Introduction:
As I was taking my shower the other day, God Himself spoke a Word into my spirit. He took me to book of Ezekiel when it centered around the dry bones. I said God I’ve heard the story many times about the connection of the dry bones; however, there are unlimited facets to the mind and character of God. I won’t be speaking of how the bones reconnected this morning, and with that thought that brings me to my first of two points.
Development:
Point Number One: I’m In My Tomb
Looking at the world today, we have people that we can call the Walking Dead. I’m not talking about zombies that are seen in horror movies, but I’m talking about people, living today. I’m talking about people that are breathing today. People walking around today are the walking dead.
Preacher I’m not following you. Well if we go back down memory lane in our lives we were not always saved. We were out there doing our own thing. We were the walking dead.
Biblically we were in our tombs. We were what you would call spiritually dead.
We were in a state of death. Just what is death? In the Greek the word death is Thanatos (than - ate - toos), which basically means separation.
Death never means extinction, annihilation, non-existence, or inactivity. H.S. Miller quoted death in his book called Devotional Studies in Galatians and Ephesians, Death is the separation of a person from the purpose or use for which he was intended.
The Bible speaks of three types of deaths:
1.The Physical Death: the separation of a man’s spirit or life from the body. This is what men commonly call death. It is when a person ceases to exist on this earth and is buried.
Scripture References - 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 and Hebrews 9:27
2.Spiritual death: the separation of man’s spirit from God while he is still living and walking upon earth. This death is the natural state of a man on earth without Christ. Man is seen as still being in his sins and is dead to God.
Scripture References - Ephesians 2:1 Ephesians 4:18 and 1 John 5:11-12
Eternal death
3.Eternal death: the separation of man from God’s presence forever. This is the second death, an eternal state of being dead to God.
Scripture References - 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 2 Thes. 1:9
It is spiritual death, separation from God, which is prolonged beyond the death of the body. It is called the second death or eternal death.
But I want to focus on the Spiritual Death.
Spiritual death speaks of a person who is dead while he still lives which is found in 1 Tim. 5:6. He is a natural man living in this present world, but he is said to be dead to the Lord Jesus Christ and to God and to all spiritual matters.
a. A person who wastes his life in riotous ( rio – tus) living is spiritually dead.
Scripture References - Luke 15:32
These are your party hardy folks that just live for the weekend.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
b. A person who has not partaken of Christ is spiritually dead.
Scripture References - John 6:53
COMMUNION
A person can actually receive and partake of Christ in the closest and most intimate and nourishing sense of his being (flesh and blood). The receiving and partaking can be just as intimate and nourishing as eating and drinking.
The point is this: a man must receive Christ into his heart, into his innermost being if he wishes to live. In fact, he is dead spiritually and eternally unless he so receives Christ.
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
c. A person who does not have the spirit of Christ is said to be spiritually dead.
Scripture References - Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
d. A person who lives in sin is said to be spiritually dead.
Scripture References - Ephesians 2:1 & Colossians 2:13
Scripture References - And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2:1
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses Colossians 2:13
e. A person who is alienated from God is said to be spiritually dead. Ephesians 4:18-19
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
f. A person who sleeps in sin is spiritually dead.
Ephesians 5:14
Man was created to know, fellowship, worship, and serve God; but man decides not to do it.
If he worships at all, he worships his own ideas and concepts of God, creating a god to suit his own notions—a god that will allow him to go ahead and live as he wishes.
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
g. A person who lives in sinful pleasure is dead while he lives. 1 Timothy 5:6
But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
A person who does not have the Son of God is dead.
1 John 5:11-12
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
i. A person who does great religious works but does the wrong works is dead. Revelation 3:1
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
I don’t know about you, but of those deaths that I just mentioned, I use to fit one of those categories. I was in my tomb. I was in my tomb because of sin. If the truth must be told, we all use to fit one of the molds. We had no life in Jesus Christ. We were dead to Him because of our sins, and we all were in our tombs. We were there because:
1. We were dead to Him because of our arrogance.
2. We were dead to Him because of our stubbornness.
3. We were dead to Him because of our deceitfulness.
4. We were dead to Him because of our hatred.
5. We were dead to Him because of our lying.
6. We were dead to Him because of our fornicative
lives.
We were nothing but a pile of dry bones in our tomb.
Point Number Two: I’ve Been Resurrected
My first point was that I was in a tomb, but now I’ve been resurrected. Well preacher how can you come from a tomb to being resurrected?
The bible says in Ezekiel 27: 9 says, Then he said to me, Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.
I’m so glad that somebody came and blew the breath of life on me. That breath of life is Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:8 says, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And there are two facts that let me know that the hour has come and now is
1. when the spiritually dead can hear the voice of the Son of God.
2. when the spiritually dead, who hear, can live.
2 Corinthians 6:2 says, For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
John 3:36 says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Conclusion:
I’m so glad that there was a man that came 40 and 2 generations to breathe the breath of life on me. I was in a state of dry bones. I was dead to God. But one day, He came by and breathed on me, and I came alive. Salvation brought me back to life. This life came from the cross. It came from that place called Cavalry. They hung Him high and strecthed Him wide. He dided on that old rugged cross. And they put Him in that old barred tomb. He laid in that old barred tomb for three days. But something happened on the third day; early Sunday morning, He got up early Sunday morning with all power in His hands.
Amen
