In the sermon titled 'Turn and Live', Trent Moody explores Ezekiel 18, focusing on the themes of individual responsibility, repentance, and God's mercy. The speaker emphasizes that each person is accountable for their own sins, debunking the proverb that children bear the consequences of their fathers' sins. The sermon stresses that God's call to repentance is an act of mercy, offering salvation to those who turn from their sins. The speaker explains that while individuals cannot change their hearts on their own, they are encouraged to seek God's intervention through prayer and humility. By calling on the Lord, believers can receive a new heart and spirit, aligning with God's will for them to live righteously.

Alright, go ahead and turn your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 18. Ezekiel 18. This is really just something that in my own personal readings and in the readings with my family have really struck a chord in my heart and in thinking about our dear congregation and specifically the younger people, not only the little children but the young adults as well and ultimately really all of us but the younger ones have been on my heart regarding this. Ezekiel 18. I'm going to read verses 1 through 4 and then 19 through 32 just to give us some context of this passage with this theme in mind, turn and live, turn and live.

This is in chapter 18 Ezekiel And verse 1, the word of the Lord came to me again saying, what do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel saying, the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. As I live says the Lord God you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. Behold all souls are mine The soul of the Father as well as the soul of the Son is mine. The soul who sins shall die." Verse 19, Yet you say, Why should the Son not bear the guilt of the Father? Because the Son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all of my statutes and observed them, he shall surely live.

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns from his sins, which he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he is committed shall be remembered against him.

Because of the righteousness which he has done he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all in that the wicked should die? Says the Lord God and not that he should turn from his ways and live. But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed because of them he shall die.

Yet you say, now listen, yet you say the way of the Lord is not fair. Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not my way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Yet the house of Israel says, the way of the Lord is not fair. O house of Israel, is it not my ways which are fair and your ways which are not fair and then my focal passage therefore I will judge you O house of Israel every one according to his ways says the Lord God Repent and turn from all of your transgressions so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed and get yourself a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of the one who dies, says the Lord God.

Therefore, turn and live. Pray with me. Our Father, as we open your word again this afternoon, we pray for great wisdom, Lord, from your word to fill our hearts and minds. I pray, Lord, that the power of your word, Lord, would just so capture your people. And Lord, any of those who are not trusting in you, those who have not turned and who have not experienced the life that you give, Lord would you please by your spirit quicken them today.

Amen. So as we think about this passage and think about this overall context of Ezekiel and what he's saying to the house of Israel, he speaks of it first and foremost in a more general setting to all of the house of Israel, but what he is doing though is also bringing it in. He goes from, if you will, a shotgun approach right down to a rifle approach to where he's really honing in and narrowing it, narrowing that mark down. And he speaks regarding the individual person, which I think is very important because I don't want any of you, as I preach to a congregation this size, I don't want you to just kind of sit down and feel like, hey, this is just a shotgun blast. I want you to look at this message as if you and I are the only ones in this room.

I'm speaking to you. I'm speaking to you individually. I want you to hear this in this way. Turn and live. We see in verse 30 that the Lord will judge every man according to his own ways.

There was this proverb that they had in Israel that the fathers, as he says here, the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. And what was meant by that is that the fathers had committed some form of iniquity and this judgment or this condemnation would come upon not only that father but also unto his sons or daughters and that it was something that would wash down through them. And God said, I do not want that to be a proverb any longer in Israel. The soul that sins shall die. You will not be judged by God based upon what your earthly father has done and I would add you will not ride what your father has done if it be righteousness and he's a strong man of faith you're not going to ride that faith his faith into heaven The soul that sins shall die you individually will stand before the Lord and give an account for your life.

You will not escape that, none of us. Every man will be judged according to his own ways. And let me say this this is God being just and righteous. It amazed me the audacity at which Israel said to God, yet you say, verse 25, yet you say the way of the Lord is not fair. Can you imagine?

I can because I've said it before in my early Christianity when I thought about certain doctrines and certain theologies that just rubbed my natural man the wrong way. That doesn't sound fair. Who am I? Who is Israel to look at God and say, that's not fair? He is the standard of fairness.

