Now turn with me to Ezekiel chapter
18. We'll start in this chapter and
cover as much as we can. There's a lot of these verses
I'll just read and not necessarily have to make comment on, but
what I want to talk to you about tonight is the fact that this
passage teaches us, once again emphasizes the great and comforting
truth that God's judgment is according to truth. That's the
title. God judges according to truth. We don't always judge
that way. We try to. Scripture tells believers
to judge righteous judgment. Christ told his disciples that
in John 7 and verse 24. How in the world can we who are
so pitiful and sinful and ignorant in so many ways, how can we judge
according to truth? How can we judge righteous judgment? And the answer is we judge according
to God's word and not based on our circumstances, our feelings,
or anything like that. But here, he starts off addressing
a sinful people who do not believe they are sinful. Now, that's
not to say that They wouldn't admit, like people today, that
they're not perfect. I don't think I've ever run into
anyone who claimed that they were perfect in themselves. Even
those who claim to be sinless in some way, even they have a
skewed view of how you judge sin. It's like I had one fellow
tell me one time, he said, well, if you do it willingly, that's
sin. But if you do it unwillingly, it's not really sin. It's just
a mistake. That's a testimony right there,
an example of the depravity of man and the false judgment that
he judges. But these people imagine themselves
and judge themselves to be righteous. In fact, another parallel to
the kind of message this is and the kind of audience it's aimed
at would be in Luke chapter 18 and verse 9 when Christ spoke
the parable of the Pharisee and the public and it says he spoke
that to those who who judged in themselves that they were
righteous and despised others But here we have sinners playing
the blame game. We all love to do that Who you
gonna blame for your sins? Who you gonna blame for your
situation? Let's read the the first part here, verse one, the
word of the Lord, Ezekiel 18, one, the word of the Lord came
unto me again saying, what mean ye that you use this proverb
concerning the land of Israel saying the fathers have eaten
sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge? Now God
says, as I live, that's his oath now, remember that. As I live,
saith the Lord God, you shall not have occasion anymore to
use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine. Now what that means is not only
do we belong to God, but we are accountable to God. We're accountable
to God. And I believe that's why there
are so many so-called atheists in the world today. It's not
necessarily that they want to deny the existence of God, but
they don't want to acknowledge God, that they are accountable
to God, that there's a judgment day in which we're going to be
held accountable. So God says, behold, all souls
are mine as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is
mine. And the soul that sinneth, it
shall die. That's the bottom line. He says,
listen, you use this proverb and that proverb was used to
say that we're suffering not for our own sins, but for the
sins of our fathers. They messed up and we're feeling
the brunt of it. And it is true in some situations
and instances that the sins of the fathers will trickle right
on down through generations. That's true. But you cannot blame
God's judgment against sinners upon anyone but those who commit
the sin. That's what he's saying. Don't
blame your parents. Don't blame previous generations. God's judgment is upon them for
their sins. But he says, in this oath as
I live, based on the covenant name of God, based on his glory,
this proverb that they're stating that blames their situation upon
the sins of their fathers and refuses to take responsibility
for their own sins, you know what it does? Number one, it
reveals their self-righteousness. And number two, it impugns the
justice of God. It says God's not fair. It says
God's not just. God's not doing right to punish
me for what my father did. And I thought about this. You
know, it's true. We all fell in Adam, didn't we? The book
of Romans chapter 5 and verse 12 makes it clear that when Adam
fell, we fell. When Adam sinned, we sinned.
Not personally, but in Adam, our representative. and that
we suffer spiritual death because of that sin. But we cannot still,
we cannot blame Adam for our sin. The scripture is clear on
that. We live in the knowledge, first
of all, that if we had been in Adam's place, what would we have
done? Think about that. Do you think you would have done
better? It reminds me of that old preacher up in Ohio somewhere
who was talking about the crucifixion of Christ and how sinful it was
for men to do that. And you remember what he said?
Anybody remember? He said, if I'd have been there, I'd have
stopped it. Now let me tell you something.
What a self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude that is. If I'd been
in Adam's place, I'd have done exactly what Adam did. And you
would have too. So we live in the knowledge that
we would have and could have done no better than Adam. And
then we live in the knowledge revealed by God that men and
women perish because of their own sin, their own unbelief.
