You’re Invited! 1-2 Chronicles – “If My People”

Posted on June 20, 2026 by dkoop

You’re invited to our new message series!   It’s from the Old Testament books of 1-2 Chronicles, “If My People.”

Description:  Our six-week summer series
chronicles God’s kings: David, Solomon,
Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and more.
Whether for a nation, a family, or an
individual, God’s word gives us principles to
live a life that honors Him, regardless of
the external circumstances. Living God’s way is the best way.

 

Dates -Titles – Scriptures – Events

June 21 – A Man after God’s Heart (1 Chron. 11-29) Father’s Day
June 28 – Asking for God’s Wisdom (2 Chron. 1) Communion
July 5 – Seeking God’s Face (2 Chron. 7) Independence Day Weekend
July 12 – Rely on God’s Strength (2 Chron. 14-15)
July 19 – Boldness in God’s Work (2 Chron. 17-21)
July 26 – Doing Right in God’s Eyes (2 Chron. 29-32) Communion

Here’s an Overview of 1st and 2nd Chronicles 

What if you had the job of communicating your nation’s entire history—its rulers, wars, religious events, economic cycles—starting with the beginning of mankind? First and Second Chronicles is that history for Israel. It’s the story of Israel’s kings and God’s faithfulness to His promises.

It’s a long story, and many Bible readers find it boring. Maybe that’s because the Chronicles account opens with a list of names—literally, “Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared . . .” (1 Chr 1:1–2). The genealogies go on for nine chapters. But that’s not all there is to this document. First and Second Chronicles is an executive summary of God’s covenant with David, and how things played out afterward. The books tell this story in four major acts:

  1. From Adam to David. The first nine chapters cover all the time that takes place from Genesis 2 to First Samuel 15 (mostly via long genealogies). They trace David’s ancestry along with the other major families in the 12 tribes of Israel.
  2. David’s reign. David was a good king who followed God, united the tribes of Israel, and delivered the nation from her enemies. God makes an everlasting covenant with David: his son Solomon’s throne will be established forever (1 Chr 17). David draws up plans to make a great temple for the Lord. Before he dies, he charges Solomon and the people with building the temple and being faithful to the Lord (1 Chr 28:8–9).
  3. Solomon’s reign. When Solomon becomes king, he asks God for wisdom instead of riches, long life, or the deaths of his adversaries. God is pleased with his request, and grants him wisdom, plus extravagant riches and power. Solomon builds the temple of God in Jerusalem: a majestic house for His name. Israel flourishes under Solomon’s rule, becoming the most prominent nation in their region of the world (2 Chr 9:13–30).
  4. From Jerusalem to Babylon. The kingdom splits after Solomon dies: 10 tribes rebel and form a new kingdom to the North, while the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remain loyal to David’s royal line. This act gives us the highlights of each king’s reign. The kings that follow do not serve the Lord the way David did, however. They neglect God’s temple, they ignore God’s law, they persecute God’s prophets, and they seek out new gods. A few good kings bring about revival, but eventually God disciplines His people for forsaking Him—which is exactly what David warned would happen long ago. The Babylonians sack Jerusalem, raze the temple, and carry the children of Israel into captivity for 70 years. Afterward, the Persian king Cyrus decrees that the temple be rebuilt.

The Chronicles focus on two important themes: God’s covenant with David and the temple. As you read First and Second Chronicles, you’ll see that the temple of God is the main location of interest: David plans it, Solomon builds it, kings are crowned in it, prophets are killed in it, and the law is rediscovered in it. The temple is center stage in the drama of Chronicles.

Key verse of 1 & 2 Chronicles

“He [Solomon] shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.” (1 Chr 17:12)

The Chronicles were written sometime after the Hebrews returned to Jerusalem from Babylon—possibly by Ezra. The author, or Chronicler, surveys Israel’s history as a sovereign state. David and Solomon are the key characters, as they were the great kings who ruled all Israel from Jerusalem. The Chronicles record the history of kings through two lenses:

  1. The Mosaic Covenant, which God made with all Israel after delivering them from Egypt. In this covenant, God sets Israel apart as His special nation. The terms: if Israel obeys God’s laws, He blesses them, but if Israel rejects God’s laws, He disciplines them. The documents of this agreement are known as the Law of Moses, or the Pentateuch: they’re the first five books of the Bible.
  2. The Davidic Covenant, which God made to David. David had planned to build a house for God, but God instead promises to establish David’s family on the throne forever. God is faithful to His promise: even when the northern tribes of Israel rebel, God keeps David’s line on the throne in Jerusalem. The Davidic Covenant is later realized in Jesus Christ, who is called both the Son of David and King of Kings (Mt 1:1; Rev 17:14).

