“Turn & Live!”   Ezekiel 18: 20-32

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” - Adrian Rogers

Sin - defined as a willful transgression against God’ law.  The original Hebrew and Greek means literally to “miss the target.”  We have all missed the mark, the Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!  But, we are not to continue in our sin!  Jesus came to not only to save us from the penalty of sin but from the power of sin.  Paul said should I continue to sin that grace may abound - no!  The bible is very clear that those who willfully, knowing, habitually continue to sin will not inherit the kingdom of God.  As my father-in-law [Bud Byrne] use to say, “people have to quit the sin business!”  He was exactly, scripturally right!  People don’t want to hear this message though.  The liberal church doesn’t want to hear this message and neither do they preach it any longer - repentance is removed from the pulpit but it is not removed from God’s word!  This is not hate speech, on the contrary, this is a message of love.  The same grace that saves us is the same grace that breaks the power of sin in the life of the Christ follower.  We once were a slave to sin, now by the grace of God we are a slave to righteousness.  Yes, “the LORD is my shepherd” and “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Ps 23).  I am concerned for those whose eternal security allows them to continue the sin business.  I don’t want them to awaken on the other side of eternity and hear those words from Jesus, “depart from Me you who practice lawlessness [sin].”  The word of the LORD came to the prophet Ezekiel saying, “repent, and turn form all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin…for I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, says the Lord God.  Therefore turn and live!”  Jesus, said, “Repent!”  The bible says that if you confess your sins to Jesus, that He will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness [1 Jn.1:9].

There is a well known story in the Bible of a woman caught in adultery.  The law required stoning.  The “religious” people testing Jesus, asked Him what they should do?  He told them that he who was without sin to cast the first stone.  They all dropped their stones and walked away.  Jesus asked the women, where are your accusers, she responded there were none. Jesus responded, neither do I condemn you, but Jesus did not stop there, He told her to go and sin no more!  Jesus would not of commanded her to do so if He had not given her the power to do so!  Yes, you can quit the sin business, in fact - you must!  

“Therefore turn and live!” - now and forever!

(Cf.: Ro.3:23; Ro.6:1; 1 Cor.6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21;Amos 8: 11; 1 Jn 3:9; Ro. 6:18; Matt.7:23; Mark 1:15; John 8:11)

“For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” - Acts 20:27

Pastor Rodney