Ezekiel 18:27-32 God Delights in This

All Ezekiel Messages

Sermon Notes
Transcription
Scripture
Spanish Translation

God Delights in This
Ezekiel 18:27-32
July 18-19, 2026

Ezekiel 18 is an amazing chapter. It gives us a view into God’s own heart when He sees a broken, messed up, sinful world.

As we have been saying, God intends to transform the children of Israel who have been defeated, taken captive, and exiled in Babylon. When they left Jerusalem, they were stubborn, rebellious, hardhearted, and worldly. God says that when they return, they will have a new heart and a new spirit within them.

God will use this tragedy. But as we have seen, tragedy itself is not enough to bring true, lasting, spiritual formation. You need the Holy Spirit pressing upon your heart and speaking God’s word to your soul.

That’s what’s happening in Ezekiel 18. It’s another sermon where God gives Ezekiel a word to correct the course of their thinking. But not just their thinking–they need to correct the depths of their souls. Transformation of life comes from that which God does in the soul.

He begins by saying, “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.”

It’s a deep proverb of tremendous significance. What does it mean? What does it reveal about Israel? What does it reveal about God’s heart toward them?

First, what does it mean? It was a popular, cynical proverb used by the exiles of Israel to shift the blame for their own tragedy onto the generations that came before them.

If you bite into a truly sour, bitter grape, your mouth winces, your lips pucker, and your teeth instantly feel on edge. You ate the sour grape and it’s your teeth that are set on edge. You are the one who tastes the bitterness because you are the one who ate it.

But here, as the saying goes, their fathers ate the sour grapes, but it’s their teeth that feels the bitterness, which wince at the sourness of their tragedy and circumstances. In other words, they are paying the price for their fathers’ iniquities.

However, they weren’t just using the proverb to shift the blame on their fathers’ generations, they were using the proverb as an excuse for why they were doing the same things themselves.

God responds, “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.”

God is going to speak a better word and that word reaches into the depths of our souls as well. It’s a word that will open our eyes to a deeper understanding of God’s heart and calls us to be transformed in the depths of our soul.

I. Every Soul Matters to God

Verse 4 – “Behold, all souls are Mine, the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine.”
This is a deep understanding. It means that every soul was given life by the breath of God, and every soul will return to one day stand and give an account of the life and the soul that God gave.
This verse reminds me of a time when I was in Russia on one of our church mission trips. One of the first ones who responded to the gospel was a young man named Sergei. He was one of our interpreters who came to our meetings and heard the good news of the gospel proclaimed and when he sensed the invitation to respond was nearing, he sat on the edge of his chair so he could spring out of his seat to accept Jesus in his heart as Lord and Savior.
But this part of the story is about his father. He came to all the meetings but never came forward. Finally, our time in the city was coming to an end so I invited him to breakfast and asked, “What’s keeping you from opening your heart?”
“My question is this,” he responded, “why doesn’t God just leave us alone?” “Great question,” I said, “let me give you a parable…”

Illus – Imagine that I, me, myself and I, created a computer. I mean from scratch. I even melted some pure quartz sand, made pure silicon wafers, etched my design upon it, wrote the software from memory, designed every aspect according to my plan and then the day I booted it up, the first words on the computer are, “Why don’t you just leave me alone?” What should I do with my computer?” “It should be thrown under the train,” he said.

And aren’t you much more? God made you in His image. God gave the air that you breathe. The heart that beats in your chest, God gave that to you. The mind by which you question Him, God gave that to you. The soul that gives you life belongs to Him.”

“Keep speaking,” he said, “I’m this close.” “Next year, when I return,” I answered, “I want to baptize you in the Amur River.”
“All souls are Mine,” God says. And all souls are made in His image. That means everything here. That’s why every soul matters to God.

A. Every soul was made in His image

When God declares in verse 4, “Behold, all souls are Mine,” he is saying something deeply personal. This is not the language of ownership in the cold, legal sense. This is the language of affection. It is the voice of a Father who looks upon the people He loves and says, “I will be your Father, and you will be sons and daughters to me, and we will have glorious fellowship together.”
You are unlike anything else in creation. The stars display His glory. The mountains declare His Majesty. The oceans reveal His power. But only you and I were created in the image of God.

Illus – It reminds me of when I was younger. I wasn’t into babies at all. That is until I had one. That changed everything. The moment that I heard the heartbeat from the ultrasound, I was all in. The moment I held that baby in my arms, I knew in that instant that I would give my life for that baby.

It speaks to the value of life. What is the value of life? I can tell you what it is. And it’s why murder is so wrong.

At the end of the trial for our daughter’s murder, I was asked to speak to the jury before they decided on the sentence. Part of what I said was this;

“What is the value of life? One time, when Nicole’s daughter, Aviah, was maybe five or six years old she asked me an unusual question. “Grandpa,” she said, “do you love me so much that you would die for me?” “Yes,” I answered, “I love you so much that I would die for you, but why do you ask the question?” “Well,” she said, “my mom told me that she loved me so much that she would die for me and I was surprised. Then she said that my dad loved me that much, too. So I went and asked him and he said the same thing, that he loved me so much that he would die for me, too. Now I’m asking everyone if they love me that much.”

I think you understand that kind of love, because you understand the value of life. It’s so precious and it means so much to you that you would die for those you love. Because of your heart, because of your love, it makes the life of others even more precious than your own. If I could have, I would have given my life to save Nicole.

What is the value of your life? God loves you so much that He gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal, everlasting life. You were made in His image, and He gave His Son so that you would live and not die. That’s what this chapter is about.

B. Your soul was made for the glory of God

When God made Adam in His image, He made him in glory. God’s glory covered him. It’s like when Moses was on the mountain receiving the Word of God, the Law, and while he was there in God’s presence the glory of God was so brilliant upon him that there was radiance visible to all Israel when he returned to them.
But when Adam sinned, he became aware that he was naked and ashamed. They sewed fig leaves together in a feeble attempt to cover their shame and their sin.
God is saving sinners from their sin and from their shame. And He is also restoring to them the glory that God intended to reside in the soul.
The lost glory, that was the tragedy of sin and separation from God. It’s the difference between life and death. Separation or fellowship. Nearness, or wilderness. Fullness, or emptiness.
When Moses was interceding for the nation of Israel because they had sinned so badly, he had an opportunity to ask for something personal, something for himself. And what was the one thing that Moses asked? The one thing that was above all other things that he desired? “Show me your glory,” Moses said.
Why would Moses ask for glory? Because he had seen the glory and how beautiful it was on the soul and he wanted more.
God answered that no man can see the fullness of God’s glory and live. But that he would place Moses in the cleft of a rock, and His glory will pass by…
When the Lord’s glory passed in front of Moses, God proclaimed the character of God’s nature.

Exodus 33:19, “I Myself will make My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you…”

The glory is the goodness of God and when that glory rests upon your soul, that goodness transforms the soul from the shame and darkness of sin and separation into the very heart of God.

