Called Out Of Darkness Into God’s Marvellous Light (prayers based on Ezekiel 19 – 20)

Ezekiel 19:1-14 Lord, You look upon the sinfulness of His people - and Your heart is filled with sadness. If we truly love You, we will have great sadness when we see people turning away from You and ruining their lives. We have joy in You, Lord - ‘Rejoice in the Lord always’ (Philippians 4:4). …

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life? – We thank You, Lord, that we shall overcome Satan ‘by the blood of the Lamb.’

Prayers based on Ezekiel 27 - 28 Ezekiel 27:1-36 ‘Your wealth... will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck’ (Ezekiel 27:27). Teach us, Lord, that we will sink if we don’t ‘keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.’ Help us not to allow ourselves to get weighed down. Keep us …

Lord, You call us to put our faith in Christ – and to be faithful in prayer (prayers based on Ezekiel 21 – 22)

Ezekiel 21:1-32 Lord, we read about ‘the time of final punishment’ (Ezekiel 21:25,29). Your Word speaks to us about ‘eternal punishment’ as well as ‘eternal life’: ‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not have life, but will remain under God’s punishment’ (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36). Lord, You …

Give us faith, Lord … May Jesus be our Joy … Holy Spirit, we welcome You (prayers based on Ezekiel 35 – 37).

Ezekiel 35:1-15‘You will be desolate, O Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the Lord’ (Ezekiel 35:15). The people of Edom knew You, Lord, as their Judge. We thank You there is a much better way of knowing You. We can know You as our Saviour. Those who …

Taking a look at the Old Testament: Esther

"Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Rev George Philip preached a series of sermons on 1 Samuel 1-7, with the title, "For such a time as this." This title is taken from this verse in the book of Esther. The name of God is never mentioned …

Help us, Lord, to put the past behind us and make a new beginning with You (prayers based on Ezekiel 23 – 24).

Ezekiel 23:1-49 ‘Because you have forgotten Me and turned your back on Me, you will be punished for all your sin’ (Ezekiel 23:35). Lord, help us not to forget You. Help us to remember You. Help us not to let Your Word ‘go in one ear and out the other’. Help us to be ‘doers …

Lord, we come to You as sinners. May we never forget our Saviour – the Lord Jesus Christ (prayers based on Ezekiel 29 – 31)..

Ezekiel 29:1-21 Lord, in Your dealings with Egypt, we see both Your wrath - ‘Egypt will become a desolate wasteland’ - and Your mercy - ‘At the end of forty years... I will restore the fortunes of Egypt’ (Ezekiel 29:9,13-14). Your wrath is Your response to Egypt’s pride - ‘Because you said, “The Nile is …

Thank You, Lord, for Jesus, our great Saviour …

Prayers based on Ezekiel 17 - 18 Ezekiel 17:1-24 To those who adopt a ‘rebellious’ attitude to You, Lord, You speak Your Word of warning - They shall ‘not escape’ Your judgment (Ezekiel 17:12,18). For those who abandon this attitude of rebellion, there is a way of salvation. We thank You, Lord, for the words …

Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God – has ‘offered for all time a single Sacrifice for sins’ (prayers based on Ezekiel 45 – 46).

Ezekiel 45:1-25 We read, Lord, about 'the sin offerings, cereal offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel’ (Ezekiel 45:17). We thank You that all of this points forward to the single Sacrifice for sin made by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: ‘Christ died for sins once for …

Prayer and the ministry of God’s Word …

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 or Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32; Psalm 25:1-9; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32 Prayer and the ministry of God’s Word Worldly people create problems (Exodus 17:3). Moses asks, ‘What shall I do...?’ (Exodus 17:4). Indecision asks, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (Exodus 17:7). He gives victory (Exodus …

Sometimes, God speaks to us in words of warning!

