Death to Life | Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 36:26, John 5:24

We’re heading into a new series this week called “Dry Bones,” and today we’re spending time in the book of Ezekiel, where God brings dry bones back to life. It’s a great analogy of spiritual rebirth and renewal, and how God can breathe new life into anyone feeling spiritually dry or burned out. There is HOPE here!

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Transcription:

So it’s October and every morning on the way to work, I see this giant skeleton man hovering over this one house. I mean, he towers over the entire neighborhood and he reminds me of one of the coolest stories in the whole Bible. Hi, welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and this week we’re kicking off a brand new series called Dry Bones, and you’re going to totally get why in seconds here. But we’re going to be talking about death and life and how if you have accepted the love of Jesus into your life, he makes you a new creature. You’ve crossed over. Jesus is going to share later with us from death to life. And if your spirit and your heart, even your bones are tired, God can breathe new life into you. He can give you a new heart and take away that heart of stone that you’re feeling right now. It wasn’t just the stone that he rolled away on Easter Sunday morning, he rolls stones off dead hearts and makes them come to life again. It’s his specialty. So join me now in the book of Ezekiel. It’s in the Old Testament chapter 37. For context, Ezekiel was a prophet. Simply put, he was one of God’s mail carriers. He delivered messages from God to God’s people. So Ezekiel 37, beginning in verse one,

The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 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.

Let’s underline those words, 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.” 4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 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.’” 7 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. 8 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. 9 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.’”10 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 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.’ 12 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. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 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!’”

What a powerful Bible story. Do you remember those words we underlined mentally earlier? The bones that were scattered were completely dried out, and maybe you’re saying, Erica, that is exactly how I feel today. I am burned out, dried out, just done. Put a fork in me. God can revive you. He put breath and life and flesh on those bones, and in those bones, and he can do that for you. Here’s what Jesus tells us in the gospel of John chapter five, verse 24.

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

You are already a new creature if you have accepted the love of Christ. He does this for us. The old has gone, the new has come. The apostle Paul tells us it’s like going from a caterpillar to a butterfly. You’re so different, and yet we are still human beings experiencing life on this earth. We are aliens. We are not home yet. And so, if you are burned out and dried out today and you’ve got nothing left, your flame is about to burn out… Let me tell you something, God can rekindle you. Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 26, 1 chapter back from the Bone story,

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Lord, I want to respond to your promises today by praying to you, father, in the name of Jesus, I know there’s someone listening right now who has not crossed from death to life, and I pray, Lord, that you would put on their heart how much you love them, how you died to forgive their sins. Speak to this soul who’s listening right now. And Father, I pray for the one, the precious one who is so completely dried out like those bones we read about. Father, would you just fill them with your life and your spirit, breathe new life into them, revive them, rekindle the flame of their faith and their love and their hope. Lord, you are the great rekindle of hope and faith in our lives. You never give up on us. Thank you Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Oh, we’re off to a powerful start. Next time you and I are going to dive into more of what it looks like to cross over from death to life. To receive new life in Christ. Until then, remember, you are so loved.

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