Turning Points | Pastor Paul McGee

Today, Jessica, you snuck in, snuck in on me.

I didn't see you here before church.

So it's good to see you. Amen.

This morning with us as well. I'm going to be turning to

Ezekiel chapter 33. Thankful for the Lord.

Ezekiel 33 · chapter mention

You know, John the revelator, he said that his revelation was a

revelation of Jesus Christ and he makes a mention at one place

in Scripture and revelation. He said, I turned and I seen

amid the candlesticks the seven candlesticks. 1 likened to the

Son of Man. He goes on to describe what

Jesus does later, says the seven stars that you saw in my hand

were the seven angels at the seven churches.

And he said in the seven candlesticks were the seven

churches. So that means whenever John seen

that there was one like the Son of Man or Christ among the seven

candlesticks, he saw the Lord among the churches.

And it's always good to have the Lord among the church, Amen.

Always good to have him among the church.

And I, I feel him, Amen, even today here, Ezekiel chapter 33.

Ezekiel 33 · chapter mention

And I'm going to just read one verse, a scripture, all right,

to get started. Ezekiel 33.

And I want to read verse number verse #12 this morning before

you're allowed to be seated. Ezekiel 33 and verse #12 The

Bible says, Therefore, thou Son of man, say unto the children of

thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver

him in the day of his transgression.

As for the wickedness of the wicked, He shall not fall

thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness,

neither shall the righteous be able to live for his

righteousness in the day that he senteth.

We'll talk about that a little bit later, but hopefully you

could understand what the writer was writing.

But if not, hopefully we'll bring some enlightenment to

that. Amen.

Let's pray this morning. God, I love you today, God, I'm

thankful, Lord, for opportunity to be in your house.

I pray, O Lord, you would touch our hearts and minds today.

Your word is already anointed, but Lord Jesus, let it not

become contaminated. Lord, by passing Lord through

the voice in the hands of Lord Jesus and man.

God, help us to hear what the Spirit is saying today, God, and

be inclined to it in the lovely name of Jesus Christ, Amen and

Amen. Everyone say Amen.

You may be seated this morning. I want to talk to us today about

about turning points, about turning points often, and this

seems to be a theme here, it seems lately around the church

or it seems like where we've been headed concerning ministry.

But often people feel overwhelmed by the weight of of

their mistakes or their failures, believing sometimes

that they have failed too far or stray too far from redemption.

Sometimes we have been bombarded by what I would call the

church's once unyielding message of perfectionism.

I would say in years gone by that the church is almost under

wrote a concept or idea of perfectionism concerning being a

part of the body of of Christ. But I understand we know today

that we're just a bunch of imperfect people that have

gathered here on this Sunday morning.

I don't go to church because I'm perfect.

I go to church because I'm not perfect.

Amen. I pray because I'm not perfect.

And so I think in years gone by, we have been bombarded that with

a message of perfectionism. And as a result, some has felt

trapped by past sins, convinced that maybe they were beyond,

beyond the grace of God, beyond the mercy of God.

And, and of course, with those type of things comes all of the

shame and, and the guilt. And at times those things can,

can become a modern day prison for us.

You may have never been incarcerated, but you can live

this life incarcerated without being behind bars.

You can be incarcerated by shame and guilt, by your own feelings

and reasoning, leading sometimes us to believe that maybe we did

something that is unredeemable, right?

Unredeemable that it's kind of like the Ichabod that's that's

put over the lentil and the doorpost.

You know, the spear of the Lord is departed.

We're just unredeemable beyond reach beyond.

Sometimes some even think Sister Ray, that we were beyond

forgiveness and, and, and today, probably worse than any other

generation, we have the rise of the Internet, we have social

media and all these type of things just amplifies those type

of feelings. Because any misstep in your life

today can be publicly documented and endlessly replayed over and

over as it comes up in memories. Whatever it may be, it's it's

accessible to people at all over the world.

We, if we wanted to, for instance, where we go to prison

nowadays, if we wanted to, we could look at a person's name

that they have on their little garment, go back to our room,

look up their name and start getting all the information in

the dirt on that individual, why they are in where they are.

