The Soul Who Sins Ezekiel 18 Emmanuel Christian Church 7.21.24
INTRODUCTION: Sin is serious. Sin affects everyone of us. And as widespread is sin’s infection in the human race- widespread is the confusion about what it is and what is to be done about it. Like last week, we begin with a riddle:
Ezekiel 18:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
PROPOSITION: Did that get your attention? This morning, God is going to solve the “riddle” of sin by setting out 4 facts you need to know.
FACT #1 The “righteous” need not worry.
Ezekiel 18:3 “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4 For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son — both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die. 5 “Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. 6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or lie with a woman during her period. 7 He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. 8 He does not lend at usury or take excessive interest. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between man and man. 9 He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD.
So, let’s recap God’s definition of the “righteous man”:
The righteous man does NOT do the wrong thing. Not an idolater Not sexually immoral Not a thief Not a predator The righteous man DOES the right thing. He is fair He is a God follower He is a Law keeper
APPLICATION: Such a man has no need to fear the judgment of God. The REAL question is this: “Does a ‘righteous’ man exist?” The answer is “Yes and No”. What does the Scripture say?
Psalms 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Romans 3:12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…
Romans 3:23 …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
APPLICATION: You and I- along with the entire human race, are in BIG TROUBLE! From God’s perspective, you’re either a law keeper, or a law breaker. And God’s Word is crystal clear on which side we find ourselves:
James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
FACT #2 Sin and Righteousness Have NO Line of Inheritance.
Ezekiel 18:10 “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things 11 (though the father has done none of them): “He eats at the mountain shrines. He defiles his neighbor’s wife. 12 He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable things. 13 He lends at usury and takes excessive interest. Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he will surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head. Ezekiel 18:14 “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things: 15 “He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife. 16 He does not oppress anyone or require a pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. 17 He withholds his hand from sin and takes no usury or excessive interest. He keeps my laws and follows my decrees. He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. 18 But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.Ezekiel 18:19 “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.
The guilt of sin CANNOT be inherited. You will not be held accountable for your parent’s sin. No matter what your parents may have done, God will NEVER hold you accountable for their actions. But what about Adam and what people call “original sin”, doesn’t that contradict what God is saying here? Absolutely NOT! You and I will never be accountable for the disobedience of our ancient parents Adam and Eve, HOWEVER- we are still suffering from the CONSEQUENCES of their disobedience: Physical death Relational disruption (With BOTH God and man) Spiritual alienation (We have a BENT toward sin)
APPLICATION: Next time you face some temptation to sin, I want you to think about this- what you do will, in some real way, affect everyone around you. Not only that, it will affect people you do not know- as well as people yet to be born! Sin is never a simple personal choice that effects only you. It is a spiritual contagion that spreads like wildfire!
Righteousness CANNOT be inherited. It doesn’t matter if your parents went to church every Sunday and obeyed Jesus as their Savior. Being raised in “a good Christian home” doesn’t make you better than anyone else. It certainly doesn’t make you a Christian.
APPLICATION: The only thing that makes anyone a Christian (that is, a follower of Jesus) is their own personal decision to believe and obey Jesus.
FACT #3 There is HOPE.
Ezekiel 18:21 “But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 22 None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? Ezekiel 18:24 “But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die. Ezekiel 18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? 26 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. 27 But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. 28 Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
Sin is a death sentence. God made that VERY clear from the very beginning.
Genesis 2:17 “…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Our ONLY reason for hope is found in God Himself. Our sin is too serious to be overcome by our own effort at “self-improvement”. For God to remain true to His nature as holy and just, the only penalty sufficient for our sin is DEATH. TWICE in our text, God makes this crystal clear statement: “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” And seven more times, God uses the word “die” so we don’t miss the point!
APPLICATION: So if sin is so serious that it must be punished by death, and if our only hope is in God- what is it about Him that makes that hope possible? Simply this: it’s a matter of desire. Let me illustrate. When someone sins deliberately and maliciously against you- what do you DESIRE? VENGENCE. When someone sins against God (and EVERY sin is a deliberate and malicious crime against God)- what does He DESIRE? REPENTANCE.
Ezekiel 18:23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
It is God’s PLEASURE and DESIRE to see us turn from our sin and come home to Him! Just like prodigal son who rebelled against his father, that father never stopped longing for the return of that son. And when that son turned from his wicked path, he was NOT met with judgment and scorn, but rather with JOY!
Which leads me to my final point:
FACT #4 God is GRACIOUS.
Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
God gives two clear prescriptions for the terminal illness of sin: “Turn away from all your offenses.” STOP seeking, walking toward, and engaging in the sinful thoughts and actions that you know offend God. TURN 180 degrees and start walking toward God.
APPLICATION: Everyone wants to know: “What is the unpardonable sin?” Simply this- the sin you refuse to walk away from. The sin for which you refuse to seek the forgiveness of God.
“Get a new heart and a new spirit.” This is ONLY possible through Jesus. Jesus died and rose again to pay the death penalty for sin that we deserve. When we stop seeking sin, and start seeking Him- God invites us to meet Jesus in the watery grave of Christian Baptism. In Baptism, we get that “new heart” as the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. In Baptism, we get that “new spirit” as God keeps His promise to fill us with His own Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION: If you have bought into the lie that God hates you and wants you dead, I leave you this morning with His own words about His desire for you: “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”