The wrath of God abides on man because he believes not. What the scripture says, read
it all over the scripture. But John 3 36 comes to mind,
for example. We live in the knowledge that
all sin brings death. Are you a sinner? Yes. Am I a
sinner? Yes. If God were ever to give
us justice in the way of giving us what we deserve, it would
be death. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. All that sin and comes short
of the glory of God, the wages of sin is death. We've heard
those verses over and over again. Do we really know what they mean?
All sin brings death. Now what does that show us when
he says the soul that sinneth it shall die? What does it show
us? It shows us first of all that
our only hope of salvation, our only hope of forgiveness of sin,
our only hope of being cleansed from our sins, our only hope
of being declared righteous before God and having eternal spiritual
life is the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the
issue of all this. I wrote down this psalm that
I love so well, and you all read it quite often. Several times
the men in the study read this psalm. Psalm 103. You don't have to turn there,
but verse 10 makes this statement that God, and it's talking about
God's people, His elect in Christ. It says, God hath not dealt with
us after our sins. Don't you thank God for that?
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. You know, there's
people who think they get rewarded based on their obedience. In
that sense, all that can be said of their obedience is that it
is iniquity. How can you say that, preacher?
Because it does not measure up to righteousness. It falls short. It falls short. And I thank God
he has not dealt with us after our sins. But look at the next
verses. Look at verse 5. Now he says
here, if a man be just. Now in the Old Testament language,
that's another way of just saying it this way. If a man be righteous,
justified, and do that which is lawful and right. Now who
is he talking about there? Let's go on, verse 6. And hath
not eaten up on the mountains, that's idolatry, that's sitting
down in fellowship with idolaters on the mountains. Neither hath
lifted his eyes up to the idols of the house of Israel, neither
hath defiled his neighbor's wife, that's adultery as you know,
pretty clear. He says, and neither hath come
near a minstreless woman, that's talking about ceremonial uncleanness
under the old covenant law, all of that. And verse 7, and hath
not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, paid
his debts, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread
to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, fed
the hungry, clothed the naked, Verse eight, he hath not given
forth upon usury. Some people say usury just means
charging interest. It really doesn't mean charging
interest. What it means is taking advantage of people's disadvantage. When somebody's in dire straits,
then you take advantage of them to get gain. That's what usury
is. Neither has taken any increase, that is, stolen from people to
increase yourself. hath withdrawn his hand from
iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
judged righteously, hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept
my judgments to deal truly." Now this is the one, listen to
how he is describing a person, he says, that man is just, he
is just, he is righteous, he shall surely live, saith the
Lord God. Now who in the world is he talking
about there? Well, he is talking about a righteous person. He's
talking about a just man. Well, where is that fella? Show
me that man. Now, let me show you what he's
doing here now. He's talking about one who is
just based upon what he does. His works, that's what he lists.
Where is that man? Well, here's a great opportunity
for us to learn a little bit more about scriptural interpretation,
and the first thing you have to know about it is there's no
scripture of any private interpretation. Now, you take that out of context
and start spouting it off to most people, what are they going
to think? Well, not knowing anything about
the grace of God, not knowing anything about the reality of
sin, He just said, the soul that sinneth it shall surely die.
Is that an absolute statement that applies to everyone? It
applies to everyone to whom sin is charged. Are there people
to whom sin is not charged? Well, David said it in Psalm
32, Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.
Somebody fits that bill. Here's a man here that he calls
just because he's restored to the debtor his pledge. He's done
this, he's done that, he's not done this, he's not done that.
Where is that man? Well, what does other scripture
say? Let me just read you this one. Here's one from Ecclesiastes
chapter 7 and verse 20. Listen to what this one says.
It says, For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good
and sinneth not. Now how do those two fit there?
And then we know the statements from the book of Job. Job 25
and verse 4. How then can a man be justified
with God, or how can he be clean that is born of woman? What's
he stating there? It's an impossibility. For man
born in sin, ruined by the fall, dead in trespasses and sin, to
be justified with God. To be clean, who's born of woman. We're born dead in trespasses. And then what about Romans 3
verse 9? The scripture hath concluded
what? All under sin. So that sinneth it shall surely
die. The scripture hath concluded
all under sin. There's none righteous, no, not
one. What's he talking about here in verse 5? But if a man
be just. Well, there's none righteous,
no, not one. There's none that doeth good, no, not one. Well, first of all, whenever
the scripture speaks of a just man, it's either talking about
one who is justified by the grace of God in Christ based on his
blood and righteousness alone, his righteousness imputed, or
it's making a point about the judgment of God and the way God
judges just like we read in Romans chapter two. Now turn over there.