C. The weight of God’s glory

Don’t worry, we’ll soon be applying these truths to the verses of Ezekiel 18. But first, we need to understand the greater picture of what God intends to do in the soul.
Verse 4 – “Behold, all souls are Mine…”
God intends to save the soul from sin and separation and emptiness… And fill the soul with glory and life.
But I want us to understand something interesting about glory; about God’s glory. The Hebrew word translated as glory is ‘kavod.’ At its root is the idea of weight. We commonly think of glory in terms of light, but the root in Hebrew is weight.
Paul, who was a deep scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures and understood this very well…

2 Corinthians 4:17, For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.

The opposite is vanity. Emptiness. Meaninglessness.
God’s glory is the weight of God’s heart filling the soul with the inner construct of God’s character. It’s substance; it’s weight; it’s significance.
This is what the soul desires. It longs for the substance of character that comes from God’s heart and God’s glory. Without it, life is empty and meaningless and a waste.
Many are searching for something greater, something of weight and substance and meaning, are caught in the struggle of life, running endlessly on a hamster wheel, just trying to pay the bills, but frustrated all the same. They long to pursue something greater but have given up the dream that life can have meaning, or purpose, or that they could find their soul’s desire.

Illus – To quote the famous American philosopher, Jackson Browne, who wrote a song in the 70’s called The Pretender, “I’m gonna rent myself a house in the shade of the freeway. Gonna pack my lunch in the morning and go to work each day. And when the evening rolls around, I’ll go on home and lay my body down; and when the morning light comes streaming in, I’ll get up and do it again. Amen.

I want to know what became of the changes we waited for love to bring. Were they only the fitful dreams of some greater awakening? I’ve been aware of time going by, they say in the end it’s the wink of an eye. And when the morning light comes streaming in, you’ll get up and do it again.

And out into the cool of the evening strolls the pretender, who knows that all his hopes and dreams begin and end there.

Ah the laughter of the lovers as they run through the night. Who tear at the world with all their might, while the ships bearing their dreams sail out of sight.

Are you there? Say a prayer for the pretender, who started out so young and strong, only to surrender.”

You were made for something far greater. The weight of God’s glory in the soul is the construct of a greater awakening – a spiritual awakening that constructs within the soul by the weight of that glory. And it’s beautiful glory.
Job is known for his suffering, but he ought to be known for far more. He understood these truths very well.
Job delighted in the Almighty, he treasured God’s word more than his necessary food. By the weight of glory, God was building in him the construct of integrity, of wisdom, and of stature. It was the posts, the beams, the steel, the rocks of the strength of his integrity and the character of his soul. God built that because Job delighted in the Almighty in his soul.
And the result was something everyone could see…

Job 29:7-11, “When I went out to the gate of the city, when I took my seat in the square; young man saw me and hid themselves, old men rose and stood on their feet. Princes stopped talking, the voice of nobles was hushed, and when the ear heard, it called me blessed.”

This is the value of the soul when God builds in you the construct of integrity. When He pours wisdom and stature into your life. It becomes the posts, the beams, the steel, the rocks of the strength of your integrity and the character of your soul. God will build that when you delight in the Almighty.
That brings us back to Ezekiel 18.

II. God Delights When Sinners Live

Throughout the first half of chapter 18, he says that each person must give an account of their life.
You cannot blame your father, or your father’s father. You cannot use your father’s failure to excuse your own failure.
Each person will give an accounting of their life. But He makes clear that His intent is for sinners to come home; that sinners would turn from their sinful ways and live.

A. God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked

Verse 21-22 – “If a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes my statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall live and not die. And all the transgressions which he had committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which is practiced, he will live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” declares the Lord God, “rather, that the wicked should turn from his ways and live.”
This is such an important verse because so many people have it wrong. Many believe that God is against them and is looking for ways to punish them for the sinful things they have done.
God takes no pleasure in such things. What delights God is when a sinner turns from his sinful ways and trusts God’s heart for them…

Exodus 34:6-7, The Lord passed by in front of Moses and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Some have taught that there are generational curses because of the sins of fathers.
First of all, God does not put curses on people.
Second, the word ‘visiting’ the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the grandchildren literally means to take an accounting. It’s important to see that this is regarding iniquity – the distorted heart, the weakness toward an area of sin.
App – It says He visits the ‘iniquity.’ This is the mind-set, the attitude, the bending of the character that passes from generation to generation. I have my father’s tendencies, but it does not need to continue.
“Will this end? I am compassionate and gracious and slow to anger. I have given you the way to be free, will you come to Me and be changed by My presence?” asks the Lord.

2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Ezekiel, explains…

Ezekiel 18:14, 17, Now behold, a son who has observed all his father’s sins which he committed, and observing, does not do likewise… He will not die for his father’s iniquity; he will surely live.

We may inherit a character that is bent toward a particular sin, but God has made a way to heal the character of your heart.
Find healing in Christ and seek the deeper things of God. Be filled with the glory of God and the joy of His presence and you will be truly transformed.

B. God rejoices when one sinner repents

This is the great theme of this chapter.
This is the great theme of the entire bible.
Jesus gave parable after parable to teach this great truth to the crowds who followed Him…

Luke 15:1-7, Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Him. The Pharisees began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and even eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

The grand finale is when He says in verse 31, “Cast away from you all your transgressions, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!”
It means that you have a part in this. God makes all things new. God gives a new heart and a new spirit within you…your part is the desire. Your part is to open your heart to receive it.

It’s like the blind man outside of Jericho when he heard a commotion. He said, “what is happening?” Someone said, “Jesus of Nazareth is coming by.” So the man cried out, “Son of David have mercy on me.”

Jesus said, “Bring that man to me.” And when the man stood before Him, Jesus said, “What is it you would have me do for you?”

There comes a time for you to ask. There comes a time for you to say it, “What is it you would have God do for you?” Open your heart and He will do a beautiful work of giving you a new heart and a new spirit within you.

God Delights in This
Ezekiel 18:27-32
July 18-19, 2026

Welcome everyone joining us online. Hey, would you all take your Bibles and open to the book of Ezekiel 18? We're actually going to begin in verse 1, and then we'll jump to verse 27. The title of our message, God Delights in This. Of course, we're going through the whole Bible. We covered the other verses around this at our midweek, verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter service. Let's pray and then receive from God's Word together.

Lord, thank you for revealing your heart to us through your Word, and that you would draw us to a place of revival and to receive from your Holy Spirit. God, meet us here. Pour out your Spirit of life through your Word, we pray in Jesus' powerful name. Everyone said, Amen.

All right, Ezekiel 18, amazing chapter because it reveals God's heart as He looks at a broken, messed up, and sinful world. Now, as we've been saying, God intends to transform the children of Israel there who have been taken captive, defeated, brought to Babylon where they are in exile. What we've been hearing and understanding is that when they left Jerusalem, they were stubborn, rebellious, hardhearted and worldly, but when they return, they're going to have a new heart and a new spirit. How does that happen? We need to understand it because God is doing the same thing today.