In Ezekiel 12:11, we read about a "warning sign."Sometimes, God speaks to us in words of warning! Here, the prophet speaks about things that "will happen" - "exile and captivity." We may need to be warned, "There will be hard times ahead of you. Get ready for them." We will also need to be warned …

Help us, Lord, to listen to Your Word – and be changed by Your Word. May we rejoice in this: ‘He saved us by washing away our sins’ – our sin is great, our Saviour is greater (prayers based on Ezekiel 14 – 16).

Ezekiel 14:1-15:8 ‘Some of the elders of Israel came to’ Ezekiel. He spoke the Word of the Lord to them: ‘Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!’ (Ezekiel 14:1,8). This, Lord, may not have been what they wanted to hear. It was what You wanted them to hear. They did not …

The battle between the truth of God and the lies of the devil …

"Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the Word of the Lord!" (Ezekiel 13:2)The battle between the truth of God and the lies of the devil - It's been going on for a long time, and it keeps on going on and on. There will come a time when the devil …

Lord, we look ahead to Your final victory over Satan – Help us to win others for You (prayers based on Ezekiel 38 – 40).

Ezekiel 38:1-23 We read, Lord, of Your judgment upon ‘Gog from the land of Magog’: ‘When Gog attacks the land of Israel, My hot anger will be aroused... I will execute judgment upon him...’ (Ezekiel 38:1,18,22). The names ‘Gog and Magog’ are also found in Revelation 20:7-10. There, we read of rebellion against You, Lord …

Ezekiel 7

“The end is coming” - We read these words five times in Ezekiel 7:1-6. These are words of judgment. Ezekiel 7 ends with the words, “Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 7:27). In His judgment, the Lord is known as the holy God. If the people refuse to return to the …

The River Of God Is Filled With Blessing.

"The river of God is filled with water" (Psalm 65:9). What a superabundance of blessing there is in the river of God! We read more about the river of God in Ezekiel 47. We read about the amazing increase of God's blessing - "The water came up to my ankles ...The water came up to …

God’s Word Of Warning Is Spoken As The Voice Of His Love.

In Ezekiel 32, we read about God's judgment on Egypt. God's Word of judgment is awesome. There is a real sense of the holiness of God. Men cannot do what they like, and expect that God will not punish them. When we read of such things, it becomes clear to us that it is better …

"I will pour out My Spirit on the nation of Israel" (Ezekiel 39:29).

True blessing comes when God pours out His Spirit. This is something for which we must always - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.In Ezekiel 40-43, we have a description of the temple. We can measure the physical dimensions of the temple, but there is something that we cannot measure: "I saw the glory of …

Where Does Revelation Come From?

" ... the sky opened, and I saw visions from God ... The power of the Lord came over Ezekiel" (Ezekiel 1:1-2). Where does revelation come from? Does it come from us? Is it something that we discover? No! It comes from above. It comes from heaven. It comes from the Lord. It is given …

From Revelation To Revival

Ezekiel 37:1-14 God calls us to speak His Word. First, we must receive His Gospel. We must see ourselves as sinners. We must see Jesus as our Saviour. The Word of the Lord is to be encouraging, challenging and life-changing. We will not always be on the mountain-top. Often, we will be down in the …

Turn to the Lord and be saved, or turn from Him and be lost.

“Listen to the Word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 13:2). We must not “follow our own ideas” (Ezekiel 13:3). “Change the way you think and act” (Ezekiel 14:6). We are changed, as we pay attention to what the Lord has to say to us. What is the alternative to turning to the Lord, listening to Him …

We Need More Than Other People. We Need Jesus.

"Your wounds are as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?" (Ezekiel 2:13). There's only one answer to this question - the Lord. Other people can help us - if they point away from themselves to the Lord, if they say to us, 'You need more than the help I can give to you. …

The Spirit lifted me.

"The Spirit lifted me" (Ezekiel 3:12,14). The Spirit speaks God's Word to us, and He gives God's power to us. Through God's Word, the Spirit reaches us. Through God's power, the Spirit changes us.

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (19): When the Spirit breathes upon us, we receive love, eternal love, the love of God.

