Sermon Big Idea:

When the world seems to thrive without God, Ezekiel 25–32 tells us: look again, and look longer.

Sermon Overview:

Introduction: Why We Envy the World

Have you ever scrolled through social media and felt that quiet ache — someone else's vacation, someone else's salary, someone else's seemingly effortless life — and wondered why God feels distant while they seem to thrive without him? You are not alone, and you are not the first. In Ezekiel 25–32, the people of Israel were in exile, watching the surrounding nations flourish without any apparent accountability to God. Tragically, envy crept in. They began to wonder if living like the nations might actually work better. Research on envy consistently shows it is one of the most corrosive forces in human psychology: it doesn't motivate, it destroys. The Bible has been saying the same thing for millennia.

Movement 1: The Nations Kicked Israel When She Was Down (Ezekiel 25–26)

God's people were already suffering — exiled, humiliated, far from home — when the surrounding nations piled on. Ammon celebrated Jerusalem's fall. Moab dismissed Israel as nothing special. Edom took revenge out of old bitterness. Tyre saw profit in Israel's pain. These weren't neutral bystanders; they actively exploited Israel's lowest moment. And yet Israel had been envying them. The first movement of the sermon exposes the cruelty underneath the glamour: the nations Israel admired were the very nations that kicked her when she was down. Envy always misreads what it's looking at. When we compare our lives to others and come up short, we are measuring ourselves against a surface that doesn't show the full story.

Movement 2: The Nations Were Already Going Down (Ezekiel 27–32)

Ezekiel doesn't stop at exposing cruelty — he pulls back the curtain further. Tyre, the great trading empire, is described as a magnificent ship: decked out with cedar and linen, crewed by the best sailors, the envy of the ancient world. Then the east wind hits, and it sinks. Egypt presents itself as the great power Israel can lean on — but when Israel puts weight on Egypt, she is like a reed that snaps and cuts the hand that grabs it. Pharaoh's own boast in Ezekiel 29:3 — "The Nile is mine, and I made it" — is the defining statement of Egyptian pride: not just arrogance, but a creator-claim. Nation after nation — Tyre, Egypt, Assyria, Edom — unchecked pride, self-made glory, living without God, all end the same way: the pit, silence, death, God's judgment. The world Israel envied was already on fire. The sermon's big idea lands here: When the world seems to thrive without God, Ezekiel 25–32 tells us — look again, and look longer.

Gospel Connection: Jesus Went Into the Pit on Our Behalf

Here is where Ezekiel 25–32 drives us to the gospel. Nation after nation sentenced to death. And then: Jesus facing the same outcome — not because of his own pride, but because of ours. Every nation that said "I am a god" died. The one who actually was God died and lived. Jesus didn't die for people who had envy under control. He died for people like us, corrupted by envious hearts — and he rose for us too. He went into the pit that Ezekiel watched the nations fall into, and he came out the other side as King. Death couldn't hold him down. That is the resurrection answer to every envious thought, every painful comparison, every quiet moment of thinking the world's way might work better. As Paul asks over the open grave: "Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). Sin's grip is real — but at the cross and resurrection, it was already broken. The same resurrection that emptied the tomb is what loosens envy's grip on us.

Communion: Come With Empty Hands and Honest Hearts

We don't come to the Lord's Table because we have envy under control or because we promise never to struggle again. We come because we will struggle — with envy, with jealousy, with the compare-and-despair cycle — and Jesus set this table for people exactly like that. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread and said, "Take and eat it; this is my body." He took the cup and said, "This is my blood that establishes the covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins."(Matthew 26:26–28). He nourishes, heals, and restores envious hearts. We come in weakness and need, bringing broken lives in faith and repentance, ready to receive from the only One whose glory and grace actually lasts. His presence is not conditional on performance. His grip on your life is strong enough to loosen envy's grip on you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ezekiel 25–32 about?

Ezekiel 25–32 is a collection of oracles — prophetic messages — directed at the nations surrounding Israel: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. These nations had either attacked Israel, mocked her suffering, or been a false source of security she trusted instead of God. The oracles announce God's judgment on each of them, demonstrating that no nation or empire stands outside God's sovereignty. For the exiled Israelites hearing these words, the message was both a warning and a comfort: the world they were tempted to envy was already under judgment.