But there's certain things like that even just with the social

network of the world today that it seems like if you want to

live beyond where you once were, it's hard because there's,

there's memories and there's other people's voices that all

these things are documented and anybody can replay them.

And so it makes it makes it difficult to move beyond the

past. And, and then you live in today

what's known as the cancel culture, right?

And what that is, it's not 3 strikes, you're out, it's like 1

and you're done, right? Businesses are boycotted over a

air. And then there's, it's just

like, forget it, it's over. There's no room for another

chance. And so the concept of grace

seems somewhat foreign and sometimes even impossible today.

People feel shunned. I hate to say this, but it

happens, and it's probably happened here a time or two that

people feel shunned even by the church feels shunned by the

church sometimes. The church sometimes can be the

judgmental voice, sometimes the church can be disconnected with

people's struggles or where they come from.

And they're different modes of life.

And so here as individuals, we walk in here and we, we carry

the burden of our past choices. We, we feel defined by our

failures and rather than our potential for change.

And there's all of this hopelessness that ensues as a

result of that and, and a sense of almost beyond saving.

And, and when we talk about that today for the modern day, this,

this is not something anything new.

This is something this, this isn't a new sense of despair.

We read in Acts chapter 27, the apostle Paul is on a ship.

Acts 27 · chapter mention

They are headed, they are selling, he's with some other

prisoners. And the Bible says that they

reach a point in their journey upon the water that the ship's

crew, they realize that they had made an error.

They had made a mistake whenever they continued to sail, whenever

it wasn't commodious, the Bible says to sail and they had some

regret. We understand that this despair

isn't new because the Bible says all of them begin to say all

hope that we should be saved was taken then away.

It's like we we got into this thing.

We made some wrong turns and wrong moves and it's now like

all hope has been extinguished. The apostle Paul even told them

on the ship he had warned them that the direction that they

were headed and the voyage that they were going on and they were

attempting. He said this, this is going to

be with, with hurt and this is going to be with much damage,

not only just to the ship, but even to our own lives.

This, this isn't good. But the Bible says when when the

South wind blew softly, they, they supposed they had obtained

their purpose and they set sail anyway, despite the warning,

despite the better judgement. And then as the story continues,

there's this fierce wind that's blowing out upon the water and

everything that they had deemed significant to this void,

significant to their life. We see it starting to be cast

over the edge to the ship. Everything that was significant,

everything that was important when they started, now doesn't

have the importance because of this this, this storm that

they're in as a result of some some choices that they made

toward a unadvised trip and a unadvised direction.

And so survival in their mind at this place, all hope is gone.

Survival was an option to them. They felt like they were beyond

saving. And so all of that echoes the

same sentiments that we have in Ezekiel chapter 33, because

Ezekiel 33 · chapter mention

Ezekiel 33, Ezekiel is a captive speaking to captives.

He is an exile in Babylon away from his home and country to a

group of people that are exiles away from Jerusalem as well.

And their voices are saying in verse #10 if our transgressions

in our sins be upon us and we pine away in them, how, how

should we then live? Israel's in a place we, we, we'd

make some choices. We've made some mistakes.

They did not keep the Sabbaths of the Lord.

The land didn't have his wrath. They started serving idol gods.

They started inviting everything of the neighboring nations into

them. And as a result of that, God let

them have exactly what they wanted.

I'll turn you over to another nation.

You can have their gods all you want.

You can do all of these things things, but the Bible says they

came to a place of regret. They came to a place of shame

and said if we have these sins and these sins are upon us and

we're pining away in them, then how in the world are we going to

live? Because this has impacted our

lives too severely. We we've been at the mercy of

this and it has done some damage.

We have suffered, if you will, some losses.

The question that they have in their mind is this, if there is

a grieve from our sin, can there be any repair for our lives if

we can get out from under this, is there any way that we can

somehow, you know, the damage to be made right, that the things

that we've lost be restored? And so Ezekiel is among the

captives, and they're dealing with this struggle because they

didn't heed the words of Jeremiah.

