“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.” (Ezekiel 33:10-20 NIV 1984)
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked! He wants us all to repent, to turn from our sins and come to Him, so that we can have eternal life with Him! We need to understand this. Sometimes we picture God as a killjoy and a fun-wrecker, but this is not what Scripture teaches. Our God is Holy! He is utterly good and utterly wise. He sees the causes and effects of sin, which I believe even we would find hateful if we were capable of comprehending them.
But, even with His extreme hatred for sin, God takes no pleasure in destroying sinners! In fact, He wants every single person on this earth to put their faith in Him and become righteous.
And this is the good news for all of us: that if we repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus, He will forgive our sins and give us life. As Jesus said in John 3:16-18 “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 they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
The Gospel in brief is this: that God, the creator of everything, came down from heaven and became one of us, a man. He lived like us and understands our pain. He faced the same temptations, weaknesses, pain and conflict, yet never committed any sin. And then after all of that, He gave Himself up for us, taking the punishment that you and I deserve for every evil thing we’ve done. He was whipped and beaten, mocked and spit on, and painfully nailed to a tree to suffocate and bleed to death, though it seems a broken heart killed Him first. In all of this he took our sin upon Himself, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and come close to God. His death was not the end. He didn’t suffer and then stay to rot in a grave, but three days later, He rose again, conquering death. He proved that sin had no power over Him, and that His sacrifice was an acceptable payment for our sins. By that same power over death, he offers eternal life to those who believe in Him.
Jesus has made the way for you to be right with God. Will you receive that gift today? Will you repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?
"Whoever believes in Him is not condemned;" what a comfort and a glorious promise! But he who does not believe stands condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
If you desire to be saved, then you can pray to the Lord today. It is not the words that are important; God is looking at your heart and He will lift you up if you humble yourself before Him! God Bless,
Pastor Carter.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.®