He is the standard of justice. He is the standard of righteousness. Who are we to pass judgment upon Almighty God in what He says is right and fair or not? It is God who judges. It is God who is true, and let every man be a liar." God is the one who determines these things.

The children will not be judged based upon how their fathers lived. The proverb was that the fathers had eaten these sour grapes and the children's teeth were set on edge. But then in verses 3 and 4 he says, as I live says the Lord, you shall no longer use this proverb. Behold all souls are mine, the soul of the Father as well as the soul of the Son is mine, the soul who sins shall die." God was correcting their faulty thinking regarding this. God was telling them that the soul of that individual person shall be judged according to their sin and not according to their fathers.

There is a day, I need all of you to understand this and I know that you've heard this, you've probably read this in Hebrews chapter 9, that there is a day coming when you, yes you, will stand before God and give an account for your sins. Hebrews 9 27 says, and as it is appointed for men to die once but after this the judgment. No one will escape this. We will all stand before the Lord. Romans 2, 5 to 11 says, but in accordance with your hardness and with your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourselves wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to each one according to his deeds.

Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality, but to those who are self-seeking and who do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who works what is good to the Jew first and also to the Greek for there is no partiality with God every one of us will stand before the Lord and give an account that's what he tells us in verse 30 therefore I will judge you oh house of Israel everyone according to his own ways says the Lord and then he gives this call and I want you to understand this, this call of repentance. So often we think about John the Baptist, we think about even Jesus' words in the Gospels when his message was repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And so often we think about that message of a call to repent as being so hard and so unloving. Why would you tell me to repent? It's so offensive.

But brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that this call to repent is actually a call of mercy. You see, all of us deserve damnation. Every one of us deserve to be judged and cast into the lake of fire. Every one of us. But there was a day when when God said through someone most likely that repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And that is God's call of mercy. We so often think that the Old Testament is void of the mercy of God and that's only because we are blind to the truth of God's mercy. As I've been reading in my, just my personal reading, reading through the Old Testament, I've been reminded again and again of the fullness of the mercy of God displayed in the Old Testament. This morning I spoke about that, how he wanted to unhitch the Old Testament. Why?

It's full of mercy and grace. It demonstrates the goodness of God. It does demonstrate the righteousness of God and that there is a judgment coming but it is full of the call to repentance. It is full of the call of mercy. Every time that an animal was sacrificed in the Old Testament, it was a testimony of the mercy of God.

Do you know how many animals were sacrificed? I don't. Millions upon millions were sacrificed. And every time that animal was killed and that blood was drained into a bowl and it was sprinkled upon the altar, that was a demonstration of the mercy of God. Because in truth, what should have happened, that soul should have died and God made a way.

He made a way so that when that animal was sacrificed it was a substitute for that person and ultimately for the nation of Israel and So we see this demonstration of the beautiful mercy of God in this call to repent repent and turn from all your transgressions so that iniquity will not be your ruin. He called them to turn and as we'll see in a few moments to live. A call to repentance is a call for mercy. People often think of this call like I said as something that's harsh and judgmental but listen what Proverbs 28 13 says, He who covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. That's the Old Testament.

Proverbs 28, if you confess your sin and forsake your sin you will have mercy. You will have mercy. I call every one of you individually if you have not forsaken and confessed your sin do so now and receive mercy, the mercy of the Lord. What did the man, you had the tax collector and the Pharisee into the temple and we know the story that the Pharisee looked down on this man who was sitting here, this tax collector, but yet the tax collector could not even lift his eyes to heaven, but he beat upon his chest and he said, Have mercy upon me, O God, for I am a sinner. That is what each individual should do, have mercy upon me, O God, a sinner.

Why? Why should we repent? Because he tells us right here, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Your ruin. Look to all of human history to see this ruinous effect of sin.

We see it from the very beginning from Adam and Eve and what took place there with Cain and Abel and the tragedy of what took place there. We see it right on up and through the book of Genesis and we see it with the flood, sin was ruinous. And it still is today. Sin is ruining people. Sin is ruining people in this church.

