The Way of the Lord is Life
Ezekiel 33:10-20
August 22-23, 2026
Hey, would you all open your Bibles to Ezekiel 33? We're going to be in Ezekiel 33, and we'll begin in verse 10, and the title of our message, The Way of the Lord is Life. Very important what God has for us in His Word in these verses. Let's pray, and then we see from God's Word together. Lord, we thank You because we know that You send Your Word to reveal Your heart. To show us the way and to pour out Your Holy Spirit through Your Word. God, meet us in this place. We open our heart to receive from You now.
In the name of the Lord Jesus we pray, and everyone said, Amen. Ezekiel 33 is very interesting. One of the most interesting, in my view, of the Old Testament, because the contrast between the Old and the New Testaments becomes so exceptionally clear in these verses. He speaks on some of the deepest matters of life. Life and death, righteousness and sin, relationship to God. It has everything to do with how a sinner is reconciled to the living God. Earlier in this chapter, God told Ezekiel that he would be a watchman for the House of Israel.
This is an illustration, a picture that they all could easily understand, because virtually every city in those days had a watchman, literally a watchman on the wall, whose duty was to watch the horizon for anything and everything that might present danger. Anything that he sees that is of danger, he is to sound the alarm. That's the duty of the watchman, sound the alarm that he would by blowing the trumpet. Now, the duty of the people then was to heed the sound of the warning. When they heard the sound of the trumpet, they must take that warning to heart and prepare for whatever is coming upon them.
They're going to live or die by how they respond to that warning of that trumpet call. God told Ezekiel that he is a watchman on the wall, and the duty of the watchman, He told him, was deadly serious. It's a commission that is of vital importance. Now, He says, "Ezekiel, when you hear a message of the Lord that is a warning of life or death, you must speak that word to the people, or their blood would be on your head." That is a deadly serious commission. Why is this so important? Because He is trying to transform these people.
He's already prophetically said, "They are going to be transformed, those who are living there in exile in Babylon. To do that, we got to break through their heart. We got to break through." He sends Ezekiel there. Now, He gives them a warning here about death and sin, but yes, it's also a call to revival. He says here famously in these verses, "God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked," He says, "but rather that the wicked would turn from His way and live." That's what gives the Lord pleasure. "Why would you die?" He says to Israel, "God wants you to live.
Now, you can't read these verses without comparing them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The contrast between the old and the new becomes very abundantly clear. Now, we need to understand also that God is sounding an alarm yet still today. He says very clearly in the New Testament as well that there is a day coming when everyone will give an accounting of their lives before God. Sinners who stand before the throne of the great Almighty in all of their sinfulness will stand condemned, but that doesn't have to be the way your story ends.
I. Don’t Give Up. Don’t Quit
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to the living God and then, having been reconciled, to walk in that glorious life in an eternal relationship to the living God. These are great verses, very deep and very important. We're going to begin reading in verse 10. As I mentioned before, we'll cover the other verses around this at our midweek verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter service. Here today, we'll start reading in verse 10. Now, He says to Ezekiel, the watchman on the wall, "As for you, son of man, say now to the House of Israel, thus you say, O people of Israel, thus you say, 'Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we're rotting away in them. How then can we survive?'"
You say to them, you say, "As I live," which is one of the great declarations, as surely as the Lord lives, then you know this is true. "As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked would turn from His way and live. Turn back from your evil way," He says, "and live." "Why would you die, O House of Israel? I want you to live." Then He says, very interesting, starting in verse 12, "Now you, son of man, you say to your fellow citizens that the righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression."
If he turns worldly and waywardly, all the things, anything he's done, not going to help him. Now, as for the wickedness of the wicked, he's not going to stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness. No. If he turns, he's going to live, whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness when he turns and commits sin. He explains more in verse 13. "When I say to the righteous that he will live, and then he trusts in that righteousness so much that he just goes and commits iniquity, then none of the righteous deeds which he's done in the past are going to help him.
They will not be remembered, but in that same iniquity of which he has committed, he will die." Now, when I say to the wicked that you will die, and then he turns from that sin, and he practices justice and righteousness, he's turned this thing around, then if a wicked man, for example, restores a pledge or pays back what he's taken by robbery or walks in the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he's going to live. He's not going to die. None of his sins which he's committed in the past will be remembered against him. None.
He has done and practiced justice and righteousness. He's going to live. Now yet, verse 17, interesting, your fellow citizens say the way of the Lord is not right. Really? When it is your way that's not right? When the righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, no, he's going to die. Change the way you see it. You need to think differently, he says. When the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he's going to live. You say the way of the Lord is not right. No, I will judge you according to your ways.
