Fair or Not Fair: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 And today we’re going to be going to Ezekiel chapters 18 and chapters 33 and we’re going to be looking at the laws of life and the laws of death. Now Ezekiel was a prophet after the first captivity. He was carried away captive about 25 years of age and uh in the in the sixth year of captivity, 31 years of age, he started prophesying. Now he’s several hundred miles away from Jeremiah who is speaking the same things. And that’s very important for you to know. These two are not connected with each other at all. Ezekiel was not even called to prophesy. Until the sixth year of the captivity.

▶ 0:54 Jeremiah had already been prophesying for quite a while. All right? And though Ezekiel is hundreds of miles away in Babylon, he is saying the same thing that Jeremiah is talking about. And it’s very important for you to know that. You see, God is a supernatural God and he does supernatural things. All right? Uh in Ezekiel 18:20 he starts out saying the soul that sins it shall die. Now that’s a law. The soul that sins it shall die. A law is a statement that has a punishment. All right? If you violate that law, there is a payment to pay.

▶ 1:50 And so the person that sins, soul is just a person that sins, it shall die. All right? Now, that’s the first thing. Number two, the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. He says you can’t blame the son or punish the son for the father’s bad doing. Okay. Number three, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. You see, my sons go out in sin and they’re of age. You know, you can’t blame me. I did my job. They just didn’t listen.

▶ 2:46 Number four, the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Now, that sounds logical. If a guy does right, that he’s going to get the rewards of right. If the guy does wrong, he’s going to get the rewards of wrong. Amen. But if the wicked will turn, repent, turn from all his committed sins. Now, it’s important you understand that it’s committed sin. It’s not sins in your mind. It’s not, you know, everybody uses this thing. In fact, I just heard it this morning. Whosoever looketh a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already within his heart.

▶ 3:42 So the Piers Morgan says, “You got to stone that person.” These people on TV and these radio and TV host and and anchor people, they they they get into areas they know nothing about. Nowhere in the Bible was anyone stoned for thinking sexual immorality. Never. No one was ever stoned for thinking about stealing something. You have to commit it. You have to do it. All right. But if the wicked see the evil person will turn from those committed sins, keep my statutes. Do that which is lawful and right, he shall live.

▶ 4:33 Truly live. He shall not die. That’s the laws of sin and death. Even if I’ve messed up, I can turn and I will not be remembered for my past sins anymore. It’s just doing what’s right is the law of life. The law of life is doing what’s right. And when you go to the New Testament, the New Testament backs it up. Jesus backs it up. So that’s the laws of life and death. There are two lives in the Bible. Eternal life and the life that now is 2 Timothy 4:8. Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is and that which is to come.

▶ 5:35 I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to wait to go to heaven to enjoy life. And the Bible promises two lives. You will be blessed here on this earth. Say the laws of life and when you die, you will inherit eternal life. How many want God to bless you in this life? Yes. And how many are thankful there’s nowhere to go but eternity when you die? Hallelujah. With him. Now we’re going to move on here in Ezekiel 18 14-18 number six. If he a wicked father, he’s talking about a wicked father a son.

▶ 6:28 Oh, that’s cut off. Wow. That sees all his father’s sins. Okay. This son sees dad being bad, mom being bad, and the son is paying a big price. How many know the children pay a big price for sinning parents? Absolutely. They do. We put kids through hell on earth because us adults act like kids and we do bad things. Okay. He sees all that the parents have done. He considers it. He [unclear] it. He rationalizes it and does not [unclear] such like, but executes God’s judgments, walks in God’s statutes.

▶ 7:19 He shall not die for the iniquity of his father. He shall live. See it. Instead of blaming or following the bad parents, these guys are repenting from their bad behavior. And it works. The one that repents and turns and does right shall live. God will bless you in this life and in the life to come. Now verse 23, number seven. Have I any pleasure delight in the wicked that they should die and not return from his wicked ways and live? God is just reminding us. He’s not up there saying, “Oh boy, I get to get that one. That one’s a Oh, hallelujah. Boy, get to put that one in hell. Okay, who’s next here?” No.

▶ 8:12 God has no pleasure. He gets no delight in you dying. It’s totally your choice. But because just because he doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked does not mean he will not judge you and put you in an eternal lake of fire for your sins. He will do that. He is a just God and he is a judge. Number eight verse 24. When the righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquities of the wicked man, shall he live? Whoa. All his righteousness he has done shall not be mentioned. Won’t even be brought up in court.

▶ 9:04 The heaven’s court won’t even be brought up. And I told you, I’ve seen a vision of that judgment and nobody’s saying anything because they knew they were wrong when they did it. They have no answer. You know what you’re doing when you do wrong, whether it’s by the conscience or God’s word. In his trespass, violation of the law, and sin, shall he die. Now, a good example of that is Judas. You see, Judas followed Christ. Judas preached the gospel. People got saved. Judas laid hands on people and they got healed. Judas cast out demons. All those are right good works, aren’t they?