I want you to see this. Now there's a lot of people when
they get to Romans 2 here, I think they go in a wrong direction.
And I'll show you what I mean. Now he says in verse 6, he's
talking about God judges according to truth. And that tells you
right now, these preachers who talk about God play acting or
God doing this, don't listen to them. God judges according
to truth. And his judgments are never wrong. His judgments are never unjust. His judgments are never unfair
and never wrong. It's always according to truth.
And it says here in verse six of Romans two, that he's going
to render it to every man according to his deeds. Now that doesn't
say in the Greek text is very specific there. He doesn't say
he's going to render to every man based on their deeds, but
according to their deeds. It's not what your deeds earn
for you, but it's what your deeds say about you. But listen to what he says in
verse seven, to them who by patient continuance and well doing seek
for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life. Now that can apply
only in the spiritual sense and eternal sense to one who has
sought and found salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ. But it also applies to man seeking
to be saved by the works of the law. Now, how would it fit there?
Well, listen to verse eight. He says, under them that are
contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath will come their way, tribulation, anguish
upon every soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also
of the Gentile. But glory and honor and peace
to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to
the Gentiles. So look at it this way. Remember
when Christ confronted the rich young ruler? And the rich young
ruler said, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life? Remember what Christ told him?
He said, keep the law. Keep the law. And remember what
the young man said? He said, I've kept all them from
my youth up, talking about the second table of the law, relationship
with other people. And Christ then put it to the
test. He said, all right, let's see. Let's see if you really
love your neighbor as yourself. Go sell everything you have,
give it to the poor, and come follow me. And the man went away
sorrowful. Here's what he's saying. If you're
seeking to be saved, justified before God, based on your works,
You've got it all to do. You've got to keep it all. And
if you don't, what's he going to do? There's no respect of
persons with God. God judges according to the truth.
You find a just man, back up here in Ezekiel 18. You find
a just man. What is a just man? If he's justified
based on his works, he keeps it all 100% perfection without
any iniquity, without any sin, without any marring of the law.
Now, my question to myself and to you, do any of us here fit
that bill? No, sir. Is there any man born
of Adam who fits that bill? No, sir. But you see, God's not
unfair. He's not unjust. He judges according
to truth. You find one who is sinlessly
perfect, who never broke the law, who always keeps the law,
that's a just man. God will be fair. God will judge
according to truth. There's no such animal. It's
kind of like what Paul said in Galatians chapter 5. When he
says, if you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
You don't need Christ. You see, if you're just before
God based on your works, you don't need grace, you don't need
mercy, you don't need Christ. You're okay. Somebody said, well, God will
save you if you do good. Listen, if you can do good, you
don't even need salvation. You're not lost. You're a just
man or a just woman. But you're also a debtor to do
the whole law. And that's what he's saying over
here in Ezekiel. Listen, the only way that we're
going to find a just man on earth is in Christ. But if you can
keep the law, If you can stand before God in your own works
without any taint of sin or iniquity, God will be fair. God judges
according to truth. But you understand this, the
soul that sinneth, it shall surely die. Now where does that leave
me? That leaves me in death without
God's grace in Christ. That leaves me in damnation without
the blood of the Lamb. That leaves me unjustified and
unclean without the righteousness of God in Christ imputed. That
leaves me dead in my trespasses and sins without him. This just
man, based on his works, does not exist. Not on this earth. There's only one who could be
said to be just based on his works, and that's our Savior.
That's our Lord. He was justified in the Spirit.
Paul told Timothy. A justified sinner is one who
has life in Christ. And that's all. But my friend,
that all there, that's more than enough, isn't it? That's more
than enough. Look at verse 10 of Ezekiel 18. Now he goes on, he says, Now
if that man beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood,
that doeth the like to any one of these things, is his son now,
and that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten up
on the mountains, that's idolatry, defiled his neighbor's wife,
oppressed the poor needy, spoiled by violence, hath not restored
the pledge, hath lifted up his eyes to idols, hath committed
abomination, he says, hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken
increase, shall he then live? He shall not live. The soul,
if that just man, whoever he is, if he has a son or a daughter
and they don't keep the law, are they going to live? Well,
he shall not live. He has done all these abominations.
He shall surely die. His blood shall be upon him.
He's going to die for his own sin. His blood's upon himself.
