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Sermon #1585 Miscellaneous Sermons Title: ÒO
Ye Dry Bones!Ó Text: Ezekiel
37:1-14 Subject: Lessons
from EzekielÕs Vision of Dry Bones Date: Sunday
Morning — August 22, 2004 Tape
# Y-40a Reading: Ephesians
2:1-22 Introduction: (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
"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, (2) 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. (3) And he
said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD,
thou knowest. (4) Again he said
unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear
the word of the LORD. (5) Thus
saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter
into you, and ye shall live: (6) 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. (7) 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. (8) 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. (9) 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. (10) 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. (11) 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.
(12) 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. (13) 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,
(14) 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." The Lord God leaves no doubt about the meaning
of this passage.
It speaks of the resurrection of GodÕs elect from death and their being
gathered together in their own land by the power and grace of God –
(vv. 11-14). (Ezekiel 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. (12) 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.
(13) 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, (14) 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." 1. This is a Word from God to his lost ones, to
lost men and women who have been made to know their lost condition – (v. 11). (Ezekiel
37:11) "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." Find me some lost, helpless
sinners, men and women who know that they are lost because of their own sin, who say.
ÒOur bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off from our parts,Ó
find me some folks like that, and I will not hesitate to declare this word of
promise to them (v. 12). — God says, ÒI will open your graves and cause you to
come our of your graves!Ó Our Savior heals
all who have need of healing. He saves all who need to be saved. There has
never been a sinner on the top side of the earth who knew he deserved to go
to hell who went to hell. The only people in this world who die without
Christ are folks who foolishly imagine that they do not need him! 2. This vision is the vision of a great resurrection. It has reference to a
fourfold resurrection. It promises GodÕs elect a resurrection from death to
life by his power and grace. Without question, it cannot be fully interpreted
unless it is interpreted in a fourfold way. 1st Immediately, it
refers to the resurrection of The Jews out
of Babylon and their return to the
land of Israel in the days of Cyrus. 2nd In the distant
view of prophecy, it refers to the
resurrection of the dead in the last
day, particularly to the resurrection of the bodies of GodÕs saints unto
everlasting life and glory (John 5:28-29; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). (John 5:28-29)
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves shall hear his voice, (29) And shall come forth; they that have done good,
unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope. (14) For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will
God bring with him. (15) For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: (17) Then we
which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these
words." 3rd This vision
speaks a word of promise to GodÕs church in every age – When the church of God, or
any part of it is brought low and languishing, God promises to pour out the
Spirit of life upon his languishing ones (Hosea 6:1-3). (Hosea 6:1-3)
"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he
will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (2) After two days will he revive us: in the third day
he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (3) Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is
prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter
and former rain unto the
earth." 4th The primary
reference of this passage is to the
spiritual resurrection of GodÕs elect
in the new birth (John 5:24-25; Rev. 20:6). (John 5:24-25)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (25) Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming,
and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live." (Revelation 20:6)
"Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with
him a thousand years." Proposition: This vision is
an instructive picture of the resurrection of a dead sinner from spiritual
death to spiritual life by the sovereign power and irresistible grace of God
the Holy Spirit. Divisions: As we look at this
vision together I want to direct your attention to five things in it. 1. The
PreacherÕs Vision (vv. 1-2). 2. The
LordÕs Question (v. 3). 3. The
ProphetÕs Answer (v. 3). 4. The
LordÕs Command (vv. 4-6, 9). 5. The
Glorious Results (vv. 7, 8, 10, 13, 14). I. The PreacherÕs Vision
(vv. 1-2). (Ezekiel 37:1-2)
"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, (2) 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." The Lord carried his prophet
away into a great valley. Apparently, it was once the scene of a great, great battle. All around him were bones, scattered parts of what once had been a
great multitude of men. The bones were very many; and they were very dry.
The sun, the sand and the wind had bleached them and scattered them across
the valley. They were very many. They were dry, very dry. And they were dead.
