Stop. Stop what you are doing right now. This is very important. Do not miss this. Stop thinking about what you are going to say to your friend after they get through talking. Stop thinking about what you are going to do tonight. Stop and really listen.
This is so important. Listen to these words found in Ezekiel 18. 20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? 30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
The soul that sins, it shall die. This should shake you to your very core. The soul that sins, it shall die. We are all sinners. We have all rebelled against the One True God. We have all turned away from the Lord. Each and every one of us has done what we thought was right in our own eyes.
We physically die because of our iniquities, because of our sins. You are also spiritually dead because of your sins. We don’t physically die for our parent’s sins, or for our spouse’s sins or for our children’s sins or for our neighbor’s sins. We die for our own sins. And we’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). You must accept the fact that none of us can meet God’s perfect standard. We are all sinners and none of us seek after God; none of us are righteous – no not one (Romans 3:10-12). All any of us have earned on our own is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).
God warned us in the verses that I read earlier that sinners will pay for their sins. Sinners are responsible for their own sins. You can’t blame your mommy and you can’t blame your daddy. Maybe they were horrible, rotten parents. Maybe they even did vile and disgusting things to you when you were a child. If this describes you, I am truly sorry for what you went through. Their sins are upon them and they will pay for their sins.
You though, are responsible for your own sins. If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior, then you will pay for your sins for all of eternity. This is no joke and it’s no laughing matter. You have violated God’s Holy Law and you will suffer in torment and pain beyond anything that you can imagine – if you die in your sins as an unrepentant sinner. Jesus said that on Judgment Day those whose names are not written in the book of life (unrepentant sinners), will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:11-15). He described this as the second death. Unfortunately, it is not annihilation. The pain and suffering in the lake of fire will be forever. You will wish you were dead, but death will not come to you.
Do you hate God today? Are you a mocker and scoffer? Oh, recognize how serious this is. Listen again to these wonderful words in Ezekiel 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Jesus Christ is the only Righteous One. Only Jesus saves. Jesus can wash away all your sins. He can cleanse you from all your wickedness. But you must submit your life to Him. Are you ready to get right with God? Are you ready to turn from your wicked ways?
Maybe you are here tonight and you said a little prayer when you were a child. Maybe you claim Christ as your Savior, but you have never really repented from your sins. Do not be deceived. You cannot claim Jesus as your Savior and live your life for the devil. God will not be mocked. God knows your heart. You cannot fool God. Listen again to Ezekiel 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
Again, you cannot claim to be saved if you are still wallowing in your sins. If you walk around wondering how much you can sin and not offend God, then you are not saved. When you are truly saved, Jesus not only saves you from Hell, He saves you from your sins. If you still love your sins, then Satan still has you groping in darkness. You are not saved. You need to repent and believe the Gospel.
Listen again to Ezekiel 18:30-32 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
God tells us in these verses to repent and turn away from all of our transgressions. You must turn away from your sins and turn to Jesus in order to be saved. God even asks in verse 31 “why will ye die?” It’s a great question. Why will you die in your sins and then suffer for all of eternity in Hell (2 Thessalonians 1:9)? Why will you suffer eternal damnation for a few years of the pleasures of the flesh in this short life?
Verse 32 tells us that God has no pleasure in your suffering His wrath forever. But He is Holy, righteous and just and He must punish sin. If He didn’t, if he went against His own nature, then He wouldn’t be God. Sin must be punished. Please don’t miss this. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for guilty sinners like you and me. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
The end of verse 32 is my favorite part of Ezekiel 18. God says, “turn yourselves, and live.” Oh, tonight, turn yourself away from your sins and turn to Jesus. Repent and put your faith in Jesus the Christ. Turn tonight and live. Live. Live. Live! John 3:15 says That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Choose life tonight. Turn and live. Turn from your sins and turn to the Messiah.
Stop disobeying God. Stop living for Satan and surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Stop playing around. Stop pretending that God doesn’t exist. Stop living for yourself and start living for the Savior. Stop rebelling against God Almighty and submit to His authority (James 4:7). He is the great God of Heaven and earth. He is God the great Creator. He gives you every breath that you take. Acknowledge what you already know is true. Admit that you are a great sinner and that Christ is the One and only Savior.
Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:20-21). Confess your sins to God (1 John 1:9). That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation (Romans 10:9-10). Stop racing down the broad road to destruction and turn away from your sin. Turn from your sin and turn to Jesus. Turn from your wickedness and turn to Jesus and receive His righteousness. Turn and live.
(This message was presented in the open-air on April 18, 2014 in downtown Springfield, Mo.)