Influence the World Through the Kingdom of God

Oct 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Your Birthday Becomes a Babylon Moment

Ezekiel prepared 30 years to serve as a priest, only to be exiled on his birthday. God rerouted his calling from temple rituals to prophetic obedience. Seasons of disruption often reveal God’s greater purpose – not to destroy dreams, but to align us with eternal assignments. What feels like loss becomes the riverbank where God speaks clearest. Faithfulness matters more than familiarity when heaven reshapes our purpose. [52:29]

“Then the Spirit entered me and made me stand on my feet, and He spoke to me and said to me, ‘Go, shut yourself up in your house.’” (Ezekiel 3:24, NASB)

Reflection: Where has life’s disruption become God’s invitation to deeper obedience? How might your current disappointment be preparing you for divine assignment?

Day 2: Tolerate People, Not Poison

Israel blended foreign beliefs with God’s truth until His glory left the temple. Tolerance of destructive ideologies became celebration, then propagation. Followers of Christ must love people fiercely while rejecting anything contradicting God’s word. Silence about sin isn’t kindness – it’s complicity in eternal separation. Truth without grace crushes; grace without truth deceives. [59:15]

“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14, NASB)

Reflection: What cultural compromise have you normalized that grieves God’s heart? How can you courageously love someone while refusing to endorse what harms them?

Day 3: Loud About Hope, Not Hype

The church often amplifies complaints about culture while whispering Christ’s redemption. Ezekiel proclaimed coming judgment AND restoration. Our message thrives when hope drowns out outrage. Every conversation about what’s wrong must point to what’s made right through Jesus. Victory shouts louder than victimhood. [01:07:35]

“But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15, NASB)

Reflection: Does your speech about societal problems outpace your testimony of Christ’s solutions? What specific hope from Scripture can you share today?

Day 4: Relationship Fuels Correction

Jesus dined with sinners yet never softened truth. Ezekiel’s prophecies flowed from his priestly heart for God’s people. Effective spiritual influence requires proximity – we earn the right to speak hard truths through consistent love. Armchair critics change nothing; invested allies spark revival. [01:12:43]

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” (Galatians 6:1, NASB)

Reflection: Who in your circle needs truth wrapped in relationship? How can you deepen connections before addressing needed changes?

Day 5: Haymakers for the Kingdom

Complacency breeds cultural captivity. Ezekiel’s bizarre object lessons grabbed attention – rolling scrolls, lying on his side, cooking over dung fires. Spiritual warfare demands unconventional obedience. Passive faith loses ground; intentional discipleship claims territory. Every ordinary believer carries kingdom dynamite. [01:13:37]

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, NASB)

Reflection: What “haymaker” act of faith have you avoided out of fear? How can you weaponize love today against darkness in your sphere?

Sermon Summary

Ezekiel begins with a man whose whole life had been pointed toward the priesthood, only for Babylon to take him into exile right when that calling should have started. God meets Ezekiel by the river Chebar and gives him a different assignment: not popularity, not applause, but faithfulness. Ezekiel becomes a prophet to rebellious people, speaking God’s word whether they listen or not.

The Word of God shows why Israel landed in exile. God gave chance after chance after chance, but Israel kept choosing rebellion, sin, and the influence of the nations around them. God’s glory leaves the temple because the temple, built for a holy God to dwell with His people, had become shaped by everybody else’s kingdom. Israel’s worship, sacrifices, and theology got bent by the culture around them until God’s presence was no longer the center.

Ezekiel 25 through 32 turns the eyes toward the surrounding nations, but the judgment reveals something hard about Israel too. Israel was supposed to influence the nations for the kingdom of God, but instead the nations influenced Israel. The culture moved from being tolerated to celebrated, and from celebrated to propagated. That cycle did not lead people toward life with God. It led them farther into separation from Him.

The kingdom of God calls believers to refuse that same cycle. Sin is not harmless because sin separates people from God, and tolerance of what destroys a person can become quiet agreement with their eternal death. God’s hard stance against sin does not come from a desire to punish people. God’s stance comes from His desire to dwell with people.