All right, these are very deep, very important verses for us to take hold of. I want to begin by really seeing it from this perspective. Don't give up. Don't quit. It's clear from verse 10 that they had given up. They had resigned themselves to their fate. All hope is lost. We've come too far down this road of destruction and despair. We've lost everything. You can imagine why they would say this. They've lost their country. They've lost their city. Everything they've ever held dear, they've lost it all. Now they're exiled in some foreign country.
Far from home, and it's like, "We're done here. It's finished. The verdict is in. We're condemned. What's the use in trying?" Now, I've known a lot of people like that over the years who've resigned themselves to their defeat. They messed it up so badly, like, "What's the use in trying? It's too far gone. It's too late for me." Notice verse 10. "Now, as for you, son of man, you say to the House of Israel, thus we have said and spoken, surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we're rotting away in them. How, then, can we survive?"
When they say they're rotting away in their transgressions and sins, it means they're wasting away. They're pining away. We've wasted our lives, and there's nothing. There's no hope. We've got nothing to live for. We've got such a mess here that we've destroyed everything. There's nothing left, right? No hope, no life. They're looking at their outward circumstances, and they see nothing but destruction and loss. They've given up. They've quit. God sends Ezekiel to break through, to speak a better word than they have been speaking to themselves.
A. Hear the heart of the Lord
In other words, they have been listening to their own lies, and it's keeping them in a prison. If God's going to transform these people, He's going to break through. I tell you, this is important because many people do this. They look at what has ever happened, and they've made a huge mess of their life or whatever, and they're just convinced it's too late for them, and they've ruined it all, and they define themselves by their shame, and they're locked into believing lies about themselves. They're listening to their own lies.
God sends Ezekiel to break through. See, they need to hear the heart of the Lord. That's the way you see it. That's not the way God sees it. I tell you, if people could see the way God sees, it would break through. It would change the way that they think. So many people are locked into this prison of their own making, the lies that have consumed them. They're defeated. They're looking at their circumstances, and they're overwhelmed with despair. They can't see a way out. Many people, they can't see a way out. If they can't see a way out, they're hopeless.
Just because you can't see a way out doesn't mean God doesn't have a way out. The problem is they hadn't factored in God. They hadn't factored in God's heart. They needed to hear God's heart because God hadn't given up. They had given up, but God hadn't given up. In fact, Jeremiah 29, we read that when we were going through the book of Jeremiah, he sent a word to the people there in exile, where he said, "I haven't given up." He says, "Listen, I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord. "My plans for you are far better." He says, "You need to hear the heart of the Lord."
"I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord. "They are plans for welfare, not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Just because you don't see a way out doesn't mean I don't have a way out. I got a way. I have a plan. It's to give you a future and a hope." He says, "And then you will seek me, and you'll find me when you search for me with all your heart." That's what you haven't been doing. You didn't factor in God. "You search for me." You're going to find that God has a plan. God has a way. Break through.
He says, "Because I'm going to restore your fortunes. I'm going to gather you from the nations and from the places where I have driven you," declares the Lord. "I'm going to bring you back to that place from where I sent you into exile." They needed to hear a better word than their words of self-defeat and despair. Then the very next verse is amazing. He says, "You say to them, 'As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.'" Look, "But rather that the wicked would turn from their wicked way and live."
"That's what gives me pleasure. I'm not done here. Let's turn this thing around. Turn back from your evil ways. Why would you die, O house of Israel? I want you to live." He's breaking through. If we can turn you around, then we can turn this thing around. See, this is a monumental verse here, this verse 11. It's like a majestic mountain peak over the great ranges of truth in the Bible. He takes no pleasure in the death, or the destruction, or condemnation of the wicked, of sinners. Someone might say, why then does God condemn sinners to eternal damnation?
To which I would say, the Word of God makes it clear. I take no pleasure in such judgments. No, they go to eternal judgment over my dead body. I know that's an expression, but it's literal truth. When you think about the fact that he says, "I gave you My Son who died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin." God's made a way. He says, "No, they have rejected My heart. They've rejected My Son, My offer of life." See, that's the Word of the Lord. You got to hear the Word of the Lord. The heart of the Lord is life.
Like I said before you, choose life. For example, there's many places, but one of the most powerful ones is Deuteronomy 30:15, 19. Here, God is speaking through Moses to the people before they go into the Promised Land. He's saying to them, "Look, choose the course of your life well. Choose the course of your life. You're about to enter into this land that I promised to give you, but choose the course of your life well." Notice Deuteronomy 30. See, I have said before you, life and prosperity, death and adversity, and I call heaven and earth to witness against you that I have said before you, life and death, blessing and church, choose.
