Opening illustration: During the past year, cars, trucks, tires, window blinds, and toy xylophones have been recalled by their manufacturers. In every case, the message was similar: “This product is defective or dangerous and could cause serious injury or even death. Return it to us and we will correct the problem.” But it’s up to the consumer to heed the warning and return the dangerous item.
Suppose God put this warning on the heart and soul of every person: “Because of a fatal attraction to sin and willful misuse, this item is defective. Failure to correct this problem will result in certain spiritual death.”
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God said that the hearts of His people had become adulterous (Ezekiel 6:9) and as hard as a rock (11:19). Yet the Lord longed for their hearts to be softened, and for them to come back to Him. He made this impassioned plea: “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin … Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die O house of Israel? (It is not worth it) For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies … Therefore turn and live!” (18:30-32).
Let us turn to Ezekiel 18 and check out God’s exhortation of what we need to turn from to God …
Introduction: The thought that God would judge us on our own actions and not on the behavior of our nation or our ancestors may seem more obvious to us than to them, but it remains a powerful message. We are not simply victims of fate. We are not simply victims of circumstance. The outcome of our lives is not pre-defined by our DNA. What happens to us, what becomes of us, is up to us. We are people with freedom, people with choices. That is meant to be heard as good news. That is meant to be heard with a sigh of relief. The Word of God tells us that we will reap what we sow. If we sow in the flesh …
How can a person’s life turn around?
1. Turn from Wickedness (vs. 26-28)
In our culture, wickedness means a deed in the likeness of Adolf Hitler, being a baby killer, Satan worshipper, a rapist or child molester etc. Whereas the word ‘wickedness’ in Hebrew means guilty of sin or guilty of hostility (rebellion) against God which deserves punishment. By that standard we all are guilty and deserve punishment and only Jesus can save.
The wickedness present in the world is on a scale not seen since the days of Noah and it is like an invisible net, which covers the Earth. So lethal is it that very few really understand the level of sophistication involved. But be aware, this plan - the details of which will be given to the world – by those who say that they represent My churches on Earth – will be brought before you and you will be expected to accept it. Then you will be demanded to devour it and you will be given no choice. What you will be asked to do, behind all the garble, is to deny Me, Jesus Christ.
I warn the world, that when you try to dismiss My Divinity – you and all those involved in this devious plot – you will be marked as an enemy of God. When you side with blasphemous laws, you are guilty of sin against God. I will continue to warn you, to open your eyes to the Truth, but I cannot force you to remain true to Me. I cannot force you to love Me. Your free will is your own, but if you turn and ask Me to guide you, I will open your eyes to the Truth. When you accept the Truth I will save you.
When a man who professed to have walked with God and been obedient to Him becomes apostate (quits on Him) and experiences death because of his turning away from God obviously does not have eternity with Him. At the same time when an ungodly man makes a commitment to God by turning away from wickedness and becomes obedient Him, he is not only promised eternal life but enjoys it. In fact Matthew 10:39 says, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
The prophet Ezekiel is exhorting the godly man to remain godly otherwise face the dire consequences and at the same time calling out on the ungodly to repent and be saved. Saving here is not something temporary but everlasting. Though we might experience physical death but have life ever after in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ezekiel is insisting and encouraging to all who are not walking the godly path to experience Him who is the giver of all life and the savior who is the Lord. He is discouraging the godly to turn apostate because the consequences are not worth it. He authenticates that when an ungodly man turns around, he brings life into himself and life eternal.
2. Turn from Transgressions (disobedience) (vs. 29-30)
The word ‘Transgression’ in the Hebrew not only meant disobedience to God, it also meant to be neutral toward Him or an idolater. In the OT Hebrew it was personified as evil spirit. Though we may have not reached the wickedness and transgressions of the level during the times of Noah but are gradually progressing toward it. When we talk about being progressive, think about the underlying meaning.
While it may be 2600 years later, it sure seems to me like we hear a lot of the same cries of unfairness today. We lament over the deterioration of society today and want to blame someone else, even being so brash as to blame God himself, when it is our own actions that continue to corrupt the moral fibers of society. Homosexuality and gay marriage continue to be promoted and demand to be tolerated. Then, when met with any sort of resistance, the blaming and excuses come out. “God made me this way. I was born like this. Should I have to suffer inequality because of the way he made me?” And the cry goes out, “The way of the Lord is not just” (v. 25a). Pro-abortionists justify the taking of a life that God himself brought about. When met with opposition, however, they reason that abortion is in the best interest of everyone involved. Even your Christian God wouldn’t want me to bear this burden of a child at this time.” The shout is heard, “The way of the Lord is not just.” When the quality of an individual’s life is not what it once was, and it is argued that ending one’s life is the most compassionate course of action, Christians denouncing such actions hear the same response: “The way of the Lord is not just.” Oh how we as a society need to be reminded of the prophet’s sharp words that cut right to the heart: “Is it not your ways that are unjust” (v. 25)?
