In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of repentance and turning away from sin. He highlights that God issues a universal invitation to all people to turn from their evil ways. The preacher emphasizes that God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather desires for them to repent and turn to Him. The sermon encourages listeners to understand the incentive for turning from sin, which is the assurance that God takes pleasure in the salvation of sinners.

the Old Testament book of the Prophet Ezekiel and it's chapter 33 Ezekiel chapter 33 and we begin at the first verse. And the word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of man, speak to the children of thy people and say unto them when I bring the sword upon a land if the people of the land take a man of their coasts and set him for their watchman, if when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet and warn the people then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet and taketh not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and took not warning, his blood shall it be upon him, that he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet and the people be not warned, if the sword come and take any person from among them, he is taken away of his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou O son of man, I have set thee a watchman to the house of Israel therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me when I say unto the wicked O wicked man, thou shalt surely die if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked of his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thy hand nevertheless if thou warn the wicked of his way and turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his own iniquity but thou hast delivered thy soul. Therefore O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel thus he speaks saying, if our transgressions and our sins be upon us and we pine away in them how shall, how should we then dine? Say unto them, as I live saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die O house of Israel? The Lord will bless the reading of his own word. Amen. I think it is appropriate before we begin that I should express my gratitude and thanks to the secretary of the conference to Mr. Secretary for his invitation kind conversation and warm welcome and for those who organized the conference I want to express my deep thanks and gratitude and to you ladies and gentlemen young persons, boys and girls express also thankfulness to you for coming and praying that this night God would be pleased to glorify his son Jesus Christ in our midst tonight. The second thing I want to say is to ask if you will please to turn with me to Ezekiel chapter 33 Ezekiel chapter 33 passing the buck and shifting responsibility, a trace that every man, every woman every boy, every girl inherited from father Adam and mother Eve. Ancient Israel in captivity as POWs, God sent Ezekiel the prophet to preach to them and they complained that they were in a catch 22 situation and therefore to live or die that was the question and by implication they blamed God and God had to answer this accusation note carefully how they blamed God and what they said in verse 10 of Ezekiel 33 God said to the prophet therefore you O son of man say to the house of Israel thus you say and here is their catch 22 situation if our transgressions and our sins lie upon us and we pine away with them how can we then live if what God is saying is true and the heaviness and the pressure of our sins are upon us and the very fact that we are POWs in a foreign land is directly the activity of God how can you prophet Ezekiel say to us we shall live when death has surrounded us when God is the one who has placed us here how can we then live by implication they accused God then God answered their accusation in verse 11 say to them as I live says the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and leave turn turn from your evil ways for why should you die O house of Israel in God's answer to the accusation brought against him there are three things in verse 11 and the first is this what does not or what God does not take pleasure in what God does not take pleasure in and God wants the people to understand clearly succinctly and carefully that he does not take pleasure in the death of any man any woman any boy any girl any young person who dies in his or her sin look at the language of verse 11 as I live says the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked now God registers his denial that the people were saying it is his fault God registers his denial in two simple ways one by an emphatic no I do not take any pleasure in the death of the wicked God registers his denial publicly emphatically look at the verse say to them I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked God is saying something like this do I at all take pleasure in or desire the death of the wicked emphatically no I do not know when God expresses the truth so strongly in this way we need to take careful note what is he saying to us God in his denial is saying several things to us that is there is no hesitation or limitation in his denial he does not hesitate to say that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked nor does he go to define and to say what kind of wicked he does not take pleasure in their death every man every woman every boy every girl every young person outside of Christ is defined wicked we do not take our definition of wicked by the Oxford Shorter Dictionary we take it out of Ezekiel 33 and if we are outside of Christ and dead in trespasses and in sin God says we are wicked now God's denial in God's denial there is no qualification God does not qualify his statement nor does God exclude certain persons certain persons who have grown certain persons who are morally upright certain persons who have been groomed and brought up certain persons because of common grace certain persons because of what God have lavished upon them as his creatures pride themselves we are a cut above the rest but God says if you are outside of Jesus Christ you are wicked God's denial in God's denial there is no classification God does not classify sinners we are all dead in trespasses and in sins therefore ladies and gentlemen boys and girls young people listen to me carefully it is absolutely true and almighty God says it is that he does not take pleasure nor does he desire the death of anyone who is outside of Jesus Christ I can say to you without any hesitation that to die in your sin and to perish in it does not give to God the slightest pleasure to die in your sin and to perish in it is a horrible horrible horrible thing and that does not give God pleasure instead it grieves