You have a say in this. Choose the course of your life well. Choose. He doesn't just lay it out and say, "You have a say in this matter, choose, and then I don't care which one you choose." No, "I want you to choose life. I want you to know my heart." You have a choice here, but I want you to choose life that you may live, you and your descendants, because here's what he's wanting them to see. Look, God is the one pursuing. God is the one trying to break through. God has a plan, and he's going to change them so he can change this thing.
B. God is the One pursuing
He sent Ezekiel to speak a better word. God is pursuing. They're the ones who've given up. God didn't give up. That's why he sent the prophet. God is pursuing them. He didn't just say before you, life and death. No, he says, "I want you to choose life because I love you and I want you to live." This is very much like what Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that you may have life. That's why I came, that you may have life and have it abundantly." Jesus makes clear that God pursues sinners. In the New Testament, it's very clear God pursues sinners, so much so that Jesus became known as the friend of sinners.
One of the great chapters, I think, on that is Luke 15, where it's such an amazing, powerful picture of that very truth. Notice what it says in Luke 15. Now, all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. Now, we need to say it that way because the King James and I think some of the other versions say that all the publicans and sinners were coming to hear. Sometimes when people hear that, they say, "Wait, did he just say that the Republicans and sinners are coming?" No, he didn't say Republicans. He said, publicans. A publican is a tax collector, so I guess that would actually make them Democrats.
Okay, it's just a joke. Don't send me any e-mails. Don't take offense. If you do send me any e-mails, my e-mail address is Matthew@-- just joking. Listen to the way these verses speak of it so well. Now, all the tax collectors, by the way, tax collectors were like the worst of the worst. You want to talk about sinners, they were despised worst of sinners. All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. The Pharisees of the scribes, the Jewish leaders, saw that. They began to grumble, saying, "Would you look at this? This man receives sinners, and he even eats with them.
He calls himself a godly man." He told them a parable. He said, "What man among you, if he has 100 sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? Then when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them, 'Rejoice with me. I have found my sheep which was lost.' I tell you that in the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 who need no repentance, or at least they think they don't."
Notice there's two parts to that parable. The pursuing, he makes clear that "I will seek out the lost until I find them." Then there's the finding. Then once he finds them, like rejoicing, there's more joy in heaven, like the angels of heaven rejoice even over one sinner who repents. What a powerful picture is that? Notice the next verses. They're very deep. He's speaking here to this, that how you live matters to God. Do you believe this? How you live matters to God. The next verses speak deeply of sin, righteousness, and judgment. How you live matters to God.
II. How You Live Matters to God
Now let me point out first that these verses are speaking of temporal life and death here on earth. Notice verse 10, "We're rotting away in our transgressions and our sin. How then can we survive?" In other words, how can we survive this judgment of being exiled to Babylon, and we've lost everything, our city's destroyed, our nation's destroyed, and now we're here in this place? Are we forever doomed to live here in this God-forsaken place, in this God-forsaken way? We're rotting away here in this. Is there any hope for us? Now, at least they're connecting and understanding the connection. What got them into this trouble in the first place?
They had turned their back on God. They had been pursuing the idols of the world, became hard-hearted and rebellious against the Lord. At least they're connecting and understanding that there were consequences to what they did. He uses Ezekiel to speak through that how you live matters. It has consequences in this earthly life. Now, are there any New Testament verses that speak similarly? Yes, there are. One of the most, I think, poignant is Galatians 6. I mention it because it's such an important verses to understand.
Notice verses 7 to 8. Look, he says, "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked." Now, that is a powerful way to open a verse. He's breaking through. He's trying to break through to our thinking. Don't be deceived. No, God is not mocked. "For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." It has consequences in this life. For the one who sows to his own flesh, he means the nature of flesh, the nature of sinful man, will from the flesh reap corruption. But the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap life, even eternal life.
Now, that verse is so important and helpful because it speaks to the fact that there are temporal earthly consequences on how one lives, and how we live carries significant theological weight for eternal matters as well. See, what he wants to show them, he speaks of it in a deep way, that people can change and people must change. God wants them to see it's not too late to turn this thing around. Yes, they were exiled in Babylon. Yes, they had lost everything they had ever held dear. It was because of the way they lived. Yes, the consequences were real.
A. People can change
He wants them to see, but look, people can change. Hearts can be changed. If hearts can be changed, then the way you live can be changed. If we can turn your heart around, we can turn this thing around. We're going to turn your heart around first, and then we're going to turn this thing around. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean God can't see it. They needed to be transformed. They needed to be transformed, but He's going to speak to their heart. If we can turn the heart, we can turn this thing around.
