SIN!
Don't count on past decisions, past works, past deeds, past experiences to get you through.
It's not how you start the race, it is all about how you finish it.
2 Peter 2 . . .
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
And that is one of the main problems with the Church world today.
We have a lot of people resting on their past and that's not going to get them to heaven.
Because all they have done is recite some prayer that a preacher somewhere told them to say.
They got their “Get out of Hell free” card, and that was the end of it.
They have done nothing since then.
And they have slid back into a life of sin.
And we read it last week . . .
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
The key **without holiness no one will see the Lord**
Which means, set apart and found righteous before God.
And you cannot be found righteous if you are living in sin.
Past Sin Does Not Erase Present Repentance
Past Sin Does Not Erase Present Repentance
However, we also have a group that the devil wants to deceive into thinking that no amount of repentance can cover up their past and their past sin.
Which is a lie.
Back to our friend, Mr. Ezekiel . . .
And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right— if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.
So, we need to be very clear, it does not take a multitude of good deeds to be saved.
The deeds we do are evidence of salvation and fruit that shows a change.
They do not save you and they never will save you.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
And . . .
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And of course . . .
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
And if that is not enough to convince you . . .
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
And . . .
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
So all that stuff in your past doesn't matter.
As long as you learn from it, repent of it, and move on.
We have to learn to move from our past into the present.
What really matters is who are you going to live for today? tomorrow? and forever?
And people will say, “that’s not fair, I’ve done _______ (fill in the blank with the good deeds)”
Well, Ezekiel has something to say about that also . . .
“Yet your countrymen say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so. Yet, O house of Israel, you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his own ways.”
And . ..
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God is not concerned about our concept of “fair.”
God is concerned about people spending eternity with Him.
And whatever time we have here is incomparable to eternity.
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
So, we need to, as a Church World, stop worrying so much about whether God is being “fair” or not and be concerned about sharing the Gospel, helping others make it, and examining our own lives to make sure we are where we need to be.
And I think that is a good place to end this morning.
Really our challenge is simple.
Are we living according to Christ?
Are we putting our hopes in past righteousness and living in sin today?
If we are, that’s not going to cut it and we need to make things right with God.
Are we living under guilt and shame of past things that we have already repented over?
We need to let those things go and move forward.
And we need to let God have them and let God keep them.
So that’s where we are at this morning, if you need to come and pray I would encourage you to do so.
---Let’s pray . . .