Opening:
So many people in relationships try to change the other person. Reminds me of the
young fiancé who, after learning that her husband to be didn’t believe like she did, cried
to her mother saying, “Mom, what should I do? How can I change his thinking? He says
he doesn’t believe in hell?” The Mother said, “Honey, that’s alright, you marry him and
both of us will make him believe in hell.” (illustration from Sermon Central).
Maybe you have been going about changing your spiritual life all the wrong ways. Do
you feel like you are dead in your Spiritual life? Or maybe just have no power?
Or do you know someone who needs Jesus, but it seems it is going to be impossible for
God to save them? That person just seems to set against God and anything that is
associated with God that they will never change? It’s hard for us to keep up hope for
people like that at times. These people can be a mother, father, brother, sister, son,
daughter, neighbor, employer, or employee. But ask yourself is it really possible for God
to save that individual? Is it really possible for God to get me excited about my own faith
again?
Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-12
Introduction:
Let’s look at the background of these passage. What happens is the Spirit of God
carries Ezekiel to a very peculiar place, the site of a horrific battle. Located in a valley
where countless people had been slain a long time before. It is in this valley that Ezekiel
saw dry bones laying about everywhere. Bones that were picked clean by the birds of
the air and the beast of the field. Bones that had been washed by the rain and bleached
by the sun. These bones had laid out in the sun and became baked and brittle. But then
God asks Ezekiel something very strange, “Son of man, can these bones live? (Ezekiel.
37:3).
I am certain that Ezekiel was tempted to say, “No that’s impossible”. Just as many of us
would say it is impossible for some people we know to become spiritually alive or maby
even experience a reviving ourselves. But Ezekiel was smart and gave a great answer.
He said, “God, You know” (Ezekiel 37:3).
God then was ready to show Ezekiel impossible just as He is ready to show us today
that indeed those bones could live.
Now we need to remember that the prime application of this passage is to the nation of
Israel. God said to Ezekiel, “These bones are the whole house of Israel” (Ezekiel 27:11).
In a prophetic sense God is demonstrating in these passages what He will do in the end
times to bring back the nation of Israel from all over the world, where they lie scattered
about, in unbelief just like these dry bones.
But don’t miss the application this also speaking to us today. That we see in these
passages how God brings life from death. What man often things is impossible has
been made possible for Israel by God. And that God can do this same thing for any
situation. God can bring life out of death and revive our lost friends, neighbors, families,
and even ourselves. God evan wants to revive our church.
Let’s look at what the lord Jesus Christ can do for us today just like God raised these
dry bones.
1. A Sinful Condition:
Your Knee Bone is Connected to the Back Bone
a. These were dead bones that symbolize how a man without Christ is dead.
They had all been slain just like all those that have been slain by the devil
today.
b. The devil is a murderer who brings:
I)Loss of Life
II)Pollution to Purity
III)Sickness to Strength
IV)Woe to Well-Being and
V)Fear instead of Faith
c. These were Dry Bones. They had been out there for a long time and the
moisture of life had Departed from these bones (Ezekiel 37:2).
d. And these were Dispirited Bones. They lay in a valley, a low place of sorrow
and grief (Ezekiel 37:2)
e. They were all Displaced Bones that were just laying about everywhere with
no Purpose and Place (Ezekiel 37:1).
f. That is the condition of life without God.
g. Skeleton Outline: Allow me to give you a Skeleton Outline of these Bones
h. The Tailbone Christian doesn't get involved. Always behind on their giving
because they never trust. Always behind on their work for God. They may
have good intentions but never actually do anything.
i. Illustration: The tailbone Christian is like the man who needed some same-day
dry cleaning before his trip. He went to a store that said, “One-Hour Dry
Cleaners.” “I need this in an hour,” he told the clerk.
She said, “I can’t get this back to you until Thursday.”
“I thought you did dry cleaning in an hour?”
“No,” she replied, “That’s just the name of the store.” These people have the
name of a Christian but never do anything a Christian does (Illustration from
Sermon Central).
j. The Finger Bone Christian = always points out others faults. Or busy making
excuses as to why they don’t and how someone else is doing it wrong.
k. The Jawbone Christian = likes to run the mouth and gossip. This bone
specializes in talking a good Christianity.
l. The Funny (jerky) bone = dry because they never drink the milk of the Word
of God. They don't pray for the alter call they pray it will end. Everything
upsets them. Wether it is the color of the carpet or someone taking their Pew
or Parking space.
m.The Wishbone = wishful prayer life. When they do pray they only mention it to
be able to Gossip since they don’t think of it as Gossip as long as they put in
the form of a prayer. Here is one type of Wishbone Prayer.
n. Illustration: “Now I lay me down to sleep I pray my e-mail to keep. I pray my
stocks are on the rise and that my analyst is wise. That all the wine I sip is
white and that my hot tub is water tight. That racquetball won’t get to tough
and that my sushi’s fresh enough. I pray my cell phone works. That my career
won’t lose its perks. My microwave won’t radiate. My condo won’t depreciate. I
pray my health club doesn’t close and that my money market grows. If I die
Your Knee Bone is Connected to the Back Bone
broke before I wake I pray my Lexus they won’t take.” (Illustration from
Sermon Central)
o. Knee Bone = This is the few that know how to pray. Everything in our lives
needs to be saturated with prayer. Prayer is not a monologue it is a dialogue.