It's like what Jesus says, the good man out of the good treasures of his heart brings forth what is good, for the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. We're going to change the heart, then we can turn this thing around. It's like Proverbs 4:23, watch over your heart with all diligence, watch over your heart, for from it springs forth the matters of life. Notice what He says in verses 12 to 13. The righteousness of the righteous man is not going to help him in the day that he turns wayward and worldly, in the day of his transgression.
If I say to the righteous man that he's going to live, and then he trusts in that past righteousness and then commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds are going to help him. You've got to change the way you think. Now, there's a modern equivalent. I think there's a saying, no doubt you've heard, don't rest on your laurels. It's similar to it, kind of like it. It's a warning that past achievements or past faithfulness or past whatever does not give you a free pass for the present. See, if you start relying on who you used to be or what you used to do, then you've lost your way.
It's like those who believe that because they went to church when they were kids that they're good. "I went to Sunday school, I'm good. I can live how I want now because I went to church when I was a kid." No, this is a very dangerous way of thinking. It's how one deceives oneself. Such thinking has consequences for earthly life but also consequences for eternal standing before God as well. Then he's breaking through. People can change and must change. Then he speaks of such amazing grace. Notice he says, "God won't hold your past against you."
B. God won’t hold your past against you
Notice verses 14 to 16. "When I say to the wicked that you're going to die, and then he takes hold of that and then turns and then practices righteousness and justice, he's going to live." None of the sins that he's committed in the past, I don't care what it has been, none of it will be remembered against you. All of it is gone. This is a call to repentance and revival. They had resigned themselves to the fate of their Babylonian judgment and exile because of the sins of their hard hearts, but God is speaking a word of revival. It's not too late. It's never too late.
You can turn this thing around. It's never too late. That is the word that we need to hear today. It's never too late. Many of you know the story of my father. I've mentioned it many times. He was an alcoholic, angry, cantankerous, and difficult. At 75 years old, we sat down one morning, and he said, "I see it now. I have wasted all my life. I don't know when I got left." He had already had cancer, and he was not doing well. He said, "I don't know how much time I got left. With whatever I got, would you help me make something of my life?"
I said, "I would love to." We moved him back. He had moved away from our family many years ago. I moved him back, and we brought him to church. We brought him to church again. At one point in the service, I gave an invitation to receive Jesus Christ. I kind of panned through the crowd. Then we got to the middle, where he was sitting in the middle. He was standing on his feet like this. He had made his mind. He was determined, it's never too late. 75 years old. I tell you. Amen. It's a glorious story. I got to pray with him. All I could say was, "Come here."
He came down, and I hugged him. I prayed with him. We broke out in song. I got to baptize him with my own hands. It is never too late. That's what he wants him to see. You can turn this thing around. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean God can't see it. God will restore what the locusts have eaten. He'll restore what was lost. You can rebuild your life because God won't hold your past against you. This is one of the greatest truths known to man. It's temporal earthly truth, and it's eternal everlasting truth regarding your standing before God.
This is so important because many are so ashamed of what they've done in the past that they live in the shame of it all their lives. It defines who they think they are. God sent his Son to set people free from their past and to set them free to live for God and to have an abundant soul that's filled with the glory, the beautiful presence of the living God. God has come to set sinners free so that their past sin does not have to define them anymore. Let me give you some great verses. Hebrews 4:16. He says, "Let us therefore draw near to the throne of grace with confidence."
That is a great verse. He's speaking to sinners. That's not the way sinners normally think. What? I can draw near to the throne of grace with confidence? I'm filled with shame. I'm filled with shame because of how I live my life. No, you draw near to the throne of grace. Notice it's called "grace," that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. No, you draw near with confidence. God said it. For example, Hebrews 10:21-23. Since we have such a great high priest over the house of God--" Jesus is our high priest.
Now, we have an advocate before God in heaven. His name is Jesus Christ. We have a great high priest over the house of God. "Therefore," he says, "let us draw near to the throne with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith." That is a great word right there. Draw near with a sincere heart because God has done such an amazing work of forgiving any and everything, all the sins you've ever done have been forgiven as far as Jesus from the West, so has he removed our transgressions from us. You're so thankful for it that you have a sincere, genuine appreciation.
"Thank God for what he's done for you so sincerely that you draw near," he says, "in full assurance of faith." In other words, believe it. Take hold of it and believe it. Stop all this doubting, all this self-condemnation, and wrestling and wrestling and wrestling within your heart. He says, "Stop it. Take hold of this in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
That is a great verse. Anybody agree? Let's give the Lord praise. That's a great verse.
