Subject: "God’s Answer for the Dead Situations of Life"
Text: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 “The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.”
11-14 “Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
Introduction: The prophetic proclamation is God’s answer for dead situations. In Ezekiel 37, speaking a prophetic message to dry bones means to actively declare God's word and promises over seemingly hopeless situations, believing that God can bring life and restoration where there appears to be none. It's about recognizing the potential for renewal and acting in faith, even when circumstances look bleak.
In the Church in general, there seems to be common knowledge that we need true revival to combat the dryness and lifelessness we see. We need to experience the abundant life that Jesus came to bring in a greater measure. No matter what denomination, independent or traditional, there seems to be something missing of the presence of God in the church. Whenever the Spirit of the Lord is manifest, every person present can sense the realness of the presence of God. Tonight's lesson is taken from the book of Ezekiel. The word Ezekiel means "God will strengthen". This book was written to encourage the Israelites in their most difficult hour. But it is also designed to encourage each of us, no matter how dead or lifeless your present situation appears to be, there is still hope for the future. God knows how to strengthen you for the role you must play in his turnaround. It takes strength to speak life to dead situations. It takes strength for the weak to say, “I am strong”. It takes strength for the poor to say, I am rich”!
In Joel 3:10, God said, “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.” The scripture "let the weak say, I am strong" speaks of a complete reversal of role in God's judgment and restoration. The passage encourages those who feel inadequate or powerless to declare their strength through faith in God. It's a call to speak positively and believe in God's power to transform weakness into strength. In 2Corinthians 12:9 we hear these words, “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Then Isaiah 35:3-5 “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution, he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” Reversal begins with the prophetic proclamation. Speak life!
Ezekiel was a prophet/priest with an unusual calling. He was carried away into Babylon with thousands of the Israel's brightest and best. Those who had been successful politicians, military leaders, skilled craftsmen and a host of others were carried into Babylon. Somehow Ezekiel was able to acquire a home by the River Chebar. God tells Him that his wife, the desire of his heart, would die suddenly of a massive stoke, but because of his assignment, Ezekiel would not be allowed to mourn her death because God used his experience as a message to Judah.
Ezekiel has been labeled as a neurotic, paranoid, psychotic or schizophrenic because of his erratic behavior, ex. (390 days lying on one side, 40 days on the other side; shaving off his hair; and seeing many vision, of the 48 chapters of the book, 17 are nothing but visions. A better explanation of his strange behavior is that anyone who conscientiously obeys God will be considered strange. With all of his preaching and demonstrations, he witnessed to the nation of Israel who continued in sin until they were carried into Babylon. Now their homeland has been destroyed, the temple burned with fire, their joy is gone for they hang their harps in the willow trees saying, How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
Ezekiel message and prophecy was so difficult to understand that in the early centuries, those under 30 years old were not allowed to read chapters 1, 40-48. We are going to hear from a portion of Ezekiel's third major division. The first are messages of Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem; the second, messages of Judgment on other nations; the third deals with the coming restoration. God has a plan of restoration for his people. The vision of the valley of dry bones dramatically proclaims a future resurrection. There is hope for the future!
Jeremiah 29: 10,11 ...I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (One translation says, to give you hope and a future!) How will God revive your situation? How can God breathe new life in your crisis?
In the life of Israel, God sent his word to bring healing and restoration. God still sends his word to heal and deliver. With the living word of God and with His anointing, God sends deliverance.
Isaiah 10:27... his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."
This text teachings us several valuable lessons that points to hope for the future (1) When ever God sends a word, It is a word full of life and hope. There are several things the prophet must be and do.
1. Be Confident in Your Assignment - Eze 37:1-4 “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
We must be confident in our assignment. I am God’s choice, God’s prophet. I am well able to handle my assignment. I will proclaim God’s word of Life and Hope boldly and confidently. Proclaiming God’s word of life and hope means preaching what God says, regardless of how I feel or what I see. God never waste our time or his word. No matter what kind of word God sends, it holds a promise of life and hope. So, after a thorough investigation, Ezekiel must have the courage to confidently proclaim the word that God sends. With death all around, he must speak life. Be Confident in Your Assignment!
2. Be Faithful in the Proclamation of the Living Word - Ezekiel 37:5-8 “Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.”
God’s Word Works! We must be faithful in our proclamation even if the progress is slow. If we work the word, the word will work. Without a choir or a committee, the word works. The Word of God is powerful and alive. Preaching works! Preaching caused a noise, and a shaking, but Ezekiel kept preaching. He preached until the bones came together in proper working order. The bone structure has to do with the foundation structure or the leadership team. Ezekiel preached until the dead bones looked like an army. The Word of God works! God’s word is a message of hope. God’s word works.
3. Be Faithful In Praying for the Spirit to Come – Ezekiel 37:9,10 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”
Our Faithful prophetic proclamation and our commitment to prayer allows God’s Spirit to bring new life in every dead situation. When we hear and obey God’s command, and invite the Spirit to take control, new life will come. God’s Word and God’s Spirit working together brings salvation to the world. In the creation of the world, it took the Spirit and the Word to bring order out of chaos; light out of darkness; and fruitfulness out of barrenness. This was just a valley of bones in the morning, but by evening they were an exceeding great army! God can instantly turn your situation around.
4. Be Clear about God’s Promises of Life and Hope For The Future – (The message) Eze 37:11-14 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
God does not leave us without an explanation. These bones are the whole house of Israel. Israel saw themselves as dry bones, full of shame and hopeless. Their hope was lost and they were cut off for their parts. They felt used and abused with no future at all.
God’s word spoke of his future plans for them. God said, I will open your graves, cause you to come out of your graves and bring you back home again. God promised to put his spirit in them and they would live again in prosperity and peace in their homeland. If they would only “hear the word of the Lord, there is hope for the future.” The word hear means to hear intelligently, to be attentively obedient, carefully and careful consider; to consider with understanding.
The Israelites were powerless to get up by themselves, but God knew where they were buried. God knew who buried them, but it is not over until God says it’s over!
John 11:34-44 tells the story of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus was dead and buried, but Jesus came to his grave. Lazarus was powerless to roll away the stone, powerless to untie himself or to remove his grave clothes, but God…..”Hear the Word of the Lord and Live! God has an answer for every dead situation. All things are possible if thou can believe. Amen.