God is going to use this tragedy. He's going to use trouble, but we need more than just trouble. We need the Holy Spirit pressing upon the heart and speaking God's Word to the soul. That's what's happening in Ezekiel 18. Another prophetic word where God is going to correct the course of how they think, and ours, and He's going to correct the course of their soul. Spiritual transformation only comes from that which God does upon the soul. All right, so He begins by saying, what do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel? The proverb is this. The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge. As I live, declares the Lord God, you're not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

All right, what does this proverb mean? It was a cynical, very popular proverb that they were using during the time of the exiles. They were using this as a way of shifting the blame for their own tragedy, their own consequences onto the generations that came before them. Of course, the proverb is very understood by them. If you've ever eaten a truly sour, bitter grape, and you can do this today, because if you ever buy a bunch of grapes, typically there will be these little tiny, unripe ones. They're like little green pebbles. When you bite into them, your lips pucker. Your mouth winces. Your teeth are set on edge. You should do it just for the biblical experience of the thing. Like, oh, let's see what this proverb is all about.

Now, the idea, of course, is, hey, you ate the thing. You ate the little bitter grape. Your teeth are set on edge. Your lips are the ones that pucker. Because you did it, you suffer the consequences. In other words, it's your fault. You picked that thing, you ate that thing, and you suffered because of it. All right, but here, as the saying goes, hey, it was the father who ate the grapes, but we're the ones who pay the price for it. We're the ones whose teeth are set on edge. We're the ones who feel the sourness of the tragedy. We're paying the price for our fathers' iniquities.

Now, they weren't just using the proverb to shift the blame onto their fathers' generations. They were using the proverb as an excuse for why they were doing the same thing themselves. God says, you're not going to use this proverb anymore. God has a better word, and that word reaches to our souls as well. He's going to open our eyes to a deeper understanding, and He's calling us to the same transformation of the soul. We need these insights for our lives as well. Let's read it. We're in Ezekiel 18. We'll just read the first few verses, and then we'll jump to verse 27.

Then, "The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: "The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge"' As I live, declares the Lord, you are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore." Notice verse 4. "Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine; and the soul who sins will die."

I. Every Soul Matters to God

This is what this theme is about. God is calling these who have fallen into this place of wickedness and sinfulness. He's going to give to them an understanding of His heart, and it's actually quite glorious. Notice, for example, verse 27. "Again, When a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he's committed, and then practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. Because he considered," he thought, "and he turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, and he will surely live; he will not die. But the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not right.'" You're taking away our excuse. You're taking away our proverb. The way of the Lord is not right, Israel says.

God responds, really? Actually, I added that part. Really? Are my ways not right, O House of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right? "'Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel. Each according to his own conduct,' declares the Lord God. 'Repent and turn away from all your transgressions so that your iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. Cast away all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why would you die, O house of Israel? I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,' declares the Lord. 'Therefore, repent and live.'"

A. Every soul was made in His image

He's trying to give them an understanding of His desire for them. I want you to live. This is really a very, very important chapter of what He has for us to understand. Let's go back over it and see how we could apply it. Starting with this. Every soul matters to God. Notice verse 4. "Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son." This is very important to understand. All souls are mine. Now, He means by this that every soul was given life by the breath of God, and every soul is going to return to one day stand and give an account of the life and the soul that God gave. I think everybody understands this. Everybody knows that one day they will give an account of their life because God gave you that soul.

All souls are mine, says the Lord. Now, when I think of this, I mentioned this a few Wednesdays ago, it reminds me of a time when we were in Russia on one of our mission trips. One of the first who came to faith, who responded to the gospel, was a young man named Sergei. Sergei was one of our interpreters. He was going around with us. He knew English quite well. We were going around to the various apartments and flats and inviting people to come to our gathering. We're going to have a big outreach event. We're inviting people, and he's interpreting all day long. We got to the event, and he was in the front row.

He could sense where this message was going, and he could sense that I was leading up to an invitation to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted to be the first one. He's on the edge of his chair, and he's got his legs all ready to go, and he's waiting for the moment so that he can be the first one. I see him right there. I actually slowed it down on purpose. If you want to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, then step out of your seat and come forward. Boom, he was the first one there. By the way, he became the pastor of the church that we planted in that city. It's an amazing story, right?

The story is not about him. It's about his father. His father had come to these meetings and heard but never responded. Our time in the city was coming to an end. I invited his father for breakfast, and we sat there. I said to him, "You've come to these meetings, and you have not yet opened your heart. What is keeping you?" He says, "I have a question." I go, "Oh, please." He says, "My question is this. Why doesn't God just leave us alone?" I said, "Okay, fair question. Let me answer by giving you a parable."

I said, "Imagine that me, simple me, me, myself, and I create a computer, and I mean from scratch. I even melt some quartz and make silicon wafers. It's my design upon it, and I write the software all from memory, and I design this whole thing according to my plan. Then finally the day comes when I boot it up, and when I boot it up, the first thing that appears on the screen is, "Why don't you leave me alone?" I said, "What should be done with a computer like that?" He said, "It ought to be thrown under the train." I go, "Exactly right. How much more are you than that?"

I said, "God made you in His image. God gave you the air that you breathe, the heart that beats in your chest. God gave that to you. The mind by which you question Him, God gave that to you. The soul that gives you life belongs to Him." He says, "Keep speaking. I'm this close." I said, "Next year when I return, I'm going to baptize you in the Amur River." He's saying, "All souls are mine." All souls will give an answer. All souls will come and stand before the Almighty. He emphasizes, important, all souls have been made in the image of God. That's why all souls matter to God. Every soul was made in His image.

In verse 4, when God declares, "Behold, all souls are mine," He doesn't mean this in the cold, legal sense of ownership, but rather it's the language of affection. Like a father who sees his people and says, "I will be a father to you. You will be sons and daughters to me, and we'll have glorious fellowship together." God made the soul to be in relation to Him. You are unlike anything else in creation, you and I. His stars display His glory. The mountains declare His majesty. The ocean reveals His power. Only you and I were created in the image of God.

Now, when I think of that, I'm reminded when I was a young man, I was not into babies at all. If somebody said, "Oh, look at my baby. Isn't it cute? Would you like to hold my baby?" "No, not really." I was not into babies. That is, until I had one. That changed everything. I remember we went to the ultrasound, and I brought one of those hand recorders. This is before cell phones. I brought one of those hand recorders to record the sound of the heartbeat. If you've ever done an ultrasound, you know you can hear the sound. I'm recording this, and I was just so taken by it, so excited. I brought the thing to work, and I'm playing it for all my co-workers. "You've got to hear the sound of my baby."

