New Life To Dead Things

New Life to Dead Things

Theme: To show how Christ brings salvation to dead people. Also how He can breath life into our dead situations.

Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17 – 19, Ezekiel 37

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (18) Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

I think this is one of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible. In it is contained a summary of the salvation experience.

We were “dead in our trespasses from sin”. Christ came into our life and made us a “new creation”. We have been “reconciled” with God.

What does reconciliation mean?

Original: ?ata??a´ss?

- Transliteration: Katallasso

- Phonetic: kat-al-las'-so

to change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value

a. to reconcile (those who are at variance)

b. return to favour with, be reconciled to one

c. to receive one into favour

In this passage is alluded to the new life in Christ. I believe this is symbolized in baptism as we see in: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3–4)

We put away the old things? Throughout Paul’s writing there seems to be this challenge of teaching people to move forward in their faith in God. There is this challenge of showing people that they no longer live as they once did when they become a believer in Christ Jesus.

He often compares his readers to the “works of the flesh” and the “works of the spirit”. Galatians 5.

And I believe it is best illustrated in Ezekial 37

(Eze 37:1) 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; (valley has always been symbolized as a low place, a dark place, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” Psalms 23) and it was full of bones. (bones represent death, maybe there was life here at on time but obviously they are dead now. Maybe there was flesh, organs and skin here at one time, but all Ezekiel sees is death)

(Eze 37:2) 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.

As Ezekiel peruses the valley he notices there is a lot of bones.

These bones were “very dry”. They had been here for a while. They had been openly exposed.

“What do you see when you look at the world around you? Although the people around us may be living their lives, working their jobs, enjoying their hobbies, raising their families; while they may be charming, intellectual, reasonable, and apparently fit, if they do not know Jesus Christ, they are spiritually dead. Paul tells us that until the Holy Spirit quickens men and women to spiritual life they are “…dead in trespasses and in sins,” Eph. 2:1. This can be true of your husband, your wife, your parents, your children, your friends, your neighbors, or your coworkers. While they may be full of life physically, they can be dead spiritually.

We should pray and ask God to open our eyes and help us see the world around us as it really is. That was what Jesus said to His disciples, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest,” John 4:35. We need to see the world as it really is.”

https://www.sermonnotebook.org/old%20testament/Ezekiel%2037_1-14.html

But I believe this can also speak to more than just those around us. It can also speak to things inside of us.

“The bones of family drama, medical issues, heartbreak and loneliness.

Dry bones of bad finances, unemployment and the driest bones of all, spiritual conflict.”

from https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/799613-ezekiel-37:1-14-%28sermon%29-there-is-life-for-your-dead-situation?sso=false

(Eze 37:3) And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

“I so appreciate the honesty in what Ezekiel says. I hear his uncertainty. I sense his feeling of powerlessness. I picture him looking around and shaking his head at the overwhelming enormity of it all. God only knows if these bones can live again. “