Welcome to the nineteenth stage on our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: When the Spirit breathes upon us, we receive love, etenal love, the love of God. Ezekiel 37:1-14 I felt the powerful presence of the Lord, and his spirit took me and set me down in a valley where the ground was covered …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (17): Through Christ, God looks upon us with love, eternal love, the love of God.

We come to the seventeenth stage on our journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday: Through Christ, God looks on us with love, eternal love, the love of God. Ezekiel 36:24-28 24 I will take you from every nation and country and bring you back to your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you and …

It's spreading …

"He led me through water that was ankle-deep ... 4 He led me through water that was knee-deep ... He led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 Now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in – a river that no one could …

‘Because you have defiled My sanctuary… I Myself will withdraw My favour’ (Ezekiel 5:11).

To those who despise His Word and treat the place of prayer with contempt, Jesus still speaks His Word of judgment: ‘My House will be called a House of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves’ (Matthew 21:13). God is warning us: ‘You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember …

Let us worship God …

Ezekiel 47:1-48:35; 1 Peter 4:1-19; Psalm 133:1-3 “The sanctuary will be in the centre of it ... In the centre of it will be the sanctuary of the Lord ... the Temple sanctuary will be in the centre of them” (Ezekiel 48:8,10,21). Here, we have the centrality of worship in the life of God’s people. First …

Declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.

Ezekiel 43:1-44:31; 1 Peter 2:4-24; Psalm 132:1-18 In Ezekiel, the priests are described in great detail. In 1 Peter 2:5, the Lord’s people are described as “a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This description continues in 1 Peter 2:9 - “a royal priesthood ... a people belonging to God. …

Holiness and love – we need more of both …

Ezekiel 41:1-42:20; 1 Peter 1:1-2:3; Psalm 131:1-3 Ezekiel emphasizes that the Temple was to be built according to God’s pattern. Our lives are to be lived according to God’s pattern - “Be holy in all you do”, “Love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:15,22). The instructions for the building the Temple were …

Preach God’s Word – and pray that men and women will be brought back to the Lord.

Ezekiel 40:1-49; James 5:1-20; Psalm 130:1-8 The prophecy spoken by Ezekiel has its ultimate Source in God Himself - “the hand of the Lord was upon me” (Ezekiel 40:1). He goes on to describe “visions of God” (Ezekiel 40:2). To speak the Word of God faithfully requires patience. There is not always evidence of great …

They will know that I am the Lord …

Ezekiel 28:1-29:21; Hebrews 12:14-29; Psalm 126:1-6 Many times over, in these chapters of Ezekiel, the words are repeated, “They will know that I am the Lord.” We must view the events of history in relation to God. He is fulfilling His purpose. He is demonstrating that He is the Lord. The demonstration of His Lordship …

Less pride, more humility – and more of the grace of God

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29; James 4:1-17; Proverbs 28:7-17 God’s Word speaks of His judgment upon sin (Ezekiel 39:23-24). It also speaks of His great salvation from sin (Ezekiel 39:25-29). “Scripture says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6). God’s Word speaks of the choice placed before man - obedience or disobedience, blessing or …

Breathe on me, Breath of God …

Ezekiel 36:1-37:28; James 3:1-18; Psalm 129:1-8 The Breath of God (the Spirit of God) brings life (Ezekiel 37:9). When “the tongue ... is ... set on fire by hell” (James 3:6), the words which it breathes out will be “full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). How important it is that we keep on praying, “Breathe on …

God wants to bless us. How much do we want to be blessed by Him?

Ezekiel 33:21-35:15; James 2:1-26; Psalm 128:1-6 The Word of God speaks clearly about sin and judgment - “See, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep” (Ezekiel 34:20), “judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful” (James 2:13). God’s Word also gives to us great promises. …

God speaks to us – and he’s waiting for our reply.

