Ezekiel 18:24 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.
Ah Friends, after reading Today’s Bit, like the Israelites, we might feel that the Lord’s unfair; his way is not equal, contrary to His claim in Vs.25 and 29. But it is. Yesterday we said that evil doers who accepted Christ, would not die, but enjoy eternal life with Him. That their sins won’t be mentioned and all that merciful, forgiving stuff, and we all clapped with joy. Today though, it’s a different story. ‘When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abomination that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? NO! Likewise, ‘All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned.’ That’s fair, isn’t it? If you turn to the Lord from evil, then your evil deeds are forgotten. So if you turn from righteousness to evil, your good deeds are’nt mentioned. When the Lord calls upon you, whatever state you’re in, righteous or evil, that’s how He’ll consider you, and whatever you’ve done before, good or bad, won’t be taken into account. For, ‘in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.’ Yes people, if we become unfaithful and turn from the Lord, then in our guilt, we’ll pay the price of eternal death. And He reiterates it in Vs. 26 and 33:18. So He’s quite serious about it. Yes,the Lord definitely takes a dim view of believers joining the enemy’s ranks. Nobody likes a turncoat because their allegiance cannot be trusted. James say it thus in 5:17; ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ 2 Peter 2:21 emphasizes: ‘For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.’ Peter then likens it to dogs returning to their vomit, and washed pigs returning to wallow in the mire. Oh Friends, it seems there’s a worse faith for the turncoat believer, than him who turns from evil to the Lord. But we’ve no one to blame but ourselves if the Lord comes and finds us entwined in evil, when we’ve known the Word. We’ve had enough time to set our house in order, and can’t afford to backslide even one bit, since Christ can return at any time, and the price will be eternal death, if we’re found wanting. So Friends, let’s seriously make it our life’s goal, starting right now, if not before, (smile) to live as righteously as possible. That way, if Christ comes, tonight, we won’t be caught with our pants down, living an evil life. Much LOVE!…O Lord…having cleansed us… please help us…not to wallow in the mire again…
Ah Friends, after reading Today’s Bit, like the Israelites, we might feel that the Lord’s unfair; his way is not equal, contrary to His claim in Vs.25 and 29. But it is. Yesterday we said that evil doers who accepted Christ, would not die, but enjoy eternal life with Him. That their sins won’t be mentioned and all that merciful, forgiving stuff, and we all clapped with joy. Today though, it’s a different story. ‘When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abomination that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? NO! Likewise, ‘All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned.’ That’s fair, isn’t it? If you turn to the Lord from evil, then your evil deeds are forgotten. So if you turn from righteousness to evil, your good deeds are’nt mentioned. When the Lord calls upon you, whatever state you’re in, righteous or evil, that’s how He’ll consider you, and whatever you’ve done before, good or bad, won’t be taken into account. For, ‘in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.’ Yes people, if we become unfaithful and turn from the Lord, then in our guilt, we’ll pay the price of eternal death. And He reiterates it in Vs. 26 and 33:18. So He’s quite serious about it. Yes,the Lord definitely takes a dim view of believers joining the enemy’s ranks. Nobody likes a turncoat because their allegiance cannot be trusted. James say it thus in 5:17; ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ 2 Peter 2:21 emphasizes: ‘For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.’ Peter then likens it to dogs returning to their vomit, and washed pigs returning to wallow in the mire. Oh Friends, it seems there’s a worse faith for the turncoat believer, than him who turns from evil to the Lord. But we’ve no one to blame but ourselves if the Lord comes and finds us entwined in evil, when we’ve known the Word. We’ve had enough time to set our house in order, and can’t afford to backslide even one bit, since Christ can return at any time, and the price will be eternal death, if we’re found wanting. So Friends, let’s seriously make it our life’s goal, starting right now, if not before, (smile) to live as righteously as possible. That way, if Christ comes, tonight, we won’t be caught with our pants down, living an evil life. Much LOVE!…O Lord…having cleansed us… please help us…not to wallow in the mire again…
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