First and Second Chronicles cover all Hebrew history from the creation of Man (Gn 2:20; 1 Chr 1:1) to the Hebrews’ return from exile (2 Chr 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4). The content in Chronicles also reflects Moses’ predictions in Deuteronomy:

The books of Chronicles are long. They’re full of genealogies and records. But they’re the records of God’s long-lasting faithfulness to His people, even when they are not faithful to Him.

Quick outline of 1 & 2 Chronicles

  1. From Adam to David (1 Chr 1–9)
  2. David rules and unites Israel (1 Chr 10–29)
  3. Solomon builds the temple (2 Chr 1–9)
  4. From Jerusalem to Babylon (2 Chr 10–36)

I hope you can join us for our summer series, “If My People..” from 1st and 2nd Chronicles!

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: You Version

Sources: https://overviewbible.com/1-2-chronicles/
https://sermonsolutions.org/key-themes-of-the-bible-book-by-book-overview/1-chronicles-key-themes
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Prophecies Fulfilled Before Our Eyes – Ezekiel 36-38

Posted on June 17, 2026 by dkoop

“I wished I lived in Bible times to see God’s miracles first hand,” some say.  Actually, you are living in Bible times!  Today’s passages or prophecies in Ezekiel are coming to be right before our eyes.

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.”  Ezekiel 36:24

The modern-day rebirth¹ of the nation of Israel,  seventy years ago is such an unprecedented act in world history, it has to be considered impossible² or a ‘miracle’ only achieved by divine intervention.  (You can read more about the events before and after that are incredible or miraculous here.)

Scattered jews from other “nations” and “countries” are brought into their “own land.” Many are familiar with this event, but as we read and did messages in Ezekiel a few other items jumped out to me.

Notice the word “desolate” to describe the land BEFORE the jews returned in Ezekiel 36: 34: 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 

“Desolate” is the exact word used by Mark Twain in 1867 to describe Palestine (the land of Israel) before the Jews returned.

Mark Twain’s statements about Palestine appear primarily in his 1869 travel book, The Innocents Abroad, which documented his 1867 tour of the Holy Land. He famously described the region as a “desolate country” that was barren, unlovely, and largely abandoned. “Palestine is a desolate wasteland.”  He wrote.

Famous Descriptions of Desolation

Twain’s The Innocents Abroad contains frequently cited passages describing Palestine as a “desolate country,” a “silent mournful expanse” plagued by “sow of weeds”. He portrayed the land as being under a “curse” that destroyed its productivity, noting a distinct lack of permanent, settled villages, mentioning only Bedouin tents. [1, 2]

And Jerusalem, the “stateliest name in history”, was in reality a village, so small he could circle it – all “rags, wretchedness, poverty and dirt” – in an hour. That storied city, he concluded, was “mournful, and dreary, and lifeless” and for the life of him, he would not choose to live there.

Ezekiel was right, so was Mark Twain, the land before the Jews arrived in 1948 was desolate.  Under the Ottoman Empire when Mark Twain wrote these words, the land was “desolate, poor, dry and lifeless.”

For example, this jumped out to me as I was illustrating and finding pictures to show of Jacob’s Well in Sychar from John 4.

Notice the dry land, rocks and the poverty of the land and the people in these 1930’s images from our Library of Congress.

God’s word is very accurate. It was desolate before the Jews returned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then notice this picture from recent times of the same place after the land was restored to Israel.  Notice all the buildings, infrastructure and greenery.  “Ruined cities now inhabited.”  In fifty to sixty years later, there is a massive difference!

We are seeing Ezekiel’s prophecies fulfilled before our very eyes.

And notice the words “tilled and garden.”  4 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden;

Also notice:  I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.  Ezekiel 36:29-30

Israel today is very productive, not only with their technology, military, medicine, and economy but in Agricultural products as God said.

