Ezekiel 36:16-37:28 (E&R L2)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Seminar Reminder- Just a reminder that the Bible Navigation seminar is about to start in the multipurpose room…so if you were hoping to go to that and forget, feel free to get up and go now…don’t worry- the lecture will be posted on mybsf later today.

BSF KIDS

next- I am excited to introduce to you our BSF Kids supervisor- Ashley Conrad.

Review 4 fold approach-> focus on notes

I want to take just a moment to highlight the last step of the BSF 4 fold approach…the notes..

The notes are designed to be read AFTER your discussion group and after you listen to lecture…

these are another building block to take you deeper into the scripture.

During lecture, sometimes we intentionally leave out certain details because we know that it is covered well in the notes.

So I encourage you to engage with the notes weekly- to help give you a fuller picture of what God wants to reveal to you through His word.

Also- if you are an audio learner- on mybsf or on the bsf app…you can find an audio version of the notes.

I am here to tell you that I get a lot of laundry folded while listening to the notes each week.

Let’s pray

INTRODUCTION

Yesterday- as I was preparing for today, the app that I use to write lectures and take notes decided to stop working.

Now- before you think that I am going to stand up here and just wing it- please know that I was able to save my document and all my work up unto that point.

However- I frantically tried yesterday to get the app to work again.

I did all the things..

I checked my internet status..looked for an update…deleted and redownloaded it…

Finally..I gave up- and I called tech support.

He told me to do all the things I had already done.

He then asked me to hold for a minute…

Now…if you have every had this happen- you KNOW this is not a good sign.

but Eventually- he came back with something else to try.

And so….for hours yesterday…I watched the wheel of death….circling on my computer as my app attempted to RESTORE what was lost.

and with every spin…my hope of restoration became less..and less…

see apparently my app was old, outdated, and in desperate need of new life…

the old one was dead and no longer worked…it needed to be regenerated.

So after the long, LONG wait….when I opened up the app….there was a brand new app- fully restored…and better than before.

This week- God’s people are still in the middle of what appeared to be a hopeless situation…the wheel of death was still circling…

Last week- we saw God lift up Ezekiel’s eyes to get his attention on him in the midst of his circumstances…God’s people were in exile and Ezekiel needed to know that God was still there…still working in the midst of the rubble.

This week- we will see that God doesn’t want to just bring them back from exile and leave them as things were before…instead, he longs to restore them into something better…something that will last…

Today…God restores their hope…as he promises to restore his people…

So that’s our outline

RESTORED HOPE- Ezekiel 36:16-38

RESTORED PEOPLE- Ezekiel 37:1-28

Get out Bibles, and turn with me to Eze. 36:16

RESTORED HOPE- Ezekiel 36:16-38

Transition: We are in our 2nd of 2 weeks in the book of Ezekiel..and while I know we have not studied the whole book, the goal was to set the stage for the rest of our study- and to understand the circumstances surrounding the exile.

In Ezekiel 36:16-38 we see hope restored by our powerful God.

But lets first look at the Hopeless People…

A. Ezek: 36:16-21- HOPELESS PEOPLE

Long before exile, God led Israel into the land he promised them….it was to be a place of abundant food, a place of peace where they would live as a chosen nation in relationship with their God as they worshipped Him day in and day out.

and while for a time they enjoyed peace as a nation in the promised land…

Over time, following the leadership of King Solomon, their hearts became divided as they began to worship God and idols.

No longer experiencing the unity that comes from worshipping God alone..God’s people became divided and the kingdom split into 2.

The North became known as Israel, while the south was named Judah.

Eventually, Israel was taken into exile by Assyria and Judah was taken into exile by Babylon.

Our study this year is going to focus on Judah’s journey through exile and return …

but first…lets look at Ezek. 36 as God describes the exile from His point of view through the words he gave Ezekiel…

He says in vs 17: 17 “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight. 18 So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols.

God makes it clear that the reason they were in exile was because of their sin…

he compares their sin to a women’s monthly period…

now…since we are all women- let’s make sure we understand this correctly.

1st-there is nothing sinful about having a period.

