THE REMEDY FOR DRY BONES
EZEKIEL 37: 1-4
1. INTRODUCTION. DRY SKIN IS SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED AT SOME POINT IN OUR LIVES. DRY SKIN OCCURS FOR SEVERAL REASONS: THE LOST OF MOISTURE IN THE BODY, DRY WEATHER, AIR CONDITIONING, VITAMIN DEFICIENCY, SYSTEMIC ILLNESS, EXPOSURE TO THE SUN, AND EVEN SHOWERING. THE MEDICAL TERM FOR DRY SKIN IS CALLED XERODERMA. CONSEQUENTLY, DRY SKIN CAN CAUSE ITCHING AND CRACKING. IT CAN BECOME A PAINFUL MATTER IF NOT PROPERLY TREATED. HOWEVER, THERE IS A REMEDY FOR DRY SKIN, AND THAT IS TO RE-HYDRATE THE SKIN BY USING VASELINES, LOTIONS, AND MEDICATIONS. AND MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, JUST AS OUR SKIN BECOMES PHYSICALLY DRY, OUR BONES CAN COME SPIRITUALLY DRY; DUE TO LOSS OF SPIRITUAL MOISTURE! THE LOSS OF SPIRITUAL MOISTURE OCCURS FOR SEVERAL REASONS: SIN, LACK OF COMMITMENT, APOSTASY, AND THE LACK OF PRAYER AND THE STUDY OF GOD’S WORD JUST TO NAME A FEW. BUT, MY BROTHERS AND SISTER, JUST AS THERE IS A REMEDY FOR DRY SKIN THERE IS A REMEDY FOR DRY BONES.
2. THE TEXT. THE PROPHET IS TAKEN IN A VISION BY GOD TO A VALLEY OF DRY BONES. AND IN THE VISION, GOD CAUSED THE PROPHET TO PASS BY THEM, INDICATING THAT HE SAW THEM FROM EVERY SIDE AND PERSPECTIVE.
a) THESE DEAD DRY BONES REPRESENT THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, WHO DIED IN BATTLE.
b) AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE, THE PROPHET SAW NOTHING BUT DEAD DRY BONES.
c) GOD ASKED EZEKIEL THE QUESTION, “SON OF MAN, CAN THESE BONES LIVE?”
d) EZEKIEL’S RESPONSE WAS, “O LORD GOD, THOU KNOWEST.” WHICH WAS INDICATIVE THAT HE DID NOT KNOW.
e) AS WE HAVE STUDIED IN OUR RECENT BIBLE STUDY, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ONLY GOD CAN KNOW!
f) AS I OBSERVE THE DRY BONES IN THE WORLD, COMMUNITY, AND EVEN IN CHURCH, THE QUESTION IS CAN THESE DRY BONES LIVE? AND ONLY GOD KNOWS IF THEY CAN AND IF THEY WILL!
3. THE CONDITION OF THE WOLD, COMMUNITY AND THE CHURCH!
a) THE WORLD, WITH ITS STANCE ON BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT, HAS BECOME INDIFFERENT TO GOD. THE COLD CALLOUS CONDITION OF THE WORLD, HAS BECOME A CESSPOOL OF SIN THAT ALLOWS UNGODLINESS TO REIGN SUPREME. SPIRITUALLY, MORALLY AND ETHICALLY, THE WORLD IS DRY.
b) OUR COMMUNITIES ARE RUNNING RAMPANT WITH VIOLENCE AND DRUGS. IT APPEARS THAT MURDER IS OCCURRING AT AN ASTRONOMICAL RATE. CANTON IS BECOMING JUST LIKE THE OLD WEST, WHERE LIFE DOES NOT MATTER, AND OUR STREETS ARE NOW BECOMING JUST LIKE THE GUN FIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL.
c) EVEN OUR CHURCHES ARE BECOMING DRY. A LOT OF SINGING, BUT THEY ARE DRY. POPULATED WITH PEOPLE BUT THEY ARE DRY. MISSIONS THAT ARE IMMOBILE. WORSHIP IS WORTHLESS BECAUSE IT IS DRY. THERE MIGHT BE PREACHING, BUT IT IS DRY, AND THE PEOPLE ARE UNMOVED AND UNCONCERNED BY THERE OWN CONDITION! AND AS STATED EARLIER, DRYNESS CAN CAUSE ITCHING, AND WITH ITCHING, COMES THE NEED TO SCRATCH; THEREFORE, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, PEOPLE IN THE PEWS ARE SCRATCHING THE WRONG ITCH!