He can't blame his daddy or his mama. Can't go even back and
blame Adam. The soul that sinneth shall surely
die. You see, sons and daughters are
not saved or damned based on the salvation or damnation of
their parents. You see, that's, it's not, what
is it in John chapter one, those who are born of God, they're
not born of, they're not born of their inheritance and the
descendancy. Not of the flesh. It doesn't
trickle down through the generations. You young people, you're commanded
to believe the gospel, to run to Christ yourself. The fact
that your daddy and or your mama has done so will do you no good
unless God brings you to faith in Christ and repentance of dead
works. And so look what he says. Look
at verse nine. Look, look here at verse, uh, Go down there, verse 14. He says,
now, lo, if he beget a son that seeth all his father's sins,
which he hath done and considereth and does not such like that hath
not eaten up on the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes
to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his
neighbor's wife, neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholding
the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his
bread to the hungry and hath covered the naked with a garment
that hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not
received usury or increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked
in my statutes, he shall not die for the iniquity of his father.
He shall surely live as for his father, because he cruelly oppressed,
spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good
among his people. Lo, even he shall die in his iniquity." So
here's a sinful father, but his son keeps the law. The son is not going to die because
of the sins of his father. He'll live. He's a just man. And we can certainly apply that
to an unbelieving father and a believing child. You see, believing
in the Lord Jesus Christ has to do with God saving his people
individually and bringing them to faith in Christ. It has nothing
to do with what daddy did or what mama did. Now, I'm not saying
that it's not important. how we raise our children. It
is. That's why we tell mamas and daddies all the time, it's
important that you have your sons and daughters under the
preaching of the gospel as long as you have control over them.
That means a lot. It does. Somebody said, well,
I don't know if God's going to save them or not. If they're
one of God's elect, He will. If they're not, He won't. That's
true. But I know this. God's not going to save anybody
out there in the world without bringing them under the preaching
of the gospel. of Christ. How does God save His children?
How does God save His elect people? He brings them under the preaching
of the gospel and He keeps them there until He's pleased to reveal
His Son in them. That's what I told somebody down
south one time. I said, well, I don't know if
God's going to save them or not, but I mean to have them under
the gospel as long as I can have them there. Because that's where
they need to be. That's their only hope of salvation. That's it. There's nothing else.
Look at verse 19. Here he comes to the conclusion
of it. He says, Yet say ye, Why doth
not the Son bear the iniquity of the Father, when the Son hath
done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes,
and hath done them? He shall surely live. Well, you
see, these people, as I said at the beginning, they see themselves
as righteous. In other words, the trouble they're
going through in Jerusalem and in their captivity, they don't
take responsibility and say, listen, I'm just getting what
I deserve. I'm a righteous person. God's
not being fair. God's judgments are wrong here.
Well, here's what he says, verse 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 righteous of the righteous shall be upon him,
and the wickedness of the wickedness shall be upon him. I read that
statement. And I thank God that I have a
righteousness that answers the demands of God's justice. And
that righteousness is my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank
God that I'm washed in His blood. Verse 21, 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 die. Here's an emblem of repentance.
All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not
be mentioned unto him. Those who turn to Christ, God
says what? I'll remember their sins no more.
Now what he says? He won't hold them against it.
He says, in his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live.
Have I any pleasure at all in the wit that the wicked should
die, saith the Lord, and not that he should return from his
ways and live? Now you've got to keep things
in their context, as I said. The thing about it is, you see,
God said, do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Well,
the Bible teaches that God's wrath is his strange work and
that he delights to show mercy. And it's not that when God shows
his justice in wrath against sin, he's doing something that
he doesn't want to do. That's not what that means. It
simply means this, that God's highest glory and pleasure in
that sense is in the salvation of a sinner, not in the damnation
of a sinner. God is glorified in the damnation
of sinners. It magnifies His sovereignty,
it magnifies His justice, it magnifies His hatred of sin.
That's what makes Him who He is. He's God. But His highest
glory is in Christ. It pleased the
Lord to bruise Him. God, every attribute of God's
character shines forth in the salvation of a sinner by His
free sovereign grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's amazing. And that's why he commands all
men everywhere to repent. Look at verse 24, he says, 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? Well, 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. Think about Adam in the garden.
Adam was a righteous man in the garden as he was created. But
when he fell, what happened? All that righteousness went away.
