River of Life Community Church
Sunday, June 28, 2026

      • Ezekiel 4:9–17NKJV

      • Psalm 20:7NKJV

      • John 10:10NKJV

      • Hebrews 12:6NKJV

      • John 6:35NKJV

  • Faithfulness When the Assignment Is Heavy
    God's servants are often called to carry difficult burdens, but every burden He assigns has purpose, and every burden points us to Christ, our ultimate Burden Bearer.
    "Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You that You see every burden we carry and every struggle we endure. Help us understand today that our trials are not wasted and our obedience is not unnoticed. Teach us to trust You when the assignment is difficult and the burden feels heavy. Above all, help us see Jesus, who carried our greatest burden to the cross. In His name we pray, Amen."
    Most of us like the parts of God's calling that feel exciting.
    We enjoy the victories.
    We enjoy the blessings.
    We enjoy the moments when God moves in obvious ways.
    But what about when obedience hurts?
    What about when faithfulness is uncomfortable?
    What about when God's assignment requires sacrifice?
    Ezekiel has already preached without words.
    He has built the model city.
    Now God asks him to do something even more unusual.
    For hundreds of days, he is to lie on his side as a living symbol of Israel's sin and coming judgment.
    Imagine explaining that assignment to someone.
    "What are you doing, Ezekiel?"
    "I'm obeying God."
    "How long?"
    "More than a year."
    This was not convenient.
    This was not comfortable.
    This was not glamorous.
    Yet Ezekiel obeyed.
    And through his obedience, God teaches us an important truth:
    Faithfulness often carries a cost.
    Ezekiel 4:4–8 NASB95
    “As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it. “For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and ninety days; thus you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. “When you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for each year. “Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it. “Now behold, I will put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.

    1. GOD SOMETIMES CALLS US TO CARRY DIFFICULT BURDENS

    God tells Ezekiel:
    "Lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel upon yourself."
    Then later:
    "Turn over and lie on your right side."
    390 days.
    40 days.
    A total of 430 days symbolically representing years of sin and rebellion.
    This assignment was not comfortable.
    It was not easy.
    It was not something Ezekiel would have chosen for himself.
    Yet God called him to it.
    One of the hardest lessons in the Christian life is learning that obedience is not always comfortable.
    Sometimes God's calling stretches us.
    Sometimes it exhausts us.
    Sometimes it asks more than we thought we could give.
    Luke 9:23 NASB95
    And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
    Notice Jesus never promised convenience.
    He promised purpose.
    Illustration: Every worthwhile calling carries weight.
    A mother carries sleepless nights.
    A father carries responsibility.
    A pastor carries concern for souls.
    A caregiver carries emotional exhaustion.
    Love always carries something.
    And so does obedience.
    Application: What burden has God allowed in your life?
    Perhaps you've been asking:
    "Why is this so hard?"
    Maybe the better question is:
    "What is God teaching me through this?"

    2. GOD COUNTS EVERY DAY OF OUR SUFFERING

    One thing that stands out in this passage is God's precision.
    390 days.
    40 days.
    Specific numbers.
    Specific timing.
    Specific purpose.
    Nothing was random.
    God counted every day.
    Not one was forgotten.
    Not one was overlooked.
    Not one was meaningless.
    Sometimes when we suffer, it feels endless.
    We wonder if God notices.
    We wonder if He remembers.
    We wonder if our struggle matters.
    This passage reminds us:
    God counts every day.
    Psalm 56:8 NASB95
    You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?
    Think about that.
    God not only sees our tears.
    He values them.
    Illustration: Children often ask on long trips:
    "Are we there yet?"
    The parent knows exactly how much farther remains.
    The child only sees the distance.
    The parent sees the destination.
    Sometimes we are like those children.
    God knows exactly where we are in the journey.
    Application: You may be carrying a burden today.
    A health struggle.
    A family concern.
    A ministry disappointment.
    A season of grief.
    Remember:
    God knows exactly how many days you've carried it.
    And He has not forgotten you.

    3. NOT EVERY BURDEN IS A PUNISHMENT

    Sometimes people assume difficulty means God is angry.
    But Ezekiel's burden wasn't punishment.
    It was purpose.
    He wasn't suffering because he was disobedient.
    He was suffering because he was obedient.
    This is important.
    Not every hardship is correction.
    Sometimes hardship is calling.
    Sometimes hardship is ministry.
    Sometimes hardship is preparation.
    Sometimes hardship becomes a testimony.
    The question is not always:
    "What did I do wrong?"
    The question may be:
    "What is God accomplishing?"
    2 Corinthians 4:17 NASB95
    For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
    God wastes nothing.
    Illustration: An athlete trains with resistance.
    Resistance isn't punishment.
    Resistance creates strength.
    Likewise, God often develops spiritual strength through difficult assignments.
    Application: Stop assuming every burden means God has abandoned you.
    Sometimes the burden is evidence that He is shaping you.