Context is key here: During that time, when a woman was on her period, she was considered ceremonially unclean and would be separated from her husband and the temple until her period ended.

men and women’s reproductive fluids were considered impure because they represented life and death….

the same separation would happen if you came in contact with a dead body…

this is about purity…God cannot touch anything impure— anything related to death- because God is a Holy God.

here God is saying- the impact your sin is having is that you have been separated from me…just like a woman’s menstrual cycle would separate her from her husband and community.

God takes the image further…he says in fact…there is blood everywhere…the land was covered in it…

They had defiled the land with their sin…

and God gave them warning after warning..and eventually he said…enough..and he sent them into exile…vs 19

19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.

the exile was on purpose.and it was a mercy to God’s people…they deserved to be annihilated.

they had broken the Mosaic covenant God had made with them.

God was clear from the beginning that if they worshipped and obeyed him- they would prosper and enjoy peace in the land.

but if they didn’t….they would be sent away.

but notice their sin did not just effect them…our sin never remains isolated to just one person- it spills out on those around us.

that is what happens in vs 20

because…. wherever they went among the nations they profaned (Gods) name.

When God’s people interacted with other nations- they drug his name and reputation to the ground.

The nations looked at God’s people….and said:

wow- their God must not be powerful enough to protect them

their God must have abandoned them.

Their God must not be a good god….he must not be sovereign or they wouldn’t be in this mess

B. Ezek. 36:22-38- Powerful God

God knew that the sin of Israel was not drawing the nations to him, but away from Him.

So in 36:22-38 God responds…

Our POWERFUL GOD steps in….to protect his own name…and to show his glory to the nations.

He makes his intentions clear: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name,

Now- what you would expect God to do here is to step in and show his power by wiping them out and then starting over.

That is what they deserved.

but instead…he responds with a plan of how he will use his power to rebuild and restore his nation..

16 times in vs’s 22-38 alone God says: I WILL…

notice he asks NOTHING here of his people…this is about what HE will do…

And with every I WILL God will show his power to the nations…to you and to me…and as he does…he brings all honor and glory to his name.

that is our God…that is how he chooses to use his power.

to REBUILD AND RESTORE

God’s people were in exile…because of their own sin..they got themselves into the mess…and were completely powerless to do bring themselves out of it..

From their perspective…all hope was lost.

and yet..God shows up.and restores their Hope as he tells them what he WILL DO

he says: I WILL take you out of exile…

as the people rebelled..God promises to not only pursue but to literally bring them back to the land.

He says I WILL cleanse you- sprinkling you clean with water….remember the blood…they are a mess...with no ability to clean themselves up.

and God doesn’t just gather them back so they can turn around and make another big mess of themselves…

he promises to clean up the biggest mess-the one that is going on inside of them.

The only way to cleanse his people from the sin that had separated them from him…was through the cleansing blood of Christ.

When Christ’s blood was shed on the cross- it was his blood that cleansed God’s people- past, present, and future.

Christ’s blood is a once and for all cleansing because through the power of the spirit God also takes care of the root of the problem….the heart…

When someone tells you they are undergoing heart surgery..there is a seriousness to that, that doesn’t need to be explained…instantly you know that this is a matter of life and death.

and when a person goes in for surgery- the first thing that happens is everything is cleansed-

hands are washed thoroughly… tools are sterilized…

and then…once the cleansing is complete- the heart transplant can begin….

God says…I WILL cleanse you…AND vs 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Our hope is not in our ability to succeed on our own, but is in God’s restorative power and his spirits work within us.

Finally, in vs’s 28-32, God gives them hope as he promises to restore them to their land…

notice what he says in vs 35 “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden;

what a picture this would have been for the exiles…

the Garden of Eden was a place where God’s people enjoyed perfect fellowship with him.

But when Adam and Eve sinned, they too were separated from God and exiled from the garden.

Just like God promised to restore Adam and Eve, here he again promises to restore his people back into relationship with him— and the picture he gives them is of the garden of Eden.

he says….you will be my people, and I will be your God.

God is promising to restore their relationship and as he does..the nations will look at all that God has done and instead of questioning his character- they will instead see his glory as he saves and restores his broken people.

and then...they will know that HE is the LORD.