him to see you continue in your sin continue in your unbelief continue in your rejection of his unique and only begotten son Jesus Christ the Son of God now if you believe almighty God and you repudiate your sin and turn away from it and embrace the Lord Jesus who freely offers himself to you in the gospel without any reservation there is that divine and absolute guarantee that you will not perish or die in your sin so God is saying Ezekiel make sure that you say to the people and explain to them what does not give me pleasure and what does not give me pleasure is this I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked show them that emphatically clearly dogmatically simply evangelically so that no one may leave the audience of the prophet without one knowledge that God does not take delight in the death of any sinner but God registers his delight in a different way God takes an oath to ensure that people understand what he means look at the text look at God's earth oath say to them here is the oath as I live says the Lord now why is God swearing by himself when we go to court we take up the Bible and we hold it up we say I swear by almighty God that the evidence I will give in this court is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth would to God people would speak the truth but they'll tell you anything and everything except the truth but here is almighty God taken an oath by himself he swears by himself because there is no one greater than himself and he's saying something like this in his oath that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked now there are some people who say that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked when the wicked turns that's a good truth that's a true truth that's a splendid truth but that's not the truth in the text look at the text is there any when there as I live says the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked there is no when almighty God is saying something like this in his oath it is eternally true and I solemnly swear that I take no pleasure I have no desire in the death of any person who dies in her sin outside of my son who perish who goes into utter darkness forever and ever and ever it gives me no pleasure do you understand this ladies and gentlemen boys and girls and young people almighty God is given to us here in this text the greatest incentive we can have this side of heaven why we should turn from sin make a turn of a hundred and eighty degrees turn from sin and turn to the living God by faith in his son Jesus Christ this is the greatest incentive and the Lord said to the prophet make sure with all energy you can muster that you say to them I have taken an oath by myself that I will not or I do not take pleasure in the death of the wicked so then what does not or what God does not take pleasure in God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked but there is a second thing in the text and the second thing is this what God takes pleasure in if the first point is a negative the second point is a positive if God does not take pleasure negatively in the death of the wicked God certainly takes pleasure positively in something what is it that God takes pleasure in look at the text again say unto them as I leave says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but but that the wicked turn from his way and live God is saying something like this instead of taking pleasure in the death of the wicked even though they have accused me of taking pleasure in their death let me tell you and let me tell all of them let me tell the entire world publicly that the thing that gives me almighty God the creator of every man every woman every boy every girl the thing that gives me pleasure is that each one turn from his or her sin or sins but how are we to interpret God's pleasure it was the Lord Jesus who himself is God incarnate Emmanuel God with us God the Son it was the Lord Jesus Christ who is unique as the only begotten Son of God as the only one of his kind who knows the mind of the Father who was sent from God and who spoke to us by God it was the Lord Jesus who exegeted the mind of God John tells us he exegetes the mind of God he tells us what was in the mind of God and he tells us this that there is joy in heaven in the presence of the angels over one sinner who repents note it is not the angels rejoicing it is God and the angels in his presence cannot but rejoice when men and women and boys and girls and young persons turn from sin to the living God and the angels if I may put it reverently the joy of God becomes eternally contagious that the angels in his presence rejoice because repentance of men and women boys and girls young persons give God pleasure now what are we to learn from that we have to learn several things we have to learn something about God's tenderness and God's compassion God's tenderness and God's compassion think of that we love our sin we are yoked to our sin we are marinated in our sin we do not want to leave our sin and yet God is so full of compassion so full of goodness so full of mercy instead of leaving us in a sin he sent his only begotten son to die the death that we should die in order to give us life that we may live forever who could fathom it furthermore the text tells us something else that God is uncompromising and unashamed in what he is saying God has no hang ups preachers have hang ups they failed to preach the full and free and unfettered gospel of the grace of God to all indiscriminately but here God himself is preaching it uncompromisingly unashamedly saying I take no pleasure in your death turn from your sin that you may live what a wonderful God is the God of the Bible God makes it very clear that his desire his pleasure his delight his joy is to see men and women boys and girls and young persons turn from sin and live that's what the text is saying now to die in sin and to die in your sin is a great disaster it is eternal disaster and I plead with you here almighty God is saying for you to continue as you are and then to prim yourself and to think because of your background because of your training because of your religious association or because of your good living because of your moral conduct because of your ethical behavior you have earned your way to heaven God said no Jesus said I am the way I am the truth I am the life no one absolutely none can come to the father except through me ladies and gentlemen we have a confusion today in religion and you have a pluralism and Jesus Christ is brushed aside but God is saying Christ is saying there is no other way there is no other route to God but through Christ and Christ alone if you are walking another way it will lead to destruction but the way Christ is the way not one