There is an aspect of love that says, "I love you so much I won't keep bringing up your past." It is a beautiful aspect of love, not only between God and us. Really, between us. Like 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, love is patient, love is kind. This is the famous chapter on love. Love is not easily angered, and love keeps no record of wrongs. I tell you, if we could live by that great truth, it would change our relationships. God says, "I keep no record of wrongs." It's like Proverbs 25:2. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter.
C. Your eternal life matters to God
Then there's this. Not only does how you live matter to God, but your eternal life matters to God, certainly does. Notice verse 17. It's very interesting. Yet your fellow citizens say, the way of the Lord is not right, when it is their own way that's not right. See, they objected. "Doesn't seem fair. Why can't we rest on our laurels? Why can't we do what we want to do? We did some good things in the past. It's not right. Why is it that we have to change? Why do we have to repent? It's not right." You say, "Really, it's not right? Why is it that someone who's lived such a wicked, unrighteous way receives forgiveness so freely?"
You object? It reminds me of the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 20 and spoke similarly to those who objected to the generous grace of God. It was a parable about a landowner who hired workers throughout the day. In those days, somewhat true today as well, when people wanted to be hired, they would go to a certain place, and then the landowners would go and say, "I need you or you. I need three workers today." They became day laborers. He uses this as a picture. He says that he hired workers throughout the day. Some started first thing early in the morning.
He came back and got more at the third hour, and then more at the sixth hour, and then the ninth hour. Even at the 11th hour, some were hired just before quitting time. Now, when the evening came, the day was over, the landowner paying each of them the same wage, a full day's pay. Now, the ones who had worked all day grumbled, complained. "This isn't right. This isn't fair. These last men have only worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who were born the burden in the scorching heat of the day."
The landowner answered, "Friend, I did you no wrong. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own, or is your eye envious because I'm generous?" See, Ezekiel 33 is about the generous grace of God to those who don't deserve it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about the generous grace of God to those who don't deserve it. Therefore, we can say it's not fair. Right, it's not fair. We don't get what we deserve. Praise God for that. Grace is undeserved, and God wants you to have confidence in that grace. Believe it. Take in full assurance of faith.
Believe. Draw near, believe. Stop all this doubting, all this wrestling with God. Believe in full assurance of faith. Believe. It reminds me of a great truth that we see in Revelation 20:12, where he says this, "I saw the dead, the great and the small." It means everyone. "I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged from the things that were written in the books according to their deeds."
In other words, everything that you've ever done or said is written in a book. Now that is an ominous thought. Everything is written in the book. The good, the bad, the ugly, the shameful, it's written in a book. That everyone will come to the end, stand before the throne of the Great Almighty, and someone will say, "Open the book of your life." Can you imagine how many people on that day would say, "No, please, do not open the book." Someone says, "Open the book." "No, I'm begging you, please. I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed of what's written in the book.
Don't open it before the throne of the Almighty. Please, do not open the book." Someone says, "Open the book." I'm here to tell you today that if you have named the name of Jesus as your Lord and Savior, if you have received the forgiveness of your sin, and you stand there on that great day at the end of the age, and someone takes the book of your life, and someone says, "Open the book." I'm here to tell you today that you can say, "Yes, please, do." "Wait, what? You want me to open the book? You want me to read what's in the book?"
"Yes, I do." Let me tell you what's written in my book. Any sin or shameful thing I've ever done has been lifted from the pages of that book and written on the cross of Jesus Christ. Then He took all the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and He wrote it in my book.
That's what's in my book. He says, "You have every confidence you draw near to the throne of grace in full assurance of faith. Stop this doubting and believe. Take hold and live." That's what God wants to do, to break through, to break. Whoa, when God breaks through, life comes. Break through. Break through. Stop all this doubting. In full assurance of faith, believe. Let's pray. Lord, thank You. What wonderful truths that You reveal Your heart to us. You speak a better word to break through. Just because you can't see a way doesn't mean God doesn't have a way.
Break through. Believe. Believe My heart for You. Believe My Word for you. Stop all this doubting. Believe in full assurance of faith. Church, how many would say to the Lord today, "I believe. I believe when You speak a word, when You say to me, God, that You will not hold my past against me. I believe that I can draw near in full assurance of faith. I believe God is doing a great work in me, I pray." Do a great work. Church, is that your heart? Would you just pray that by raising your hand to the Lord, and say that by raising your hand?
God, I want to just declare, I believe, God, that Your grace is greater than my sin. Your grace is amazing. I love You and honor You for all that You've done in my life. In Jesus' name. Everyone say-- Can we give God praise and glory and honor? Amen.