Can these bones live?

Manuscript:

Good morning brothers and sisters. My name is Eric Warren and I serve on staff at The Glade Church in Mount Juliet, TN as high school director and it's such a joy to be with you all this morning. I can honestly say that I have long since had this date blocked off on my calendar and I have been very excited to get down here and be with you all.

You see, Carter Carroll is one of my best friends in the world. He and I speak about every week and as two younger guys in the ministry we get to encourage each other on to this work that we know that we are called to.

I had an opportunity to preach a couple of weeks ago back at my home church in Mt. Juliet over Ruth 1 in this marvelous display of faithfulness and lovingkindness shown by Ruth unto her mother-in-law and I encouraged the people of The Glade to ask themselves if they had such people in their lives.

People that will look you dead in the eye and in the hardest of times will say, "I'm not going anywhere. I am with you. I am for you."

And I mentioned Carter by name saying that he is exactly that for me.

I've referred to Carter as my foxhole buddy. That's to say that when the bullets in life are flying over head, he's the guy that I know has my back. He's only a phone call away to love and shepherd my soul.

So Carter, Hopewell, everyone... Thank you for this honor to be with you today.

But brothers and sisters before we get going too far this morning, I'm in the habit of a little call and response when I preach so when I say, "bless the Lord," you say, "oh my soul,"

"Bless the Lord."

[Oh my soul]

Oh bless His holy name...

I invite you to open to Ezekiel 37 with me this morning, there in the prophets of the Old Testament. So drop open to the middle of the Bible there in the Psalms and start moving your way from left to right until you hit Ezekiel.

And as you find yourself there I want to ask of you... what do you hope for out of this gathering? Not just today, not just in the weeks to come, but what do you want the name of Hopewell to stand for in this community and as you seek what it is that God is calling you to here and now.

We're in the Valley of Dry bones today. A familiar passage and there is much that we can take away in terms of application and practical helps, but much more than that you don’t come here for advice for your best life now.

You don’t come here for a pep talk or a live version of your favorite podcast, but what we do when we open up the living, breathing Word of God is a holy moment. So we look at this story and see God’s glorious work on display and I pray that it would embolden us all as we seek what it is that God has called us to as His covenant people.

And if I could have you walk out of here with one thing on your mind. One statement to walk away with about how to rightly think about this message, this text... it would be this...

CIT: God's presence, His promise, and His purpose remain steadfast, even in the midst of despair.

And when we talk about that we're talking about pursuing a life that is embolden and made alive by God's power, not our own... His presence, His promise, His purpose. As we consider this life and Ezekiel 37 we see a couple of implications of a life with God.

Walking with God means that we pursue

Communion, Obedience, Restoration

So as we look to the first couple of verses here we see the current state of things for God's people and communion with God is something that seems woefully distant.

Ezekiel 37:1–3 (ESV)

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

The entire Old Testament can be summed up by this rhythm of close fellowship with God and falling away.

Every inclination of the people of the earth grew wicked. God sends the flood. God establishes His covenant with Noah and the people of the earth.

God's people experience famine in the land, God orchestrates something miraculous in Joseph's life to provide a way of rescue for His people.

The Hebrews enslaved by totalitarian Pharaoh and God splits an ocean to provide literal salvation from sure death!

And here we are at another juncture where God's people have wandered in their faithfulness, and as a result they have been exiled. Ezekiel is called to be God's mouthpiece to a desolate Israel living in exile. But what we see here is that though God may seem distant, His presence is near.

Communion

The hand of the Lord was upon me what a statement that is from the jump and something that you and I would do well to live after. Not that we would seek or try for some prophesying ministry but that God's sovereign touch on our lives, even in the midst of trial, would be as near as our next breath.

He brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord... right from the outset, even if it seems insignificant on the surface level we see Ezekiels close dealings with God, even in the midst of what we would see as a bleak and hopeless circumstance.

And he set me down in the middle of the valley. It was full of bones. He led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley and behold, they were very dry.

Translation... super dead.

What was once a proud nation known for their identity and closeness with the one true God are now a people desolate. Beyond rot. Beyond decay and now the memory of their life and vitality can be summed up by a bunch of sun-bleached bones on a valley floor that would snap if they just shifted in the dirt.

This is the vision laid out in front of Ezekiel, and at first glance he's left with a faint but hopeless reminder of who his people once were.

