U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris, Jr.
True Saints C.O.G.I.C.
Bamberg, Georgia
Scriptural references: SPP (Suffering; Profit; Pleasure); EAI (Expository; Application; Illustration) Rom. 12: 1 ( I Beseech thee …my the mercy of God …); Romans 15: 15:1 (We then that are strong …); 2 Kings 13:20-21; Proverb 3:1-4; Proverb 14:14; Proverb 17:22 … a broken spirit drieth the bones; John 19:36: Psalm 51:8; II Tim. 4:10 (Demas); 1 John 2:15-17 (Love not the world …); Hosea 4:16 (God is married to the backslider);
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Ezekiel 37:1-10
II. READ THE PERICOPE: Ezekiel 37:1-10
III. READ THE TEXT: Ezekiel 37:1-2 (The hand of the
Lord was upon me, and
carrried 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
,many in the open
valley; and lo, they
were very dry).
IV. PURPOSE: To encourage the hearers to move AWAY
from a backsliding stage of life TO
accepting GOD’S INVITATION for New
Life & Spirit.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “DRY BONES”
VI. Introduction: … IT HAS BEEN SAID … THAT BACKSLIDERS ARE FOLK THAT FEAR SUFFERING … IN OTHER WORDS … THEY DON’T WANT TO GO THROUGH ANYTHING … IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT Paul says in Romans 12:1 … I BESSEECH THEE BRETHEREN … MY THE MERCIES OF GOD … A LIVING SACRIFICE…
SOMEONE ELSE HAS SAID THAT BACKSLIDERS ARE FOLK THAT HAVE BEEN INSPIRIED BY THE “GREEN LOGO” … OR THE DOLLAR BILL. In other words … THEY’VE TURNED OR QUIT LIVING FOR GOD … IN ORDER TO MAKE A LIVING … BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY … A DOLLAR BILL.
…MANY OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INSPIRIED…. AND EVEN HIRE BY THE GET RICH QUICK SCHEMES OF THE DEVIL …
… STILL … ANOTHER HAS SAID THAT BACKSLIDERS ARE FOLK THAT HAVE TURNED FROM HAVING JOY IN JESUS … TO THE LUSTFUL PLEASURES OF THIS WORLD …
FOR THE WORD ENCOURAGES US NOT TO LOVE THE WORLD … NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE OF THE WORLD … BECAUSE HE THAT LOVETH THE WORLD LOVETH NOT GOD … (1 John 2:15-17)
FOR DON’T YOU REMEMBER …. WHAT THE GOOD BOOK SAYS IN 2 TIMOTHY 4:10 ….
PAUL IN HIS WRITING TO TIMOTHEUS … ENCOURAGES AND SOLICIT TIMS HELP … MAINLY BECAUSE SOME OF HIS MOST TRUSTED WORKERS …HAVE BACKSLID …
SPECIFICALLY, … DEMAS … FOR PAUL SAYS IN ESSENCE THAT DEMAS LOVED THE WORLD AND THE THINGS OF THE WORLD … MORE THAN GOD … THEREFORE HE HAS GONE BACK IN THE WORLD …
NOW … AS BELIEVERS …. WE MUSTN’ T FORGET THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS SO COMMITTED TO WINNING THE LOST … THAT THE GOOD BOOK SAYS THAT … GOD IS MARRRIED TO THE BACKSLIDER …
AS A RESULT, IN EZEKIEL 3:17-21, GOD TELLS EZEKIEL … THAT IF A RIGHTEOUS MAN TURNS FROM HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS TO COMMIT INIQUITY .. THE RIGHTEOUS MAN WILL DIE IN HIS SINS …
LIKEWISE, GOD SAYS IF A UNRIGHTEOUS .. MAN …TURNS FROM HIS UNRIGHTEOUSNESS TO LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY … BECAUSE YOU HAVE WARNED HIM … HE SHALLL LIVE … AND … EZEKIEL’S SOUL SHALLL BE DELIVERED …