You read the whole book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet in, in, in part, he's

the weeping prophet because he preached the message that no one

wanted to listen to. I've wept a few times like

Jeremiah, Amen. But he's a weeping prophet

because he gave the warning. He gave all these things and no

one listened. So now here is Israel struggling

with their despair. They're struggling with the loss

of identity. They have a sense of

hopelessness upon them. Some of them adapted to the

Babylon that they were living in.

Some of them focused on living in the moment in the foreign

land and just adapting, but simultaneously there were some

others that were longing for a return to their land, longing

for restoration, longing for normalcy.

And they grappled with the questions, Can I still be?

Can we still be God's people after this failure?

Can we? We, we were called the people of

God. We were his precious treasure

according to Scripture. But all of this now has

happened. Can we still be God's people?

They didn't see how in their minds, how the promises of God

could ever reach them in their current reality.

How can God's promises reach me in my despair, reach me, if you

will, in my weakness? They probably even begin to

wonder, has God abandoned me entirely?

Is there any recourse for us after this?

And perhaps thinking we've just went too far.

But the trailing question in verse #10 reflects really their

sense of decay. Look at their question.

How should we then live? They said.

We admit we've done wrong. We realize our sins have

consumed us. We realize that they have

corrupted us. We're pining away in them, that

we're pining away. It comes from an old Hebrew

pictograph of water in the sun on the horizon, which basically

means water condensed. And it's speaking about whenever

like a little pond or something would begin to, the water would

evaporate out of it, and the only thing that would be left

was organic matter in there that eventually rocks and stinks.

If you ever know what I'm talking about.

He says that that's where we are.

Our lives stink, our lives have rotted, our substance has

dwindled away. We're left with just the matters

of our faults and our wrongs and our missteps.

How then should we live? And verse #11 provides an

answer, response from the Lord. He said, Say unto them, as I

live, sayeth the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of

the wicked. I may know to that Wednesday

night in closing, 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? Israel asks how should we then

live? God responds as I live.

How should we then live? He says as I live.

And that's a powerful, powerful statement.

And that's a statement that is still possible yet today that no

matter the extent of one's failure, God does not listen to

me. I said it Wednesday.

God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked.

What that means is this, that he is going to go to the extents of

his ability. He's going to reach to the the

furthest that he can. So that is not the outcome for

those that are living upon this earth.

It's not God's will that any should perish, but that all

would come unto repentance. I want you to know today God is

willing to meet whoever it is that is fail whoever it is

that's made a mistake, Whoever it is that's made a wrong,

that's contemplating how shall I live?

He's not wanting your demise, He's not wanting your

destruction. He's not wanting you to be

separated from him. God takes no pleasure in the

death of the wicked. His desire, according to the

Word, is for them, and he says it three times, that they would

turn and live. In other words, God still has a

provision of life even open for these exiles in Babylon, if

they'll just turn, if they'll change direction and live.

And Ezekiel begins to illustrate all this.

And this is where we're getting to the message.

Ezekiel begins to illustrate all this with a couple of examples

that I want to read in Ezekiel 33.

He gives one example of turning of a righteous individual that

turns to sin, and another example of what is termed in

Scripture as a wicked person that turns to righteousness.

Look at verse #13 and just follow along with me here.

He says, when I say, when I shall say to the righteous, that

he shall surely live, if he trust in his own righteousness

and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be

remembered. But for his iniquity that he

have committed, he shall die for it.

Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die if

he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right,

the wind could restore the pledge.

Give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life

without committing iniquity. He shall surely live.

He shall not die. None of his sins.

Verse 16 says that He committed shall be mentioned unto him.

He have done that which is lawful and right.

He shall surely live. The prophet is saying from the

standpoint of today. From the standpoint of today,

the righteous may be destined to live, but the righteous will die

if somewhere between today, at the end, they commit iniquity.

All right. And the word iniquity there is

from a word that means stains, right?

You, you ever rubbed up against something?

And it's not just dirt, but it's a stain that you got on your

hands. Brother Reese's Yes, I got to

get out that washing machine to get out all those, you know,

degreasers and stuff. It's like that.

That's my, that's my play world right there.

Come on, stain. You know, whenever there's a

stain that really happens, there is actually a, there's a bond

that takes place. I mean, in the real chemical

Chemistry World, there is some type of bond that happens.

