Key points
- 1
1God showed Ezekiel four vivid examples of Israel's idol worship inside the temple itself, demonstrating why judgment was coming.
- 2
2Even in the midst of coming destruction, God marked and preserved a remnant — those who genuinely mourned over sin — foreshadowing the gospel.
- 3
3God promised to scatter, gather, and give His people a new heart and a new spirit so they could truly follow Him — not by their own effort, but by His grace.
- 4
4Jesus told Nicodemus that being born again — receiving a new heart through the Spirit — is the only way to enter God's kingdom, fulfilling what the Old Testament already pointed to.
“Every one of us that says I found Jesus, from your perspective, you think you found Jesus. You didn't. Jesus found you”
“God doesn't really kill us. We're never alive without Jesus”
- 5
5Just as the Israelites bitten by snakes were saved only by looking up at the bronze serpent Moses raised, we are saved only by looking to Jesus lifted up on the cross.
“did you see their heart? Didn't matter what their issue was. They had two very different hearts”
A story from life
Pastor Bill tells about being afraid of burglars as a seven-year-old and his mother reassuring him that his father's presence made him safe.
A story from life
Pastor Bill recounts a second meeting that same day with Homer Henderson, a 70-year-old retired firefighter whose humble heart led to him becoming one of the best youth ministry volunteers.
- 6
6God disciplines those who belong to Him through the hard and scattered seasons of life, while those with a hardened heart move toward destruction — the same heat softens a wax heart but hardens cement.
“The sun will melt wax but harden cement”
“Not for his love, not for blessing, but from his love”
A story from life
Pastor Bill recounts a youth ministry meeting where mentor Pastor George dismissed a disgruntled church leader with a blunt prayer.
Application
The pastor urges everyone to stop pointing at circumstances — politics, money, relationships, location — as the real problem, and instead do the honest, uncomfortable work of examining the heart. If the thought of Jesus saying 'let's talk' produces nervousness rather than joy, there is something to deal with. For those who have never truly surrendered, the invitation is to look to Jesus on the cross — just as the snake-bitten Israelites looked up at the bronze serpent — confess sin, and receive the new heart and Holy Spirit that only He can give. For those who already know Him, the call is to keep that heart soft and pliable: repent when the Spirit convicts, turn toward life, and trust that the God who scatters also gathers and gives.