Israel exports approximately $2.8 billion dollars worth of agricultural products annually. Key export categories include fresh produce—primarily avocados, mangos, dates, citrus, potatoes, and sweet potatoes—as well as highly advanced agricultural technologies like drip irrigation, desalination systems, and AI-driven precision farming. The European Union remains its largest overall trade partner. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Top Agricultural Exports

  • Fresh Produce: Avocados, mangos, dates (especially Medjool), citrus, peppers, carrots, and potatoes.
  • Agricultural Technology: Drip irrigation systems, seed varieties, water desalination technology, and precision farming software.
  • Processed Foods: Olive oil, almonds, and specialized consumer-ready goods. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Primary Export Destinations

  • European Union: France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK are the primary markets for Israeli fresh fruits and vegetables, often stocked in major supermarket chains.
  • Global AgriTech Markets: Israel’s innovations in water management and precision agriculture are exported worldwide, significantly impacting developing regions and large-scale farming operations global.

Lastly, in Ezekiel 38,  the prophet describes the land full of wealth and bounty.

” (Gog) You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell [d]safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ”  

Israel today is prosperous and wealthy, as God said it would be.

Israel’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is roughly $719.8 billion. When measured by GDP per capita, Israel climbs significantly higher, ranking around 13th to 20th in the world with an average of nearly $69,800 per person. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The specific rankings and figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlight different facets of Israel’s economy: [1, 2, 3]

  • Total Nominal GDP: $719.85 Billion (Ranked 26th globally)
  • GDP Per Capita: $69,804 (Ranked ~15th globally

Israel exports approximately $60 to $64 billion worth of goods and services annually, heavily driven by high-tech equipment, precision instruments, cut diamonds, and refined chemicals. The United States remains its largest single trading partner, accounting for more than a quarter of all shipments. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Top Export Categories

Israel’s export portfolio is dominated by high-complexity manufacturing and advanced tech: [1, 2, 3, 4]

  • Electrical Machinery & Electronics: Integrated circuits, telecommunications equipment, and computer hardware.
  • Optical, Technical, & Medical Apparatus: Surgical and medical instruments, diagnostic tools, and measuring equipment.
  • Gems & Precious Metals: Cut and unmounted diamonds, making Israel one of the world’s premier diamond-processing hubs.

Israel in a short period of time has acquired vast “goods, silver and gold,” as God said.  We are watching prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes!

I pray that this encourages you and grows your faith in the fact that God’s word is true and can be trusted.

Darrell

PS.  One last thought, why do people have a problem with Israel? Is it that God’s Word is true?

Here’s a great quote from Berel Solomon 

“There’s something about Israel that makes people uncomfortable, and it’s not what they say it is.

They’ll point to politics, settlements, borders, and wars. But scratch beneath the outrage, and you’ll find something deeper. A discomfort not with what Israel does, but with what Israel is.

A nation this small should not be this strong. Period.

Israel has no oil. No special natural resources. A population barely the size of a mid-sized American city. They are surrounded by enemies. Targeted by terror. Condemned by celebrities. Boycotted, slandered, and attacked.

And still, they thrive like there’s no tomorrow.

In military. In medicine. In security. In technology. In agriculture. In intelligence. In morality.

They turn desert into farmland.
They make water from air.
They intercept rockets in mid-air.
They rescue hostages under the nose of the world’s worst regimes.
They survive wars that were supposed to wipe them out

The world watches this and can’t make sense of it.

So they do what people do when they witness strength they can’t understand.

They assume it must be cheating.

It must be American aid.
It must be foreign lobbying.
It must be oppression.
It must be theft.
It must be some dark trick that gave the Jews this kind of power.
It must be blackmail.

Because heaven forbid it’s something else.
Heaven forbid it’s real.
Heaven forbid it’s earned.
Or worse, destined.

The Jewish people were supposed to disappear a long, long time ago. That’s how the story of exiled, enslaved, hated minorities is supposed to end. But the Jews didn’t disappear. They actually came home, rebuilt their land, revived their language, and brought their dead back to life — in memory, in identity, and in strength.

That’s not normal.
It’s not political.
It’s biblical.

There’s no cheat code that explains how a group of people return to their homeland after 2,000 years.

And there is no historical precedent for surviving the Babylonians, the Romans, the Crusaders, the Inquisition, the pogroms, and the Holocaust, and still showing up to work on Monday in Tel Aviv.

Israel doesn’t make sense.
Unless you believe in something beyond the math.