They had been dead for a very long time. Here is a lesson every preacher must learn. No man will ever be used of God until he learns
this lesson. He might be a successful preacher, but he will never be GodÕs
preacher until he learns this. – He must be taught the state and condition of those to whom he
preaches. To be wrong here is to be
wrong everywhere. What is the condition of man by nature? Answer that question, and I will tell you what your doctrine will be
in all other points and what your method will be in trying to minister to
men. Any
man who denies the utter, absolute, total depravity and inability of man by
nature will make all his doctrine man centered. Everything he believes will, in some way, extol the will, works and worth of
man. And all his methods of ministry will be designed to
manipulate the sinner, not to resurrect him. A. GodÕs Prophets are men who have learned the true nature and condition
of men. I have been with Ezekiel into
the valley of dry bones and I have been made to see that all men by nature
are dead in trespasses and sins. There was
a battle fought in the Garden of Eden that left all men dead in sin (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 2:1). (Romans 5:12)
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death
by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (1 Corinthians 15:22) "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all
be made alive." (Ephesians 2:1)
"And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins:" 1. This
battle took place a long, long time ago. 2. It
left very many, all the human race, slain. 3. These
bones of humanity are very, very dry. – There is no life in them and no goodness!
GodÕs prophetÕs understand that
man was ruined in the Garden. Man is fallen and canÕt get up! All men by nature are dead!
(Ephesians 2:1-6)
"And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins: (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, (5) Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace
ye are saved;) (6) And hath
raised us up together, and made
us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:11-13) "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called
Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by
hands; (12) That at that time
ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
(13) But now in Christ Jesus ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." B. Our understanding of manÕs fallen and ruined
condition determines everything about our ministry. 1. All
our doctrine is a reflection of this doctrine. – If man is dead
salvation must be altogether the work of GodÕs grace. 2. Our
method of evangelism reflects this doctrine. – We wait on God! II.
The
LordÕs Question — ÒSon of man, can these bones live?Ó (v. 3) Here is the second lesson
that must be learned, by preachers and churches. Few people really believe
it, but it is of vital importance – The new birth is a supernatural miracle of grace! When God shows his preacher the
true condition of men, dead in trespasses and sins, he causes him to consider some great questions – ÒCan these bones live?Ó
— Can dead sinners live unto God? — Can unjust men be made just
with God? — Can those who love darkness be made to love light? —
Can men who hate God be made to love him? — Can men who love wickedness
be made to hunger for holiness?
I am talking about life, real,
spiritual, eternal life in the soul! I am
not talking about the mechanical motions of religion in which dead bones are wired together by
manipulation! The question is ÒCan
these bones live?Ó III.
The
ProphetÕs Answer (v. 3). When God asked, ÒCan these
bones live?Ó Ezekiel Òanswered,
O LORD God, thou knowest!Ó When
GodÕs preacher realizes the true condition of man, by nature, birth and
practice, when he ponders the great miracle of the new birth, he is brought
to depend totally on the sovereign power and irresistible grace of God to
give dead sinners life. Here is the third lesson God
always teaches his prophet – ÒSalvation is of the LORD!Ó A. When God asked, ÒCan these bones live?Ó Ezekiel
considered the condition of those dead, dry bones, and
concluded that they cannot give themselves life. B. He considered his own abilities
and knew that he could not give them life. C. Then he thought upon GodÕs power
and said, ÒO LORD God, thou knowest!Ó ÒAll things are possible
with God!Ó ÒSalvation is of the
LORD!Ó It is GodÕs work alone and GodÕs
work altogether! (Rom. 9:16; Eph. 2:1; John 1:12; 6:63). (Romans 9:16)
"So then it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." (Ephesians 2:1)
"And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins." (John
1:12) "But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 6:63)
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit, and they are
life." Salvation must be GodÕs work becauseÉ 1. It
is a New Creation (2 Cor. 5:17). 2. It
is a New Birth (John 3:3). 3. It
is a Resurrection (John 5:25). (John
5:25) "Verily, verily, I
say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." 4. It
is a Revelation (1 Cor. 2:7-10; 2 Cor. 4:4-7). (1 Corinthians 2:7-10) "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
(8) Which none of the princes of this
world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (9) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him. (10) But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the
deep things of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4-7) "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the
Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ. (7) But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power
may be of God, and not of us." IV.
