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"If our
transgressions and our sins be upon us,
and we pine away in them, how should we then live?"
[Ezekiel 33:10]
Introduction
Ezek 33:7-10 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my
mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man,
thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his
way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I
require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to
turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity;
but thou hast delivered thy soul. Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto
the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our
sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
What are the two ways that a believer is guided away from
sin and towards righteousness?
- Correction
by God through others
- Correction
by God directly to self (self-examination & conviction by reading
the Word)
Can we be rebuked without being corrected? Yes.
Correction takes place when the Holy Spirit applies the
Word of God to our hearts/minds.
- God
uses believers to rebuke us
- God
uses unbelievers to rebuke us
- God
uses His Word as we read it to correct us (Psa 119:11)
Correction is an important part of developing Christian
character:
James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the
sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall
hide a multitude of sins.
We must not forget that judgment should begin with
ourselves:
Those who offer correction must be willing to accept correction
from others and must accept it graciously, remembering that God gives grace
to the humble and chastises those He loves!
1 Pet 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin
at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of
them that obey not the gospel of God?
Psa 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins
and my heart.
We are commanded to avoid hypocrisy:
God commands us not to have double standards - an easy
standard of righteousness for ourselves and a very strict standard of
righteousness for others.
Matt 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or
how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out
the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out
the mote out of thy brother's eye.
What God is saying is that if we condemn someone for
some sin, we had better be sure that we are not excusing the sin in our own
lives... because sin in our lives - like a huge log in our eye - can blind
us or at least warp our ability to see sin in others. God is not saying
that we are to never speak out against sin. Just that we are not to be
hypocritical about it.
If we don't want to be corrected ourselves, perhaps we
are not saved:
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come
into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Professing Christians are commanded to examine
themselves...
2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;
prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ
is in you, except ye be reprobates?
1 Cor 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not
discerning the Lord's body.
If we don't examine ourselves we run the risk of going
about thinking we are saved when we are lost.
If we don't see fruit in our lives, perhaps we are not
saved.
Matt 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire.
The fruit of a Christian WILL be different than the
fruit of the unsaved and will be increasingly different from his way old
life as a former unbeliever...
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under
the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of
the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts.
A true child of God wants to bear fruit, good fruit.
If we are not interested in dealing with our own sin,
perhaps we are not saved.
If we really don't hate sin, if we really are not
offended by sin in us and around us, we need to be concerned about whether
or not we really belong to Christ. The Bible states that a true believer
will hate sin and will want God to search out the sin in his own heart:
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me,
and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting.
Psa 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding:
therefore I hate every false way.
Psa 119:128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning
all things to be right; and I hate every false way.
If we are truly saved, we will have a desire to be
sanctified, to deal with even the smallest, seemingly insignificant sins in
our lives, like violating speeding limits or joking about things we should
not joke about.
SOS 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil
the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
A true believer understands his personal need to be holy:
A Christian is commanded to be holy, not merely good...
Lev 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy:
for I am the LORD your God.
1 Pet 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be
ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy;
for I am holy.
If we don't sharpen one another with the Word, we will
run the risk of falling into sin:
Prov 27:17 - Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the
countenance of his friend.
Heb 3:13 - But exhort one another daily, while it is called
To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
If we don't take the time to form close friendships with
other believers we will be less likely to have true friends who are willing
to tell us like it is. Anyone can find a friend who will tell us what we
want to hear:
Prov 27:6 - Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
2Tim 4:3 - For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears;
We are our brother's keeper:
No matter what Cain told God after he killed his brother
Able, we are our brother's keeper and we will not complain about a brother
or sister who tries to bring some sin to our attention. We will recognize
that they are only doing what God expects them to do...
Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy
brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye
which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
1Cor 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of
yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. 10 For if any man see
thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the
conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are
offered to idols; 11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother
perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when ye sin so against the brethren,
and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. 13 Wherefore, if
meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world
standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
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