Your actions affect other people. Do you realize that? You may understand that concept, but do you also understand that your inaction affects other people as well? The Bible tells us that what we say and do will go before us into eternity. The same is true for the things we do not say and do not do; they go before us into eternity. We read in Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."
EZEKIEL 3:17-21 (17)Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. (18)When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor 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. (19)Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, not from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. (20)Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. (21)Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
This is a heavy passage, but we must look at it closely. This is a glimpse into eternity and it shows us that what we do, or don't do, for Christ will have eternal consequences. Let's unpack this a little bit. God is talking to Ezekiel in this passage. This is a message to him about God's plan for his life. He is calling Ezekiel to be a watchman over the people. When the people who do not serve God do evil things, Ezekiel must warn them that they are facing destruction and judgment from God. If that man or woman disregards Ezekiel's words, God says that his hands are clean. If Ezekiel chose not to tell the man or woman, God would require that person's blood at Ezekiel's hands. You see the life is in the blood, according to Leviticus 17:11. So in essence, Ezekiel will have to answer for why he chose to ignore that man's sin and refused to call it out.
In today's world, we are scared to call out sin in others' lives. In fact, we do not like to even discuss sin in most churches. It is offensive. People might not like it and they will stop paying tithes or giving offerings. They may even get so mad they might not come back. So instead of caring about their soul, we are concerned about the congregation numbers and the dollar signs. This is so dangerous. We are not called to be busybodies, like we see in 2 Thessalonians 3:11 and 1 Timothy 5:13. However; we are called to be our brother's keeper in regards to seeing sin in their lives and showing them a better way in Christ Jesus. It is our duty to help one another. We are all God's watchmen. We do not have to be a pastor, evangelist, teacher, or in leadership at all. We are all God's children and He expects His children to love one another and help each other make it Home.
God tells us in today's passage, if we warn those who are in sin, and they do not listen to us, and they continue down the perilous path they are on, we are no longer accountable. In verse 19, God tells Ezekiel that when that person dies in their sins after being warned and not heeding, Ezekiel will have delivered his soul. We read in 1 Timothy 4:16, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." This is the harvest that is coming. When we are walking upright before God and we are encouraging others to do the same, we are saving them from destruction and God's judgment in the life to come. If they do not adhere to the warning, then we have washed our hands clean from their blood.
Jesus told them the same thing when He was here on the earth. In John 8:21, 24 Jesus said, "I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come." And, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." That is plain language. If anyone does not believe that Jesus Christ is Messiah, Son of the Living God, then they will die in their sin and they will forever be separated from God. This is why it is so important that we tell everyone. It is not up to us if someone will believe us, or accept Jesus. It is up to us to tell them.
Many people are under the assumption, once saved, always saved. This is a dangerous theology. It says very clearly that when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, God will lay a stumbling block before them. He wants us to get tripped up in sin so we can look up to Him and request His love, grace, and mercy. He does not want us to be lost and go to hell. That is not and never has been God's desire for anyone. We know this when we read John 3:16. This verse goes on to say that the righteousness that person once had: the good that he did, the right choices he made, will be forgotten. If no one tells that person to turn back to the cross of Christ and repent, yet they see them in sin and are aware of what they are doing, God will hold them accountable.
If we see our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they begin dabbling in things they ought not, and they start missing church, and then they stop coming altogether, we must not ignore that. Pick up the phone, go to their home, invite them for coffee or lunch, and share with them in a loving way that they need to make their way back to the Savior. If we do everything we can and we pray and intervene and it falls on deaf ears, and they die in that sinful state, God says we are clean. Nothing will be required at our hands when we face eternity.
Jude says this in verses 21-23, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." We must wear the markings of Christ proudly and boldly. We cannot be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the Good News and we must share it with everyone. Romans 1:16 reads, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." It is powerful. We must be glad to share this message. Let's find the Holy boldness we need to share these hard truths with others who have gone astray.
In the book of Ephesians, Paul writes these words in chapter 6 verses 18-20, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Pray and ask for the utterance to be given you to open your mouth boldly. It goes against the grain to speak boldly about the things of God; meanwhile, the world has their megaphone in our ears spewing lies and deceitful practices all day and night. We must begin to share the Truth of God's Word with believers and unbelievers and watch out for one another so we can help each other make it Home.
Here in Indiana it is a snowy day from the big snow storm that made it's away across this nation. We are unable to get into the vehicles, the roads are icy, and snow covered. We are not getting out today and we didn't get out yesterday. This weekend promises some fun for our children as they sled and play in the winter wonderland. I know that this message is heavy and important. I believe that is why God chose to give it to me for today's Fuel For The Weekend. Pray about this message. Read these scriptures for yourself. Study them and cross-reference them if you want. You will see the same theme in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We must sound the alarm and wake people up. The world is in a daze. They are sleep-walking into hell because no one is shaking them and telling them they are headed for destruction. It is up to the Church to wake up the world. Let's pray and think on these things this weekend. Ask God to give you opportunities to witness and share your faith with unbelievers and backsliders because God loves them and wants them to be saved.
I hope today's post has been helpful. It has given me a new resolve to speak up in love and gentleness to let others know that there is a better way and His name is Jesus. I hope that something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
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