The Apostle Peter is given a personal prophecy regarding an issue his cultural biases were not comfortable with. In a patience exercise in having him remember what Jesus said and testing this as actually being from God, we are given the benefit of how to also test personal prophecies.

1. God's Word is the standard by which we test any personal words from God.

2. God is capable of speaking to us personally if we're willing to listen and obey.

3. God isn't offended by people who want to be certain He is speaking.

Ezekiel addresses a cultural proverb that was assumed to be from God and wasn’t. The belief that generational curses apply is simply false and Israel’s history verified that. With the legacies of Hezekiah, Josiah, and Manasseh as examples, we see that our eternal destiny is determined by our decisions before God alone.

1. Generational Curses are unbiblical.

2. You will answer to God personally for the decisions you’ve made.

3. Your eternal destiny is not something you should be comfortable leaving with a question mark.

The ministry and testimony of Hannah to her son Samuel is an example of the impact a Godly mother can make on an entire nation. Your willingness to be faithful with what God's entrusted to you, your example of faithfulness to even a limited audience, and your highest priority being the Lord Himself will always be a blessing to those in your care.

1. Your circumstances or emotions can bring you to Jesus' feet just as easily as they can keep us from Him.

2. Having God as your greatest desire and priority will always pay off.

3. An example of faithfulness and a pattern of life that loves the Lord will always impact your children for the better.

Ezekiel gives a parable illustrating all of the political blunders Israel made leading up to their captivity. In a classic, “how's that working out for you” observation, we are given a prophecy of Jesus as a reminder that God is the only one worth trusting with our future.

1. Doing your homework in personal Bible study is always worth the effort.

2. Men make promises. Jesus keeps them.

3. Only God is the only one worthy of trust concerning our past, present, and future.

Following up from the Apostle Peter's trip to Joppa, Cornelius the Centurion is introduced as a sincere seeker of God. He had everything going for him as far as his lifestyle, family, and desire to know God. The only thing that was missing was a saving relationship with Jesus, which God personally made certain he could access as soon as possible.

1. God's highest priority is the salvation of the lost.

2. Nobility and virtue apart from Christ won't save you.

3. God is more interested in saving us than we are in being saved.

Ezekiel gives an extremely graphic description of just how far Israel’s sin had brought them from God. Yet in spite of all of their evil, He uses it to emphasize His intent to see them restored even when describing them at their worst.

1. God is good to us because that’s simply who He is.

2. God often punishes sin by letting us see just how far it will take us from Him.

3. God is more patient than we could ever imagine.

Miracles are a controversial subject in some circles. However, God's highest priority isn't in entertaining us. It's redeeming us from Hell itself. If you need a miracle beyond that, you'll get one. However, the example of the early church shows that any temporary miracles will only exist to accompany and verify eternal ones.

1. God will work externally through lives that are first stable through Him internally.

2. Every Christian's goal should be to model themselves after Jesus.

3. People should know Jesus better through the example He sets through us.

Ezekiel is told by God to use an illustration that is used often to describe Israel in the Old and New Testaments. Israel was a vine no longer bearing fruit and serving no purpose apart from kindling. How do we avoid ending up in this state ourselves? Bear the fruit scripture tells us are the natural result of an abiding relationship with Jesus. If you aren’t seeing that fruit, ask.

1. If a prophetic theme hasn’t been explained before, it’s about to be. If it has been explained before, it won’t be.

2. If the plain sense of scripture makes sense, seek no other sense lest you believe in nonsense.

3. Security of Salvation belongs to those who abide in a relationship with Jesus.

An effective and growing church has three things at work in the lives of its members. They are building one another up in the knowledge of God through His Word. They are living in light of the fear of the Lord. And they are comforting one another through the Holy Spirit.

1. The best time to build up your knowledge of God is before it's all you have to fall back on.

2. The fear of the Lord is an honest perspective of yourself and God.

3. The grace of God is an honest perspective of your relationship with God.

Ezekiel was living in a time where the people who rejected God seemed to be working the system in their favor and leaving the people trying to follow God left wondering how long these things would be allowed to happen. God’s promises were still as true, and He remembered who still belonged to Him. The key is to be the person not making excuses, but waiting on the promises of God.

1. An Idol is anything we use to replace or reduce God’s role and influence in our hearts.

2. Prayer is talking to God. Don’t forget who you’re talking to as that’s taking place.

3. He who rejoices last rejoices best in the grand scheme of things.