I'm just so in that when I held that baby in my arms, I looked at the baby, and I could see myself. This baby is in my image, and something happened in me. I knew at that moment I would give my life for this baby. I love this baby. I would give my life because it speaks to the value of life. What is the value of life? I can tell you what it is. It's why murder is so wrong. At the end of the trial for our daughter's murder, I was asked to speak to the jury before they decided on the sentence. I want to read this part of what I said to the jury.

"What is the value of life?" I said. One time when Nicole's daughter, Avia, was maybe five or six years old, she asked me an unusual question. "Grandpa," she said, "do you love me so much that you would die for me?" "Yes," I answered. "I love you so much that I would die for you, but why do you ask this?" "Well," she said, "my mom told me that she loved me so much that she would die for me, and I was surprised. She said that my dad loved me that much too, so I went and asked him, and he said the same thing, that he loved me so much that he would die for me. Now I'm asking everyone if they love me so much to die for me."

I said to the jury, "I think you understand that kind of love." Because you understand the value of life, it's so precious, it means so much to you that you would die for those you love because of your heart, because of your love, it makes the life of others even more precious than your own. I tell you, I would have given my life that day. If I could have, I would have given my life that day to save Nicole.

What is the value of your life? God loves you. You were made in His image. When He sees you, He sees that you were made in His image. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son to die on the cross that you would have life, that anyone who would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal, everlasting life. That's how much God loves you. Let's give the Lord praise.

B. Your soul was made for the glory of God

That's what this chapter is about. You were made in God's image, and let me add this, that your soul was made for the glory of God. When God made Adam, He made Adam in His image and He made him in glory. God's glory literally covered Adam. It's like when Moses was on the mountain of Sinai receiving the word of God, the law of God. While he's there in the mountain, he's in God's presence and the glory of God is so brilliant upon him that there was an actual radiance visible to Israel when he returned from the mountain. It's like that. The glory covered him so that when Adam sinned, it was then that he became aware that he was naked and unashamed.

Up to this point, it was glory. Now that he's sinned, now he knows he's naked and ashamed. They sewed fig leaves together in a feeble attempt to cover their shame and their sin. God is saving sinners from their sin and from their shame ever since. He is restoring to them the glory of God that He intended to reside in the soul. The story of man is the story of the lost glory. It's the tragedy of sin and separation from God. It's the difference between life and death, separation and fellowship, nearness or wilderness, fullness or emptiness. The story of man is the story of the lost glory, but the story of God is the story of redemption.

How He then takes those who have been lost and seeks that they might be found and He pours into them the glory that was lost. He is restoring to them into their soul the glory that God desires for them. When Moses came down from the mountain, you know the story. I think the people that were sinning greatly, they had become impatient because he had been gone for so long that they said to his brother Aaron, make us a god that we could worship. He took the jewelry of gold and made a golden calf. The people bowed down and started to worship. Then they started to party and play. The thing got out of hand and it was just ugly.

Moses comes down from the mountain. He sees this whole thing unfolding. He's angry. He throws down the tablets, you know the law. Then at some point, he's interceding in behalf of this people. While he's interceding, he asks for something personal, something from me. He says, show me your glory. Now, why would Moses ask for glory? Well, because he had been in the presence of God and seen the glory. He knew how beautiful it was on the soul, and he wanted more. God answered that no man can see the fullness of God's glory and live, but that he would place Moses in the cleft of the rock, and His glory would pass by.

When the Lord's glory passed in front of Moses, God proclaimed the character of God's nature before him. This is Exodus 33:19. "I myself will make my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you." The glory is the goodness of God, and that, when that glory rests upon your soul, that goodness of glory transforms your soul from the shame and the darkness of sin into the very heart of God by that glory.

C. The weight of God’s glory

Now, I want us to understand something very, very important in this, and that is the weight of God's glory. Now we're going to get back to Ezekiel 18, but this is the backstory and very important as to what God intends to do in the soul. Verse 4, "All souls are mine." God intends to save the soul from separation and emptiness and to fill the soul with glory and life. I want us to understand this about glory, God's glory.

The Hebrew word translated for glory is the word kavod. Easy, you can remember that. Kavod, but at the root of the word is the idea of weight. Now, we commonly think of glory in terms of light, but the root word in Hebrew actually is that of weight, the weight of glory. Many often don't think in these terms. Glory has weight. In the Old Testament, the value of something was often measured by its weight. A shekel is actually a measurement of weight.

It reminds me of a time later on in the history, there's another king of Babylon. It's not Nebuchadnezzar. Later, it's Belshazzar. At one point, Belshazzar decides to have a party, and he's going to mock the God of Israel. He says, bring out the goblets. We're going to drink wine from the religious artifacts of the temple. Bring out the goblets. We're going to have a party, and we're going to drink from that which came from the temple of Israel.

They're partying. They're mocking God. They're drinking. At that moment, a hand, just a hand appears and begins to write on the wall, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." The party comes to a screeching halt. Nobody can be found who can interpret the meaning of these words. Someone finds Daniel. We'll read about this when we get to the book. Daniel then comes, and of course, by the interpretation of the Holy Spirit given to him, he reads these words. He says, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." It means you have been weighed in the balance, and you have been found wanting. Behold, your kingdom will be separated from you. As we know, the kingdom fell shortly after this whole event happened.

Notice what he says. You have been weighed in the balance, and there's nothing there. There is no weight. It's empty. See, this is important. Paul, who was surely a scholar of Hebrew, wrote a very similar truth in 2 Corinthians 4:17. "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." There he understood and describes it as the eternal weight of glory. See, the opposite is what? Emptiness, vanity, meaninglessness. God's glory is the weight, you might say, filling the soul with the inner strength, the substance, the significance, the meaning of it. This is what the soul longs for.

The soul is made to be filled with the glory of God. There is a longing, a searching for meaning, for purpose. People are looking to fill this in their souls. It longs for something greater than this earthly life. Without it, life is empty, meaningless, purposelessness, a waste. They're searching for something greater, something of substance, something of weight, something of meaning, but they're caught in the struggle of life, running endlessly on a hamster wheel, just struggling to pay the bills, frustrated. They long to pursue something greater, but have given up the dream that life can have meaning or purpose, or that they could find their soul's desire.

It reminds me of a song that was written in the '70s by a man named Jackson Browne. Some of you maybe remember the song called The Pretender. I want to read just some of the lyrics because he captures, for that generation, that same emptiness. Here are the words.

I'm gonna rent myself a house

In the shade of the freeway

Gonna pack my lunch in the morning

And go to work each day

And when the evening rolls around

I'll go on home and lay my body down

And when the morning light comes streaming in

I'll get up and do it again

Amen

I want to know what became of the changes

We waited for love to bring

Were they only the fitful dreams

Of some greater awakening?

I've been aware of time going by

They say in the end it's the wink of an eye

And when the morning light comes streaming in

You'll get up and do it again

Out into the cool of the evening

Strolls the pretender

Who knows that all his hopes and dreams

Begin and end there

Ah the laughter of the lovers

As they run through the night

Who tear at the world with all their might

While the ships bearing their dreams

Sail out of sight

Are you there?