This is what drives the world crazy. Because if Israel is real, if this improbable, ancient, hated nation is somehow still chosen, protected, and thriving, then maybe God isn’t a myth after all.

Maybe He’s still in the story.

Maybe history isn’t random.
Maybe evil doesn’t get the last word.
Maybe the Jews are not just a people… but a testimony.

That’s what they can’t stand.

Because once you admit that Israel’s survival isn’t just impressive, but divine, everything changes. Your assumptions about history, power, and justice collapse. You realize you’re not watching the end of an empire. You’re witnessing the beginning of something eternal.

So they deny it.
They smear it.
And rage against it.

Because it’s easier to call a miracle “cheating” than to face the possibility that God keeps His promises.

And He’s keeping them still.”

Amen!

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: You Version

Footnotes:

¹The modern State of Israel officially declared independence on May 14, 1948. This milestone established it as an independent and sovereign nation, coinciding with the expiration of the British Mandate over Palestine.  The declaration followed the United Nations’ 1947 adoption of Resolution 181, which recommended partitioning the region into separate Jewish and Arab states.  You can read the full historical proclamation on the official Israeli Government website or explore the broader international milestones surrounding the event via the U.S. Department of State archive. [1, 2, 3]

² The Encyclopedia Britannica changes their additions as the years go by. We discover in retrospect that they’re not always accurate. Here’s an excerpt from a 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: “The possibility that we can ever again recover the correct pronunciation of ancient Hebrew is as remote as the possibility that a Jewish empire will ever again be established in the Middle East.”   In Israel today there is a revived Hebrew spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, throughout the land. And it’s done in the ancient homeland that has been re-established, according to the prophecies.  What seemed impossible is possible!

Sources: https://www.icej.org/understand-israel/israel-updates/the-miracle-of-israels-rebirth/

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New Opportunities – Ezekiel 18

Posted on June 12, 2026 by dkoop

“It’s not my fault!”   “God is not fair!”

Have you ever said that? Have you ever thought that?

In today’s passage, God’s people, who are in exile, were using those two phrases as the reasons that bad things were happening to them.  God will give them new opportunities to change the ways they’re thinking by not blaming, being a victim or making excuses and an opportunity to change their lives for good.

There’s a familiar saying that we have in our world today: excuses are like belly buttons; everyone has one!

Making excuses is a common default way of thinking. excuses are not new. The very first account of humanity in the scriptures reveal everyone’s excuse for their sin. Adam blames Eve for his sin. Eve blames the serpent for her sin. Everyone has an excuse.

This is also true here in Ezekiel 18. Ezekiel is prophesying to the people who have been carried into captivity by the Babylonian Empire. He is preaching to them about two key ideas. First, Ezekiel is preaching to them about what is going to happen in Judah and Jerusalem. He is seeing visions of how God has left the temple and his people and how the city and temple will be destroyed. Second, Ezekiel is preaching to the people to change their hearts so that they are repentant and ready for when God calls for his people to return to the land. One of the problems God must address through Ezekiel are the excuses they are making about their condition.

The Lord begins by quoting what the people in captivity are saying about their circumstances. Look at verse 2. “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (ESV). The point of the proverb concerning the people is that they think they are being punished for their parents’ sins. Our parents ate the sour grapes. But we are the ones reaping their punishment. They are acting like they did not do anything wrong. The people back in the land who had not be exiled were also saying this proverb, which is recorded in Jeremiah 31:29. They believe that all of their troubles are because of the prior generations. Their excuses may come from what God said about his character throughout the scriptures. Listen to how God describes himself.

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, VISITING the sins of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6–7 ESV)

They might have understood God to be saying that future generations pay the punishment for the sins of the prior generations, but that is not true.  The word “visiting” means just that, visiting! If sin is “visiting” do you have to invite it to stay?

God is going to get rid of this false proverb that the people are saying. God has a two part answer to their false proverb.

The Lord’s first answer is that every life belongs to him. Every life is in the hands of God. Therefore, they are not subject to a series of unfortunate events. God is telling them that they should not be fatalistic in their thinking. The wheels of life were not set in motion so that, no matter what they people did, they would have to be crushed in the gears. God is destroying a fatalistic point of view about the world and about punishments. We are not doomed to particular outcome regardless of what we do.