Why was Israel envying the surrounding nations?

Israel was in exile in Babylon — stripped of land, temple, king, and identity. The surrounding nations appeared stable, powerful, and prosperous. Ezekiel 20:32 captures the temptation directly: Israel was saying, "We want to be like the nations." When everything familiar is gone and others seem to be thriving, envy is a natural response. But Ezekiel's point is that appearances were deceiving. The nations looked strong but were already heading toward judgment.

Is envy really that serious a sin?

Yes — and both Scripture and modern psychology agree. Galatians 5:19–21 lists envy among the works of the flesh alongside sexual immorality and idolatry. Research consistently shows envy is associated with depression, resentment, relational damage, and a distorted sense of self. The theological reason envy is so serious is that at its root, envy is a judgment against God's provision — a quiet declaration that he hasn't given us enough, or hasn't been fair. It shifts our focus from gratitude toward God to comparison with others.

What happened to Tyre in Ezekiel 26–28?

Tyre was a powerful Phoenician trading city on the Mediterranean coast, described in Ezekiel 27 as a great ship loaded with wealth, crewed by the best sailors from across the ancient world. God's judgment against Tyre in Ezekiel 26 was sweeping: its walls broken down, stones and timber thrown into the sea, left a bare rock. Historically, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon laid siege to Tyre for thirteen years, and Alexander the Great later completed its destruction by building a causeway to the island portion of the city. The pride of the prince of Tyre (Ezekiel 28) — "I am a god" — is held up as the defining sin behind the fall.

What does Egypt as a "broken reed" mean in Ezekiel 29?

Ezekiel 29:6–7 describes Egypt as a reed staff that Israel grabbed for support — but when weight was put on it, it splintered and pierced the hand. This image captures a pattern throughout Israel's history: turning to Egypt as a military and political ally rather than trusting God. Egypt's pride (Pharaoh's boast in 29:3, "the Nile is mine, and I made it") made them present as powerful when they were structurally unreliable. The broken reed is Ezekiel's diagnosis of what happens when we lean on anything other than God: it doesn't just fail — it wounds.

How does Ezekiel 25–32 connect to Jesus and the gospel?

The connection runs through the theme of judgment and death. Nation after nation in these chapters is sentenced to the pit — death, silence, the end of glory. Jesus, in the gospel, faces that same sentence — not for his own pride or rebellion, but on behalf of ours. Every nation that said "I am a god" died. The one who actually was God died and then rose. The resurrection is God's answer to the pit. It means that sin and death do not have the final word — not for the nations, and not for us. Jesus didn't die for people who had their sin under control. He died for people corrupted by envy, pride, and every other mark of our fallen condition.

How does this message help us understand the meaning communion?

Communion (the Lord's Supper) is the fitting conclusion because it is the place where the gospel becomes embodied and personal. We don't come to the table because we have overcome envy or earned the right to be there. We come because Jesus set this table for broken, struggling people — and in the bread and cup, he gives himself to us again. The institution words from Matthew 26 establish what the table is: his body broken, his blood shed, for the forgiveness of sins. Communion is not a reward for spiritual achievement; it is nourishment for people in the middle of the fight.

What does it mean that "his grip on your life is stronger than envy's grip on you"?

It means that the power available to a Christian through the risen Christ is greater than the pull of any sin pattern — including the deeply entrenched habit of comparing, coveting, and envying. This isn't just motivational language. It is a theological claim rooted in Romans 8:11: the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us. Envy's grip is real. But the resurrection is more real. The Christian life is not about willpower defeating envy, it is about the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit loosening what sin has tightened, as we keep returning to Christ in faith and repentance.

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GC2 Church is a multi-generational community in Poway, California, committed to expository preaching, discipleship, and the Great Commission. Services are held Sundays at 4:30 PM — no early morning rush required. The church is located at 13617 Midland Rd, Poway, CA 92064.

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