Ezekiel 33:17                   The Equal Ways of God

I. This is an oft repeated accusation against God.
        A. It began in the Garden of Eden.
                1. Satan had suggested to Eve, that God was trying to
                   hold back something good from man to protect Himself.
                2. The reason that God does not want you to eat of the 
                   fruit is He knows that the day that you eat of it,
                   you will become like gods.
        B. When Abraham was told of the impending judgment that was to
           come upon Sodom, he questioned, "Shall not the Judge of all
           the earth do right?"
        C. Today the accusations usually begin with the query, "Why
           would a God of love allow" and then they point to any number
           of world catastrophe's. The insinuation is that He is not a
           God of love, His is not fair to allow innocent children to 
           be born with a physical handicap.
        D. What is not taken into consideration is the fact that we are
           born into a world that has been suffering the consequence of
           rebellion against the law of God for almost 6,000 years. The
           cause behind all the ills is sin. Had it not been for sin I
           believe that we would be living in perfect bodies in a
           perfect world.
        E. Man through sin turned the title deed of the earth over to
           Satan and he now is the god of this world. He is the one that
           is controlling the flow of the worlds tide.
                1. In Eph.2 Paul said in times past you also walked
                   after the course of this world, according to the
                   prince of the power of the air.
                2. To the Corinthians Paul wrote, "The god of this world
                   has blinded the minds of them who believe not."

II. The problem that bothered the people was God's grace in the
    forgiveness of sins.
        A. God had declared that if a wicked man doomed to die, would
           turn from his sin and do that which was lawful and right and
           begin to walk in the statutes of life, he would live and not
           die. None of his past sins would be mentioned to him.
                1. The grace of God in the forgiveness of sins has
                   always been a problem for many people, including
                   Christians.
                        a. We are not willing to let the guilty get off
                           scott free.
                        b. We look for our pound of flesh.
                        c. We want them to suffer at least for a time.
                        d. We are not as ready to forgive their
                           transgression as is God. We say there cannot
                           be immediate restoration we must give them
                           some time.
                        e. Though we gladly accept the grace for our own
                           iniquities we are not quite so ready to offer
                           it to others. That is why God responded to
                           the accusation by saying, "Your ways are not
                           equal." You gladly accept for yourselves what
                           you are not willing to offer to others.
                        f. We so often stand with the Pharisee's with
                           stone in hand ready to take vengeance upon
                           the guilty, but according to Jesus, none of
                           us are qualified to throw our stones.
        B. God also declared that the righteousness of the righteous
           shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression. The
           righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness in
           the day that he sins.
                1. Jesus had told the crowd listening to the Sermon on
                   the Mount, that unless their righteousness exceeded
                   that of the scribes and Pharisees they could not hope
                   to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
                        a. As far as living by the standards of the law,
                           no one exceeded the Scribes and Pharisees.
                           They spent their entire existence trying to
                           keep the law.
                        b. The problem is that they had developed self
                           righteousness they were trusting in their own
                           outward works, while within they were filled
                           with all sorts of evil attitudes.
                        c. The sepulcher's were whitewashed on the
                           outside, but within were dead men's bones.
                           The outside of the cup was clean, but within
                           was extortion and excesses.
                2. You can be a good moral, honest person filled with
                   integrity and of excellent reputation, and when you
                   die end up in hell.
                3. You can be guilty of the most heinous evil and come
                   to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and
                   end up in heaven.
                4. You may say, that is not fair, the ways of the Lord
                   are not equal.
                5. Your good deeds or righteous acts can never secure
                   you a place in heaven.
                        a. Our righteousness is as filthy rags in the
                           sight of God.
                        b. The righteous standard that God requires to
                           enter the kingdom of heaven, was manifested
                           by Jesus Christ, who was able to say, "I do
                           always those things that please the Father."
                           and also, "He that has seen Me, has seen the
                           Father."
                        c. Jesus said that the Spirit would testify of
                           righteousness because I ascend unto the
                           Father. The ascension of Jesus into heaven
                           was God's declaration to the world that here
                           is the righteousness necessary to grant you
                           entrance into the heavenly kingdom.
                        d. You say, but no human could be that
                           righteous. Good, you are beginning to get
                           the picture. If you are trusting in your own
                           righteousness no matter how good you may
                           have been, you will never make it.
                        e. That is why God has offered to impute to us
                           the righteousness of Jesus Christ by our mere
                           faith and trust in Him, as we surrender to
                           His Lordship over our lives.
                6. How long does it take for God to forgive us our
                   iniquities?
                7. How many months did the Lord require that Peter sit
                   on the shelf for his horrible failure when he denied
                   his Lord with cursing?
                        a. Jesus had told Peter that Satan had desired
                           him that he might sift him like wheat, but
                           when he was converted he was to strengthen
                           his brethren.
                        b. When Jesus met Peter face to face after
                           Peter's denial, He talked to him of going
                           out and tending the Lord's sheep, and
                           feeding the sheep.
                        c. Peter became a more understanding
                           undershepherd as the result of his failure,
                           because before his denial of the Lord, he was
                           boastful and proud thinking himself to be
                           above the others. "Though they may all deny
                           you, I would never deny you." After his own
                           personal failure, he ministered from a place
                           of brokeness.

III. There will always be those who will be saying, "The ways of the
     Lord are not equal." God's response is, "Your ways are not equal."
        A. The same people that are out with their signs, and screaming
           that we should save the trees, are the very same people that
           are out with the signs saying pro choice. Kill the babies,
           but save the trees. Yet they say the ways of the Lord are not
           equal.
        B. The government will fine you and give you a possible jail
           term if you destroy the egg of a bald eagle. It recognizes
           that the egg holds the life of the new eagle. That same 
           government will pay for you to destroy the child being
           formed in your womb, declaring that it is just tissue. No
           wonder God responds, "Your ways are not equal."
        C. Jesus said, that your Father in heaven has forgiven you a
           huge debt, yet you are unwilling to forgive a minor debt of
           your brother, but are demanding your pound of flesh.
        D. What audacity for man to challenge the justice of God.
        E. We hear the cry, "Their ain't no justice." This may be very
           true of our judicial system. Your attorney will be the first
           to tell you that you cannot be assured of justice if you go
           to court over the issue.
        F. Whenever someone challenges the justice of God with the
           queries concerning the people who have never heard of Jesus
           Christ, how a just God could condemn them to eternal
           punishment, I just say where God is silent, I must be silent,
           I do not know what God's sentence of judgment will be
           concerning them, but I know when it is announced, we will
           all say, "Righteous and true are your judgments O Lord." And
           when you who have heard of Jesus Christ but steadfastly
           refuse His love and grace toward you, as He announces your
           doom, again we will be forced to say, "Righteous and true
           are your judgments O Lord." You had better start being
           concerned for yourself, for you stand in the place of
           greater condemnation.