Dead Bones Can live

Text

Ezk 37:1-7 “The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.”

Ezk 37:8-10 “Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ ” So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.”

Introduction

“Dead Bones Can Live”

This statement is one of great significance

Because dead bones can’t live

Dead bones represent:

Lifelessness. Emptiness. Fruitlessness

No effects. No function. No vitality

Nothing can be done. Nothing works. Nothing Moves

What makes the dead bones live is GOD

It’s easy to think that this book is about Israel and Judgement - However, it’s about God

The phrase, “(you/they) will know that I am the Lord” 63x of the 77x in the OT this phrase is used

This lets me know what this book is really about

This does not speak about the identifaction marker of God

But it speaks to the character of God, His name

It’s easy to see that this book is about God

Because how it opens up: God on His throne!

That’s how everything should open up. . .with a recognition of who’s on the throne.

This is the one who will make the “dead bones live”

#1 Do You See Your Condition?

Ezk 37:1-2 “The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.”

A big reason why the church/individuals miss their revival, is they don’t know what needs REVIVING.

Or you can’t see or admit what needs reviving.

Coming face to face with limitations and short-comings is scary

— The church has developed this disposition, where people are more concerned with looking right, than being right

— We are more concerned about pleasing people, than plasing God

— We are more concerned about a man-made perfection than a perfect heart toward God

So then, confessing faults, is not as common as it should be

It makes us feel weak - 2 Cor 12:9 “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” - And with strength like this, my dead bones can live

I don’t look good when compared with others - Rom 12:4 “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,” - Sometimes God will use each other to make the dead bones live

APPL. What is your condition tonight?

APPL. What will God do with your dry bones?

#2 Do You See The Proposition/Solution?

Ezk 37:3 “Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!”

This was not a question God needed an answer for

God asked a question, but it wasn’t a question He needed an answer for.

Come over to Ezk 37:12 “Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open [let loose, liberate, position for movement] your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel.”

God always has a plan - and that plan involves His people

His plan was to bring them back to the land

God never intended to leave them in Babylonian Captivity

God was planning To bring them out of their “graves of exile”

APPL. What grave do you need delivernace from tonight????

God’s plan is not to leave you where you are. That’s why tonight we preach “Dead Bones Can Live”

Ezk 37:11 “Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’”

Sometimes it's hard to hear God when you are doing all the talking

You might be facing

A dead marriage

Dead relationship

Dead ministry

Dead prayer-life

Dead worship life

Dead study life

You might be plagued with deadness but “GOD CAN MAKE DEAD BONES LIVE

#3 Do You See The Conclusion?

The conclusion is simple, DEAD BONES CAN LIVE!

What was broken can be mended

What was lost can be restored

What was stained can be washed clean

What was DEAD can LIVE

Ezekiel was right “Lord you know the answer”

Ezk 37:4-5 “Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ “Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.”

God had a message for the bones. . .even when the bones were dead, when they came into contact with the life in God’s word the bones came to live

If you need a revival, you need God’s word in your bones

But the process wasn’t over

The bones started to rattle together. . .but they had no life in them

They were animated but no life

They made noise but had no life

They moved, even got together but no life

It looks like something but “there is no breath in it”

APPL. Revival sometimes means its time to reset, I cannot go BACK, I need to go beyond

Some us are making noise, rattling, animated, moving, standing looking like something but no life. . . because God’s word has no place in me

Some of us around people like that. . .but no life

Ezk 37:9-10 “Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”

God had the power not only to RAISE but Give LIFE

What Ezekiel saw, what Israel experienced in YHWH

The church can experience in Jesus

Jn 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,”

With Jesus in mix, you have life.

If the church has no life, that must be a church where Jesus doesn’t have priority

If the christian has no life, that must be a christian where Jesus doesn’t have first place

If there are dead bones in your life bring it to the one that give it life

God is the one with the power to make dead bones live

If it’s inconquerable, God can conquer it

If it’s irreversible, God can reverse it

If it’s irredeemable, God can save it

If it’s immovable, God can move it

If it’s dead, God can revive

DEAD BONES CAN LIVE

Pray/ask specifically, and in harmony with God’s will

The Call