You've been here before. We're talking about a vision and a prophet but you too have been in this valley. You're led out into the midst of an ocean of heartache and grief and everywhere you look your soul weighs heavy and all you want to do is cry out. WHERE ARE YOU GOD? WHAT'S GOING ON IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW?! GOD IF YOU COULD STOP ALL THIS PAIN, PLEASE GOD!

The sting of sin in this life bids us all an audience with heartache. For Israel it was for their idolatry. Their wandering hearts straying away from the one with whom they were MADE to be with.

We might not have statues or carved idols that pull our affection from God but you and I both know that they hymn bears so true, prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love!

John Calvin the reformer said plainly and regardless of your thoughts on him, I'd argue that we can all get on board with this when he said, "the human heart is an idol factory." - John Calvin

We were all built for intimacy. We were all built for love. But because our eyes and our hearts so quickly flash to the newest and shiniest thing. We trade full and everlasting fellowship with God for cheap and meaningless substitutes.

And from the pit of despair we see the beginning of this turn...

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

We can hear Ezekiel's deflated response as he stands among the dead and gone. Son of Man! Prophet! Can these bones live? And he answers, only you know God. Again something that sounds all too familiar to something that you and I have cried out a time or two, if not many times... "God, you're the only one who can bring life out of this situation."

Beloved, don't mistake the hard providences of this life for inaction. Don't mistake the times in the valley for times of his absence. But in those moments hear the near and tender voice of God bidding you to trust Him. Can these bones live? Brothers and sisters these moments, where times are most difficult are oftentimes where God is inviting deeper into communion, and fellowship, and loving relationship with Himself. And I pray for you and for me that we would all have the wherewithall to offer up our hallelujah in such times, even if its a broken one.

We're called to deep communion. We're also called to obedience in this life with God.

Ezekiel 37:4–6 (ESV)

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Go ahead Ezekiel! Preach to the bones! In such desperation Ezekiel receives his assignment from God. To preach to a boneyard. But what choice does he have? It was Israel's disobedience and wandering that placed them in such a time of spiritual distance and decay, so here in this vision, the prophet speaks out among the dead and something marvelous happens.

Thus says the Lord God to these bones... first of all what a beautiful reminder from God's prophet here that when we go, when we take with us this message of hope and life from the Bible, we don't carry with us some abstract pep talk or bit of life advice, but when we are sown deep with the Word of God we carry with us the very words of life. The Theoneustos, God-breathed Words.

All the more reason that we should find our home in the Bible. I'm drawing a blank on the author of these words but we would do well to get into this book until this book gets into us.

Thus says the Lord... I'm sure there are many of you in this room who have older siblings... if your older siblings were like mine they didn't pay much mind to my directions as a kid. It'd be one thing if I looked to my older brother and say, "Ryan, do the dishes."

That's the kind of thing that gets you beat up as a kid...

But if I turned to my brother and said, "Dad said do the dishes before he comes back." Now it's a different ballgame. So when you go from here, Christian, don't think that you have to clever your way into a witness. Don't think you have to argue or explain away issues of the faith. But when you go, when you bear the gospel message, you take with you a word from God and you go on His authority.

And we see flowing from that word of authority exactly what happens when God's word goes out... Life happens.

Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

We see here the very nature of God! We see what He is about! Ever since the foundation of the world when he formed Adam from the ground and in the same way, bone came to bone, tendon to tendon and you will see life happen.

Beloved we don't serve a God who gets some sick satisfaction in death. But quite the opposite. God is about life and we see it here! God's word goes out and even the bones take heed. Ezekiel says...

Ezekiel 37:7–10 (ESV)

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had 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 the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

God commands, Ezekiel follows.

It's outlandish task at hand... preach to the bones. Preach to Death Valley and see what happens.

And what we see that follows is what we pray for week to week as God's people. To receive God's Word, rightly handled, and for God to bring restoration out of seemingly hopeless situations.

I'm reminded of C.S Lewis. The Magician's Nephew in the Chronicles of Narnia.

Digory is being pursued by the evil witch and his ill-meaning uncle. Through a whole turn of events they find themselves in a literal void. Nothing surrounding them, only blackness, only nothing.

In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing…it seemed to come from all directions at once…Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard. It was so beautiful Digory could hardly bear it.- C.S. Lewis; The Magician's Nephew.

