Good morning to each of you. What a privilege it is to be
in the house of the Lord, open the Word of God, have God speak
to us through His Word. In studying this week, I ran
across a passage of scripture that was extremely profitable
to me as a preacher and also as a believer. And my prayer
this morning is that it will be profitable to you also. And
if you'll go ahead and turn with me to the book of Ezekiel chapter
3, I'll say some things in introduction
before we read. I've entitled this message, Why
Will You Die? Why will you die? Our message,
our gospel, according to the Word of God, proclaims clearly,
emphatically, that salvation is of the Lord. The Lord of heaven
and earth is sovereign in the salvation of His people. David
wrote in Psalm 65, very familiar with the passage, blessed is
the man and truly blessed is the man whom thou choosest and
causes to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts
and we shall be satisfied. shall be satisfied with the goodness
of thy house, even of thy holy temple." According to holy scriptures,
God chooses and God causes in no way, shape, or form dependent
upon me in any way. God chooses and He causes to
approach unto Him. If He does not choose, if He
does not cause, No sinner will come. God does
the saving. The Apostle Paul was clear in
his letter to the church at Rome when he said, God said to Moses
a long, long time ago, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy.
But notice that he does say he will have mercy. Maybe, just
maybe, he'll have mercy to me. He said, and I'll have compassion
on whom I will have compassion, and maybe he'll have compassion
on me. So that it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Salvation is of the Lord. Men
and women by nature think that this makes God unfair. They say with contempt, shouldn't
everyone have a fair chance? They think that by being fair,
God must give the sinner a choice to accept or reject his salvation. They act as though God finds
some pleasure in damning and condemning wicked, unbelieving
sinners. For if He didn't, would He not
give the whole world a chance? My question to them would be,
what should God give men a chance to do? Should God give everyone a chance
to reject Him? Should God give everyone a chance
to accept Him? But if you look further into
what men say when they ask these things, you'll see that they're
saying salvation is man choosing God and not God choosing him. They seem to have the impression
that God is some wicked king who puts thumbs down on some
and thumbs up on others, like old and ancient kings in the
gladiator's arena. But I've heard it said many times,
and I agree wholeheartedly, that if you're saved, it's God's doing,
and if you're damned, it's your doing. that you're doing. And I know that this confusion
is the fault of blind preachers who've not been called of God,
who've led men and women to hell by preaching a God who loves
everyone in the world, frustrated at their rejection, and somehow
only can love them based upon if they love Him. They've got
that backwards. We love Him because He first
loved us. These lies, my dear friends,
will only lead man to destruction and never to Christ who is salvation. Men will never truly bow in reverential
respect to a God who's not able to do what He wills with His
own. I can't get the passage out of
my mind since we studied it a few weeks ago when the Lord Jesus
said, is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Today I want to show you God's
word to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a true prophet of
God. He was called of God. He was
equipped of God. He was sent of God with a message
from God. That's a true prophet. That's
a true preacher. Now look at verse 17 with me. God Himself speaks to Ezekiel
and He says, I have made thee a watchman unto
the house of Israel. Therefore, hear the word at my
mouth, and give them warning from me." Notice, it is God who
makes men true preachers. For he says unto Ezekiel, I have
made thee a watchman." I know a lot of men that have been called
by themselves, of themselves. They became a preacher because
their grandfather was a preacher. But true preachers are called
of God. God told Ezekiel, I made thee
a watchman. And notice too that God sends
his preachers to his elect, his chosen people, for he says, I've
made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel. And today we
have a true Israel, those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice also it is God who gives
his message to the preachers. his watchman for he says therefore
hear the word at my mouth this is my word I give it to you you
give it to them it's God who gives his message to his preachers
and the message that true gospel preachers receive and deliver
This is important. It's from the mouth of God Himself. From the mouth of God Himself.
