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Not about resurrection, though the
Bible teaches a literal resurrection: Dan. 12:2—“them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt.”
Not about resurrection, but about
restoration.
The future restoration of
Israel.
We’ll come back to the interpretation.
Let’s look at it verse by verse and make some
applications first:
v.1- God flew the prophet Ezekiel “on
location.” (an old battlefield)
God gave Ezekiel this “vision”. It’s no
coincidence that v.1 says he was “in the spirit.” (no spirit-no
vision-where there is no vision…people perish!)
v.2- The Bones
About these bones: very many, very dry…
…a desert situation, much like Death Valley,
California.
Ill.—driving to Disneyland, thru Death Valley,
signs: “take water, gasoline, last gasoline for 150 miles!”
No life, just cacti, and tumbleweeds and sand
blowing across the road…
…I remember them blowing across the highway,
from right to left…whistle! Cars stalled, drivers keeled over, we pointed
and laughed! (just kidding!)
“Very dry,”—these ones were parched and
bleached by the sun.
ill.--Cow skull in NM—looked sturdy, but it
crumbled in my hands! Like the “whited sepulchers” Jesus spoke of…inside is
just dead bones!
This was an old battlefield and these were
the losers: scattered, dry, & dead.
v.4- Imagine what Ezekiel must’ve thought.
“You want me to preach to these dry bones?”
What a helpless feeling! About as
helpless as many pastors feel in dead
churches we’ve all visited, where even
the saved members are dry bones which
do not listen, do not “hear the
Word of the Lord.”
Looking for a church? How about Bleached
Bone Baptist? Ever been there? Ever Pastored there?
vv. 5-6-- Ezekiel said, “God is the One who
will bring you to life.”
Ill.—my first convert at the age of 8. “I
saved him.” (when I gave a testimony about leading my 1st soul
to Christ I misspoke, saying that I saved him!)
At best we as ministers of the gospel (all of
us) are just talking to dry bones, it is the Spirit of God that brings life!
vv.7-8-- The Bodies
Imagine the
scene as scattered bones surf
the desert in search of their counterparts. Imagine
the sound as
they clicked together into socket.
Imagine the sight Ezekiel saw
when he observed hundreds and thousands of
skeletons as they came together in
perfect order!
Notice the process taking place: it was
gradual, not instantaneous.
They were scattered, dry and dead. But then
they come together…skeletons…but still dead. Then body parts and flesh come
upon them, not just bones, but bodies, corpses…but still dead.
“A corpse is a corpse, of course, a corpse!
And no one can preach to a corpse of course
That is, of course, because the corpse is the
infamous ‘Mr. Dead!’
As a matter of course, go straight to the
corpse
He’ll give you no answer, tho’ you use great
force!
Ever preached to a spiritual corpse? Preach
to ‘Mr. Dead’!
Preachers yackety yack, and waste their time
of day
But ‘Mr. Dead’ will ever sleep, until the
Spirit comes in to stay!”
[copyright 2005, Jerry Shirley]
vv. 9-10--The Big Breath
This miracle resembles the miracle of man’s
creation.
Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul.
They were alive. All around Ezekiel stood a
living, breathing army!
Note the 3
stages again:
1.)Scattered, dry, dead bones.
2.)Corpses,
but still dead.
3.)A living, breathing army.
v.11- Before Jerusalem was conquered,
the Jews held to a false hope, that the prophets would return unto them.
Now that Jerusalem was destroyed, they
had lost all hope. They were the equivalent to the modern “manic
depressive”: sky high one minute and the next minute lower than a snakes
belly. This vision was given to all of Israel saying, There is hope!
v.12-13-- look at v.21—God said He would
gather Israel back up and bring them back to their own land.
He did…May 14, 1948—Israel became a nation.
They were scattered, dry, and dead!
In 1948 they were brought together, and they
exist together today, as a spiritual corpse!
They have a flag, a constitution, a prime
minister, police force, and an army, and they’ve even sent an astronaut into
space.
They have everything except
spiritual life.