▶ 9:56 But when Judas turned and let Satan enter into him and betrayed Christ, all those goodies were forgotten. And he’s burning in hell today. Are you there? What’s fair? What’s not fair? I’m always hearing people, well, this isn’t fair, fair, fair, fair, fair. Ezekiel 18:29. Yet the house of Israel says, the way of the Lord is not fair. It’s not fair. I was good for 60 years my life, and I turned bad for the last three, and I’m going to hell.

▶ 10:47 That’s not fair. I should be weighed in a balance and my good things should have outweighed my bad things like some people believe. How many of you know that? Therefore, what does therefore mean? For this reason. So, when we see the word therefore, we got to consider what it’s there for. Okay. Why is the word therefore therefore? For this reason, I will judge you, oh house of Israel. What reason? Everyone according to his ways, says the Lord God. Not grace, not faith, not the church I attend, not helping the poor, not tithing, none of those things even come into the equation.

▶ 11:41 What’s fair? Number three, repent. That’s what’s fair. Turn from your evil ways so that iniquity would not be your ruin. Verse 31, cast from you. Number four, all committed transgressions. There’s that word again. Say that word. So I cast away my iniquities, you know, and then I mess up and pick up one here and there, and then I got to what? Cast it away again. Get yourselves a new heart. Here is a tremendous part of this new covenant. We’re going to show you it’s in the new covenant next week. And then we’re going to show you how to get a part of the new covenant that you deserve in this life. All right? Get yourselves a new heart.

▶ 12:33 Now, what’s the heart? Mind, will, and the emotions. That’s the center part of man, the mind, the intellect. Get yourself a new way of thinking. Get yourself a new way of responding to emotions. How many can say, “Boy, I I need some help in my emotions.” A new heart. And so he’s telling us to what? Get it. So if you only accept salvation and grace and faith, you’re missing out on one of the most important parts of the new covenant. He promised you, as we will see next week, a new mind. Doesn’t the New Testament say, “If any man be in Christ, he’s a new creature.” Well, what do you think that means? Old things are what?

▶ 13:25 Passed away. Behold, all things are new. What do you think that starts? A new mind. And if preachers don’t preach the word, how you going to get a new mind? If you don’t write, read, and study the word, how you going to get a new mind? And a new spirit. How many of you know you’re a three-part being? Yeah. Body, soul, and spirit. You have a physical body, you have a soul. Again, the word soul there is, the emotions, the intellect, and the will. And then you have a spirit. There is a spirit living in you. That when this body dies, the spirit continues. And so, you need a new spirit. You need a spirit that connects with God’s spirit.

▶ 14:21 Isn’t this good? See, these are tremendous promises. And and we fool around with nonsense when we got tremendous, exceedingly great and precious promises. For why should you die, oh house of Israel? Now, house of Israel is not talking about Babylon. It’s not talking about sinners and wicked people. It’s talking about what? God’s people. Can God’s people die? Yeah. This once saved always saved. Come on. Common sense tells you. For I have not no pleasure again in the death of the one who dies, says the Lord. Therefore, turn and live. He reminds us again. He takes no pleasure in punishing people. It’s just he has to do it because it’s the law. Now, we’re going to go to Ezekiel 33 and Ezekiel 3 and we’re going to look at the law of the watchman.

▶ 15:21 The law of the watchman. The watchman was the guy that they put up on the wall and he was to look out and make sure that no enemies were coming, no armies were coming. And if they did, then he would blow the horn. I was going to bring my ram’s horn and do that and I forgot. We’re going to look at the law of the watchman. Now, you better listen closely. All right? Because you have a responsibility. This church has a responsibility. Christianity isn’t just Disneyland. I’ve made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Now he’s talking to Ezekiel. I’ve made you a watchman. Okay.

▶ 16:12 You’re to alert people. I’ve chosen you to alert people, warn people, you know, of the coming destruction. You shall hear a word from what? My mouth. And warn them for me. Tell them what I’m saying. And what was the message to Ezekiel? Repent. He’s telling the people to repent. That is the message. What was Jesus’s first message? Repent and believe the gospel. Repent. What was John the Baptist’s message? Repent. What was the apostles message on the day of Pentecost? Repent. Duh. Turn from your sins. When I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die.” All right.

▶ 17:11 And that’s what exactly we heard in Ezekiel, wasn’t it? Isn’t that what John the Baptist said? Isn’t that what Jesus said? Yeah. You’re going to die. You’re going to pay a price for your sins, for being wicked if you do not speak. See the these these people say, “Well, I don’t wear my Christianity on my sleeve.” Well, you better be wearing it somewhere where people can see it. If you don’t speak silent, silent saints to warn the wicked from his wicked way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity. That guy’s going to die. You don’t care. Most American Christians just don’t care if the guy next door is going to hell or not. They’re just concerned about themselves. I’m not going to speak up and rock the boat.