Principle: God uses His restorative power to bring glory to His name.

God’s people were at their end…broken…exiled…hopeless..

They had profaned God..and in response..

God steps in to bring glory to himself by mercifully restoring underserving people.

What does your life reveal about God’s glory? Does it point people to his fame or does it profane his name?

When you engage in gossip and slander of others- you profane God’s name.

When you take the glory for yourself- you profane His name.

When you deny his power and his work in the world- you profane God’s name

we could go on and on…and honestly this list can feel overwhelming as we reflect on all the ways we have pointed people away from God’s glory…

but the heaviness you might feel is a sign of God’s regenerative work in you…a sign that he has given you a new heart..and that he is in the process of transforming you.

that is the hope….do not lose heart…recognize your sin…and turn back to God..

Because when God restores your heart—through his spirit he works to change your desires, thoughts, and actions to look more like him- then through you God says to the world LOOK AT ME…Look at my HOLINESS..my GREATNESS….

If you are a believer- God has given you a new heart so that you can reflect Him accurately to the world.

shining light into the dark places…bringing hope to the world around us that our God is not weak or dead.

He is alive. powerfully restoring all that has been broken.

for the fame of his great name.

RESTORED PEOPLE

Transition: As we move into chp. 37- God’s restorative power is once again on display as he promises to make his people a new creation and a new nation.

. Ezek. 37:1-14- NEW CREATION

vs 1 begins with Ezekiel saying: The hand of the Lord was on me, now, I know you haven’t read all of Ezekiel- but this is dream talk…throughout Ezekiel, when he is given a vision or God wants to show him something he starts by saying: “the hand of the Lord was on me”

In this vision- God takes him to a valley of dry bones.

I think it’s hard for us to really visualize the horror of this scene.

Here is Ezekiel-who while a prophet, was also a priest.

he had been instructed to stay away from things that were impure….and one of the most impure things you could be around- was a dead body…in fact, Numbers 19 God specifically tells his priests not to touch the bones of a dead body…

and yet- here…God takes his priest- to a place filled with bones and he makes him walk around among them…

Why did he do this?

Because God wanted him to feel the impact of death…

God made it abundantly clear that the bones were dead dead..there was no life…no chance of life. just…very dry bones.

God presented him with a completely hopeless situation…

much like the situation that Israel was currently in.

and then…God asks him a question: vs 3 “Son of man, can these bones live?”

and Ezekiel- knowing God’s character is like- woah-woah… not touching that one…

so he says:

“Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

———

while Ezekiel may have had no hope in the bones…he did have hope in his God.

so when God instructs Ezekiel to prophecy to the bones…he does it…

and as he does..

the bones rattle…they come together…tendons and flesh appear…

but yet…vs 8 tells us there was no life.

no breath.

they were still…dead.

but God’s not done..…vs 9… 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath;

As Ezekiel spoke God’s words..the spirit moved…life entered the bodies…and they stood on their feet

vs’s 11-14 explain the vision in the context that it was given for the people of Israel.

God explains that the resurrection of the dead bones coming to life was a metaphor for how God would bring his desolate people out of captivity and back to the promised land.

Right now- in exile- God’s people were walking around like corpses above ground…without breath…without life…

but God would revive them once again…and bring them back to the promised land.

However- there is more going on here…from the new testament, we know that this is a picture of regeneration.

the word breath and the word for spirit is the Hebrew word- ruach (roo-ok)…and it is used 10 times in these 14 verses…it is the same word used in Genesis when God breathed into the dust and gave life to Adam.

look at vs 14…God says: I will PUT my Spirit..my ruach… in you and you will live…

Does that sound familiar? It should-b/c he said the same thing in Ezek. 36:27.

this is the 2nd visual God is giving us as he explains how he brings his people back to life.

The first visual he gives us is of a heart transplant surgery and here he he breathes life into dry bones.

Both are pictures of Regeneration- where God- by his Spirit, breathes new life into people who are spiritually dead.

other ways you may have heard it described is

new birth

or being born again

Because of sin, humanity is separated from God…dead in their sin.