God's preachers are sent to warn the wicked of the impending doom
due to their rebellion. God's preachers are sent to show
the wicked in whom their redemption lies. He says, give them warning
from Me. From Me. The God with whom we
have to do. God commands His watchmen, give
them a warning. And this warning is from me.
You see, the warning given unto God's chosen preachers is from
the mouth of God Himself, and the warning is for all fallen
sinners. But those who heed it, Become
the house of true Israel Now what is the warning from God
Almighty? Look at verse 18 when I say unto
the wicked thou shalt surely die and Thou givest him not warning
or speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his
life The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his
blood will I require at thine hand." That's a sobering thought
to this weak and helpless preacher. Sobering thought. In 19 he says, Yet if thou warn
the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his
wicked way, he shall die. and his iniquity, but thou hast
delivered thy soul." Now it seems to me that God's warning here
is very plain and clear. Yet God has to give you eyes
to see, ears to hear, and hearts to believe. Tell them, God says,
tell them this came from my own mouth. that they are surely going
to die if they do not turn from their wicked way. One of the wisest men that ever
lived, Solomon, said, There is a way that seemeth right unto
a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. The way of
wickedness is the way of death. There is a way that seems right
unto a man, but things are not always as they seem. For the way that seems right
unto man is the way of death." The way of death. Solomon's father, David, wrote
in Psalm 18.32, It is God. That would be three good words
to learn, wouldn't it? It is God. It is God that girdeth
me with strength and maketh my way perfect. Maketh my way perfect. You see, my strength is Christ. And He makes my way perfect. He does so in substitution by
becoming my mediator, my surety. doing for me what I could not
do for myself. That's why we call this good
news. That's why we call this the gospel. Psalm 25, ain't good and upright
is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way. I'm so glad it says that. You
see, I'm a sinner. In my heart and mind, I'm the
chief of sinners. Did you ever notice that all
believers, the only thing that believers would ever probably
argue about is who's the chief of sinners. Oh, it's certain that if wicked
men will not turn from their wicked way, according to verses
18 and 19, they will die in their iniquity. This is the message
of scriptures. This is the message of God called
preachers. This is the message from the
mouth of God Himself. This is the message of John the
Baptist. When John came upon the scene,
his message was, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. If you'll look sometime in Mark
1, you'll see that the first message our Lord ever preached
began with these words. The time is fulfilled and the
kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. Believe the gospel. The gospel
of His Son, the gospel of Christ Himself. Oh, this message is
simple to say. Repent and believe the gospel. That's not hard to say, but it's
impossible to heed and believe unless God Himself gives you
life to believe it. The message from God's own mouth
is to repent, to turn, to change from your way. Believe and bow
to Christ, who is our gospel. To turn from wickedness is to
turn to Christ. Many would tell you to straighten
up and fly a ride. All the little sayings you see
on the front of churches, the way to heaven, turn right and
go straight. Well, give me something I can
do. I can't do that. But just maybe by His grace I
can bow, I can fall at His feet and cry, Lord, if Thou will,
You can make me whole. You can. No one else. To ignore God's warning, my friends,
has great consequence. The result of our ignoring God's
word is death. That's what he says here, isn't
it? He says he shall die in his iniquity. But our God, our God, and what
a God He is. He condescends in mercy and He
reasons with wicked men concerning their sin. Isaiah 118, come now
and let us reason together. That's amazing to me. I deserve
hail and condemnation, yet God in mercy condemns sins and says
let us reason together. What is he reasoning about? My
sin. He said your sins be as scarlet. but they shall be as white as
snow. He says, though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool. You see how God reasons with
us? He reasons in love and mercy and grace and yet is still righteous