If you're not turning from your sin and repenting, it will be your ruin. So turn, because ultimately the wages of sin is death. What could possibly be more ruinous than that? The wages of sin is death. Hebrews 12, 14 says, pursue peace with all people and holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Looking carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and by this many become defiled. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau who for one morsel of food sold his birthright for you know that afterward when he wanted to inherit the blessing he was rejected for he found no place for repentance though he sought it diligently with tears. He found no place for repentance. When is the day for repentance? Today.

Right now. Right now is the day and the time for repentance. Because there came a time in Esau's life where he sought it and there was no place for it. And I want you to know, every one of you to know that there is coming a day when there will be no place for repentance. There will be no time for it.

It will be too late. Repent of your sins so that it will not be your ruin. Cast your sin away. Cast it away from you. Ephesians 4 24 says that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.

This is what repentance is. It's casting your sin away. It's casting your transgressions away from you. Too many think that repentance is feeling sorry for your sin. It involves a sorrow over your sin, but feeling sorry for your sin is not repentance.

That's feeling sorry for your sin. There are two types of sorrow. There is a sorrow, number one, when you get caught doing what you should not have been doing. The criminals, you could go down there right now and talk to those people in prison and they would be sorry they got caught. They're sorry for that.

Get a child who gets caught doing something that they should not have done and they are about to receive correction, that child will be sorry because they got called. But there's another kind of sorrow, a sorrow that leads to repentance which is termed godly sorrow. So in 2nd Corinthians 7 we see this, now I rejoice not that you were made sorry but that your sorrow led to repentance. You see there within his words there's a difference between sorrow and repentance because sorrow leads you to repentance if it's a godly sorrow. It should push you towards repentance so that you would cast that off.

He says, for you were made sorry in a godly manner. You could be made sorry in an ungodly manner. But he says, You were made sorry in a godly manner that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted. But the sorrow of the world produces death.

For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner and here it was the result of true godly sorrow he says what diligence it produced in you what clearing of yourselves what indignation what fear what the him in it desire what zeal what vindication and all things you proved yourself to be clear in this matter. They had repented and turned and they had a zeal for righteousness because of their repentance. The sorrow led to repentance. Matthew Henry said, We must cast away from us all of our transgressions. We must abandon and forsake them with a resolution never to return to them again.

Give sin a bill of divorce. Break all the leagues we have made with it. Throw it overboard as the mariners did Jonah, for it has raised the storm. Cast it out of the soul and crucify it as a male factor. Be done with it.

Repent of it. And then lastly notice what he says in verse 31, the second part. He says, and get yourself a new heart and a new spirit. What is this? How is this?

Where do I get this? He says, get yourself a new heart. What a command. How can I get a new heart? How could you get a new heart?

How can God command me to do what I cannot do. Is that not fair? This is the age old question. It reminds me of John chapter 3. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

And this man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you were a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God Nicodemus said how can a man be born when he is old Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you must be born again.

The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So as everyone who was born of the Spirit, Nicodemus answered and said to him, how can these things be? And then he goes on and he tells them that you're a teacher in Israel and you don't know these things. You see we look at a command like this, get yourself a new heart And if I was just to stand here and tell anyone who is here who is not converted, and that's what he's talking about here, he's talking about conversion. It would be the same thing as me saying, get converted.

And if I left you there, get yourself a new heart, and I leave you there what dilemma that produces within you what are you gonna do get yourself a new heart how can these things be how can I be born again how can I be converted How can I get myself a new heart and a new spirit? Well Ezekiel gives us the answer. And if you look over in chapter 36, we'll look at that. Ezekiel 36 verse 23. Ezekiel 36, 23.

I'll read down through 28 here. And he says, and I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I hallow in you before their eyes. For I will take from among the nations, I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean.

I will cleanse you from all of your filthiness and from all of your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers.

You shall be my people and I will be your God." This answer, as glorious as it is, still leaves us with a great tension. Here we are, we're commanded, get yourself a new heart, and then we're told God says I will do this. That still leaves us in this balance of how do I get God to do this? What would motivate God to do this? I'm told what to do, I'm told who has the answer, but how do I get it?

Have you ever felt this dilemma? We believe in the sovereign work of God, we know that God is sovereign over salvation, we know that man can do nothing towards his salvation? Where does that leave us? Hopelessness? It's a spiritual paradox between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.