Ezekiel 32:1-33:20; James 1:1-27; Psalm 127:1-5 God’s Word must be spoken as a Word which calls for response. The prophet is to “warn the wicked man to turn from his ways” (Ezekiel 33:9). He is to declare that “the Sovereign Lord ... takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they …

Don’t you want to get on in the world? – Which world are you living for?

Ezekiel 30:1-31:18; Hebrews 13:1-25; Proverbs 27:23-28:6 What a contrast there is between “Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Ezekiel 31:2) and “Jesus Christ” who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Pharaoh had the appearance of “majesty”, yet he was “brought down” (Ezekiel 31:2,18). Jesus has a glory which will never be diminished. It …

When the storms of life come your way … …

Ezekiel 26:1-27:36; Hebrews 12:1-13; Psalm 125:1-5 To Tyre, God says, “Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, seamen and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck” (Ezekiel 27:27). Those who are overladen by their attachment to …

Christ is calling us to walk with Him – in His victory.

Ezekiel 24:1-25:17; Hebrews 11:17-40; Psalm 124:1-8 There is, in these passages, the continuing conflict between the life of obedient faith (Hebrews 11) and the life of disobedience (God’s judgments in Ezekiel). The Psalmist makes it clear that the life of obedient faith is not an easy life - “If the Lord had not been on …

Death will not have the last word …

Ezekiel 22:23-23:49; Hebrews 11:1-16; Proverbs 27:15-22 The contrast between a life of sin and shame and a life of faith and blessing is highlighted in the comparison between the passages in Ezekiel and Hebrews. The contrast is between living for the things we see - “She saw men ... As soon as she saw them …

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Ezekiel 20:45-22:22; Hebrews 10:19-39; Psalm 123:1-4 Human sin and divine judgment, described in such detail in these chapters of Ezekiel - this is the backcloth against which we are called to go on with the Lord: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins …

Grace and peace to you …

Ezekiel 19:1-20:44; Hebrews 10:1-18; Psalm 122:1-9 God is gracious. Despite all the sin of Israel, described in great detail in these chapters of Ezekiel, God still says, “I will accept you as fragrant incense” (Ezekiel 20:41). He still says, “I deal with you for My Name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and …

The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ezekiel 17:1-18:32; Hebrews 9:16-28; Psalm 121:1-8 The Word of God calls us to repentance - “Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32). This repentance does not earn salvation for us. While we are called to “repent and live”, we must understand that eternal life is God’s gift, given to us on the basis of Christ’s death as …

The promises of God …

Ezekiel 16:1-63; Hebrews 9:1-15; Proverbs 27:5-14 The promises of God are given in Ezekiel 16 - “I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you ... So I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I …

Lord, lead us to Jesus …

Ezekiel 13:1-15:8; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 120:1-7 God speaks against “those who prophesy out of their own imagination ... who follow their own spirit” (Ezekiel 13:2-3). In the face of such false prophets, we must pray, “Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues” (Psalm 120:2). How does the Lord save us from …

The glory of the Lord …

Ezekiel 10:1-12:28; Hebrews 7:11-28; Psalm 119:169-176 “The glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 11:23) - This is what the visions are about. The glory of the Lord is most fully revealed in Christ. His glory is revealed in salvation, in His power “to save completely those who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). As we …

Help us, Lord, to worship You – with hearts, full of love for You.

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 6:13-7:10; Psalm 119:161-168 The prophet was shown “the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here (in the Temple), things that will drive Me (God) far from My sanctuary” (Ezekiel 8:6). There were, however, “those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it” (Ezekiel …

Without God’s mercy and grace, we will fall. Through His mercy and grace, we will stand.