and holy, just and justifier. Our Lord lovingly and sovereignly
woos His people to be wise. It is wise to seek rest in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Our Lord stood one day and He
said, Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. And we are, whether we know it
or not. Oh, we labor with our sin. We're heavy laden because of
our sin. But Christ says, I will. There
it is again, that positive reinforcement. I will. I know I say this every message,
but I'm not going to apologize for it. Because scripture plainly
says, I will and they shall. We have a sovereign God who's
in control. He's not an old man begging and
pleading, won't somebody please believe my son, trust my son,
bow to him. No. He says repent and believe
the gospel. 2nd Corinthians 5 20 says now
then we are ambassadors for Christ and though God did beseech you
by us God beseeches us and he said we pray you in Christ's
dead Be reconciled to God Now we can only be reconciled to
God in Christ's dead That's a very important little phrase there
in Christ's dead. I The word stead means to stand
in one's place. He stood in my place. He stood
in your place, those of you who trust in Him. Webster defines
the word as a function ordinarily occupied or carried out by someone
else. And is that not what our Lord
did for us? He'd bear my iniquity up on that
tree. He stood in the place of His
people as the substitute, the mediator, the surety of God's
sheep. And He said, not a one will be
lost. All that the Father gave me shall come to me, and I'll
lose nothing. Not a one. Oh, this is safe haven, dear
sinner. This is a city of refuge. Christ
our Lord. Spurgeon once preached these
words. He said, Remember, though God
condescends to reason, to persuade, to beseech, still his gospel
has in it all the dignity and force of a command. If we would preach it in these
days as Christ did, we must proclaim it as a command of God. God says,
repent and turn from your wicked ways. I think of the feasts that
were spread upon the table of the marriage supper, and there
was an invitation. Men have taken that and made
a whole separate doctrine out of it. But this invitation had an obligation
of a command since those that rejected it were utterly destroyed
as despisers of their king. When the builders reject Christ,
He becomes a stumbling stone. Who does He become a stumbling
stone to? Well, according to 1 Peter 2.8,
"...and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to
them which stumble at the word, being disobedient." According to His Word, He becomes
a stumbling block to the disobedient. And how could they disobey if
there were no command given? Your child of God, repent ye,
is as much a command as thou shalt not steal. Repent. However, our God has the most
solemn way declared to us His loving intentions, while still
being holy and righteous, just and justifier. Our great God,
with whom we have to do, has laid bare the inmost thoughts
of His heart. Now if you would, turn with me
over to chapter 33 of Ezekiel. I want you to see this. Ezekiel
chapter 33 verse 11 read it with me now this is still
God Almighty talking to his servant Ezekiel and in verse 11 he says
as I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked, but that the wicked, what? Turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil
ways, for why will you die? O house of Israel, why will you
die? We see in this verse that God's
desire is not to curse, but to bless. His desire is not to destroy,
but to save. What an oath this is. This is
not the oath of man, but this is the oath of the eternal God. And if God's word is called into
question, He adds His oath. He swears by Himself. as I live." He could swear by
no greater. Our God swears by His own life,
which is everlasting to everlasting. He's always been, always will
be. And He swears by the greatest
of all realities, the most certain of all certainties, as I live. As surely as I am, as surely as I am Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked." What an infinite certainty this is. Now, though God has no pleasure
in the death of the wicked, that does not imply that the wicked
shall not die. Millions have already perished,
and millions more shall perish. But it still remains true that
Jehovah has no pleasure in man's death. God did not kindle hell,
the flames and fires of hell, to gratify His revenge. He doesn't
cast sinners into hell and the endless fiery furnace and endless
eternal flames in order to vent His fury. That's something I'd
do. Aren't you glad I ain't God?