At some point in this life you will be in the void. It may not be an abyss of nothing but you'll get beaten down by the world around you. Your marriage will fall on the rocks. Your child's interest in the things of faith will evaporate... What are you called to Hopewell? Even in the void, Obey... Follow... Trust...

Just as Ezekiel here you are called obey God and to carry the message of His hope with you. But make no mistake about it, you are called to proclaim... but leave the regenerating work to the only one capable of bearing it out.

Bodies, formed. Hope seems imminent. But just as Adam in the garden he was just a body until the breath of life came into Him.

Preach to the winds Ezekiel! The words used for winds and breath here in this passage are relatively interchangeable. And this is all the more a reminder for us all as we seek life, vitality, and health for the church that it is all for naught without God's life-giving Spirit.

We've gotten really good at systems and programs. We've gotten really good making lists and checking boxes because we tell ourselves...

"SEE. SEE all that I am doing! See what all we have to offer!"

But beloved I hope that it is abundantly clear that we have to fight, and fight hard, against the mistaken thinking that busyness = faithfulness.

We can do much. We can pack the calendar. But without God's sovereign Spirit the old saying bears true... "We're just rearranging deck furniture on the Titanic!"

Without God the Holy Spirit, we are just like these bones. Maybe with the appearance of life... but in reality just a bunch of walking dead.

Beloved, this is the gift we've been given as those who are in Christ. That Jesus Himself said that it would be better for Him to not be with us in body so that He could give us this Helper, this Counselor, this Spirit.

So now more than ever Hopewell. Seek the Spirit. Run to the Spirit! And what you will find is life! You will find purpose! You will find the reason for which you were put on this earth, namely to make famous, far and wide, the name of Jesus.

The Spirit of God is for the People of God to carry out the Mission of God... period.

Walk in His Spirit. Walk in obedience.

We see that a life with God means a life of communion with Him. It means a obedience to Him. And it means Restoration from Him.

Ezekiel 37:11–14 (ESV)

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

God gives the vision. God gives the interpretation.

We see that God is for life. We see God's beautiful ability to bring it into existence merely by the power of His Word. But what we also see is not only God's ability to do... but also to undo.

Again you might find yourself right now in whatever circumstance of life. Battling. Fighting. Hurting. And you cry out my bones... my bones are dried up... God is there any hope for me?

But with God and the restoration that He brings, He is making all sinful realities of this World untrue! And thank God for that!

God does not offer improvement. God does not offer trinkets and toys. But God offers you deliverance from the crippling grip of death.

We see that here as God's Word goes out among the bones and we see it when God's Word comes to be a light among the darkness!

We're not just talking about a hope that things will get better in hard times. We're not just talking about a hope that sunnier days lie ahead. But we are talking about Hope incarnate. Hope has a name and its Jesus the Christ!

Beloved if you are in Christ this is an encouragement to you. If you are here, you're visiting, or maybe you are just far from faith, I pray in this moment that you would see the undeniable beauty in Jesus and the life that He brings.

In John 11 we see a beautiful showing of Jesus going out to the broken. We see a beautiful account of Jesus loving well. But most importantly we see Jesus, the bringer of life.

Mary and Martha, suffering. They lost their brother. They thought they were beloved by Jesus, dear friends. But Jesus delays in His arrival.

And from each one of these two ladies you hear the bone chilling cry that if we're honest we've shared with them too, "Jesus if you would have just been here! Things would be different!"

The scene moves Jesus Himself to tears right? Everyone's favorite Scripture memory, Jn 11:35. Jesus wept.

Where have you laid him? Jesus asks.

Roll away the stone...

"But Jesus, he's been dead for 4 days."

Roll away the stone...

"But Jesus, the smell will be unbearable!"

"Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"

"Lazarus! Come out!"

And again, beloved at mere words from the Son of God, the dead are raised!"

Hopewell I ask, what is impossible for our God?

[Nothing!] Come on! I'm not up here for no reason.

What is impossible for our God?

[Nothing!]

Amen!

1 Corinthians 15:54–58 (ESV)

54 “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Our God put death to death and is making all things new!

No more tears. No more death. Subbed out for full and everlasting joy!

Revelation 21:4–5 (ESV)

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Are you burdened? Are you broken? Beyond all hope? Then you are exactly where you need to be.

