Untitled Sermon

Scripture: 37 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.’ ”

Ezekiel 37:1–14 (CSB)

Grab Attention: The greatest miracle in the Bible. How is it different? It was the result of faithfully preaching.

FCF: How many times do we remain silent about God because we believe that the people we would share with would not listen nor respond?

CIT: Without God we those dry bones people and our only hope is that God will work through the proclamation of His Word.

Context:

Purpose: That we would be faithful to invite, to share, to preach no matter how difficult that task seems to be.

We are Called to do what is absurd, preach to dead people.

One: The people or bones he was called to. God knew what Ezekiel saw.

We do not know the origins of this valley, although there is some speculation.

What must it been like for those who met death before the valley. Was it solders who died on the battle field. Was it exiles killed by their captors. Was it people who feel ill to a horrible sickness?

What we do know if is the bones of Israelite whom bodies had been thrown and discarded in this valley. Bodies that were never properly buried or honored, bodies that were scavenged upon by birds and other animals, bodies that were left to rot in the sun. If there ever was a valley that depicted hopelessness it was this valley.

If there ever was a picture of death, if there ever was a place that resembled the absence of life, this was the place.

It was not a valley of bodies. It was a valley of bones.

This is unlike the resurrection stories of the New Testament. It was a person buried in a tomb recently, a family member who recently died and was still laying on their death bed.This was a valley of men, and possibly women and children who have been dead for sometime.

It was unimaginable that such deadness could be brought to life.

Later God says this valley is Israel, not just the one that died years before but even the ones that are technically still alive. The Lord asserts that the valley he is looking at, is a reminder of the current state Israel is in.

Although they are a live they are just as dead as that valley.

Although they are a alive they are just as hopeless as that valley.

Is the church any different?

Is the people in our communities any different?

Are we a dry bone, dead and hopeless people?

The book of Ezekiel has prove one point, without God we those dry bones people.

Two: Who was Ezekiel to tell dry bones to come to life?

He couldn’t even save his wife. (Ezekiel 24:15-27)

Ezekiel was a man and nothing more.

He could not give life even if he wanted to.

He did not have the power to restore life to those dry bones.

We are Called to trust the one who can do the absurd, who can give life to the dead.

One: Ezekiel was asked to trust God.

To trust God enough to preach to dry bones.

To trust God enough to share what God had shared with him, even to people who he thought would never hear.

To trust God enough to risk being foolish for Him.

21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached.

1 Corinthians 1:21 (CSB)

Two: God was faithful to do what he promised .

God began to restore life to these bones even before Ezekiel was done preaching.

God gave every restored person a purpose, he called them an army, his army.

God did the restoring of life, God gave them breathe, God gave them His spirit. All Ezekiel did was preach what God told him to preach.

God faithfulness was dependent on Ezekiel’s faithfulness. Hence two times in this book God warns Ezekiel that if he does not share the blood of those he does not share with will be on his own hands.

Conclusion:

Although the call to share God’s truth with people who apparently do not want to hear nor are concerned with the things of God, God is able to do the absurd by giving them life through the sharing of His words with them.

What a marvelous message of encouragement this is, both to church and to the people who are dead without Christ. If the church remained faithful to his call and proclaimed the word of God, the ultimate consequence would be a life-transforming experience that would result in a spiritual resurrection. There is no finer illustration of the life-changing power of the preached word than what the prophet saw in his vision. It has the power to transform those who are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1–22) and make them new, living creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). God has always used the “foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (1 Cor 1:21).

We must demonstrate our faithfulness to God if there is going to be life.

We must invite people to hear God’s word.

We must share with them God power to give life.

Share the Gospel Here!!!

Final Appeal to encourage people to invite, especially to our revival if we are going to experience a revival.