When looking at the state of our society, it is easy to see how Ezekiel’s message applies. But is it as easy to apply to ourselves? Aren’t we pretty successful at playing the blame game; at failing to take accountability for our own actions at times? “If she hadn’t been so nasty to me in the first place, then I never would have reacted the way I did. It’s not my fault.” Can we hear ourselves crying, “The way of the Lord is not just?” “Well if God wanted me to be happy, then he never would have let me get married to so – and - so. He can’t possibly expect me to stay married and unhappy. Divorce is the only option.” “The way of the Lord is not just.” “I can’t help that we don’t have services on some day other than Sunday morning. I’ve got other things going on then, so how can I be in two places at once?” “The way of the Lord is not just.”
Let us stop excusing our sin. Let us stop minimizing it. Let us stop pretending it’s not really that big a deal or that there’s really nothing else we can do in certain situations but sin. Let us let those words of Ezekiel prick our own hearts: “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (v.4b). No one else is accountable to God for my own sins but me alone. That was the realization Ezekiel was trying to lead God’s people to see. Only then would the blame shifting stop. Only then would they feel the full brunt of God’s law weighing heavy on their own hearts. Only then could they find hope in God’s invitation: “Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live” (v.30b-32)!
3. Turn to acquire a New Heart and a New Spirit (vs. 31-32)
The heart is the very basis of character, including the mind and will. Because of our sinful nature, the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jeremiah debunked the popular belief that people are basically good (cf. Job 25:4; Psalm 51:5). That God examines and tests the heart is the consistent teaching of Scripture (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 2 Chronicles 6:30; Psalm 139:1-2; Jeremiah 11:20; Romans 8:27; Hebrews 4:12-13). Although we might try to hide our innermost thoughts and motives from others, God sees. He alone knows the true character of every person. God searches and knows us, but loves us despite our inherent sinfulness.
Because of the finished work of Christ "we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh … having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:19-20, 22). We have been saved "according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7).
Jeremiah also spoke of this spiritual change in the heart of sinful man (31:31). The change is in the heart that will cause the people to turn to the Good Shepherd. The people receive a new heart that desires to please the LORD. The "new spirit" (v. 26) is "My Spirit" in v. 27. He is referring to the Spirit of Yahweh (Ezekiel 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28-29). Only the Holy Spirit can empower man to fulfill the word of God. There are twenty-five references to the Holy Spirit in the book of Ezekiel. A new heart and a new spirit are themes Ezekiel reflects on several times.
Jesus may have had this passage in mind when He spoke to Nicodemus one night in Jerusalem. To this upright, moral, spiritually sensitive man Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Nic asked, "How can a man be born again when he is old?" Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. . . Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again'" (3:5, 7).
Reflecting on that work of God in the human heart, the apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit changes the heart to cause the individual to "follow" the Lord (v. 27). The Spirit enables and creates the desire in the heart of the person to do what is humanly impossible. The only way to live a life pleasing to the Lord is by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26).
The Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart of the believer will "cause you to walk in My statutes and you will be careful to observe My ordinances" (v. 27). What Moses law could not do God does through His "Spirit within you." His dwelling within enables the "new heart." The heart of stone has been removed and replaced with a "new heart" and "a new spirit."
How will you know that it is for real? The result will be a radical change in the heart. "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations" (v. 31). True repentance and genuine remorse will have taken place in the core of their being. The people will "remember" their evil ways and will "loathe" their iniquities. They will not secretly want the opportunity to be tempted to sin again. They will no longer be ready to sin when the temptation comes. They will see their former life style and feel the revulsion. That is what every true believer should experience when they pause and silently reflect upon their sins of the past in the sight of God. God is holy, and His holiness should cause us to loathe (hate) our past sins. His holiness should produce a desire in our hearts to be holy.
Application: Jesus fulfilled these prophecies; he made it possible for the Father to re-create the heart of man. Our Spirits are made new when we are born again in Christ Jesus. He literally re-creates our innermost being for us. And our old hearts which were hard towards God and un-moldable by His Word become soft, fleshy, hearts which He can easily touch and move. He is then able to move us to follow His decrees, and to be faithful to His laws.
Illustration: A friend who is a heart transplant cardiologist has an appreciation of Ezekiel 36:26 that not many of us can understand. Dr. Mohan Varghese manages the pre-operation and post-operation care for heart-transplant patients. He’s often in the operating room as surgeons remove diseased, discolored hearts and replace them with vibrant, pink “new” donor hearts.
Dr. Mohan explains that the process for selecting who gets a “new” physical heart is similar to who can get a “new heart” from God (Ezek. 36:26). In both cases, need alone is the criterion.
Ezekiel’s mention of the people of Israel someday getting a “new heart” is a foreshadowing of the change that takes place at salvation. Ephesians 4:24 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 refer to it as “new man” and “new creation.” For the Israelites of Ezekiel’s day and for those of us living today, only one criterion must be met for us to acquire a “transplant.” We must need it. It matters not whether we’re rich or poor, respected or scorned. Citizenship, social status, and ethnicity are inconsequential. If we need a new heart from God, we can have one through faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
What indicates that need? As sinners, all of us need a new heart. Have you had a spiritual heart transplant?
Application: Today, by turning from sin to God through faith in Jesus Christ, anyone can have a new heart. Salvation is not turning over a new leaf, but receiving a new life.