Ezekiel 4:1-6:14; Hebrews 5:11-6:12; Proverbs 26:23-27:4 “Alas! because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the house of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague” (Ezekiel 6:11). Alongside these words concerning Israel’s sin and fall, we place the solemn words of Hebrews 6:4-6, words which warn us of the danger …

Visions of God …

Ezekiel 1:1-3:27; Hebrews 4:14-5:10; Psalm 119:153-160 “Visions of God” - This is what we have in Ezekiel. These visions are not easy to understand. Their form emphasizes that God is beyond our understanding. We see the glory of God, and we fall before Him in worship (Ezekiel 3:23). We are not, however, to content ourselves …

Praying Through God’s Word: Ezekiel

Ezekiel 1:1-2:10‘The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God… The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel’(Ezekiel 1:1-2). Lord, You open our eyes to ‘see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:4). You Lord speak to us. Help us to listen to You: ‘Speak, Lord, for Your …

Notes on Ezekiel

EZEKIEL1:1-2:10  -  ‘The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God... The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel’(1:1-2). The Lord opens our eyes to ‘see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Lord speaks to us and we must listen to Him: ‘Speak, Lord, for Your …

Lord, You show us how much we need to be saved so that we might learn to be truly thankful to You for the Good News of Your love, the Gospel of our salvation.

Prayers based on Ezekiel 25 - 26 Ezekiel 25:1-17 Lord, we read about Your judgment upon sinful nations - Ammon (Ezekiel 25:1-7), Moab (Ezekiel 25:8-11), Edom (Ezekiel 25:12-14) and Philistia (Ezekiel 25:15-17). You speak to us. You say to us, ‘You will know that I am the Lord’ (Ezekiel 25:5,7,11,17). You speak to us as …

Where does our life of faith begin? …

Where does our life of faith begin? Does it begin with our decision? or Does it begin with God's grace? "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). We were dead. The …

Sin and Salvation

Ezekiel 16:63 ... 20:40-44 Speaking through the prophet, God uses very colourful sexual imagery to describe Israel’s relationship with Himself and her revolt against Him. The last word, in Ezekiel 16, is not, however, a word concerning the rebellion of Israel against the Lord. It is the message of redemption - the forgiveness of sins …

On a cloudy and dark day, the Lord is my light and my salvation.

" ... so will I seek out My sheep ... on a cloudy and dark day" (Ezekiel 34:12). Our life on earth is " a cloudy and dark day." Left to ourselves, we always lose our way. We cannot find our way back on to the way of the Lord without the grace of our Lord …

Our Sin, God’s Judgment … And God’s Love

God takes sin very seriously. He sends his judgment upon sin. The unleashing of His fury turns the sinful nation into a wasteland (Ezekiel 5:13-14). When we read of such things, we wonder, “Is there any hope?” When we are reading so much about sin and judgment, we must not lose sight of the love …

God does not leave us in our sin. He sends His Son to be our Saviour.

Ezekiel 8-9 In Ezekiel 8, we have a description of sin - “very disgusting things”, even more disgusting things” (Ezekiel 8:6,9,13,17). When we read such “bad news”, we wonder, “Is there good news?” The answer of God’s Word is “Yes”! God does not leave us in our sin. He sends His Son to be our …

God’s salvation is greater than our sin.

What a contrast there is between God’s salvation and man’s sin. God brought His people out of Egypt and into the promised land. They rebelled against Him and refused to listen to Him (Ezekiel 20:6-8). God had not given up on His people. He would draw them to Himself. He would make them His instrument …

In true ministry, there is both the Word of God and the Spirit of God …

In true ministry, there is both the Word of God and the Spirit of God. God’s Word is spoken to us in the power of the Spirit, so that we might speak His Word in the power of the Spirit (Ezekiel 2:1-4). Ezekiel is described as “a watchman over the people of Israel.” He was …

"The Lord’s Spirit came to me and told me to say … Listen to the Word of the Lord.”

“The Lord’s glory rose from the angels” (Ezekiel 10:4); “The Spirit lifted me” (Ezekiel 11:1 - These prophecies of Ezekiel bring us into the presence of God. “the sound of the Almighty God when He speaks” (Ezekiel 10:5); “The Lord’s Spirit came to me and told me to say” (Ezekiel 11:5) - When we are …