Ezekiel 37

This passage is one of the most popular and recognizable in the entire book of Ezekiel. The imagery and message of the valley of dry bones is haunting, encouraging, and downright exciting. It sounds like something Hollywood would be challenged to depict, even with all their CGI and technology. But the picture is powerful - God can use his Word and his Spirit to bring real restoration to every part of a human life. Revival and reanimation are within the Lord's power; he can bring the dead and desiccated back to vibrant life!

Ezekiel 35-36

This message is hugely comforting and deeply humbling, all at the same time. It tells us that, in terms of our salvation, we bring absolutely nothing to the table except problems and brokenness! God doesn't owe us anything besides wrath. We don't have any special power or influence that would compel him to love us or long for us. Yet, he gives us gifts and showers us with his love. Salvation is IMMENSELY beneficial for us! First and foremost, it is about the Lord's Name and glory; he saves us to show who HE is.

Ezekiel 33-34

This passage turns the corner into the amazing promise and comfort of Ezekiel. It tells of the Lords desire and plan to save his people, even though they don't deserve it. It starts to point unmistakably toward the New Testament, the Lord Jesus, and the Gospel. When we consider the scale of our sin and idolatry, it is tempting to wonder how he will respond; these chapters show us that the Lord is tender-hearted toward his people, always saving a remnant; he rescues us, even though he must do the work.

Ezekiel 29-32

When you become a Christian, you renounce all other masters and leave behind the slavery of false gods. However, we have a very complex relationship with our former enslavements. Israel left Egypt over 800 years before Ezekiel's time, and yet they had carried a torch for their former captors' protection, wealth, and power all along. Egypt ruled and prospered for millennia; but when God decided to raise up new empires and prepare the world for his Son's Kingdom, that era ended and pharaoh was no longer a viable backup plan!

Ezekiel 26-28

This passage is one of two in the Old Testament that seem to give a lot of backstory about Satan. For millennia, the church has debated how to understand these passages, but there are a few messages that we can take away with absolute certainty: God and his people have real enemies, both visible and invisible. Satan's pride, fall, and consequences are a pattern that keeps spreading throughout history. Whenever Satan is in league with earthly rulers and powers, God rises up; God knows the Enemy well and brings him to decisive justice.

Ezekiel 25

Have you ever had a moment when someone picked on your sibling, spouse, or child? I bet you thought something like "hey - I can pick on my little brother, but NOBODY else does!" If we, who are sinful, can think like that, how much more will God, who is perfect, protect his children from their enemies? And he is able to do it even at the same time he is challenging, growing, and refining us! In other words, though the Lord disciplines his people, he also defends them from their enemies; only he has the right to chastise his children!

Ezekiel 24

This story is the most difficult of the sign acts God asked Ezekiel to do. It seems cruel and hard to understand, and it is hard to read. At the same time, though, it is a powerful way for God to help his people start to understand his own heart and to begin to think and feel in ways that match him. God is certainly not a human, but he definitely wants us to know that he has a heart and that he feels strongly. For God, standing by silently while his Beloved One suffers is heart- wrenching and painful; it can only make sense or bring healing through the Cross.

Father's Day message from Josh Hendricks on John 5:19-44

Ezekiel 23

Sin is ugly. Sin is insanity. Sin is deadly. And yet, the Enemy of our souls can make it look pretty amazing. Much like an angler decorating a lure to fool a fish into taking the hook, Satan likes to make his plans seem fun, popular, and downright irresistable. The truth is that the only real anitote to tempation is to have our deepest desires satisfied by Someone better. Sin can seem attractive and enticing, but in the end it is adultry against our True Bridegroom, Jesus. He is jealous over our affections, and refuses to share us; we need to start hating sin more!

Ezekiel 21-22

The book of Ezekiel tells the story of God's faithfulness and the undeserved restoration he provides to his people in Jesus Christ. In chapters 21-22, God tells Ezekiel to warn the people that the sword of his wrath is coming to them. When we needlessly and callously shed the blood of others, we will face the sword of the Lord, unsheathed for justice's sake. It is far better for us to yield willingly to his rod of discipline than to call out his sword.