There is a Awakening Coming

Intro:

Welcome parents. I am thankful for all of you allowing your students to do life with us here at Living Hope.

As we begin this year, I couldn’t help but reflect on all that God had done not only within our student ministry, but in our church as well.

There is a special wind blowing through the people of Living Hope and through the teenagers that are in this room. There is a hunger for the Word of God that I have never seen from the people of God.

Substance is no longer enough to satisfy, instead, I see student’s hearts being burdened by the lostness of friends an family, I see students who have a calling on their life that they are stepping boldly in to.

As our own leaders, other student pastors in Clarksville, and myself have been praying, I fully believe that the whispers of Revival are growing louder and louder every single day.

During this new series, we will dive deep in to the characteristics of revival for both God’s church and individual Christ followers.

Backstory:

God has come to Ezekiel who was a priest turned prophet, in order to show him what was in store for the nation of Israel and those who opposed it.

The time of Ezekiel was during the Babylonian exile in which the nation of Israels was cast out of their lands and held in captivity.

This was a time of great oppression and cultural pressure for God’s people, but the prophesies of many but especially Ezekiel kept the hope alive that one day, God would bring His people out of captivity and into their rightful lands.

We read in Chapter 36 where the prophet prophesies about the restoration of Israels mountains. In the same Chapter he speaks of the restoration of God’s people to the restored lands.

In the next chapter, we read of an awakening of an army.

Read:

Teach:

Allow yourself to looks the Ezekiel’s point of view for a moment. Looking out over a valley of sun bleached bones. Absolutely no remnant of flesh or life on a single one because they were picked clean long ago by wildlife.

As he is looking around at these dry bones, God ask him if it is in the realm of possibility for these bones to come back alive and Ezekiel gives the answer that most of us would not of given because we live in a world where our dependence on God only has to get us over the next hump.

I think we don’t expect great things of God our of fear that He’ll in return expect great things out of us.

Ezekiel is one of many stories where God is empowering a faithful servant to accomplish something great for Glory.

Ezekiel knew the character of God much so He said “only you know God”

Remember that is prophesy is what is to come for the nation of Israel and God is

Ezekiel’s brother Paul would later write

VERSE 4: God’s word of command in verse 4 is followed by His promises in verses 5-6

We are are living in the valley RIGHT NOW.

The bones may represent yourself or those around you.