The Gospel

“The Lord spoke to me. “Mortal man,” he said, “repeat to the Israelites what they are saying: ‘We are burdened with our sins and the wrongs we have done. We are wasting away. How can we live?’ Tell them that as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I do not enjoy seeing sinners die. I would rather see them stop sinning and live. Israel, stop the evil you are doing. Why do you want to die? “Now, mortal man, tell the Israelites that when someone good sins, the good he has done will not save him. If an evil person stops doing evil, he won’t be punished, and if a good man starts sinning, his life will not be spared. I may promise life to someone good, but if he starts thinking that his past goodness is enough and begins to sin, I will not remember any of the good he did. He will die because of his sins. I may warn someone evil that he is going to die, but if he stops sinning and does what is right and good— for example, if he returns the security he took for a loan or gives back what he stole—if he stops sinning and follows the laws that give life, he will not die, but live. I will forgive the sins he has committed, and he will live because he has done what is right and good.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭33‬:‭10‬-‭16‬ ‭‬‬

Somewhere along the way, the Church has stopped preaching repentance. What comes from the pulpit now is a watered down grace that fails to recognize the power of God’s grace to enable us to love the life He called us to live. We are left thinking our goodness will make us “good enough” even though it is as filthy rags before the Lord.

And even as we claim our own righteousness we condemn the sinners for the lifestyle they live. We don’t tell them the way, we aren’t showing them the way. All the while Christ is saying “I don’t want to lose any of you to sin, those who are clearly sinner or those who see themselves as saints.“

For whatever reason, there is an expectation of preaching repent without the love or relationship to the world. This was the example Christ set. God knows the fish can not be clean until it is caught.

Then to the Church a message is preached a tolerance of sin within the body. It is a false message of grace that is for those within the four walls of the building that continues to cover unrepentant hearts. God loves all of us so much that He will not leave us in our sin.

This passage was written before the cross, although the same is true we need to repent, stop winning and live under the grace that calls us to a higher level of living. We also need to share Christ’s love with sinners so they can begin to understand the need to repent.

Lord please help us, Your Church, and the leaders to get back to preaching the Gospel, identifying our sin, showing the need we all have for a Savior. Let us share the love and salvation freely available to all through Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross. Let us walk in humble repentance in the grace You have provided. The world needs You!