Hope in Christ
Ezekiel 37 Dry Bones
The condition, Ezekiel 37:1-2 Dry bones
No future, only a past, bears scars, tells stories, but no hope of new life.
God can get glory from your past, He can take your hopelessness and give you a new start, Galatians 1:23-24, Paul had a past filled with terrible things, but God used it.
The location, Ezekiel 37:1-2 A valley
This is often a place of hopelessness, despair, it takes much effort to climb out, when your in the valley it is hard to see anything but the valley, which also makes you lose hope, Christians young and old can fall into this valley and become dry bones. How do you get out of that valley? Narrow your focus
Isaiah 6:2-3 "Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."
the seraphim only saw God in His glory, not the world around them, when we focus on how big our God is, our great valley of despair becomes a mere puddle.
The Word, Ezekiel 37:3-7 A preacher
God sends Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, to give them words from God, in order that they might be revived. 1st Corinthians 1:18 sometimes it takes a friend, preacher, teacher, but sometimes just you and Gods word, Psalm 119:97 "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day."
The commotion, Ezekiel 37:8
The bones moved for the first time in ages, got themselves up, got dressed up, put on their armour (skin)
Awake out of sleep and soldier up, Romans 13:11-12.
The Breath, Ezekiel 37:9-10
Until God sent the breath these bones made men had no life, they had movement, they had appearances, but no Spirit. But, after the breath of God they had life, they had purpose, they had hope. They were an army of God! Ephesians 2:12-13 "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."
You may have been out of the fight for awhile, you may never even have joined the battle there's still hope! You can still make a difference for God! For the cause of Christ! Some of the apostle Paul's greatest revival moments sprang from the most hopeless of situations, after being shipwrecked on an island, barbarians got saved, after being beaten and locked up in jail, the jailers whole family was saved!
God can take the hopeless and not only give them hope, but also the ability to share that hope with others, Romans 5:3-6, share the hope of that is found in Christ Jesus.
Jeffrey S. Lynn
No comments:
Post a Comment