The Lord’s second answer in verse 4 is that only the person who sins will die. We are not being punished for our parents’ sins. We do not bear the guilt of what our parents or our grandparents or our great grandparents have done. This is not how God runs the world. This is not how God determines punishments for sins. Here is the key truth: each individual will receive the punishment that is rightly due to each individual.

Here’s the first opportunity God is giving:

  1. The Opportunity for Responsibility

God is now going to illustrate this truth in a number of ways. In verses 5-9 God describes a righteous man who does what is right and just. God says in verse 9 that this man will surely live. But if he has a violent son who breaks God’s laws, he will not live. He has committed all of these abominations and his blood is on himself (18:13). But God keeps going with the illustration. Suppose this wicked son now himself has a son and sees all the wicked ways of his father and does not follow in his footsteps (18:14). Verse 17 says that this son will not die for the father’s sins. He will surely live. The father will die for his sins but his son will not. In verses 19-20 God sets forward the principle. The person who sins will die. The son does not suffer punishment from God for the sins of his father. The father does not suffer punishment for the sins of the son. The righteousness of the righteous is his own and the wickedness of the wicked are his own.

Notice that God will end his illustration with a really important truth. Look at verses 21-24. If a wicked person turns from all his sins and does what is just and right, he will surely live. Look at verse 22. None of the transgressions committed will be remembered. God is declaring two important truths and another important opportunity!

2. The Opportunity for Repentance

First, repentance is possible. You are not doomed by your parents’ sins. Having wicked parents does not mean you have to be wicked. Having a wicked family does not mean that you are doomed to punishment. God says that you can see their sins and turn away from them. You are not doomed to a life of sin just because your parents may be set you on that path. You do not have to do what your parents did. You are not doomed to be just like your parents. We see to think that this is not true in our society. We seem to think that if you had bad parents, or lacked parents, or were brought up in a bad environment that you had no choice but to continue in those evil ways. But the Lord says that this is not true. You do not have to replicate your family life. You can repudiate your family life and go a different direction.

Second, God explains why it is true that you are not destined to punishment because of your parents. Look at verse 23. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. Do we have this view of God? God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. God wants the wicked to turn from their wicked ways and to live. God wants you to have life, not punishment. Repentance is possible. Removing the punishment that is due to us is possible. Our great hope is that none of our sins will be remembered if we turn to him (18:23). You are not doomed to sin. You are not destined to punishment. Everyone can turn and live.

God also says that this is true in the other direction. In verse 24 God says that the righteous is able to turn from his righteous ways and do evil. If we turn from the Lord, then none of our righteous deeds will be remembered. They will die for their sins. Notice that God does not picture taking all of our good deeds and weighing them against our evil deeds and seeing which we have more of. God does not put our deeds on the scale and say that if we have more righteous deeds than wicked deeds then we will live. God does not put our deeds on the scale and say that if we have more wicked acts than righteous act then we will die. Notice what God is saying. It is all about how you end. If your end is in turning from wickedness then you will have life. If your end is turning from righteousness, then you will be punished. It is not about your past. It is about the present. You are evaluated for what you are doing right now.

Now the people have been saying that God is not fair. But God rejects this in verse 25. God is fair. The people are the ones who are unfair. God is just. Do not say otherwise. God is not the problem. We are the problem. Punishment is because of what we have done. No one else is to blame. We are not bearing the punishment of what other people have done. God is just and you will be judged by what you do. God is as fair as it gets. You will be judged by what you do. You have the ability to change what you are doing and save your life (18:27-28).

Lastly there is one more opportunity!

3. The Opportunity for Renewal

Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live. (Ezekiel 18:30–32 NRSV)

Ezekiel’s solution to the problem of inherited guilt is for each person to have a changed life. This is God’s work in us and not something we can do for ourselves. The Holy Spirit does it (Psalm 51:10–12). If we renounce our life’s direction of sin and rebellion and turn to God, he will give us a new direction, a new love, and a new power to change. You can begin by faith, trusting in God’s power to change your heart and mind. Then determine to live each day with him in control (Ephesians 4:22–24).