IN OTHER WORDS …GOD EXPECTS THE SAINTS … TO WARN BACKSLIDERS OF TROUBLES THAT LIE AHEAD …
…BECAUSE … AS BELIEVERS … WE … ARE OUR BROTHER’S KEEPER …
***************TAKE 5 BEATS**************
MOVE 1: …IN OUR PARTICULAR TEXT … THIS AFTERNOON … WE
HAVE DISCOVERED GOD’S WORD IN A VISION …
a. NOW, … THE LORD’S HAND … WAS UPON EZEKIEL …
b. LONG … BEFORE, …. HE EVER … BROUGHT HIM OUT OF BONDAGE …
c. YET, … IT WASN’T UNTIL AFTER … GOD … HAD GIVEN EZEKIEL PERMISSION …
TO VISIT THE DOWNTRODDEN…
d. THAT …. HE SPOKE TO HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF A VALLEY … THAT WAS FULL OF DRY BONES…
***************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 2: DRY BONES … THAT WERE SCATTERED … UPON THE
FACE OF THE EARTH … AS IF SOME … BLOODY
BATTLE HAD BEEN FOUGHT …
a. ALL .. BECAUSE …. GOD … WANTED EZEKIEL … TO KNOW …FOR HIMSELF …IF HE TRULY BELIEVE GOD …. AND …
b. …. THAT … IT WAS POSSIBLE … THROUGH THE PREACHING OF GOD’S … WORD …
c. FOR … DRIED-UP … AND BACKSLIDING … SOULS … TO LIVE … AGAIN …
d. IN OTHERWORDS … GOD WAS SHOWING EZEKIEL …THROUGH THE RUDIMENTS OF HIS MIND …
e. THAT IF EZEKIEL ONLY BELIEVED …THAT LIFE COULD BE RESTORED … THROUGH THE PREAHCING OF GOD’S WORD … IT COULD … be restored …
f. SO … MY … IF WE WOULD ALLLOW … OUR IMAGINATIONS TO WORK WITH US … WE WOULD HEAR … EZEKIEL SOUNDING CONVINCE AND RESPONDING TO GOD...
g. LORD, … IF YOU PUT LIFE … INTO THEM .. I’M CERTAIN THAT THEY CAN LIVE …. AGAIN …
****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 3: FOR THE RAISING UP … OF DRY BONES TO BECOME
LIVING SOULS … IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH MAN.
a. BUT FOR YOU … LORD … IT’S JUST ANOTHER … ACT … OF CREATION …
b. BECAUSE … I REMEMBER … YOUR WORD SAYS … IN GENESIS 2:7 … THAT … THE LORD GOD FORMED MAN … OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND,…
c. AND HE … BREATHED INTO MAN’S NOSTRILS … THE BREATH OF LIFE;
***************TAKE 5 BEATS**************
MVOE 4: … AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL
a. IN OTHERWORDS … IF GOD CAN MAKE MAN … FROM NOTHING …
b. WHAT WOULD MAKE ONE THINK … THAT GOD COULDN’T TAKE … ONE … THAT ... HAS TURNED FROM UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.
c. TURN HIM …. BACK TO RIGHTEOUSNESS … AND RESTORE LIFE … TO HIS SOUL …
d. THEREFORE, THE BIBLE SAYS … EZEKIEL … PREACHED …
e. AND WHILE HE WAS PREACHING … THERE WAS A NOISE AND .. THEN … A SHAKING…
f. FOR THE BONES CAME TOGHETHER, … BONE TO HIS BONE …
**************TAKE 5 BEATS***************
CELEBRATION: …. AND THEN THE LORD … TOLD HIM … TO PREACH TO THE WIND …UNTIL THE SPIRIT OF GOD .… BREATHED LIFE INTO THE BONES …
SO EZEKIEL PREACHED … AND THE BIBLE SAYS … THAT THE DRIED-UP… BONES ….OF THE BACKSLIDERS LIVED … AGAIN….
...AND THEY STOOD UP ON THEIR FEET AS GOD’S GREAT … ARMY …FOR THEY … WERE READY TO DO BATTLE … WITH
THE ENEMY … THAT HAD ONCE … CAPTURED … THEIR SOULS …
THEREFORE, THE QUESTION …. TODAY … IS ….
CAN THESE … DRY BONES … LIVE?