    4. EZEKIEL'S BURDEN POINTS US TO JESUS

    This is where the passage becomes beautiful.
    Ezekiel symbolically carried Israel's sin.
    But he could never remove it.
    He could represent it.
    He could illustrate it.
    He could preach about it.
    But he could not take it away.
    Only Jesus could do that.
    Ezekiel carried a symbol.
    Jesus carried the reality.
    Ezekiel bore a picture of judgment.
    Jesus bore judgment itself.
    Ezekiel lay on his side.
    Jesus hung on a cross.
    Ezekiel represented the people's guilt.
    Jesus removed the guilt of all who believe.
    Isaiah 53:4–6 NKJV
    Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
    1 Peter 2:24 NASB95
    and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
    Ezekiel carried a burden for a season.
    Jesus carried our burden forever.

    5. FAITHFULNESS MATTERS MORE THAN COMFORT

    Ezekiel could have argued.
    He could have complained.
    He could have refused.
    Instead, he obeyed.
    Day after day.
    Month after month.
    Because faithfulness mattered more than comfort.
    Our culture worships comfort.
    God calls us to faithfulness.
    Comfort asks:
    "What's easiest?"
    Faithfulness asks:
    "What honors God?"
    Comfort asks:
    "What's best for me?"
    Faithfulness asks:
    "What has God called me to do?"
    1 Corinthians 4:2 NASB95
    In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
    Not successful.
    Not comfortable.
    Faithful.
    Some of you are carrying burdens today.
    You feel tired.
    You feel stretched.
    You feel discouraged.
    You wonder if anyone sees.
    God does.
    He sees every day.
    He knows every tear.
    He remembers every act of obedience.
    And most importantly—
    He understands.
    Because Jesus carried the greatest burden of all.
    Ask yourself:
    Am I resisting a burden God has assigned?
    Have I mistaken difficulty for abandonment?
    Do I trust that God has purpose in this season?
    Am I focusing on comfort or faithfulness?
    Have I thanked Jesus for carrying the burden of my sin?
    Today there may be people carrying heavy burdens.
    Some are weary.
    Some are discouraged.
    Some are questioning God's purpose.
    Some are close to giving up.
    Bring that burden to Christ.
    Not because He always removes it immediately—
    but because He helps us carry it.
    And remember:
    The Savior who calls you to carry a cross
    first carried one for you.
    "Father, thank You that You see every burden we carry.
    Thank You that no day of suffering is wasted.
    Help us remain faithful when obedience is difficult.
    Strengthen those who are weary.
    Encourage those who are discouraged.
    Give us eyes to see Your purpose in our struggles.
    And thank You for Jesus, who carried our sins to the cross and made a way for us to be forgiven.
    Help us trust You completely.
    In Jesus' name,
    Amen."
    If you have never trusted Jesus Christ,
    today remember this:
    The greatest burden you carry is not your circumstances.
    It is your sin.
    And Jesus came to carry what you could never carry yourself.
    He died for you.
    He rose again.
    And He offers forgiveness, grace, and eternal life.
    Come to Him today.
    Lay your burden at His feet.
    Trust Him as Lord and Savior.
  • Trusting God in Seasons of Lack
    God sometimes allows seasons of scarcity—not to destroy His people, but to expose where they have placed their trust and to teach them complete dependence upon Him.
    "Father, we thank You that You have always been our Provider. Whether we have much or little, You remain faithful. Open our hearts today to trust You in every season. Teach us not to place our confidence in possessions, comfort, or circumstances, but in You alone. In Jesus' name, Amen."

    We Never Think It Will Happen

    Most of us assume tomorrow will look much like today.
    We'll open the pantry.
    We'll turn on the faucet.
    We'll drive to the grocery store.
    We'll have electricity.
    We'll have choices.
    Most of us have never known true famine.
    But Ezekiel's audience was about to.
    God tells His prophet to prepare food from a mixture of grains and legumes—not because it was a healthy recipe, but because it was a recipe of necessity. In times of prosperity, people did not mix scraps together. They baked bread from the grain they preferred. The mixture represented scarcity. The measured portions represented rationing. Even the water was measured.
    This was God's way of saying:
    "Jerusalem thinks she is secure. Soon every bite and every drink will remind her that she has forgotten Me."
    This sermon is not merely about food.
    It is about what we depend on. Let’s read
    Ezekiel 4:9–17 NASB95
    “But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt, put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days. “Your food which you eat shall be twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time. “The water you drink shall be the sixth part of a hin by measure; you shall drink it from time to time. “You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human dung.” Then the Lord said, “Thus will the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations where I will banish them.” But I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth.” Then He said to me, “See, I will give you cow’s dung in place of human dung over which you will prepare your bread.” Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, behold, I am going to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and drink water by measure and in horror, because bread and water will be scarce; and they will be appalled with one another and waste away in their iniquity.

