Lessons in Ezekiel

Living Strong in the Lord in a Fear-Driven World!

Study begins on October 29, 2017

Faith Fellowship Church

Lesson 1: Preparing to Stand (Ezekiel 1-2)

I thought about titling this study “How to Not Be Afraid in a World in Which It Seems We Have Every Reason to Be Afraid.” But, yeah, kind of long and wordy. But still very true.

This world of ours … heartache and tragedy know no bounds. Pain and sadness may come with the next phone call or on that trip to Walmart for weekly supplies.

So where can we live? Is there any place of real, lasting peace and security? And how do remain faithful to God and courageous in service to Jesus Christ?

I believe these lessons in Ezekiel will answer all those questions and many more. And not pretend answers but answers from God that stand the test of the greatest reality of all—God himself in all his glory.

• (Ezekiel 1:1 NASB95) Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
• (Ezekiel 1:28–2:2 NASB95) As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!” As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.

Overview of Ezekiel by Derek Thomas

Ezekiel’s name means “God strengthens.” Every time the prophet’s name was mentioned, God’s people were assured of his help and reminded of his promise to “strengthen the weak.”

Ezekiel lived in times of great political turmoil and witnessed the final collapse of Judah to the Babylonian empire. His total, unquestioning willingness to do God’s will, often at great cost to himself, during the long years of his faithful ministry in exile, is a shining example to Christian workers everywhere.

Introduction to Ezekiel by Derek Thomas

Meeting God: Christianity is a religion of the word. God has set down all that he requires of us to know concerning himself, his plans and purposes, in the Bible. Over two million Bible words, written over a period of 1,500 years by some forty different authors, underline the fact that words are essential for Christianity. But a stubborn truth persists in making itself known: most people remember pictures better than they remember words. That is why Bible writers (and behind them, the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit) pepper their words with vivid word-pictures to throw light on what these words mean. Ezekiel is full of word-pictures!

…

It is the same thought that led G. K. Chesterton to write in a child’s picture book: Stand up, and keep your childishness, Read all the pedant’s creeds and strictures, But don’t believe in anything, That can’t be told in coloured pictures!

[Thomas, D. (1993). God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained (pp. 21–22). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.]