▶ 18:03 Somebody better be rocking some boats because that boat’s going to sink. And if you’re not rocking it and get their attention, they’re just going to sink. They’re going to die. But listen to this. His blood will I require at your hand. Now that’s a strong word. The only problem is in the Hebrew it’s not require, it’s seek, it’s inquire. You can’t find anywhere in the Bible that honest, ignorant followers were punished in any way for being silent. What God is saying, he’s looking for you to get the message out.

▶ 18:55 He’s seeking for you and he’s going to inquire of you. Why didn’t you speak up? Why didn’t you live up? So that that family member could have been convicted and had a chance for eternal life. That neighbor, that fellow worker. See, America’s got us being politically correct that Christianity has no place in the public. Well, where does secularism have a place in the public? Secular means non-spiritual and spiritual things don’t. It’s not in the constitution and it’s not in common sense. Okay, the watchmen.

▶ 19:47 We’re going to look at the wise watchmen and then we’re going to look at the worthless watchmen and then you can decide which watchmen you are. Here are the wise. The wise say eternal life is by faith and keeping Bible laws, good works. Okay, that’s the wise watchman. The wicked, worthless watchman, eternal life by my faith. And then they live any way they want. Well, I’m saved by faith. I can just do what I want. Hallelujah. Going to heaven. Nowhere else to go. Worthless watchmen. They speak God laws. Worthless watchmen. They are silent or speak their own opinions. Well, I believe.

▶ 20:38 Watch when people say I believe. Watch when people say my faith. It should be what Jesus said to believe. What Jesus would do. Yes. Personal accountability. Blame society. Blame your parents. Yeah. Blame the schools. Blame somebody. Don’t take personal responsibility for your actions. Speaks repentance speaks positive only. Repent is negative. And like Oprah Winfrey who is the expert on religion, you know, she says, “Nobody’s going to come to your church.” That’s why churches aren’t growing because, you know, they don’t want to hear their sin and you got to repent.

▶ 21:38 They want to hear that. They want to hear positive things. Got no respect for the Ten Commandments saying not to commit sexual immorality. Now, she don’t want to hear she’s wrong. She don’t want to hear she’s going to hell. So she goes to Joel Osteen’s church so she won’t hear it. Are you there? Yeah. She walk in here, she’ll hear it. Why? Because we don’t want people going to hell. We don’t want people ruining their life now and spending an eternity in the lake of fire. And we are to warn the people, teach the people, and never do it in a prince peasant attitude that I’m better than you. You do it in a Moses attitude, the meekest man in the world. He did what God told him to do. Spoke what God told him to speak regardless of what the crowd did. That’s why he was the meekest man on earth outside of Christ.

▶ 22:32 Fair is doing right. Fair is eternal life [unclear] works. Worthless doesn’t help my family. Doesn’t help anybody. Punishment now and in the eternal lake of fire. God is love. He won’t harm anybody. Remember we taught you that the liberal church, God is love. He wouldn’t hurt anybody. Those are just allegories. There’s no real hell. There’s no real punishment. You know, the Catholic Church, they got their people convinced because they’re Catholics, everything’s cool, man. You know, you have a auto accident, we come and give you the death [unclear] at the end. You’re going to [unclear]. You’re going to hell. We got a lot of lies out there.

▶ 23:25 Protestants, Catholics, but somebody’s got to be a wise watchman. Can I hear an amen? Somebody’s got to decide to do it God’s way. Somebody’s got to decide to be humble, not follow the crowd, and speak what God said to speak. And that’s the way we want this church to be. We got to make a choice to be a wise Christian or a worthless one. The wise one will be concerned about other people and their end result in this life and in the life to come. You see, I don’t want to see my homosexual acquaintances die from AIDS.

▶ 24:19 It’s not just eternity. They’re dying now. They’re suffering horribly now. And all they got to do is admit they’re wrong. Ask Christ to come in and he can change that lifestyle just like he can change the drug addict, the alcoholic, the liar, the thief. So we got to decide. Are we going to be silent? Are we going to learn the word for ourselves? Are we going to not rock the boat or are we going to rock the boat so people wake up? Are we going to speak Jesus is the only way? Are we going to give in to all roads lead to the same God? That’s ridiculous. Are we going to speak up for Bible morality and withstand our adversaries?

▶ 25:18 Don’t uh diminish yourself or think lowly of yourself. God will keep adding. He knows when to add and how to add. Are you with me? The bottom line is we can be a church who is really a watchman church that is hearing from God and telling the world. And yes, we will have enemies. Yes, we will have an opponent. Yes, we will have people opposing us. But in the end, God will prevail because a people was faithful to hear his word and speak it and we will see a great harvest in America and throughout the world. Amen. So, we got to ask God this morning for that new heart and that new spirit.