    I. GOD SOMETIMES REMOVES OUR FALSE SECURITY

    Verse 9 introduces unusual bread.
    Wheat...
    Barley...
    Beans...
    Lentils...
    Millet...
    Spelt...
    Not because this was gourmet bread.
    Because this was survival bread.
    During a siege, people gathered whatever remained.
    Luxury disappears.
    Necessity remains.
    We often confuse God's blessings with our security.
    We trust:
    our paycheck...
    our retirement...
    our health...
    our routines...
    our government...
    our savings...
    None of those things are wrong.
    But they become dangerous when they replace our trust in God.
    Israel had become confident in Jerusalem's walls.
    God was about to show them that walls cannot save people who have abandoned Him.
    Psalm 20:7 NASB95
    Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
    Illustration: A person walking on thin ice feels perfectly safe—
    until the ice begins to crack.
    The danger was always there.
    They simply couldn't see it.
    Sometimes God exposes what we've been trusting all along.
    Application: Ask yourself:
    Where do I find my security?
    If God removed it tomorrow—
    would my faith remain?

    II. GOD TEACHES DEPENDENCE THROUGH DAILY PROVISION

    God limits Ezekiel's food.
    He limits his water.
    Everything is measured.
    Nothing is excessive.
    Nothing is wasted.
    Notice something.
    God did not completely remove provision.
    He limited it.
    There is a difference.
    Even in judgment...
    God still provides enough.
    That tells us something about His heart.
    God disciplines.
    He does not delight in destruction.
    This echoes Israel in the wilderness. Every morning—
    just enough manna.
    No more.
    No less.
    Every day they had to trust again.
    Exodus 16 “And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?” Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ” Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. And Moses…”
    God intentionally taught dependence before He taught abundance.
    Illustration: A parent teaching a child to ride a bicycle does not remove every challenge.
    They stay close enough to catch them.
    God often works that way.
    Application: Some of us keep praying for abundance...
    when God is trying to teach dependence.
    Sometimes daily bread produces deeper faith than overflowing barns.

    III. SIN ALWAYS LEAVES PEOPLE EMPTY

    This passage is about famine.
    But famine is really the consequence.
    The cause was rebellion.
    Sin always promises abundance.
    It always delivers emptiness.
    Sin promises freedom.
    It produces slavery.
    Sin promises satisfaction.
    It produces hunger.
    Sin promises life.
    It produces death.
    The siege simply revealed what sin had already accomplished spiritually.
    John 10:10 NASB95
    “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
    Illustration: Salt water seems to satisfy thirst—
    for a moment.
    But every drink makes you thirstier.
    Sin always works that way.
    Application: What are we feeding our souls?
    Entertainment?
    Success?
    Approval?
    Possessions?
    Only Christ satisfies.

    IV. GOD'S DISCIPLINE IS MEANT TO LEAD TO REPENTANCE

    Verse 17 is heartbreaking.
    People become appalled.
    Weak.
    Discouraged.
    Because of sin.
    Notice:
    God is not delighting in this.
    He is grieving over it.
    Sometimes people picture God as eager to judge.
    Scripture presents Him differently.
    He warns.
    He waits.
    He calls.
    He pleads.
    Only after generations of rejection does judgment come.
    Discipline is God's mercy trying to rescue us before destruction becomes permanent.
    Hebrews 12:6 NASB95
    For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
    Discipline is proof of relationship.
    Not rejection. We need to change our perspective about God’s discipline.

    V. JESUS IS OUR TRUE BREAD

    This is where every sermon in Ezekiel should eventually point.
    The people were eating bread that symbolized judgment.
    Jesus later stood before hungry crowds and said something astonishing.
    John 6:35 NASB95
    Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
    Ezekiel's bread reminded people of scarcity.
    Jesus offers abundance.
    Ezekiel's bread pictured judgment.
    Jesus offers grace.
    Ezekiel measured bread by ounces.
    Jesus multiplies bread for thousands.
    Ezekiel announced famine.
    Jesus satisfies forever.
    There is a Powerful Contrast Jerusalem's bread could only sustain physical life briefly.
    Jesus gives eternal life.
    That is why every hunger ultimately points us toward Him.
    As Deuteronomy 8:3 reminds us:
    "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
    Our deepest need has never been merely physical. It has always been spiritual.
    Every one of us will experience seasons of lack.
    Some will be financial.
    Some emotional.
    Some physical.
    Some spiritual.
    The question is not whether those seasons will come.
    The question is:
    What will they reveal about where our trust has been?
    Scarcity has a way of exposing what abundance can hide.
    It reveals whether our confidence has been in God's gifts—or in God Himself.
    Closing Challenge
    Ask yourself:
    If everything familiar were taken away, would Christ still be enough?
    Have I allowed comfort to replace dependence?
    Am I trusting God's provision—or am I trusting the Provider?
    Is there an area where God is calling me back to wholehearted dependence?
    God's desire is not to leave us empty.
    His desire is to empty us of false confidence so that He can fill us with Himself.
    Altar Call
    Invite those who are in seasons of lack—whether materially, emotionally, or spiritually—to come before the Lord.
    You might say:
    "Some of you are carrying burdens that no one else knows about. Some are wondering where the next answer will come from. Others have discovered that what once satisfied no longer does. Today, Jesus still says, 'I am the Bread of Life.' Come to Him. Let Him be your sufficiency."
River of Life Community Church
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763-321-6509
http://www.rolcc.info/live/
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