God has made it possible to save your life. God wants us to thoughtfully turn to him. Throw away these sins that are going to bring about your eternal death. You do not have to follow through on your desires. You do not have to follow through on your temptations. Say no to sin and throw them away. Peter said it like this in his sermon:

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:40 NIV)

This is what God proclaimed through God’s word. Save yourselves from your evil ways. Cast away all of these sins from your life. Second, God instructs his people to get a new heart and a new spirit. God’s heart for you is that he does not want you to die (18:31-32). God does not want your destruction. So turn from your sins and make a new heart and spirit for yourselves. God is begging us to turn before it is too late. But we must want a new heart and a new spirit.

Our new opportunities and new ways of thinking includes some key truths: First, every life belongs to the Lord. We are accountable to him because he made us. Second, we do not bear the punishment of our parents or anyone else. Third, we are not destined to sin and punishment. We are able to change the direction of our lives. Fourth, God is just. We are the problem. God is not the problem. Everyone else is not the problem. Stop making excuses for our sinning. Fifth, God does not desire the wicked to perish. And finally, God renews and restores our hearts and spirits.  So he gives opportunities for us to turn before judgment comes. He will not judge you for your past if you will turn to him today.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: You Version

Sources:
Brent Kercheville, Ezekiel 18, No More Excuses, February, 2023
Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 1329.
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Stone Heart to a New Heart – Ezekiel 36: 26-27

Posted on May 26, 2026 by dkoop

“I will give you a new heart and… I will put My Spirit within you.”

It was 103°F in Hell Creek, South Dakota, one day in September 1993. Dinosaur hunter Michael Hammer was amazed at what he saw. Sticking out of the ground were the remains of a Thescelosaurus, a plant-eating dinosaur. The skeleton was almost complete. Hammer says he knew right away that it was “very special.”

Scientists reported that inside the dinosaur’s chest was what seems to be a stone heart–the first dinosaur heart ever seen.

God described His people as having a “heart of stone.”  In other words; they had hearts that were dead, cold, hard, lifeless and unresponsive.   Now that God described the condition of their hearts and ours in this way, what would He do about it?

The Lord cares deeply for His people and promises to spiritually transform and renew them. If the Israelites had ever needed spiritual transformation and renewal, it was then. A spirit of discouragement and distress had gripped their hearts. Their nation and homeland had been totally destroyed by the ruthless Babylonian army. They had lost their homes and businesses; furthermore, their land was utterly devastated. They themselves had been deported and were exiles in a foreign nation. And, sadly, many of their loved ones, family members, and neighbors had died in the defense of their nation. Utter hopelessness flooded their minds and smothered any hope in the future. Despair and grief flooded their very souls. But the Lord knew and He cared. So He instructed Ezekiel to preach a message that offered the brightest of all futures. A day was coming when the people would be spiritually transformed and renewed.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” Ezekiel 36: 26-27

God will give the people a new heart and put a new spirit in them. The Lord will regenerate all people who truly trust Him. They will be born again spiritually and become brand new people.

This promise from God in Ezekiel focuses upon spiritual transformation. The theological term is called “regeneration.”  When we truly trust Christ, He cleanses our hearts by forgiving our sins and giving us a new spirit. He does just what He says in this Scripture:

⇒ He restores us to Himself.

⇒ He cleanses us from all sin.

⇒ He gives us a new heart and a new spirit.

⇒ He puts His precious Holy Spirit within us, making our bodies His temple.

⇒ He gives us an inheritance in the promised land of heaven.

⇒ He claims us as His people, and He becomes our God.

⇒ He delivers us from all the bondages of sin and unclean behavior.

All the promises that God originally gave Israel through the prophet Ezekiel apply to true believers, no matter what their nationality. When we truly trust the Lord, He spiritually transforms us. Let’s read more about what God’s Word says about spiritual transformation:

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” John 1:12-13

  Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.

 Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your [b]reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  Rom. 12:1-2

 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor. 5:17.

That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Eph. 4:22-24.

 Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ Philippians 1:6

 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  Titus 3:4-7.

No matter how impure our lives are right now, God offers each of us a fresh start. You can have your sins washed away, receive a new heart for God, and have his Spirit within you—if you accept God’s promise. Why try to patch up your old life when you can have a new one?

 Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

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Read Along Daily Bible Reading: You Version

Sources:
 The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible – Ezekiel, (Chattanooga: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “D. The Lord’s Message to Both the Land (Mountains) and the People of Israel: A Picture of God’s Deep Care for the Holy Land and His People, 36:1-38”.
Life Application Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1357-1358.
 

 

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