Hopes and Promises

Good morning. I am so glad that we can be here today.

Today is Pentecost Sunday.

This is the day that the disciples were gathered in that upper room and were waiting expectantly for the promise that Jesus had given them of a helper.

I was thinking about that idea. The idea of waiting and wondering what is going to happen.

Have you ever had one of those moments that you were promised to go somewhere or do something and you sat waiting expectantly.

For some of us it is easy to just be chill and not stress about what is to come no matter how excited we might be about it.

Then there are the rest of us.

Personally, when I am excited I have this problem with the inability to control my arm. In fact, it almost gave away my plans the night I was going to ask Angie to Marry me.

We were on our way back from dinner and I had more planned for the night and as we were driving I kept doing this.

It certainly raised Angie’s suspicions on what was planned for the night.

When we are hoping and waiting on promises to come through though it can also cause us to be anxious and uncertain on what might happen.

It is in our anticipation of the hopes and promises that I was drawn to another story that helps us understand who God is and how his promises can give us such great hope.

Let’s read together from the Book of Ezekiel chapter 37

Ezekiel 37:1–14 NIV

1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ”

Israelites In Exile

To help us better understand this passage we need to understand what is happening in the background for the Israelites.

The Israelites had been in exile for more than 10 years at this point. They were waiting and hoping that God was going to deliver them from where they are at.

It was in this wondering that their hope was failing and they had come to a point that they were like the bones. They had dried out. They had lost their hope that God was going to deliver them.

This place of despair and uncertainty is one that can become all to common for us as believers.

The Disciples

I can’t help but wonder what the disciples were thinking after Jesus ascended. Like the Israelites there had to be an element of despair. They had just seen Jesus ascend and they didn’t know when the promise of the helper would come and they just had to wait.

What did the future hold?

How were they going to do this without Jesus?

Our Despair

One of the challenges that can plague us today is this same thought of despair.

We look at the stories of the Bible and the work of what God did and we look around and we wonder what is going on?

When is Jesus coming back? We sit and we wonder when is it going to happen?

It would be easy for us to loose hope as Christians.

If we want to put it into a more personal context of our church we look around and there are times we might want to give up because we don’t see the growth we might like, or church isn’t exactly what we expect.

We are sometimes forced into a posture of having to wait. To wait on God’s plans instead of our own.

If we aren’t Careful we can become the dry bones.

We Can’t Lose Hope

It is imperative that we don’t lose hope. That we don’t allow ourselves to become the dry bones. Yet, we also have the hope that even in those moments we have the promise of the Spirit of God to bring us back.

That is what I love about this passage.

IT reminds us that no matter what we can trust in Him.

It is through God’s power, authority, and strength that things become possible. Hear this word again.

Ezekiel 37:4–6 NIV

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

The Lord will make breath enter us, and we will come to life. The Lord will attach our tendons and restore our flesh.

It is through him that we begin to hear the rattling sound of the bones coming together.

We Can’t Lose Hope

The disciples were in the same situation as us. Sitting and wondering how is God going to move and work in us. Yet, they were still gathering together. They still were seeking God through prayer. They knew that he had promised them the Spirit and they trusted his promise.

Church this is the hope that we have to hang on to. That no matter how bleak or dark the world around us may seem or feel that we can trust in the promises of God.

We can trust in the hope that Jesus will one day return.

We can trust that God is our source of strength and refuge.

We can trust that if we start seeking God and what his plan is for us here at Sylvania Wesleyan Church that he will guide us.

Listening

We have to remember that a part of this hope and waiting on the promises of God is also being willing to hear. We can’t ever for get that. Church I want to challenge you to start praying. Start seeking God and be praying for the Board and for me as we begin the process of looking for what God wants to do in this church.

We need to be open to whatever it is that God may be sharing with us. The truth is the message doesn’t change the Gospel is the Gospel.

We know that Jesus died for us and that belief in him is what brings us into relationship and that is only possible through him.

We know that we aren’t perfect but we are trying to live a life that is in pursuit of what God has for us and drawing closer to him.

Allowing his breath of life filling our hearts and minds. Letting his guidance bring the bones back to life.

WE do all of this so that we might experience the very thing that happened for the disciples when the bones came to life and the spirit filled them and they were able to reach so many people through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what we seek as believers. Let us be encouraged and look to his hopes and promises as we seek his will and take this journey together.

Let’s Pray.