Say a prayer for the pretender

Who started out so young and strong

Only to surrender

Oh, how it describes so many who are lost and are searching, but I'm here to tell you that God has so much more in mind for you than that. He is saying, oh, if you could only know. He says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has not understood that which God would do for those who love Him." In other words, oh, you have no idea what God can do when He pours the glory, the weight of His presence into the very soul within you. God is doing a new work, and He is restoring all that sin and shame has cost you, and He's bringing to you glory and life, and it is newness of life to anyone who believes. Amen? Let's give the Lord praise and glory.

You know, Job was known for his suffering, but he ought to have been known for far more than that, for he understood these truths very well. It says, Job delighted in the Almighty. He treasured God's Word more than his necessary food, and by the weight of glory, God was building in him the construct of integrity and wisdom and stature. The weight of God's glory became the posts, the beams, the steel, the rocks, the strength of integrity, and the character of God within the soul. God built that by the weight of that glory because Job delighted in the Almighty. The result was something that everyone can see. They can see it.

Notice Job 29:7-11. He says, "When I went out to the gate of the city, when they took my seat in the square; young men saw me and hid themselves, old men rose and stood on their feet. Princes stopped talking, voice of nobles was hushed, and when the ear heard, it called me blessed." Everyone could see that God had built this in his life. This is the value of the soul when God builds in you by the weight of His glory, the construct of integrity. He pours wisdom and stature. It becomes the posts, the beams, the steel, the rocks of the strength of God's glory, strengthening because you have delighted in the Almighty.

II. God Delights When Sinners Live

This is what God is inviting sinners to understand today. It brings us back to Ezekiel 18 where He says in this chapter, and God delights when sinners live. Throughout the first half of chapter 18, He says, each person must give an account of their life. You cannot blame your father. You cannot blame your father's father. You cannot use your father's failure as an excuse for your own failure. No, each person will give an accounting of his life. He makes clear that His intent, His desire is for sinners to come home. The sinners would turn from their sinful ways and live. He says, God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked.

A. God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked

Notice verses 21 and 22. We didn't read it, but we'll read it now. "If a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes my statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he will live and not die. All of the transgressions which he had committed will not be remembered against him." This is such a glorious thing. God will never hold it against you. God sets people free. He will never hold your past against you. He says, "Do I have pleasure in the death of the wicked? No," He says, "rather that the wicked would turn from his ways and live."

This is such an important verse because so many people have it wrong on this point. So many people are convinced that God is against them because of the sin, because of the mess they made of their lives and then God is just looking for ways to get even with them for how they've destroyed themselves with sin. No. He says, God takes no pleasure in such things. What delights God is when a sinner turns from his sinful ways and trusts God's heart for them.

Notice Exodus 34:6-7, again about the glory. "The Lord passed in front of Moses and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and truth; who gives loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, however, visiting the iniquity of fathers and their children and the grandchildren to the third and the fourth generations.'" This is important as we can see the two together.

Some have taught that there are such things as generational curses because of the sins of the fathers. Well, I'm going to tell you. Firstly, God does not put a curse on anyone. Let's start with that. Secondly, He says He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. In other words, literally, to take an accounting. Does this thing go on? Is it still continuing? He visits the iniquity, the mindset, the bending of the character into that which passes from generation to generation.

We know that's true. I know it's true. I have inherited my father's tendencies. I know that it's true, but I have come to an understanding, and I'm so glad that God has shown me that this thing can end with me. It can end with my generation. It can end right here and right now. God sets people free. I'm here to tell you that whatever you may have inherited from your father or from your mother, this thing can end right here and right now. It does not need to defend your life. God is setting people free, and He'll set you free by the power and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's like 2 Chronicles 7:14. "If my people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, I'll forgive their sin, and I'll heal their land." Ezekiel explains. This is Ezekiel 18:14, 17. "Now behold, a son who has observed all his father's sins which he committed, and observing, does not do likewise... He will not die for his father's iniquity; he will surely live." He makes it so clear, God's heart, God's desire. Each one will give an account of their own life. Each one will stand before the Lord. Therefore, it's important for each one to hear God's heart and God's message.

B. God rejoices when one sinner repents

God is the one who is seeking sinners. God is the one who is searching them out. God is the one who is drawing them to an understanding of his heart. I will take all that sin has cost you, the suffering, the separation, the shame, and I'll pour into you the glory of God that He intended for you to have. Then he makes it clear this. God rejoices when even one sinner repents. That's the great theme of the chapter. Frankly, it's the great theme of the Bible.

Jesus gave parable after parable to say the very thing. Notice in Luke 15:1-7, he writes, "Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Him." Firstly, I love that sentence. What a picture is that? Tax collectors. Now, if you don't remember, they were hated by Jews, despised by Jews, despicable. No Jew in their right mind would even consider eating a meal with a tax collector. How dare you collect taxes for Rome? It says, tax collectors and sinners were drawn to Him, enough to come and hear Him.

"The Pharisees," seeing this, "began to grumble, saying, 'Would you look at this? This man receives sinners, and He even eats with them.' So He told them a parable, saying this, 'What man among you, if he is a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, I have found my sheep which was lost."' He says, 'I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.'"

That is beautiful. The heart of the Lord, God pursues, seeks after, and when a sinner opens their heart, that the Lord Jesus would come into that person's life, that heavens rejoice, God delights when one sinner repents. The grand finale of chapter 18 is there in verse 31, where he says, "Cast away from you all your transgressions and make yourselves a new heart, a new spirit." It means that you have a part in this. God makes all things new, yes, He does. God gives a new heart and a new spirit, this is true, but you have a part. Your part is the desire. Your part is the opening of your heart to receive it. He's knocking on the door. He's calling your name. Your part is to open the door. You have a part in this.

When I think about that, I'm reminded of the time when there was a blind man outside Jericho, and he was sitting by the road. He heard a commotion, and he says, what's happening? Someone says, Jesus of Nazareth comes by. He cried out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. They rebuked him. Like, you be quiet. Who do you think you are? He called out all the louder, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. When he called him Son of David, he was calling him King and Messiah. The Messiah will be known as the Son of David when he comes.

Jesus heard that man calling, Jesus, Son of David. Jesus says, call that man to me. When he went to him and says, the Master calls for you, they brought him to the Lord and he stood before Him. I love this scene. I imagine Jesus looking at him with a smile on His face. Well done. In his blindness, the man could see far more than the Pharisees. He understood far more and he called Him Messiah. He knew when the Messiah comes that He would heal the blind. He stood before the Lord and Jesus said to him, what is it that you would have me do for you?

Someone might say, well, he's blind. Doesn't the Lord know? Yes, he knew, but there comes a time when you need to say it. What is it that you would have God do for you? What is it that you would ask God to do in your life? There comes a time to say it. He is showing you. Glory. I will do that which your mind has not yet even understood. Something so glorious. I will take the sinner who was lost and separated and empty and I will pour out my love, my glory. I will pour out upon him such great love that he will be transformed before me.