4. SELF EXAMINATION. HOW CAN A PERSON TELL IF THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DRY?
a) IF YOU DON’T SPEND TIME IN PRAYER, YOU ARE DRY.
b) IF YOU DON’T SPEND TIME IN THE WORD OF GOD, YOU ARE DRY.
c) IF YOU HEAR THE WORD BUT DON’T PUT THE WORD INTO ACTION, YOU ARE DRY.
d) IF YOU ONLY LOVE THOSE THAT LOVE YOU, YOU ARE DRY.
e) IF YOU DO NO WORK FOR THE LORD, YOU ARE DRY.
f) IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A LIFESTYLE THAT IS UNPLEASING TO GOD, YOU ARE DRY.
g) IF YOU SPEND MORE TIME IN GOSSIP THAN YOU DO IN THE GOSPEL, YOU ARE DRY.
h) IF YOU ARE UNJUSTLY JUDGMENTAL OF OTHERS, YOU ARE DRY.
i) I MUST ADMIT THAT AS I PREPARED THIS MESSAGE I HAD TO EXAMINE MY OWN LIFE, AND ASK, LORD AM I TOO DRY FOR YOU?
j) SAD BUT RUE, THAT TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE SO SPIRITUALLY DRY THAT THEY ARE OF NO VALUE TO GOD!
k) DRY BONES ARE USELESS. I HEARD MY FATHER SAY IN ONE OF HIS SERMONS THAT EVEN A DOG WON’T EAT A DRY BONE.
5. GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS TO EZEKIEL. GOD INSTRUCTED EZEKIEL TO PROPHESY TO THE DEAD DRY BONES, SAYING HEAR YE THE WORD OF THE LORD.
a) EZEKIEL PROPHESIED, MEANING HE SPOKE THE INSPIRED WORD OF THE LORD, AND THE BONES CAME TOGETHER.
b) GOD CLOTHED THE DEAD DRY BONES WITH SINEW AND FLESH, BUT NOTICE, THEY WERE STILL DEAD.
c) THERE ARE MANY IN THE WORLD WHO ARE CLOTHED WITH FLESH, BUT THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DEAD.
d) GOD INSTRUCTED EZEKIEL TO PROPHESY TO THE WIND.
e) EZEKIEL WAS OBEDIENT TO THE COMMAND OF GOD!
6. FOUR POINTS/CONCLUSION. THE REMEDY FOR DRY BONES IS FOUND IN THE INSTRUCTIONS OF GOD TO EZEKIEL. GOD INITIATES THE REMEDY!
a) ONE, HE HAD TO SPEAK TO THE DEAD DRY BONES. MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WE NEED TO SPEAK THE WORD TO THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY DEAD AND DRY. NOT ONLY TO OTHERS, BUT TO OURSELVES AS WELL. IF THERE IS NO SPEAKING OF THE WORD, PEOPLE WILL REMAIN IN THEIR CURRENT CONDITION. YOU AND I ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE HEARD THE WORD!
b) TWO, WE MUST BE WILLING TO FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER. HE COMMANDED EZEKIEL TO SPEAK, NOT SING. SPEAK, NOT PRAY. SPEAK, NOT GIVE HIS OPINION. SPEAK, NOT GIVE HIS TESTIMONY. IN OTHER WORDS, WE MUST GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE WILLING TO DO THINGS GOD’S WAY AND HIS WAY ALONE.
c) THREE, NOTICE, THAT THEY WERE COVERED WITH FLESH, BUT THEY WERE STILL DEAD. UNLESS GOD BREATHS ON US WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE DEAD AND DRY. EZEKIEL PROPHESIED TO THE WIND. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT GOD BREATHED THE BREATH OF LIFE INTO MAN’S NOSTRILS AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL.
d) FOUR, EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS THE BREATH OF GOD RESIDING IN THEM, BUT THEY MUST BE WILLING TO YIELD TO GOD, SUBMITTING TO HIS WAY, HIS RULE, AND HIS AUTHORITY.
e) GOD REVIVED THE DEAD DRY BONES.
f) GOD IS TOO GOOD TO US FOR US TO BE DRY.
g) OUR TESTIMONY OUGHT TO BE…
h) WE PRAISE THEE, O GOD! FOR THE SON OF THY LOVE,
FOR JESUS WHO DIED, AND IS NOW GONE ABOVE.
HALLELUJAH! THINE THE GLORY.
HALLELUJAH! AMEN.
HALLELUJAH! THINE THE GLORY.
REVIVE US AGAIN.