That is the picture God painted for Ezekiel…yes sin is rebellion- but it is more than that..it is death..like dry bones left in a valley

..but- God steps in…and he breathes His spirit into his people…

raising you to new life again in Christ.

bringing your dead heart to life …

No amount of effort on your part could bring your dead heart to life…it only by God’s grace that you have life in him.

you needed a …new heart…..new life….a new spirit.

when God says he “...will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you..”

 This isn’t some sort of cosmetic fix. This is creation language.

It is Genesis all over again—but this time, when God breathes…he breathes life NOT into DUST..but into death…

As Christ breathed his last breath on the cross- he made new life for his people possible.

because as Paul says 2 Corinthians 5:17 : if anyone is in Christ, the new creation HAS COME: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Do you remember the moment where you were regenerated? Where Christ brought you from death to life?

For some of you it was more of a slow sunrise and for others it was like a lightening strike.

but regardless…the reality for each of you is the same…you were dead..but now you are alive.

If you are sitting here wondering if you have been regenerated….rest assured that the fact that you are in this room, even considering it- is evidence of God’s work in your life.

Put your faith in him..dont leave today without talking to myself or your GL…

you dont have to the hard work..you can’t…let him do the heart work and walk forward into the life that he has for you in Him.

knowing that once the spirit enters..he never leaves you….and that the promise of eternal life is now yours.

and while we have been brought to life….sometimes we live holding our breath…we forget that the spirit wants to fill us…encourage, empower, and equip us…

ladies…all you need today..is to just breathe..

breathe in God’s spirit…

and breathe out the dead parts- the sin that once defined you and had power over you….

and then because you are alive….keep breathing again..again…trusting that every time you do the spirit is going to empower you to turn from sin and truly live…not as dead bodies- but as a restored people- living as a new creation with your creator once again..

——

B. 37:15-28-NEW NATION

In our final verses, 15-28, here God gives another picture…this time showing how he will save them not just from death, but from division as he promises to make them a new nation.

God has Ezekiel get 2 sticks…on the 1st he writes “JUDAH and friends” AND on the other “JOSEPH and friends”….

These sticks represent the Northern and Southern Kingdoms that had been divided long before the exile ever occurred.

and as Ezekiel brings the sticks together, they become 1.

as the exiles sat in their seemingly hopeless situation, the reality of what Ezekiel was showing them had to be overwhelming.

It had been over 300 years since the kingdom had divided…

and yet- God says that one day…there will be no more divided hearts…no more divided kingdom

1 nation. 1 God. 1 king

with new, cleansed hearts…they will no longer be defiled by sin..

and they will be ruled by their true king- forever.

God promised David in 2 Samuel that his reign would last forever- and when Jesus Christ, a descendent of David, came to earth to dwell with his people and save and cleanse them from their sin- this promise became a reality.

And one day- Jesus will come back again, to reign over all of his people, forever and ever.

Our scripture ends in vs’s 26-28 with the picture of a flourishing people living forever with their God…

and on that day God says…I will be their God and they will be my people.

Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them FOREVER

what a hope filled promise, for a hopeless people.

Principle: God restores His people to Himself.

Application:

As we read these scriptures in the old testament, it’s important that we don’t read into them and start claiming promises or making applications that were directly for the nation of Israel and not for us.

However, the picture we get of restoration through regeneration in Ezekiel 36 and 37 is a picture of what God does for his people…for you and for me…

Don’t ever forget that restoration came at a cost…in order for God’s people to be restored to himself- Christ had to come and die…

And as Christ breathed out his final breath on the cross- God’s people could now breathe in new life.

Christ died…so that you could live.

Conclusion

Sometimes the piles of dry bones around us can feel overwhelming…and we look around and wonder if restoration is ever going to come..

If you are facing what feels like a hopeless situation today..do not lose hope…

remember that when God moves...

Bones rattle. Hearts soften. Hope rises. And a valley of despair becomes a standing army of praise.

So maybe the real question for us this week isn’t “Can these bones live?”

but…Do I still believe God can do it again?

And will I let Him start with me?

Let’s pray