God will do all of this. All you need do is ask, seek, find, and He will pour it out abundantly. All you got to do is ask. Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for showing us the greatness of your glory, the wonder of your heart that pursues sinners like us to take us from the shame and the emptiness and the separation and drawing us to glory and the fullness of a soul made alive.

There comes a time that you need to say it. What is it that you would have God do for you? If you would say to the Lord today, God, do this glorious transforming work in my heart. Do this in me, God. I want that which you have poured out. God, pour it out on me. I ask that you would do this in my heart, in my life. Is that you, church? Would you say it to the Lord by just raising your hand as a way of just saying it and asking God, do this in me, God. Do this in me. Pour out the glory upon my soul. Do this in me, Lord. Do it in me.

Father, thank you for everyone whose desire is to ask, to seek, and to say, Lord, do it in me. Lord, we are so thankful for you. We honor you. We give you praise and glory for it all in Jesus' name. Everyone said-- Hey, let's give the Lord praise and glory and honor. Can we do that? Amen. Amen.

Ezekiel 18:27-32 NASB

²⁷Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. ²⁸Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?

³⁰“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord God. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. ³¹Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? ³²For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

Dios se deleita en esto
Ezequiel 18:27-32
18-19 de julio de 2026

Ezequiel 18 es un capítulo asombroso. Nos permite vislumbrar el corazón de Dios cuando ve un mundo roto, desordenado y pecaminoso.

Como hemos estado diciendo, Dios tiene la intención de transformar a los hijos de Israel que fueron derrotados, llevados cautivos y exiliados en Babilonia. Cuando salieron de Jerusalén, eran tercos, rebeldes, endurecidos y mundanos. Dios dice que cuando regresen, tendrán un corazón nuevo y un espíritu nuevo.

Dios usará esta tragedia. Pero, como hemos visto, la tragedia por sí sola no basta para lograr una formación espiritual verdadera y duradera. Necesitas que el Espíritu Santo toque tu corazón y hable la palabra de Dios a tu alma.

Eso es lo que sucede en Ezequiel 18. Es otro sermón donde Dios le da a Ezequiel una palabra para corregir su forma de pensar de los israelitas. Pero no solo su forma de pensar, sino que necesitan corregir lo más profundo de su alma. La transformación de la vida proviene de lo que Dios obra en el alma.

Comienza diciendo: «¿Qué significa para ustedes usar este proverbio acerca de la tierra de Israel, que dice: “Los padres comieron uvas agrias y a los hijos les duelen los dientes?” Tan cierto como que yo vivo —declara el Señor Dios—, que seguramente no volverán a usar este proverbio en Israel».

Es un proverbio profundo y de gran significado. ¿Qué significa? ¿Qué revela sobre Israel? ¿Qué revela sobre el corazón de Dios hacia ellos?

En primer lugar, ¿qué significa este proverbio? Era un proverbio popular y cínico utilizado por los exiliados de Israel para culpar a las generaciones que les precedieron de su propia tragedia.

Si muerdes una uva realmente ácida y amarga, sientes una dentera en la boca, los labios se te fruncen y los dientes se te ponen tensos al instante. Comiste la uva ácida y son tus dientes los que se tensan. Tú eres quien percibe el amargor porque fuiste tú quien la comió.

Pero aquí, como dice el refrán, sus padres comieron las uvas agrias, pero son ellos quienes sintieron la amargura, ellos fueron quienes se estremecieron ante la acidez de su tragedia y sus circunstancias. En otras palabras, están pagando el precio de las iniquidades de sus padres.

Sin embargo, no solo utilizaban el proverbio para culpar a las generaciones de sus antepasados, sino que también lo usaban como excusa para justificar por qué ellos mismos hacían lo mismo.

Dios responde: «¡Por mi vida!», declara el Señor Dios, «seguro que ya no usaréis este proverbio en Israel».

Dios pronunciará una palabra mejor, una palabra que llegará hasta lo más profundo de nuestras almas. Es una palabra que nos abrirá los ojos a una comprensión más profunda del corazón de Dios y nos llama a ser transformados en lo más hondo de nuestro ser.

Cada alma le importa a Dios

Versículo 4 – “He aquí, todas las almas son mías; tanto el alma del padre como el alma del hijo son mías.”
Este es un profundo entendimiento. Significa que a cada alma se le dio la vida por el aliento de Dios, y cada alma regresará algún día para rendir cuentas de la vida y el alma que Dios le otorgó.
Este versículo me recuerda una ocasión en que estuve en Rusia en uno de nuestros viajes misioneros de la iglesia. Uno de los primeros en responder al evangelio fue un joven llamado Sergei. Era uno de nuestros intérpretes que asistía a nuestras reuniones y escuchaba la proclamación del evangelio. Cuando sintió que se acercaba la invitación a responder, se sentó al borde de su silla, listo para levantarse rápidamente y aceptar a Jesús en su corazón como Señor y Salvador.
Pero esta parte de la historia trata sobre su padre. Él asistió a todas las reuniones, pero nunca se atrevió a hablar. Finalmente, nuestro tiempo en la ciudad estaba llegando a su fin, así que lo invité a desayunar y le pregunté: “¿Qué te impide abrir tu corazón?”.
—Mi pregunta es esta —respondió—, ¿por qué Dios no nos deja en paz? —Excelente pregunta —dije—, déjame contarte una parábola…

Ilustración: Imagina que yo, yo mismo y yo, creé una computadora. Me refiero a crearla desde cero. Incluso fundí arena de cuarzo puro, hice obleas de silicio puro, grabé mi diseño en ella, escribí el software de memoria, diseñe cada aspecto según mi plan y luego, el día que la encendí, las primeras palabras en la computadora fueron: “¿Por qué no me dejas en paz?”. “¿Qué debo hacer con mi computadora?” “Debería ser arrojada debajo del tren”, dijo.

¿Y no eres tú mucho más? Dios te creó a su imagen y semejanza. Dios te dio el aire que respiras. El corazón que late en tu pecho, Dios te lo dio. La mente con la que lo interrogas, Dios te la dio. El alma que te da la vida le pertenece a Él.

—Sigue hablando —dijo—, estoy muy cerca. —El año que viene, cuando vuelva —respondí—, quiero bautizarte en el río Amur.
«Todas las almas son mías», dice Dios. Y todas las almas están hechas a su imagen. Eso lo abarca todo. Por eso cada alma le importa a Dios.

Cada alma fue creada a su imagen y semejanza.

Cuando Dios declara en el versículo 4: «He aquí, todas las almas son mías», está diciendo algo profundamente personal. No se trata de un lenguaje de propiedad en el sentido frío y legal. Es un lenguaje de afecto. Es la voz de un Padre que mira a quienes ama y dice: «Yo seré vuestro Padre, y vosotros seréis mis hijos e hijas, y tendremos una gloriosa comunión juntos».
Eres único en la creación. Las estrellas muestran su gloria. Las montañas proclaman su majestad. Los océanos revelan su poder. Pero solo tú y yo fuimos creados a imagen de Dios.