And so in order for the stain to be removed, the bonds got to be

broken. It's got to be broken.

Amen. And so he says, if you when we

talk about commit, we're not talking about just getting dirty

over here. We're not talking about little

blackness on your nose. We're talking about something

that's created a bond with you. He says if they do that, he said

then the their righteousness, all their past righteousness

from that day or from that moment of consistent staining

backward, He said that righteousness isn't remembered,

that righteousness is forgotten. But he says likewise because

we're good sometimes about point now.

Well, they did XYZ. It's all oh God, they'll never

be able to. We're good about casting off as

Scripture even says it would be all the past righteousness over

over the the deed or whatever it was that the the activity, the

staining, if you will, the bonding of the life.

But Ezekiel said likewise, a wicked person from the

standpoint of today is destined to die.

But if somewhere along the journey they turn, which is code

word for repentance, somewhere along the journey they turn from

their sin and begin to live righteously and differently, He

says they will live, and all their past wickedness and all

their past lawlessness will not even be mentioned unto them.

Folks, there is power in a moment of turning, either for

your good or for your bad. There is power in a moment of

turning. You know what Ezekiel was trying

to tell Israel? You've not went too far.

You're not beyond the reach. You can't go far in any

direction of righteousness or lawlessness.

That one moment cannot change the destiny.

It cannot change the dynamics of it all.

Amen. But we as humanity are more apt

to accept what a moment of sin can do, or for what a moment of

repentance can do. Even as outsiders, sometimes we

quickly access things and say again how a moment is ruined

someone's life, but we fail to recognize how a time of

repentance can just as equally change, change their lives.

In a nutshell, the verse that I read to you this morning in our

text can be deluded. Not deluded, but make simple

into this phrase that our past righteousness cannot save us

when we sin any more than our past wickedness can damn us when

we repent. Hear me right now, I said.

Our past righteousness cannot save us when we sin any more

than our past wickedness can damn us when we repent.

What is it? It's this.

It's saying that our past does not have the final word.

It's our current choices that have the final word.

It's not yesterday. It's not last month.

It's not last year. It's what I do today.

Amen. Hallelujah.

Solomon started his reign devoted to building the temple

for the Lord. His father left him with a

Kingdom of peace. The temple could be built during

the time of peace. So he's building temple and he's

maintaining the peace that his father had given to him.

But the Bible says that he turned from his righteousness by

marrying and making alliances with several foreign wives who

the Bible says turned the heart of Solomon's heart away from God

toward adultery. What I mean is this.

His past righteousness could not compensate for him turning to

sin. Judas Iscariot was numbered

among the 12. I think sometimes we forget that

one of the other disciples even said he was numbered with us.

What's that mean? He walked alongside the Lord as

the others did. He saw the bread multiplied in

the Lord's hand as others did. He was there as some of the dead

was raised to life and healings took place as others did.

He followed Jesus. He witnessed all these things,

witnessed his teaching first hand.

But we understand in Scripture, he's the one that betrayed him.

He meant for 30 pieces of silver.

He betrayed the Lord and it led to his tragic end.

And so listen to me, all of his involved involvement of rubbing

shoulders with Jesus and Jesus's ministry could not prevent him

from the effects of his sin. Someone say man, so good deeds,

righteous deeds, right living is not stockpiled up to offer a

moment to offset your time of weakness in the future.

David's lion, David's bear scenario, David's Goliath that

he fought in the valley of Elon. All the other victories that

David had were not for the purpose of balancing the scale.

When he sinned against Uriah and with Bathsheba, he couldn't have

enough past victories or righteousness to balance the

scales of that episode. Someone's Amen.

So whereas past righteousness will not insulate you, and past

righteousness will not deliver you.

Amen. Past righteousness may be

powerless to change anything, but what past righteousness is

powerful to change? Repentance can.

Hallelujah. That's right.

What happens in David's story? Even Prophet Nathan comes to me

fabricate the story. A parable really of sorts.

And he's speaking in parallels with what David had done, but he

used in this story just walking along parallel on really David's

life. David is listening to it all.

When he understands what had been done, he is enraged.

He says in Second Samuel 12 and five, he says the men that have

done this thing shall surely die.