of the ways he leads to life he gives life so here God says tell them Ezekiel what gives me pleasure what gives me pleasure is that they turn from their sin and live is that not what the text is saying am I imposing upon the text or am I opening up the text in the negative what does not in what God does not take pleasure positively in what God takes pleasure but there is a third thing in the text and the third thing is this how God expresses or displays his pleasure this is the marvelous thing about the Bible the God of the Bible is not aloof the God of the Bible is not dry the God of the Bible is a God full of compassion full of mercy full of pleading full of patience and long-suffering forgiving sin and iniquity and transgression and here God displays or expresses his pleasure in a way that surprises all of us not how he does this God expresses or displays his pleasure in seeing the wicked turn from sin in a very very moving way look at the text as I live says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and leave here not how God expresses his pleasure turn turn from your evil ways for why should you die may I read it to you again turn turn from your evil ways for why should you die not carefully God unashamedly repeated his passion and his concern he repeated the word turn and the word turn is the word for repentance it is the word of turning away from something and turning away to someone I turn away from my sin and I turn to God by faith in Jesus Christ but God is not concerned merely to speak a word to us he repeats his sacred self turn turn here is the passion and compassion of God that ladies and gentlemen men and women young people boys and girls God is passionate concerning your salvation it is not God's desire that you should remain where you are but that you should turn turn turn and live and the prophet had to preach with all the energy God would give him so that the people would understand furthermore God's repetition teaches us that when it comes to repentance to faith and to the salvation of men women boys girls and young persons God issues a universal invitation the invitation here turn turn from your evil ways it is a universal invitation it is a regal invitation it is an invitation from the throne of God he is pleading and he is saying to us here is a universal offer of mercy turn but not only it is universal it is indiscriminate God doesn't say the man the woman or you man you woman no it is indiscriminate however young we may have been however young we are however old we are if you are in sin dead in trespasses and in sin the invitation of God to you this night is indiscriminate whatever your religious association whatever your background whatever your cultural training wherever you are placed whatever church you belong to if you are dead in trespasses and in sin indiscriminately God says turn turn from your evil ways why will you die oh house of Israel is there mercy like this mercy is there anyone so compassionate so merciful so kind so just and so good like almighty God he could plunge the whole lot of us into oblivion instead he condescends to plead with us to turn from sin that we may live but in God's plea there is no hesitation no procrastination on the part of God some of you will procrastinate you will God off you will put it off I plead with you I beg of you please don't do it tonight may be your last night upon this earth now is the acceptable time behold now is the day of salvation today if you hear God's voice do not harden your heart seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his faults and let him return to the Lord and he'll have mercy upon him unto our God for he will abundantly pardon him God does not hesitate but there is even more in the way God expresses his pleasure not only in the repetition but there is a protest God is protesting remember when people protest they have their banners and they say what do you want hey hey hey when do you want it now what do you want hey hey hey how do you want it now very well but that's not the protest God has that's not the divine protest God's protest is very serious very solemn and yet it breaks the hardest heart it melts a heart of stone God humbles himself if I may say it reverently and to ask us one very very basic question simple question in his protest look at verse 11 as I live says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and leave turn turn from your evil ways here is God's protest for why should you die here is the protest why why when you are in disaster I Almighty God have sent my son and on the cross he has taken the full toll of divine wrath and vengeance that it pleased the Lord to bruise him God opened the arsenal of justice upon him and every bullet in the armory of justice God landed into the soul of his son it pleased the Lord to bruise him God has put him to grief who delivered of Jesus to die cried Octavius Winslow it was not Judas because he was a lover of money it was not Pilate because he was a coward it was not the Jews because they were jealous who delivered of Jesus to die it was God why for love John 3 16 and this came out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus he exegeted God and here God is saying why why why will you die in other words to put it in very simple language God is saying give me Almighty God one good reason why you are going to hell did you hear that? God is asking you give to me Almighty God who is omniscient I know it all I know how horrible hell is I created it I created it for the devil and for his angels and here in this horrible pit I want to deliver you give me one good reason why you want to go to hell do we not associate hell with bad persons with bad people you say yes I said God is there where you want to go give me one good reason why you repudiate my kindness why you must repudiate my mercy why you must repudiate my forgiveness why you must repudiate my repentance and plunge yourself into an eternal abyss give me one good reason can you give to God a good reason why you want to go to hell that is what God is saying why will you die? I am appealing to you says Almighty God solemnly passionately robustly without any hesitation without any inhibition without any procrastination and I ask you why will you die when I offer you myself when I offer you salvation when I offer you mercy in Jesus Christ you mean you love your sin more than your soul you love hell more than heaven you love the devil more than God you love damnation more than justification why will you die give me one good reason why I am pleading with you personally then God touches the mind the heart, the will, the imagination the emotion, the feeling of every man every woman, every boy, every girl every young person God personalized this