The LordÕs Command (vv. 4-6, 9). (Ezekiel 37:4-6)
"Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. (5) Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I
will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: (6) 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." (Ezekiel 37:9)
"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." The fourth lesson God taught his prophet is the necessity of
preaching the gospel to dead sinners and the necessity of that preaching
being made effectual by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. A. The Lord commanded Ezekiel to Preach. – ÒO ye dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord!Ó I am sure Ezekiel thought GodÕs
command strange. And many today think this is a strange, outdated,
unsophisticated method of grace. But GodÕs commandment is clear. He commands
us to preach the gospel to sinners (Mark 16:15-16). (Mark 16:15-16)
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature. (16) He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned." This is GodÕs method of grace
(Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:21; 1 Pet. 1:23-25; James 1:18; Rom. 10:17). (Romans 1:16)
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek." (Romans 10:17)
"So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God." (1 Corinthians 1:21) "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe." (James 1:18)
"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." (1 Peter 1:23-25)
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of
grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
(25) But the word of the Lord endureth
for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto
you." Notice what Ezekiel says in verse 7. – ÒSo I prophesied as I was commanded!Ó ÒHe
that hath my Word, let him speak my word faithfully!Ó (Jer. 23:28). God
requires no more and will accept no less from his preachers! Notice this too. – The
message God gave Ezekiel was not a commandment, telling the bones something
they must do. It was a declaration and promise of grace declaring what God
would do (vv. 5-6). (Ezekiel 37:5-6)
"Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause
breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: (6) 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." Gospel preachers declare GodÕs Works (Isa. 52:7-10). (Isaiah 52:7-10)
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of
good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
(8) Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice;
with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when
the LORD shall bring again Zion. (9) Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem:
for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
(10) The LORD hath made bare his holy arm
in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the
salvation of our God."
B. Then the Lord commanded his prophet to pray – (v. 9). (Ezekiel
37:9) "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." GodÕs grace might have saved
his elect without our preaching, but our preaching could never save a flea
without his grace!
(John
3:8) "The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell
whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the
Spirit." V.
The Glorious Results (vv. 7, 8,
10, 13, 14). (Ezekiel 37:7-8)
"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. (8) 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." (Ezekiel 37:10)
"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." (Ezekiel 37:13-14)
"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, (14) 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." Here is the fifth lesson God taught his prophet – 1st
The Condition of Man 2nd
The Miracle of the New Birth. 3rd
ÒSalvation is of the Lord!Ó 4th
The Necessity of Gospel Preaching. 5th
ÒYour labor is not in vain in the Lord!Ó
(See Isa. 55:11; 2 Cor. 2:15-16). (Isaiah 55:11)
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall
not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it
shall prosper in the thing whereto I
sent it." (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in
them that are saved, and in them that perish: (16) To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other
the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" Quickly notice three things
that happenedÉ A. There was a commotion among the bones (vv. 7-8). (Ezekiel 37:7-8)
"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. (8) 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." There was something happening.
It looked like life. Yet, the breath of life had not been given. – Is
not this comparable to Holy Spirit conviction? Illustration: Saul of Tarsus – ÒTrembling and Astonished.Ó ÒWho art
thou, Lord?Ó B. When the Spirit of God came, there was life (v. 10). (Ezekiel
37:10) "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." Illustrations: Lazarus (John 11). The
Infant (Ez. 16). C. The Lord God was known and glorified (vv. 13-14). (Ezekiel 37:13-14)
"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, (14) 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."
Application: Ephesians 2:1-5;
Psalm 127:1-3 ( (Ephesians 2:1-5) "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: (2)
Wherein in time past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for
his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)" Psalms 127:1-3)
"Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build
it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. (2) It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to
eat the bread of sorrows: for so
he giveth his beloved sleep. (3) Lo,
children are an heritage of the
LORD: and the fruit of the womb
is his reward." 1. We must do what God commands
us to doÉ
2. We must wait for God
to build his house and be content with the way he does it. Don Fortner Listen to sermons
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