That's that's David's own verdict.

That's David's hand of justice coming down on a parallel story

that's likened unto his own. If I could say it like this,

David essentially brothers act sentence death to himself.

Unrighteous person, Ezekiel said shall die.

But verse 13 of second Samuel says these words, Whenever

Nathan said, Thou art the man. And David said to Nathan, I have

sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The

Lord also have put away thy sin, and thou shalt not.

You know what's Nathan saying? I know you've had, I know you've

made some mistakes. I know you got some wickedness

and lawlessness. I know.

I realize you called Uriah from the home to try to get him to go

home and he wouldn't. You set him back out in the

battle to be slaughtered. I realized you stayed home

whenever you should have been going to war.

I know that's a mistake, a mistake, a mistake, he says.

But that's the past. We're looking at what you've

done today. And today you said I did that

today you own that. Today you asked for forgiveness.

Today, you who is contrite and so all of your own wickedness,

cannot bear on this moment. Repentance wins.

A change of venue wins. Hey man, repentance turned the

prodigal's life of sin, recklessness, wastefulness,

right? Wasted all he had on righteous

living to what? Being fully restored, having

access once again to all that his dad had, how could that take

place? Look at everything he's has

done. That's not, that's not, that's

not the mindset. It's not look at everything he's

done. It's look what he's doing.

Someone say man. So Ezekiel's message is clear

that it's neither righteousness nor wickedness that has the

final say. Repentance has the final say.

Many times we look how 11 moment of sin can change a life, but we

also must acknowledge that one moment of repentance can alter a

person's trajectory as well. My past righteousness can't save

me when I sin. What?

My past wickedness cannot condemn me when I repent three

times again Ezekiel says turn, turn ye, turn ye.

It's the language of repentance. You know what God is saying in

that moment to Israel that's remorseful about where they've

been and where they are. You know what God's saying and

he's saying still yet today God's saying it doesn't have to

be this way. You hear me child of God, you

hear me Sir, you hear me ma'am, hear me whoever you are,

whatever's going through your mind, it doesn't have to be it

doesn't have to be this way. There's let me state it in

different terms. There's no reason for you to

die. Maybe like your past said, you

should die. Hey man, it doesn't have to end

that way. It echoes, if you will, even in

the New Testament Scripture, it's stated and I've already

quoted the this verse in second Peter 39, God said I'm not

willing that any should perish, but that all should come to

repentance. Repentance can cancel a pass of

wickedness. It can, as scripture says, bring

joy in heaven over one Sinner who repents Hey man, someone say

Amen in part because what happens at repentance?

Here's the thing, there's been so many discussions over the

years, people argued and there's been controversy sometimes about

we're in the process of the plan of salvation.

Is the blood applied all right? Something a lot of people talk

about. When is the blood applied?

If I use the Old Testament Tabernacle paralleling our plan

of salvation of the altar, repentance, the labor baptism,

the ark of the covenant, where the presence or Spirit of God

abode, it's then that I understand that at the altar

blood was present. It's where that animal was tied

many times to one of the horns of the altar and the blood

letting took place. Blood was there, but that priest

didn't leave the blood at the altar.

He carried it also with him to the Laver, and the blood in the

water was the washing for the individual, but the blood didn't

even stay there. The Bible says there was a

portion of that blood that was taken into the holiest of holies

where the presence of God was, and it was sprinkled upon the

mercy seat. And so there was blood there.

So in my estimation, well, the blood only happens when you

receive the no, no, no, no, we're, we're covered in blood

from the beginning to the end. From the beginning to end

there's blood. As a matter of fact, Hebrews and

both of the Leviticus say, and you know this, that without the

shedding of there is no remission of sin.

In essence, it is the blood that puts the power in our

repentance. I know what this means.

You know what this means and I need a nerd out just for a

moment. OK?

I'm presently reading a book on parasites.

I know it's probably a lot of not a lot of people's Forte, but

it's quite intriguing to me. And that is all it's about.

Brothers act is parasites, How they get in the body, how they

control, how they get another host.