In Jerusalem, you can walk all the way from
the Arab section to the Israeli section; you will see lots of sights, but
you will not find true “spiritual life.”
ISRAEL STANDS TODAY A SPIRITUAL CORPSE,
AWAITING LIFE!
Today, we see this prophecy in action. We
hear the bones clicking together. We see everything coming together.
v.14-
Spiritual life begins when the breath-like wind of the Holy
Spirit of God comes into our Spiritually-dead corpses.
These bones became bodies and when the breath
entered them they came alive, and stood on their feet…a mighty army for God!
Beings that are alive
do some things: they move! They accomplish things. They make sounds. They grow and
change. They affect others around them!
Some of you drag in sometimes looking like
dry bones…spiritual corpses in whom there is no life of the Spirit! Maybe
you’re staying up too late on Saturday nights…because you miss Sunday
School, or drag in quite late for church…always pushing the envelope of
“what’s the absolute latest I can sleep before I get up and go to church!”
God deserves our best…not
leftovers. He is worthy of our going to bed on time, not giving our strength,
our best, which HE deserves, to some Hollywood movie, some party, or the
computer!
You dampen the rest of our spirits…you dry
out OUR bones when you drop in your pew, slump down, and look at the floor,
nodding off most of the way!
We need some folks who will be thermostats,
not thermometers!
Thermometers: Register
the temperature that surrounds them.
Thermostats: SET
the temperature around them.
That’s right…you
will affect those around you. So, if you’ve been born again,
and the breath-like Spirit of God has entered your bones and resurrected
your spiritual corpse…please notify your face…say Amen sometimes…sing
out…raise a hand to the Lord.
Don’t let others around you drag you
down…set the temperature and pick up those nearby. And make sure it’s real,
not just “put on.” The Bible says in I Thess. 5:19
Quench not the Spirit.
Rather, turn the Spirit loose…don’t sit there
like dry bones!
We need some Christians who’ll come out of
their shells and say,
If I’m the only one smiling…I will praise my
Lord today!
If I’m the only one singing…I will worship
the Lord today!
If I’m the only one listening attentively to
the choir, the special, or the offertory…I will focus and rejoice, and clap
my hands, and support the cause of Christ by giving my all…I will follow my
Lord today!
Have you been saved?
If not, don’t you want to be?
Don’t you see how God is bringing everything
together, drawing you home to Him? The final step is inviting Him into your
life, giving Him your heart, repenting of your sin and turning to Him in
faith. Inviting His Holy spirit to reside in you. Give your life to God.
Ask Jesus to prepare a home for you in heaven. Be born again!
If you have been saved, allow me to remind
you that you have some co-workers :
Friendly/corpses, awaiting spiritual life.
Talk about lots of topics/need to hear the
gospel.
You have neighbors/but they’re corpses:
You watch out after their stuff/need you to
watch out for their souls.
You have relatives/but they’re corpses:
See each other because of your physical
relation/separated for all eternity because they need a spiritual
relationship w/Christ.
“Bones, Bodies, and a Big Breath”
Ezek. 37:1-14
INTERPRETATION:
The future restoration of
I__________v.1
The Bonesv.2, v.3, v.4
Dead churches: the members are dry
bones which do not “h______ the Word of the Lord.” vv. 5-6
The Bodiesvv.7-8
·The scene scattered
bones s______ the desert
·The s________
they clicked together into socket
·The sight skeletons came
together in perfect o________
The Big Breathvv. 9-10, Genesis 2:7
3 stages:
1.) Scattered, dry, d______ bones.
2.)C____________, but still dead.
3.) A living, breathing a______. v.11, v.12-13,
v.21, v.14
Spiritual life begins when the b__________-l______ wind of the Holy Spirit of
God comes into our Spiritually-dead corpses.
Beings that are a________dosome things
God deserves our best…not
l________________
Thermometers:
R______________ the temperature that surrounds them.
Thermostats: S____
the temperature around them.
You will a__________
those around you I Thess.
5:19
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All Sermons and Slideshow Presentations Copyright Jerry
Shirley and Grace Notes Ministries unless otherwise credited.