Ilustración: Me recuerda a cuando era más joven. No me interesaban los bebés para nada. Hasta que tuve uno. Eso lo cambió todo. En el momento en que escuché los latidos del corazón en la ecografía, me enamoré por completo. En el momento en que tuve a ese bebé en mis brazos, supe al instante que daría mi vida por él.

Habla del valor de la vida. ¿Cuál es el valor de la vida? Puedo decírtelo. Y es por eso que el asesinato es tan malo.

Al finalizar el juicio por el asesinato de nuestra hija, me pidieron que hablara con el jurado antes de que dictaran sentencia. Parte de lo que dije fue lo siguiente:

“¿Cuál es el valor de la vida? Una vez, cuando la hija de Nicole, Aviah, tenía unos cinco o seis años, me hizo una pregunta inusual. «Abuelo», me dijo, «¿me quieres tanto que morirías por mí?». «Sí», respondí, «te quiero tanto que moriría por ti, pero ¿por qué me lo preguntas?». «Bueno», dijo, «mi mamá me dijo que me quería tanto que moriría por mí y me sorprendió. Luego me dijo que mi papá también me quería así. Así que fui a preguntarle y me dijo lo mismo, que me quería tanto que también moriría por mí. Ahora les pregunto a todos si me quieren tanto».

Creo que entiendes ese tipo de amor, porque comprendes el valor de la vida. Es tan preciosa y significa tanto para ti que darías la vida por quienes amas. Gracias a tu corazón, gracias a tu amor, haces que la vida de los demás sea aún más valiosa que la tuya. Si hubiera podido, habría dado mi vida para salvar a Nicole.

¿Cuál es el valor de tu vida? Dios te ama tanto que entregó a su Hijo unigénito para que todo aquel que cree en él no perezca, sino que tenga vida eterna. Fuiste creado a su imagen, y él entregó a su Hijo para que vivieras y no murieras. De eso se trata este capítulo.

Tu alma fue creada para la gloria de Dios.

Cuando Dios creó a Adán a su imagen, lo creó glorioso. La gloria de Dios lo cubrió. Es como cuando Moisés estaba en el monte recibiendo la Palabra de Dios, la Ley, y mientras estaba allí en la presencia de Dios, la gloria de Dios resplandeció tanto sobre él que, a su regreso, todo Israel pudo ver su resplandor.
Pero cuando Adán pecó, se dio cuenta de que estaba desnudo y avergonzado. Cosieron hojas de higuera en un intento inútil de cubrir su vergüenza y su pecado.
Dios está salvando a los pecadores de su pecado y de su vergüenza. Y también les está devolviendo la gloria que Dios quiso que habitara en su alma.
La gloria perdida, esa fue la tragedia del pecado y la separación de Dios. Es la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte. Separación o comunión. Cercanía o naturaleza salvaje. Plenitud o vacío.
Cuando Moisés intercedió por la nación de Israel debido a sus graves pecados, tuvo la oportunidad de pedir algo personal, algo para sí mismo. ¿Y qué fue lo que Moisés pidió? ¿Aquello que más deseaba? «Muéstrame tu gloria», dijo Moisés.
¿Por qué Moisés pediría gloria? Porque había visto la gloria y lo hermosa que era para el alma, y quería más.
Dios respondió que ningún hombre puede ver la plenitud de su gloria y vivir. Pero que colocaría a Moisés en la hendidura de una roca, y su gloria pasaría de largo…
Cuando la gloria del Señor pasó frente a Moisés, Dios proclamó la naturaleza de Dios.

Éxodo 33:19, “Yo mismo haré pasar mi bondad delante de ti, y proclamaré el nombre del Señor delante de ti…”

La gloria es la bondad de Dios, y cuando esa gloria reposa sobre tu alma, esa bondad transforma el alma, liberándola de la vergüenza y la oscuridad del pecado y la separación, y llevándola al corazón mismo de Dios.

El peso de la gloria de Dios

No se preocupen, pronto aplicaremos estas verdades a los versículos de Ezequiel 18. Pero primero, necesitamos comprender el panorama general de lo que Dios pretende hacer en el alma.
Versículo 4 – “He aquí, todas las almas son mías…”
Dios tiene la intención de salvar el alma del pecado, la separación y el vacío… Y llenarla de gloria y vida.
Pero quiero que entendamos algo interesante sobre la gloria; sobre la gloria de Dios. La palabra hebrea traducida como gloria es « kavod ». En su raíz está la idea de peso. Solemos pensar en la gloria en términos de luz, pero la raíz en hebreo es peso.
El apóstol Pablo era un profundo conocedor de las Escrituras hebreas y lo entendía muy bien…

2 Corintios 4:17, Porque esta leve y momentánea tribulación produce en nosotros un eterno peso de gloria que sobrepasa toda comparación.

Lo opuesto es la vanidad. El vacío. La falta de sentido.
La gloria de Dios es el peso de su corazón que llena el alma con la esencia misma de su carácter. Es su sustancia, su peso, su significado.
Esto es lo que anhela el alma. Ansía la esencia del carácter que emana del corazón y la gloria de Dios. Sin ella, la vida es vacía, sin sentido y un desperdicio.
Muchos buscan algo más grande, algo con peso, sustancia y significado; están atrapados en la lucha de la vida, corriendo sin cesar en una rueda de hámster, tratando simplemente de pagar las cuentas, pero frustrados de todos modos. Anhelan algo superior, pero han renunciado al sueño de que la vida pueda tener sentido o propósito, o de que puedan encontrar el anhelo de su alma.

Ilustración : Para citar al famoso filósofo estadounidense Jackson Browne, autor de la canción “The Pretender” de los años 70, “Voy a alquilar una casa a la sombra de la autopista. Prepararé mi almuerzo por la mañana e iré a trabajar cada día. Y cuando llegue la noche, volveré a casa y descansaré; y cuando la luz de la mañana entre a raudales, me levantaré y lo haré de nuevo. Amén.”

Quiero saber qué pasó con los cambios que esperábamos que el amor trajera. ¿Acaso fueron solo sueños fugaces de un despertar mayor? He sido consciente del paso del tiempo; dicen que al final es un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Y cuando la luz de la mañana entre a raudales, te levantarás y lo harás de nuevo.

Y en la frescura de la tarde, el farsante pasea, sabiendo que todas sus esperanzas y sueños comienzan y terminan allí.

¡Ah, la risa de los amantes mientras corren por la noche! Que desgarran el mundo con todas sus fuerzas, mientras los barcos que llevan sus sueños se pierden de vista.

¿Estás ahí? Reza una oración por el impostor, que empezó siendo tan joven y fuerte, solo para rendirse.