Jesus shows that truth and grace belong together. Jesus sits at tables with sinners, loves people deeply, and still confronts what separates them from God. The church cannot make its goal drawing crowds, building hype, or making everybody like it. The church must disciple believers, live hope, and stand on biblical principle rather than personal preference.

The kingdom of God is worth being loud about because Jesus was loud and passionate about saving people. Christ has already bridged the gap of eternal separation through His blood. The call is not to pick fights or attack people, but to let correction come through relationship and to stand ground with love. God’s people are examples of a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and that hope can change families, coworkers, communities, and the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Faithfulness matters more than popularity Ezekiel’s call did not depend on whether rebellious people approved of him or listened to him. God gave him responsibility for obedience, not responsibility for results. Faithfulness means speaking and living what God has said even when the culture rewards compromise. [55:27]
2. Tolerance can become spiritual compromise Israel did not lose its way all at once. The slow drift began by tolerating ideas that contradicted God, then celebrating them, and eventually pushing them forward. A heart must stay anchored in Scripture because what is repeatedly welcomed eventually begins shaping worship and belief. [60:34]
3. Truth must come through relationship Jesus did not avoid sinners, and He did not affirm the sin that was destroying them. Grace brings people near, while truth refuses to lie about what separates them from God. Christian conviction should never become an excuse for cruelty, but love should never become an excuse for silence. [68:21]
4. Hope speaks louder than hype The kingdom of God gives more than arguments against darkness. Jesus gives restoration, forgiveness, life, and an eternal future with God. Believers can be louder about what they are for because the hope of Christ is stronger than every empty promise competing for a heart. [66:57]
5. Christ bridges eternal separation Jesus shed His blood for what human effort could never pay. His forgiveness cleanses the past, meets the present, and redeems the future. Faith in Christ gives a person a real place to stand and an eternal relationship with God the Father.

## [74:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[49:49] - Binge the Bible and Ezekiel
[51:32] - Why All Scripture Matters
[52:29] - Ezekiel’s Call From Priest to Prophet
[53:05] - God’s Glory Leaves the Temple
[56:11] - Is the Kingdom Worth Being Loud About?
[57:39] - Israel Influenced by Surrounding Nations
[60:09] - Tolerate, Celebrate, Propagate
[66:57] - Living Hope Instead of Hype
[68:21] - Grace, Truth, and Relationship
[70:36] - Standing Ground for God’s Kingdom
[74:17] - Jesus Bridges the Gap

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ezekiel 1-3
“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. [...] And He said to me, 'Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord God." As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.” [52:29]

Ezekiel 36:25-26
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” [53:59]

2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” [51:38]

Observation questions

What change in Ezekiel’s life and calling took place when he was taken into exile, and where did God meet him?
In Ezekiel 1–3, what was Ezekiel responsible for, and what was he not responsible for when speaking to rebellious people? [55:10]
What reasons were given for God’s glory leaving the temple, and how had Israel’s worship been affected by the nations around them? [53:11]
According to 2 Timothy 3:16–17, what are some of the ways God’s Word works in the life of a believer? [51:38]

Interpretation questions

Why would God call Ezekiel to speak faithfully even when the people might not listen? What does that reveal about the difference between obedience and visible results? [55:16]
Israel was meant to influence the surrounding nations but instead became influenced by them. How can a gradual move from tolerating sin to celebrating and promoting it reshape a person’s beliefs and worship? [01:00:26]
Why is it important to distinguish between loving a person and agreeing with every belief or behavior? How does that distinction protect both truth and compassion?
Ezekiel 36 points toward cleansing and a new heart, ultimately fulfilled through Jesus. Why is forgiveness through Christ necessary for restored relationship with God rather than simply trying harder to improve? [53:59]

