Son Of Man, Can These Bone Live Series

Note: Most of this is original (if that is possible) expect for the part about "dry bones" of sin, which I got from a powerpoint by Arthur Pigman from Evans Church of Christ.

Title: Son of Man, Can These Bones Live?

Theme:

Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Offering

Proverbs 3:9 Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best. (10) Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.

Opening Prayer

Introduction

If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel. Ezekile chapter 37. What an awesome weekend we had. It was different but what a powerful word that Bro. Doyle brought to our church. He dealt with two major topics that I think are prevalent for the New Year. 1. Our image of God. 2. Positioning yourself to walk in the purpose and the will of God. Our image of God helps us understand God. This is the reason so many struggle with God because they see him as filling a missing part that their father or mother never gave them. So instead of looking for blessing they look for failure. We must position ourselves to follow God’s plan and we must walk in that. Any venture off the path causes our lives to be in chaos.

Scripture

1. The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.

The Prophet Ezekiel “Peculiar Prophet”

Ezekiel was a peculiar prophet. He was different. God would often ask him to do different things. He would have visions and dreams and what seemed to be “outer body” experiences. God would transport him places mainly to give him a message. Just a few weeks ago we dealt with Ezekiel’s vision of the river. Going deep.

In these visions we see a message for Israel to waken up their spiritual lives. To me in the scriptures Israel is a type of the church. Now we can’t take this to the extreme but we often see the behavior of Israel repeated in the church. God called the church to be his vehicle to share Christ. Yet the church seems to be so caught up in its own purposes and plans that they fail to listen to God.

This time the Lord sits him in a valley that is full of dry bones. We would later learn that this is an illustration of Israel but all Ezekiel could see around him was death, this had been this way for a while.

2. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

So he moved around the valley and it was everywhere. There was a vast army of these “dry bones”.

3. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."

What a powerful question. The Lord asks Ezekiel a question. The obvious answer at the moment seemed to be no. There is no reason for these bones to live. They have run their course. In reality they had been deposited here because they have no purpose.

Yet notice Ezekiel’s answer. He says, “O Lord God, You know.” God – Jehovah – the self existent one. It is hard to talk about the impossibility and what CAN’T happen when you are talking to Jehovah. He is the one that created life.

As a young boy Ezekiel must have memorized the story of Adam and Eve and how God had taken nothing and created man.

4. Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

So then the Lord challenges Ezekiel to do something about it. Ezekiel now saw the problem and God gives him the command to bring the solution. He says, prophesy.

Why do bones get dry?

Sin

Sin takes a person farther than they meant to go, will cost them more than they meant to pay, and keep them longer than they meant to stay !

Sin robs our hearts and lives …

…like dry scorched bones.

Ephesians 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

• Compliancy

• Distractions

• Fear of God’s will and purpose

• Control

5. 'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6. "I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD."' "