Fuiste creado para algo mucho más grande. El peso de la gloria de Dios en el alma es el fundamento de un despertar superior: un despertar espiritual que se construye en el interior del alma gracias al peso de esa gloria. Y es una gloria hermosa.
Job es conocido por su sufrimiento, pero debería ser conocido por mucho más. Comprendió muy bien estas verdades.
Job se deleitaba en el Todopoderoso; atesoraba la palabra de Dios más que su propio alimento. Por el peso de la gloria, Dios edificaba en él la integridad, la sabiduría y la fortaleza. Eran los pilares, las vigas, el acero, las rocas de la solidez de su integridad y el carácter de su alma. Dios lo construyó porque Job se deleitaba en el Todopoderoso en su alma.
Y el resultado fue algo que todos pudieron ver…

Job 29:7-11: «Cuando salí a la puerta de la ciudad y me senté en la plaza, los jóvenes me vieron y se escondieron; los ancianos se levantaron y se pusieron de pie. Los príncipes dejaron de hablar, la voz de los nobles se calló, y cuando alguien me oyó, me llamó bienaventurado».

Este es el valor del alma cuando Dios edifica en ti la integridad. Cuando derrama sabiduría y fortaleza en tu vida, se convierten en los pilares, las vigas, el acero, las rocas de la fortaleza de tu integridad y el carácter de tu alma. Dios lo construirá cuando te deleites en el Todopoderoso.
Eso nos lleva de vuelta a Ezequiel 18.

Dios se deleita cuando los pecadores viven

A lo largo de la primera mitad del capítulo 18, afirma que cada persona debe dar cuenta de su vida.
No puedes culpar a tu padre, ni al padre de tu padre. No puedes usar el fracaso de tu padre para excusar tu propio fracaso.
Cada persona dará cuenta de su vida. Pero Él deja claro que su propósito es que los pecadores regresen a casa; que se aparten de sus caminos pecaminosos y vivan.

Dios no se complace en la destrucción de los malvados.

Versículos 21-22: «Si el impío se aparta de todos los pecados que ha cometido y guarda mis estatutos, y practica la justicia y la rectitud, vivirá y no morirá. Y todas las transgresiones que cometió no se le recordarán, pues por la justicia que practica vivirá. ¿Acaso me complazco en la muerte del impío? —declara el Señor Dios—, sino en que el impío se aparte de sus caminos y viva».
Este versículo es muy importante porque mucha gente lo interpreta erróneamente. Muchos creen que Dios está en su contra y busca maneras de castigarlos por los pecados que han cometido.
Dios no se complace en tales cosas. Lo que le agrada a Dios es cuando un pecador se aparta de sus caminos pecaminosos y confía en el amor de Dios hacia él…

Éxodo 34:6-7, El Señor pasó delante de Moisés y proclamó: «El Señor, el Señor Dios, compasivo y misericordioso, lento para la ira y grande en amor y verdad; que guarda su amor a millares, que perdona la iniquidad, la transgresión y el pecado; sin embargo, de ninguna manera dejará impune al culpable, sino que castigará la iniquidad de los padres en los hijos y en los nietos hasta la tercera y cuarta generación».

Algunos han enseñado que existen maldiciones generacionales debido a los pecados de los padres.
En primer lugar, Dios no maldice a las personas.
En segundo lugar, la expresión «reprender» a los hijos y nietos por la iniquidad de los padres significa literalmente «tomar cuentas» . Es importante comprender que esto se refiere a la iniquidad: el corazón pervertido, la debilidad ante el pecado.
Aplicación: Dice que Él visita la “iniquidad”. Esta es la mentalidad, la actitud, la deformación del carácter que se transmite de generación en generación. Tengo las tendencias de mi padre, pero no es necesario que continúen.
«¿Acaso esto terminará? Soy compasivo, misericordioso y lento para la ira. Les he dado el camino a la libertad, ¿vendrán a mí y serán transformados por mi presencia?», pregunta el Señor.

2 Crónicas 7:14, “Si mi pueblo, que es llamado por mi nombre, se humilla, ora, busca mi rostro y se aparta de sus malos caminos, entonces yo oiré desde el cielo, perdonaré su pecado y sanaré su tierra.”

Ezequiel explica…

Ezequiel 18:14, 17, Ahora bien, he aquí, un hijo que ha observado todos los pecados que su padre cometió, y observándolos, no hace lo mismo… No morirá por la iniquidad de su padre; ciertamente vivirá.

Puede que heredemos un carácter inclinado hacia un pecado en particular, pero Dios ha provisto un camino para sanar el carácter de nuestro corazón.
Encuentra sanación en Cristo y busca las profundidades de Dios. Llénate de la gloria de Dios y del gozo de su presencia, y serás verdaderamente transformado.

Dios se regocija cuando un pecador se arrepiente.

Este es el tema principal de este capítulo.
Este es el gran tema de toda la Biblia.
Jesús contó parábola tras parábola para enseñar esta gran verdad a las multitudes que lo seguían…

Lucas 15:1-7, Todos los recaudadores de impuestos y pecadores se acercaban para escucharlo. Los fariseos comenzaron a murmurar, diciendo: «Este hombre recibe a los pecadores y hasta come con ellos». Entonces les contó esta parábola: «¿Qué hombre de ustedes, si tiene cien ovejas y pierde una, no deja las noventa y nueve en el prado y va tras la que se perdió hasta encontrarla? Y cuando la encuentra, la pone sobre sus hombros, gozoso. Y al llegar a casa, reúne a sus amigos y vecinos, diciéndoles: “¡Alégrense conmigo, porque he encontrado mi oveja perdida!”. Les digo que de la misma manera habrá más alegría en el cielo por un pecador que se arrepiente que por noventa y nueve justos que no necesitan arrepentimiento».

El gran final es cuando dice en el versículo 31: “¡Desháganse de todas sus transgresiones y háganse un corazón nuevo y un espíritu nuevo!”
Esto significa que tú también participas. Dios renueva todas las cosas. Dios te da un corazón nuevo y un espíritu nuevo… tu papel es el deseo. Tu papel es abrir tu corazón para recibirlo.

Es como el ciego que estaba a las afueras de Jericó y oyó un alboroto. Preguntó: «¿Qué está pasando?». Alguien le respondió: «Jesús de Nazaret viene por aquí». Entonces el hombre gritó: «¡Hijo de David, ten misericordia de mí!».

Jesús dijo: «Tráiganme a ese hombre». Y cuando el hombre se presentó ante Él, Jesús le dijo: «¿Qué quieres que haga por ti?».

Llega un momento para que pidas. Llega un momento para que lo digas: “¿Qué quieres que Dios haga por ti?”. Abre tu corazón y Él obrará maravillosamente, renovándote el corazón y el espíritu.

Webcast

DonateLike this sermon?

If you enjoyed the sermon and would like to financially support our teaching ministry, we thank you in advance for partnering with us in sending forth the word.

Donate

All Ezekiel Messages