Introduction : Ezekiel 37:1-10 says, "1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ´Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.´" 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ´This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.´" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army."
1. This world is occupied with death. 1) The world that God made. (1) A world filled with justice (Ge 1:31; Ps 104:24; 106:2); (2) with holiness; (3) without sickness and pain; (4) without the curse, poverty, and despair; (5) an eternal world without death; (6) a world overflowing with peace; (7) filled with love; (8) filled with joy; (9) filled with hope; (10) and a world overflowing with God´s glory. 2) The result that comes from Adam´s rebellion and fall. The world under the control of the devil (Lk 4:5,6, Heb 2:14, 1 Jn 5:19). (1) Justice turned into dry bones; (2) Holiness turned into dry bones; (3) Health and life turned into dry bones; (4) Blessing and abundance turned into dry bones; (5) Eternal life turned into dry bones; (6) Peace turned into dry bones; (7) Love turned into dry bones; (8) Joy turned into dry bones; (9) Hope turned into dry bones; (10) Filled with secularity without God´s glory (Eze 37:11). - The existentialists say, "Man is the one who has the sickness which leads to death, or a hopeless being."
2. Can these bones live? Resurrection does not mean that something comes out of nothing, but it means that the dead comes to life. In other words, it is the resurrection to quicken the world and life that have been killed by the devil and have become dry bones come to life again in the original state of God´s creation. When God asked Ezekiel, "Can these bones live?" he just answered, "You alone know." 1) Jesus came to make the bones live. (1) He had to pay the price for the sin of Adam´s rebellion. (2) He had to breathe revived life into dry bones. 2) He suffered on the Cross, and paid for the sin of rebellion (2 Co 5:21). 3) He was buried and risen from the dead - He overcame death, and arose (Mt 28:6; Ro 1:4). 4) Jesus arose from the dead, and became the source of life (Eph 1:20). (1) He recovered justice (Ro 4:25); (2) Holiness (Col 1:21,22); (3) Health and life (2 Ti 1:10; Ac 4:10); (4) Blessing and abundance (Jn 10:10); (5) Eternal life (Jn 11:25,26; 1 Co 15:45); (6) Peace (Col 1:20); (7) Love (Ro 5:5; Eph 5:2); (8) Joy (Col 1:11); (9) Hope (Tit 3:7); and (10) He recovered God´s glory (John 20:21-23; Eph 5:26,27; Jn 17:24).
3. Preaching the gospel is to prophesy to the breath (Eze 37:9,10). Philip evangelized in Samaria (Ac 8:5-8). 1) He preached Christ to its people - He preached Jesus, the source of life. 2) The devil and demons were driven out - the power of death was destroyed (Jn 10:10; Ac 10:38). 3) The paralyzed and the lame were healed: (1) The crippled morally (Gal 5:24; 1 Co 6:19,20); (2) The crippled mentally (2 Ti 1:7; Ro 12:2); (3) The crippled physically (1 Pe 2:24; Jas 5:16); and (4) Crippled households and society (Ps 127:1,2). 4) Great joy - recovery of heaven (Ps 16:11; 107:9; Rev 21:4).
Conclusion : Ezekiel 37:13 says, "Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them." Jesus died and arose in order to open our graves, so that we might come out of death and to breathe life into us, so that dry bones might have life - life to the full.
|