And you want to know why? Because it's the righteousness
of men. Now let's say a person, alright, you know false religion
teaches that people are born innocent and then they sometime
when they come to what they call an age of accountability, they
make a choice and then From then on, it's either sin or righteousness.
Well, let's say a person is, for the sake of our, if what
they said was true, a person's born innocent, and let's say
for the first 20 years of their life, they do nothing but good
and keep the law. And then all of a sudden, on
their 21st birthday, they sin. All their righteousness will
go away. Now, that's not a correct scenario, because men aren't
born, we're not born in it, we're born in sin. We come forth from
the womb speaking lies. But if we could, every bit of
that righteousness would go away. Now you want to know why? Because
it's the righteousness of man. Now what do we have? We have the righteousness of
God. That can never be tainted, never
be taken away. You see how much better we are
in Christ? Better off we are? I don't mean
better in ourselves, I mean better off. We have the righteousness
of God that can never fail, that can never be taken away. As one
of the old Puritans said, it's an everlasting righteousness
of infinite value that can never be corrupted, never be contaminated. What we have in Christ we can't
even describe. But here's that righteous man
and all of a sudden he turns away from it. Now you know those
who are righteous in Christ cannot turn away from it. Because he
won't let us go. And by his grace we won't let
him go. That's what he says. John chapter 10, 1 John chapter
3. And that's what he's talking
about. Look at verse 25. Yet you say the way of the Lord
is not equal. You say that God's unjust. That's
what these people were saying. He says here now, house of Israel
is not my way equal or not. Your ways unequal. God's ways
are just. Your ways are unjust. When a
righteous man turneth away from his righteousness and commit
an iniquity and dieth in them for his iniquity that he hath
done, shall he die again when the wicked man turneth away from
his wickedness that he has committed? and doeth that which is lawful
and right, he shall save his soul alive. Now that's not to
say that a wicked man's wickedness can be wiped out by his righteousness,
but he's setting up a scenario here to show that if a sinner
could stand before God some way righteous, God would do what's
right and do what's fair. Well, that's an impossibility.
How can a sinner, how can a man be just with God? Well, there's
not but one way, and that's in Christ. And it says in verse
28, because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions
that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
If you can find such a person, you sayeth 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? God's right. Let God be true. and every man
a liar. So he says in verse 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. And my friend, the only way that
a sinner is brought to that kind of repentance unto God in Christ
is by the grace of God. So he says in the last two verses,
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed.
Make you a new heart and a new spirit, for why will you die,
O house of Israel? Why will you die? For I have
no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God.
Wherefore, turn yourselves and live ye. Do you notice there
how he said, make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit? You know what the scripture tells
us, we can't do that. Remember what Christ told Nicodemus?
You must be born again. In fact, the scripture says that
if anybody has a new heart and a new spirit, he's not a self-made
man. God made it and God gave it.
Doesn't he? Doesn't he say that? We read
that in Jeremiah 31, the new covenant. I'll put within them
a new heart, a new spirit. Ezekiel 36, I'll give him a new
heart and a new spirit. Those are gifts from God. Well,
why does he put it that way? Well, three reasons. Number one,
this shows us how the old covenant was based on human performance
and could not succeed in the salvation of a sinner. The law
could show him righteousness, but it couldn't make him righteousness.
The law could show them the way to have life, but it couldn't
give life. What did Paul call it? The ministry
of condemnation. The ministry of death. So that's
number one. Secondly, it shows our need for
God's grace in Christ. We must have or be under a covenant
that cannot be broken. And the only way for us as sinners
to be under a covenant that cannot be broken is to be under one
that's conditioned on somebody who can keep it and not break
it. And there's only one. The Lord Jesus Christ. That's
why He's called the surety of the covenant. That's why all
the promises of God in Him are yea and in Him amen. Thank God
for that new covenant. And in that new covenant is not
only the provision of righteousness in and by Christ, by which we
are justified before God, but there's the provision of spiritual
life, a new heart, a new spirit. Life from God. And then thirdly,
he's showing that our total dependence for all salvation is upon God.
It's upon God. We need a new heart. Isn't that
right? We need righteousness. Where
are we going to get it? God be merciful to me, the sinner. There's not but one place, and
that's in God Almighty, through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. But in Christ, He has not dealt with me after my sins.
He dealt with Christ for my sins, as they were accounted to Him.
And I have His righteousness in return. Now, let's praise
the Savior, hymn number 51. Hymn number 51.