God commands me to do what I cannot do. Get yourself a new heart and he is the only one who can do it. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. Augustine prayed, Lord command what you will and give what you command. This calls great turmoil in some of the early church because he was stating that man does not have the ability to do what God commands whereas others would say God would never command you to do something you could not do.

How about this? Get yourself a new heart. Can you do that? I can't, but God commands it. And then we're told that God will do it.

So imagine, and this is a poor illustration or analogy, but imagine with me just for a moment that you're a starving beggar. And let's just add on top of that that you're crippled. And there was a man standing there with a basket full of food and a jug full of water and this man looks at you and says get yourself some food. Get yourself something to drink. Some may think this man is cruel.

The beggar may even think, what? Here you are with plenty of food and water and you clearly see that I have none and you tell me to get myself some. Don't you think I would if I could? And that's the point. You can't.

The question is how do I convince God to give me what only he can give me? The answer really is simple, but it is difficult. It requires humility. In the Gospel of Luke in chapter 11, we read regarding prayer, if a son asked for bread from any father among you will he give him a stone or if he asked for a fish will he give him a serpent instead of a fish or if he asked for an egg will he offer him a scorpion if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. And in Luke 11, I'm actually reading the second part which comes before in the text.

So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be open. There is a responsibility of man to call upon the name of the Lord.

I've presented you with this dilemma, I presented you with a command, get yourself a new heart. I've given you this command, repent and turn from your ways and live. And if you have not trusted in Christ, I'm commanding you, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you say, here I am, you're telling me to do this thing that I cannot do and only God can save me, how do I do this thing? Like any child who looks to his father to do what he cannot do, what the child cannot do.

Ask. Ask. He says if you then being evil know how to give good gifts, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Romans 10 what does it say? The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart that is the word of faith which we preach that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved for with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto repentance.

For the scripture says, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon him for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Call upon the name of the Lord. Call upon the name of the Lord. You children look up here.

Call upon the name of the Lord. And upon the authority of God's Word the Bible says when you everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2.21 says, And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Isaiah 45.22, Look unto me and be saved all you ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other look this was the verse that Charles Spurgeon heard when God converted him look unto me all you ends of the earth and be saved." And God used, I think he was a deacon or just a man in his church, it was a snowy night and he had just happened to come in to get out of the snow and Spurgeon sat there and heard this man, he said he had no giftings whatsoever to speak, but he just read this verse and he said, how simple is that? Look, look, look to the Lord.

And Spurgeon said he was converted that night because he looked to the Lord. And there is no cause for fear of rejection. Listen, this is the encouraging news. If you desire to come to Christ to be saved from your sins, He will by no means reject you. Because John 6 37 says all that the Father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out.

By no means. Turn with me to the Gospel of John. John chapter 6, a most glorious chapter, one of my favorites in the Bible. And then John 6 39 as well. John 6 39 says, this is the will of the Father who sent me that of all that he has given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day.

And then verse 40, and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day." And then verse 44, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day." This is the work of Almighty God that if you are calling upon the name of the Lord, that you are desiring God himself, that you are seeking and looking for the Lord, this is God working in your heart because no man seeks after God. The Psalms tell us this and the book of Romans tells us this, no one seeks after God. So what does this mean when you see people seeking after God? It is God working in their souls. I will give you a new heart.

I will give you a new spirit and all that the Father has given to me shall come to me and I will by no means cast out. Second Corinthians 6 says for he said in an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Why delay?

Why would you delay? Why would you delay? Why would you harden your heart to such a sure salvation? As the Lord says in Ezekiel, for why should you die? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, says the Lord God.

Therefore turn and live. And that is my call to you today for all of you who have not turned and lived, for all of you who do not have a new heart and a new spirit, call upon the name of the Lord and you shall be saved. Let's pray. Our Father, this is our great desire. Oh Lord, only you can save.

Oh Father, I pray by the power of your spirit in connection with your word that you, only you Lord, would turn the center and Lord that he would call upon the name of the Lord. Would you grant that desire Lord? Command whatever you will Lord and give what you have commanded. We pray and ask this in Christ's name. Amen.