I am. And he'll finally condemn the
unbelieving, but not because he delights to do so, but because
he is the righteous Lord that loves righteousness. Whatever the wicked heart of
man shall say, whatever man's jealous suspicions may whisper,
it remains truth forever. God has no pleasure in your death. God's not bent upon your ruin. I ask you, was the father bent
upon the ruin of his prodigal? He saw him afar off and he ran
out and kissed him on his neck. Was the shepherd's intent upon
the destruction of his stray sheep? No, Scripture says he
left the ninety and nine to find the one that was lost. Was the
Son of God delighting in the desolation of Jerusalem when
he wept over it? I'd say not. Be assured of this,
dear sinner, God did not send his Son to destroy, but to save. God did not nail Christ to the
tree that you might die, but that you might live. You see, God's desire is that
the wicked should turn and live. Repent is the message from God's
own mouth. He has no pleasure in the sinner's
death, so He declares His desire that they should repent and live. Kiss the Son lest He be angry,
and you perish from the way. Now what I'm saying is this,
without Christ you're dead. Not dead like a rock or a stone
that would at least be free from torment. Not dead like the leaf
that falls to the ground and is ignorant of loss or what might
be won. But we're dead by nature to all
that is worth living for and yet alive to all that makes life
a burden and a woe. Those who are without Christ
are dead to that which they were created for. We are dead to the very One that
created us. We live in pleasure on the earth,
yet we are dead without Christ our Lord. Many say, well, if you believe
like you do, then why does He not force upon life upon your
acceptance, my acceptance? Is God bound to take our way
in giving life? Do you think a person is not
sincere in his kindness because he does not carry out that kindness
by every means possible, lawful or unlawful? Is it not possible
that there might be a limit to that kindness even though it
is with the most sincerity? Are men saying, God, can I really
desire to bless me or He would bless me? Can we truly say that
God does not desire for me to live or He would give me life?
Now, I know that's a difficult issue for this finite mind of
mine. And always remember, dear friends,
that God is sovereign, yet man is responsible. God says by the
words of his own mouth and he swears by his own name as I live
saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked but that the wicked Turn from his way and live Turn ye
turn ye from your evil ways for why? Will you die? O house of Israel I thought about
that. If I invite you to my home for
dinner, and I've been out shopping all
day and preparing a meal in anticipation of you coming, don't look at
me like that's an impossibility. There are microwaves, you know.
But, if I invite you to my home and you willingly ignore me,
and you give me no answer, And I ask again, and you give me
no response. You sit obstinate in your ways,
and you give me no ear. I might well say, are you listening
to me? Listen, listen. I'm trying to
tell you something. Why won't you listen? God says, turn ye, turn ye from
your evil ways, for why will you die? Is God not earnest in
his command of compassion? Must you die? Must you die? Must you really die? Is there
no help? There was indeed once a reason
which made dying inevitable. One old writer said, dying was
inevitable because of the ancient law of the universe, which is,
the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But that's no longer the
case. Is it? Because now the Son of
God has come. And He has taken up that law
and fulfilled it and honored it by the dying of Himself. Now the inevitable death that
you and I awaited no longer exists. It's no longer inevitable or
unpreventable. Can you hear the Savior ask,
why will you die? It was once only righteous that
you should, that you should die, but now
it's righteous that you should live. Righteous death was once
our doom, but now righteous life is the gift of God. Life upon righteous terms is
in a look to the Savior. Life upon righteous terms is
looking to Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. Life in a way that honors
righteousness. There is life through a Savior
and it's holy and it's free. It is in reference to this that
God asks, why will you die? Is life not desirable? Can a soul be in love with death? Is death still so inevitable
that it's useless for us to flee from it? Is there some barrier in our
way? Is God not willing to remove
the death and bestow life? He is in Christ. He is in Christ. Are these the reasons that we
refuse to bow? We have a God who is plenteous
in mercy. Plenteous. He's not only plenteous
in mercy, but He delights in showing it. So He asks plainly, why will
you die? Why will you die when you can
look and live? There is life in a look at the
Savior. John 3, Christ said in verse
14, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the
Son of Man, the Son of God, must be lifted up. He'd be lifted up. Why? That whosoever, whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Why will you
die? Come to Christ. You can come
to Christ without moving a muscle. It just comes in your heart.
Bow to Him. Say, I will have Him to rule
over me, for He doeth all things well. Amen? I appreciate your
attention.