Prayer is not always talking to God it is listening for God. Those that have
strong knee bones will in turn have a strong Back Bone!
p. Back Bone = those that stand on the Word. Today the people of God are
folding up when they should be standing up. Stand Up, Stand Up, for Jesus!
Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All Other is Sinking Sand!
q. Illustration: A church that has passion is a church where "Discouraged folks
cheer up, dishonest folks fees up, sour folks sweeten up, closed folk, open up,
gossipers quieten up, conflicted folks make up, sleeping folks wake up,
lukewarm folk, fire up, dry bones shake up, and pew potatoes stand up! But
most of all, Christ the Savior of the entire world is lifted up." (Illustration from
Sermon Central)
2. A Supernatural Commission:
a. God came to Ezekiel and gave him a Supernatural Commission. He called
Ezekiel to believe God can do Supernatural things.That He can take those
who are dead and bring life back into them. That God can Heal our Hearts.
b. And my friend that commission is for each one of us. To go out and spread
that Good News.
c. Do you believe that God can give life to our loved ones?
I.Peer with Divine Potential:
a. Peer upon everyone as either a Brother or Sister in Christ or a
Potential Brother or Sister in Christ.
b. The lost can be saved and Redeemed can be Revived!
c. Peer upon every Problem as an Opportunity for God to show His
greatness!
II. Proclaim with Divine Power:
a. Proclaim with the same urgency that Ezekiel brought the Word of
God with. The Bible living and powerful book that presents the
living Lord Jesus Christ.
b. You might as well expect corn to grow from planting marbles as
to expect people to get saved apart from the Word of God.
III. Pray with Divine Perseverance.
a. When we do these things God begins to move in our lives and
situation. God shakes those bones in the valley.
b. He disturbs those bones that haven’t wanted bothered. It was
once said that Christ did not come to simply comfort the
disturbed but He came to disturb the comforted.
c. Then there comes a holy commotion. This is where the bones
come to join other bones.
Your Knee Bone is Connected to the Back Bone
d. There is a bonding power of love when things comes together
logically and things start to make sense.
e. But understand that even though those dry bones have come
together, they are just a nice-looking corpse. Like many who
come to church on Sunday dressed up on the outside but dead
on the inside.
f. They are the people who are not saved yet. They haven’t found
the Lord Jesus Christ.
g. God has to give them not only a a structure of bones but He was
to give them organs. That is the ears to hear, eyes to see and a
brain to think with.
3. A Spiritual Completion:
a. Now not only does a person have a mind, and a body, but they also have a
soul.
b. Look at what Ezekiel says next, “So I prophesied as He commanded me, and
breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, and
exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10).
c. A body won’t live if God doesn’t breathe life into it. God is the only one who
can give life. God is also the only one who can give spiritual life. A person
must come to faith and be saved by God through Jesus Christ to become alive
Spiritually.
d. You must first use your knee bones to develop your backbone.
e. You have to Pray and ask Christ to save you, Professing your a sinner and
believing in your heart that God raised Christ from the tomb (Romans 10:9).
f. The Four Winds
g. God commanded Ezekiel to breath breath from the four winds. Four is a
symbolic number in the Bible meaning meaning completeness.
h. There is four seasons that make up a year, spring, summer, fall, and
winter. There are four parts of a day being morning, noon, evening, and
night. There are four directions, east, east, south, and north.Then there
are four Gospels that tell the complete story of Christ.
i. Then there are fours ways we take our Dry Bones and Bring Life into them.
j. The Apostle Paul lists four ways that the body is sown and raised from
corruption (1Corinthians 15:42-44)
I) The body is sown "in corruption, raised in incorruption";
II) The body is sown "in dishonor, raised in glory";
III)The body is sown "in weakness, raised in power";
IV)while in the one, "it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."
Closing:
Friends, if we will learn that our Knee Bone is Connected to our Backbone then God can
take any old Dry Bones and make them live. That God can take you today and give you
a new life, He can give you peace that surpasses your understanding, God can give you
Hope and Meaning to life. Will you come and accept it today? Will you come just as you
are and experience the miracle that dry bones can live!
That Your Knee Bone is Connected to the Back Bone