All the scientific name. The whole thing is about

parasites. Sometimes I go to bed, my skin's

crawling just a little bit. I've been reading about these

parasites. I'll probably get a message out

of it, but whenever I was reading about certain parasites

and different ones, it gave me another perspective.

Of course, many of you know parasites, just an Organism that

lives on another Organism, right?

Uses it as its host, right? It derives its nutrients and the

benefits for itself from something else.

Many times it's causing harm to whatever it's on.

In order to get that in my reading again, just allow me to

nerd out here for a moment. Some parasites invade red blood

cells. So the parasite is the bad

thing, right? It invades red blood cells

because scientists say red blood cells is a good place for a

parasite to hide. The book tells me that red blood

cells don't have genes and so they can't make what's called

MHC molecules. It is MHC molecules in your body

that cells will make to identify a virus or a bacteria and that

signals off the immune system to go and attack.

But red blood cells won't show that identity.

It just conceals it. They have no way.

Red blood cells have no way of showing what's inside them.

Now I know for that whole purpose that's very negative,

but it brings a lot of sense to me why the blood is used in the

covering of something negative of your life.

Because the blood doesn't show, those red blood cells won't

reveal what they're covering, what they're hiding, what

they've internalized. Hallelujah.

I know it's not helpful for our immune systems on the real

parasite side, but the fact that something that is destructive

and something that has negative connotations can be hidden

inside of a red blood cell and not detected has this.

Oh boy, appreciating the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ at

repentance, that hides me and conceals my past wickedness,

doesn't make it, doesn't show it, but gives me.

That's not just in a spiritual thought, that's a physiological

truth. What did the apostle say in

Colossians 3 and three? He said our life is hidden with

Christ in God. Did you hear me writing down our

life, your life? What has been your life?

Well, let's bring up the past portfolio.

This has been your life and that has been your life and this has

been your life. Hold on, Bo, when we intersected

with Christ, that life was hid with Christ in God.

What's that mean? Oh, the past portfolio says

Reese this, Reese that, Reese this, Reese that.

Oh, negative, negative, negative damage, trauma, all these

things. But a few weeks now ago when you

received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and you've been down and

you've been buried in Jesus name and a life of repentance.

We go back to the portfolio and we don't have access to that

because your life is head with Christ.

You're gone. Someone say Amen.

He says I'm not going to I'm not going to take those sins that

that you evidently committed. I'm not going to credit them to

you not going to place them on your account, huh.

He said they're not going to be mentioned to you.

That's what is it. You'll say.

They're not going to be mentioned to you or charged to

you, neither now or for that matter, even the day of

judgement. Not by way of accusation, not

way of complaint, not way of condemnation.

Why? Because it didn't happen.

No, but there's something different happening now.

No matter someone say man, no matter how far we've gone, your

past sister Ray doesn't determine your future here.

This next phrase clearly God does not judge us by Mike Trout,

who've we been but who we are becoming is am I hearing me?

Who are you becoming today? The Bible says Paul said to the

Church of Corinth. This is a verse we all need to

tuck in the back of our minds of First Corinthians 4-5.

He says if you got it for me, brother Mason, throw it up

there. Look at this first phrase.

Therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes.

Tell you why? Because many of most of our

judgments is based upon a snapshot of someone's life.

A moment damned, forgiven, whatever.

It's just a snapshot. God says don't judge too quickly

because that life's not over yet.

Don't judge too quickly. They're not pushing up tulips in

a graveyard somewhere yet. You know what God saying?

I know all that you have record of right now is past wickedness,

but they still got X number of years in their life and pre

adventure between now and the day that I call them home.

Somebody turns, turns, turns. Your judgment today will be not

sound at all because of a turning point.

That's so. Don't you judge too quickly.

Don't you judge prematurely. Don't you judge too soon because

their life's not over. There's still possibility,

there's still opportunity, there's still Providence for

change. Can I tell you today?

Let's just be real for a moment. That works both ways.

What do you mean? Don't judge too quickly over the

one that you think is all righteous right now, the emblem

of the godly, because their life's not over either.

You're judging a snapshot right now, but God's going to take the

whole compendium of their life. He he's going to say, what were

they doing? What was what was the last, what

were some of the last events of their life?

