River of Life Community Church
Sunday, May 3, 2026

      • Ezekiel 2:1–2NKJV

      • Zechariah 4:6NKJV

      • Ezekiel 2:3–7NKJV

      • Galatians 1:10NKJV

      • Ezekiel 2:8NKJV

      • Ezekiel 2:9–3:3NKJV

      • Psalm 119:103NKJV

      • Revelation 10:9–10NKJV

      • Ezekiel 3:4–11NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 3:6NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–32NKJV

  • Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You that You still speak, You still call, and You still send. Open our hearts today. Help us not just to hear Your Word, but to receive it deeply. Teach us what it means to stand when You call, to eat the scroll, and to speak with faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
    READ Sections from Perry Stone Bible on Cherubim and Throne.
    In Ezekiel chapter 1, Ezekiel saw something overwhelming - the glory of God. He saw the storm, the creature, the wheels, the throne, and the brilliance of God’s holiness.
    And like anyone who truly encounters God, he fell facedown. But here is something important: God does not reveal His glory just to impress us.
    He reveals His glory to transform us. Because after the vision comes the voice. After the encounter comes the assignment. After the falling comes the standing. Some people want encounters with God, but they do not want assignments from God. But real encounters always lead to calling. God is not just looking for admirers. He is looking for messengers.
    God does not call us because people will listen - He calls us because He has spoken

    1. God Calls Us To Stand Before He Sends Us To Speak

    Ezekiel 2:1–2 NKJV
    And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.
    Notice this carefully: Ezekiel is on his face… That is the right response to God’s glory. But God says “Stand up.” There is a time to bow. And there is a time to rise. There is a time for worship. And there is a time for assignment.
    God was saying: “You have seen My glory - now carry My message.”
    God strengthens Ezekiel by His Spirit before giving him the assignment.
    Many believers love the presence of God but resist the purpose of God. We want the comfort of His presence, but not always the responsibility of His calling. But God says “Stand up.”
    Not because Ezekiel was strong, but because the Spirit entered him. The Spirit gave him strength. That matters. Because God never calls us to stand in our own strength. He empowers what He commands.
    Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
    So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
    Think about a child learning to walk. They fall. They stumble. But the parent reaches down and says: “Stand up again.” Not because they are already strong - but because strength comes in the rising. Some of you are waiting to feel strong before you obey. But strength often comes after obedience begins.
    Application: What has God told you to stand up in?
    A calling you’ve delayed?
    A truth you’ve avoided?
    A responsibility you’ve resisted?
    A ministry you feel unqualified for?
    God may be saying today: Stand up.
    Some people are waiting to “feel ready”. God often says: “Stand first - strength comes as you obey.”

    2. God Often Sends Us To Hard People

    Ezekiel 2:3–7 NKJV
    And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them. “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.
    God is very honest. He does not say: “They’ll love your preaching.” He says: : “They are stubborn and hard-hearted. They are rebellious.” Imagine receiving that ministry assignment. “Go preach. They probably won’t listen.” Not exactly a motivational conference message.
    God wanted Ezekiel to understand this: your success is not measures by their response. It is measured by your obedience. That is freeing. Because if we measure success by applause, we will compromise truth. If we measure success by acceptance, we will avoid conviction. But if we measure success by faithfulness, we can stand firm.
    Success in ministry is not popularity - it is faithfulness.
    Galatians 1:10 NKJV
    For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
    Application: Parents trying to raise children in truth. Believers sharing Christ at work. Pastors preaching difficult messages. Leaders standing for righteousness. Sometimes obedience feels lonely. But faithfulness matters more than applause.

    3. Do Not Become Like The People You Are Sent To

    Ezekiel 2:8 NKJV
    But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
    This is powerful. God warns the prophet about becoming like the people he is called to confront. This is a serious warning.
    It is possible to preach truth while your own heart becomes hardened. It is possible to correct others while ignoring your own rebellion. It is possible to handle holy things without staying holy yourself. Ministry without intimacy creates bitterness. Service without surrender creates pride. correction without compassion creates hardness. God says: “Do not become like them.”
    Illustration: A doctor treats sick people every day - but he must still protect himself from infection. You can be around spiritual sickness and slowly stop noticing it. That is why personal holiness matters.
    Application Questions:
    Am I influencing culture or being shaped by it?
    Am I confronting sin while secretly tolerating it?
    Am I serving publicly but drifting privately?

    4. Before You Speak The Word, You Must Eat The Word

    Ezekiel 2:9–3:3 NKJV
    Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe. Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
    This is one of the most unforgettable moments in the entire book. God gives Ezekiel a scroll written on both sides. filled with lamentation, mourning, and woe. Judgement, Correction. Hard truth. And God says, “Eat it.” Not just read it, Not just hold it. Eat it.
    This means: Before you deliver the message, you must receive the message. Before the Word reaches others, it must reach you. Before you preach it, you must digest it. Before it comes from your mouth, it must enter your heart. Too many people want a microphone without first having a prayer closet. Too many want to teach the Word without first letting the Word teach them.
    Why Sweet?
    Because truth from God is always good. Even correction is mercy. Even Conviction is kindness. Even warning is love. God disciplines those He loves.
    Psalm 119:103 NKJV
    How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
    Revelation 10:9–10 NKJV
    So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
    John also eats the scroll.
    Illustration: Medicine is not always pleasant going down - but it brings healing. Sometimes God’s Word confronts before it comforts. But healing often begins with conviction.
    Application: Are we eating the Word - or just handling it? Reading is not the same as receiving. Studying is not the same as surrendering. Quoting is not the same as obeying.

    5. Speak Whether They Listen Or Not

    Ezekiel 3:4–11 NKJV
    Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”
    God repeats this. Why? Because rejection discourages obedience. God knows the temptation: “If they won’t listen, why bother?”
    But obedience is never based on response. It is based on calling.
    God did not call Ezekiel to produce results - He called him to deliver truth. That belongs to God. We are not the Holy Spirit. We are the messenger.
    Only God changes hearts. Only God brings conviction. Only God gives repentance. Our assignment is faithfulness. Our job is not to change hearts. Our job is to be faithful with the message.
    1 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV
    I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
    Closing Questions:
    Have I stood when God said stand?
    Have I been avoiding difficult obedience?
    Am I trying to speak the Word without first eating the Word?
    Am I faithful even when people resist?
    God is still looking for people who will stand,
    who will listen, who will receive, who will eat the scroll,
    and who will speak the truth.
    Even when it’s hard.
    Especially when it’s hard.
    Today God may be calling people in this room to:
    stand up again
    return to obedience
    surrender to calling
    stop fearing rejection
    fall in love with His Word again
    Some have been silent because of fear. Some have been distant from Scripture. Some know exactly what God asked them todo - and they’ve delayed it.
    Today is the day to stand.
    Lord, Forgive us for hesitation. Forgive us for fearing people more than we fear You. Teach us to stand when You call. Teach us to stand when You call. Help us not to become hardened by the world around us. Let Your Word move deeper than our minds - leti t reach our hearts. Teach us to eat the scroll. Make us faithful messengers. Whether people listen or not, let us obey. In Jesus name, Amen.
    If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus- the same God who called Ezekiel is calling you today. not to religion. Not to routine. But to repentance, forgiveness, and new life through Christ Jesus died for your sins, rose again, and offers salvation to all who will come. Today, if He is calling, stand and respond.
    1 Corinthians 11:23–32 NKJV
    For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
River of Life Community Church
rolccmn1@gmail.com
763-321-6509
http://www.rolcc.info/live/
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