“When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die” (Ezekiel 18:26).
TEXT — Ezekiel 18:24-30
Message
The largest industrial accident ever recorded had two electrical engineers ‘playing around’ with what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment. They were trying to see how long a turbine would free wheel when they took the power off it, which is dangerous. One by one, the computers came up with the flashing message: “Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!” But rather than shutting off the experiment, they continued. The result was a nuclear fallout.
God commissioned Prophet Ezekiel as a prophet to Israel and commanded him to warn the wicked and the righteous alike about the consequences of sin and disobedience to God. When the righteous depart from their righteousness and commit iniquity, God said such people will be judged based on their present state. Their past righteousness will not count. Ezekiel’s role was to warn the righteous of the danger of reclining back to sin. Failure to warn them would mean that the blood of the righteous person who backslides would be required from his hands.
There is danger in ignoring warnings. Whether people accept it or not, we should warn them of the consequences of their actions. In particular, we should warn the righteous that there is nothing like unconditional security. Those who claim to be saved but continue to live contrary to God’s words are as guilty as any other sinner before God.
God deals with all alike; He acts according to His word. We must heed His warning through His word and ministers, and live right because only one’s present condition at the point of death or rapture will determine the recompense he receives.
Thought for the day
Those who ignore God’s warning signs do so to their eternal regret.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
This is an inspiring and soul lifting message. May the Lord bless the author in Jesus’ mighty name.
This is an inspiring and soul lifting message. May the Lord bless the author in Jesus’ mighty name.