Application questions

Where is the pressure to be liked making it harder for you to be faithful to what God has called you to do—at home, work, school, online, or among friends? What would faithful obedience look like in that situation? [55:27]
Is there an attitude, habit, message, or cultural value that you have begun to tolerate even though it pulls your heart away from God? What could help you bring that area back under the authority of Scripture? [01:09:19]
How can you make sure your convictions are rooted in biblical principle rather than personal preference? Is there an issue where you need to spend more time listening to God’s Word before speaking strongly? [01:13:18]
Who is one person in your life who needs to experience both the love of Jesus and the truth of Jesus? What could it look like to deepen relationship with them rather than avoiding them or picking a fight with them? [01:08:21]
Jesus brings grace and truth together. When you need to address a hard subject with someone, what helps you speak with humility, patience, and genuine care? [01:12:29]
The kingdom offers hope, restoration, forgiveness, and eternal life. Which of those parts of the gospel do you most need to live out or speak about this week, and with whom could you share that hope? [01:07:14]

Sermon Clips

40s

#GraceAndTruth

“No. It's not that. In fact, you might change their life by staying there. But it doesn't mean... Listen, I sit... Jesus sat at tables with sinners and still confronted their sin. He had relationship and correction in the same place. Church, the way we live ought to be an example of God's love for us. You can give the invite, you can give the prayer, you can love somebody, you can be there. Why? Because God's gone ahead of you.”

31s

#FaithfulNotPopular

“And then on his thirtieth birthday, they come, they exile, and we've already talked about that. And God begins to speak to Ezekiel by the river in Kibar, and he begins to tell him, not, you're not gonna be a priest, you're gonna be a prophet. Which means I need you to speak what I tell you to speak to the people I tell you to speak it to. And then he looks at him and goes, hey, I don't know if they're gonna listen to you. In fact, they're rebellious, so they're probably not. But he goes, I don't need you to worry about being popular. I need you to worry about being faithful.”

44s

#GodWantsToDwell

“I'm not so sure that in some ways we're not living the same cycle Israel lived. I'm not so sure that today we're not walking through a lot of the same things. Why? Because let me tolerate and what celebrated is repeated. And so now it's okay to continue walking in your separation from God. And then we end up propagating. And I'm just here to tell you today, there's a God that loves you too much to allow that to happen. Why why why does the Bible take such a hard stance? Why are you so big on this? Not because God wants to punish people, but because God wants to dwell with us.”

30s

#InfluenceNotInfluenced

“It's because if we don't come to a realization, we don't know where to go. If we don't know where we are, we don't know where we go. So instead of being an influence, Israel became influenced. Instead of influencing for the kingdom, they they began to tolerate ideologies and things that were unbiblical and ungodly. They tolerated it. And over time, the more you tolerate something, the more you'll learn to celebrate it.”

38s

#KingdomExamples

“Here's our takeaway. We are examples of God's kingdom. Let's go be that. Let's go be that. Let's be louder about what we're for than what we're against. But I don't have to tolerate what I'm against either. If it's against him, if it's against against your preference, forget your preference. It's biblical principle, not personal preference. But if it's against biblical principle, we got a we got a responsibility to stand up for the ways and the things of God.”

33s

#GraceAndTruth

“We'd rather fight with our own family of believers than attack the sin that separates us from God. So I'd rather get mad at you for playing a song I don't like than to talk to the person that's clearly walking away from God and tell them about the love of Jesus. Why? Well, gotta tolerate me anyway. Now now hear me. Jesus was about two things. Grace and truth.”

52s

#KingdomNotCulture

“Because here's why here's why God was mad or or having judgment over the surrounding nations. Because the surrounding nations had so influenced God's people and God's temple that their theology, teaching, worship styles, and everything from the outside now was affected by everything around them. So every nation around them dictated the way they prayed, the way they worshiped, the way that they sacrificed for forgiveness, the way they connected to God, all these things. And now Israel is is is being judged and their surrounding nations. Why? Because Israel allowed the kingdom of God to be influenced by other beliefs rather than the kingdom of God.”

36s

#StandOnGodsWord

“Correction comes through relationship. So I'm not telling you to go do all that, but what I am telling you is to stand by your convictions and stop letting every other thing around you influence the thing God put in you. The Bible's clear about where we stand. The question is, we can change the world. Many won't, will you? The question is, do I believe God enough to go this right here is the written standing word of God, and I will live on this. I will filter through this. I will live with him.”

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