Where, where? That's right, sister, where did

they end up at? Not not where they started, but

where did they finish at someone say man and just as much as my

sin could snap through something from me that looks like a model

Christian today. If I give in to my repentance

can change a life of sin, a life of heartache, a wrong decision,

a bad mistake. Don't judge me too quickly.

Scripture goes on to say I don't have time to work all of this,

but as as as God even towed Samuel when he's going through

the boys of Jesse who should be king.

He said God looks not on the outward appearance that looks on

the heart. That doesn't mean that the

outward appearance is null and void.

We shouldn't pay attention to it.

All that means is that's all man can see.

But God sees deeper than that. And when we talk about either

sides of this fence, righteousness or

unrighteousness? God peers beyond what the

exterior is showing. AM I OK?

I fear a day of judgement where I had all the external facade of

Christianity. But I have a heart of iniquity.

Brother Fred don't know about that.

I'm the model Christian him, but God does don't judge too quickly

because there's some things you're not aware of, but equally

as so when you think someone so far from God, you don't know the

ponderings that's going on in their heart.

It sometimes it might take a little bit for the exterior to

catch up with what's going on on the inside, but God is seeing.

God is blowing the breath of air into those cells.

God is flaying, fanning the ember of that fire.

Don't judge a matter too quick as our judgments can be

deceptive. God sees the potential for

change. He sees the hidden turning

points that we may not be aware of.

So Ezekiel's message is basically really clear to me is

that there's always a chance to reverse the course.

There's always a chance to recover.

There's always a chance to start anew.

Our sins at once, Amen, covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus

Christ, are never mentioned again.

He said In Christ we find that refuge that covers our past and

it transforms our future. You'll stand with me this

morning. We bow our heads on the echo in

your ear one more time that your destiny is not determined by the

past, but by the choices you make today.

So with that, I'm telling you this morning, this is your

moment. This is your moment.

This is your turning point. Just as God called to Israel and

told them to turn and live, He's calling to us on this Sunday

morning, even now. And I'm asking anybody that may

be in that conflicted spot today, will you answer?

Will you choose to break free from the bonds, if you will, of

that stain of the past and step into a grace that hides your

failures in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Hey, man, the time. If I'd say it today, the time

for changes now, Paul said it in the New Testament.

He said today is the day of salvation and now is the

acceptable time. Hey man, the time for changes

now. You don't have to die, if you

will, in your sins. You can turn and let God rewrite

your story. He's saying this morning I hear

the voice of heaven telling us it doesn't have to end the way

that you think it's going to end.

So don't stay stuck in your shame.

Don't stay stuck in your guilt or your regret.

Because I'm telling you today, just as much as the Lord's arms

were strung to east to West, Amen, or north to South at

opposites from his body, His redemption doors swung open just

as wide this morning. And he's inviting whosoever will

turn, step through it. Make this the moment that alters

everything in your life, the day that you turn from your past and

embrace the life that God is waiting Amen to give and offer

you turn is the is is the constant voice of Ezekiel turn

and live. Turn and live because somebody's

future can really start today. Somebody's future can really

start today, Sir, man, God, God is so long-suffering, patient

and kind. I do not even have the

vocabulary or the intellectual ability to put it into words

about the long-suffering, patience and mercy of God.

And I can tell you today, as much as you can think of how

profound it may be or what extent it will go, understand

this. It's always going further than

what you can even comprehend. Righteous or unrighteous, life

can change on the hinge of a solitary moment.

Can change on the hinge of a solitary moment.

This altar is open this morning. Whosoever will.

Maybe someone needs to meet a turning point today.

Just turn around a curve or turn around the corner.

Hallelujah, just a corner of a curve.

Maybe there's some things that need to be put under that blood

that will conceal and not reveal what is in it, no matter how

negative or bad it may be. It's it's a concealer.

It's a hider of those things. Maybe, maybe someone needs to

step into that bloodline today. Maybe your life needs hid with

Christian God. Your past righteousness cannot

deliver you when you sin any more than your past wickedness

can. Damn you when you repent,

there's hope today. There's hope today for the

Mason. If you can take us to a song

right now, I wish you'd be mindful of the Lord.

I feel his spirit here. I feel his spirit here.