As we wrap up this morning this is my invitation to you. If you are in need of enouragement, or prayer, myself and your brohters and sisters here at this church will be here after the service. Don't be so foolish to think that, "I've got a lot to think about and I'll deal with it all later."

That shiver down your spine and weight on your heart is no coincidence but it is the everlasting God leading you to respond here and now not to my words... but to His. Beloved we'll wait for you as you come. But Jesus is with you, just as you are.

[Heavenly Father]

Outline:

The main point that I want to communicate this morning and out of this text is that the people of God are given the Spirit of God to accomplish the Mission of God.

People of God (Summary of 36; 37:1-2)

Disobedient in their affections

Suffering in light of sin

Chosen and held close by a Sovereign God

Relation: Despair and hopelessness

Spirit of God

Illustration: Aslan speaking forth creation and life.

Mission of God

Israel: a priestly nation

God’s people: a priesthood of all believers (veil torn)

Jew and Gentile, orphan, widow, sojourner and refugee

Application: Who’s your one?

37:1a - The hand of the Lord was on me.

Manuscript:

[Congregational Reading: David Watkins reading. Scripture on Screen]

If you have your copy of God’s Word, open to Ezekiel 37:1-14. Hear the Word of the Lord.

Ezekiel 37:1–14 (CSB)

1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. 3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I replied, “Lord GOD, only you know.”

4 He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. 6 I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord GOD says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!”

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’

12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, my people, and lead you into the land of Israel.

13 You will know that I am the LORD, my people, 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 am the LORD. I have spoken, and I will do it. This is the declaration of the LORD.’”

Speaker: “This is God’s Word.”

Audience: “Thanks be to God.”

Speaker: “You may be seated.”

I’ll say bless the Lord if you say oh my soul.

Speaker: “Bless the Lord.”

Audience: “Oh my Soul.”

Speaker: “Oh bless His holy name."

I tremble with the task that lies ahead. Not necessarily because of nerves or concerning my preparation; but each time I’ve climbed a pulpit or a stage, I tremble in reverence to our Lord because it is no small thing to stand before the people of God, wielding the word of God, and proclaim, “this is what God says…” So with that said, I ask you to pray with me as we seek the Lord’s help this morning.

Father,

You have not hid yourself from us, but in the midst of utter darkness and despair, you have proven time and time again that you bring abundant life to your people. We seek you this morning, may we see this rich provision of this text and see ultimately that it is your Son who restores us and brings us back from the dead. Speak now, Lord. Your people are listening.

And God’s people said, [Amen]

I know that I don't have to do anything so foolish as to ask if any of you have endured suffering in this lifetime. I don’t have to pose the question, “have you ever felt down,” or much more than that, “have you ever felt hopeless?”

My students are used to me every week boiling down my messages to single statements and I’ll do the same this morning for you all. If I could have you walk out of here with one thing in your head, I want you to know that the people of God are given the Spirit of God to accomplish the Mission of God.

People of God

We see here not just some etherial interaction between God and humanity but God ushering out his chosen servant before a boneyard filled with the bitter reality that Israel, God’s people were in a state of utter despair and hopelessness. NO LIFE IN SIGHT.

As we survey the entirety of the Scripture, we see these seasons and episodes of God’s people drawing close, and falling away. Worshipping with fullness of heart, and falling into false worship of whatever idol they fancied. Here we have the prophet Ezekiel, tasked with speaking God’s words to God’s people in the midst of a season of infidelity, idolatry, and turning their backs on God’s leading. And it resulted in God’s people living in exile, cast out, depleted of their livelihood.

Now we might not be standing before a valley of dry bones but you and I

Spirit of God

You don’t need a TED Talk, or the encouragement of even the greatest of “Self-help” gurus. What we have been given is the very Spirit of God that brings us the life that we were truly and genuinely made for.

Ezekiel 36:26–29 (CSB)

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances. 28 You will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I will not bring famine on you.

Mission of God

The orphan, the widow, the sojourner and the refugee. Who is your neighbor? Greatest commandment. Love God, Love neighbor. Love God, Love people.

Already, but not yet.

I hope that you can see this crimson cord that runs throughout Scripture and as we stand condemned in our Sin, the Savior of the universe breathes His life into us and restores us to full vitality.

NO LONGER DEAD, BUT ALIVE BECAUSE OF HIS LIFE.

Sermon Summary Sheet

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Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Date: 5/25/20

Audience: Believers

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