call he said why will you die? did you get it? why will you die? you say well I have heard enough of it it was run down my throat and I see people who are Christians they were worse than myself yes but why will you die? I do not go to chapel I do not go to church I do not read the Bible but I live a life better than those who go to chapel than those who go to church yes but why will you die? we are having business with God God didn't ask us to compare ourselves with our fellow sinners it is not a pair competition we are standing before the august majesty of almighty God and he is asking each one of us this pointing revolutionizing question this night give me one good reason why you want to perish in your sin you know an unconverted person is like a person who suffers with migraine they have a terrible job keeping their heads on but they are frightened of cutting it off are you in that state tonight? you know you are on the border of eternity there is a razor's edge between you and eternity God is saying why do you want to throw yourself? why do you want to exit? why do you want to commit suicide? why the spiritual suicide? when I offer you mercy and kindness and forgiveness I am pleading with you in a manner only almighty God can plead why? why? why? you say well sin is sweet yes it is but it is sweet it doesn't last people say well it's joy yes it's still joy no wonder it kills them but God is saying I am concerned for you I am moved over you I will give you one option and I ask you one simple basic question and my question is remembering it is almighty God speaking to us why will you die in your sin? to spend an eternity separated from God separated from Christ separated from the angels separated from good men and women saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to scripture alone why do you want to go down into this horrible horrible pit? why? it doesn't make sense why will you die when I graciously freely frankly fully and lavishly offer to you the way of escape and the way of escape is my son my only son Jesus Christ and he forgives sin and they called him a friend of sinners what a lovely tray description characteristic of our Lord Jesus because the very name Jesus means savior the one who saves the one who rescues from sin from damnation from condemnation why will you die when so much mercy so much kindness so much goodness is offered to you so freely so lavishly so plentifully why? why? why will you die when there is mercy plenty as grace with him is found grace to pardon all our sin here is my protest I am protesting against your disobedience your stubbornness your unbelief your desire to perish in your sin I am protesting against it with all the strength I have as almighty God with all the knowledge I have as almighty God who knows everything comprehensively exhaustively I want you to give me one good reason or one solid reason why you want to die separated from me separated from heaven separated from bliss yet yoked and married in your sin is that not foolish? if this place was on fire God forbid and you were trapped in and hear the fire men outside with the ladder pleading with you come come come and you begin to dance and joy in the flame they would say he or she is out of his mind and rightly so because you'd be stupefied by the smoke but think of almighty God saying why? when I offer you forgiveness of all your sins all kinds of sins and blasphemies will be forgiven the children of men Jesus says all kind of blasphemy you have blasphemed against me I will forgive you God says I have blotted out your sin as a thick cloud return unto me God pleads saying come now and let us reason together says the Lord though your sins are as scarlet they will be as white as snow though they are red like crimson look at what I will do they will be as soft as wool I will blot it out I will remove it and the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanses from all sin and with Wesley could say Jesus lover of my soul let me to your bosom fly oh my friend oh my dear friend I plead with you this night in the stead of God in the name of God under the authority of the Word of God why will you reject the gospel of mercy and of kindness and of forgiveness to perish in your sin Jesus looking back upon his work his labor in Bethsaida, Capernaum and other places and then with a heart of disappointment he calls upon God to bring judgment upon them saying woe to you Bethsaida immediately he turned and he stood and he said this come unto me all you who are weary and the heavy laden and I will give you rest rest our souls are restless Augustine tells us until they rest in God and I say to you this night the same God of mercy and of grace and of compassion and of kindness the God and Father of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this unchanging God this unchangeable God is pleading with us and I ask you do not give yourself this night neither rest nor peace until you make your peace with God why will you die when mercy and kindness and rescue and forgiveness of sins when these are freely lavishly offered to us God says why please I beg of you leave your sin and run to Jesus Christ saying nothing in my hand I bring only to your cross I cling foul I too a fountain fly wash me Savior or I'll die rock of ages plead for me let me hide myself in you or to put it in the language of Bonar I was a wandering sheep I did not love the fold I did not love the shepherd's voice I would not be controlled I was a wayward child I once preferred to roam and he did roam and he said the father sought the child the shepherd sought his sheep he followed me over vale and dale over deserts waste and wild he found me near to death famished and lost and low he bound me with the cords of love he saved the wandering one who is he Jesus my Savior is it was he who saved my soul and now he says I love my shepherd I love I love his fold what has happened he's a changed man he's a converted man he has turned from sin and he has turned to God by faith in Jesus Christ may it be the experience tonight of every man of every woman of every boy of every girl of every young person outside of the kingdom of our God and of this Christ this night salvation is near you let us pray Almighty God do not allow your word to fall upon death ears death hearts death minds we know that some will scoff but Lord remove their scoffing some will harden their hearts but Lord soften their hearts some will rebel but Lord draw them to yourself some will dismiss it but Lord open their eyes some will curse but Lord bless them with mercy that every man every woman every boy every girl may know that you are a merciful God and you forgive sin and iniquity and transgression through Jesus Christ your only begotten Son we pray Amen