by: Youth Director de Jesus
key text: Ezekiel 37: 1 – 14
The hand of the LORD was on 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, “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[a] 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, breath, from the four winds 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.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”
INTRO
Back in 1849, Lewis Manly and his partner by the name of John Rogers crossed Death Valley in California to bring back supplies to the stranded Bennet-Arcane party. The Bennet-Arcane party had mistakenly wandered into Death Valley and would have perished if these two men had not crossed the valley to rescue them. They were actually the first white men to cross this valley and gaze upon its grand scene of death and desolation. Few men have seen such sights, but what Ezekiel saw some twenty five hundred years earlier must have been even more bleak. He saw a vision of another “death valley,” more desolate, more fearsome, and more awesome than Death Valley, California.
A valley is an area of low land between hills or mountains, another term is a low period, point or level.
The valley which Ezekiel saw was filled with dead bones, and the thing which characterized them is that they were very dry and they were scattered.
In this vision God led the prophet back and forth among scattered bones. The bones that Ezekiel saw in his vision were very dry. A lot of time has elapsed since these people had died, and they were beyond resuscitation. The implication of the scene was that there was no hope of the nation’s people returning to life and living again in her homeland. The bones represent the Israelites in exile. They have been there for more than 10 years now, and what glimmerings of hope they had when they first arrived have now been altogether extinguished. Their hope was lost: bones, they were very dry. Note that the word for bones is connected with the root meaning “strength.”
The dry, lifeless bones were the whole house of Israel. In fact, the people themselves had previously made the analogy in a popular saying; ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Certainly the situation for the Israelites seemed hopeless. All these were a result of Israel’s disobedience. God had warned that persistent rebellion and rejection of his will would lead to exile. Their collective sin has led to their deaths.
Have you ever been in such a place in your life, when your life resembles a valley of dry bones? A low period or level in your Christian walk. Right now:
1. Do you feel you are no longer giving to others out of a sense of fullness. You feel empty or weary—your inner tank is running dry?
Spiritual dryness if left undetected can turn into burnout, if we continue to give out in Christian service whilst not being replenished. If left untended, spiritual dryness can impact our emotional, mental, and even physical state.
2. Do you feel there is a subtle shift in your motivation to serve God, whether in the church or elsewhere?
We are no longer motivated by passion. We feel an inner reluctance, or resistance to serve, but continue to do so because we feel we have no choice.Our motivation to continue serving may be that others are relying on us, or we want to honor a commitment, or even feel a duty towards God or towards His calling upon our lives.
3. Do you feel that your faith is no longer contagious?
According to David in the Psalms, it is the joy of our salvation that results in us leading people to God. (Ps 51:12-13)
When we are spiritually dry, it affects our relationship with those who do not know Jesus. We are not bubbling over; we have lost our joy. People are not seeing something in us that causes them to thirst for God, and we lack motivation to share with them, feeling we have nothing to offer.
4. Do you feel that God is Distant?
When we are spiritually dry, there can be a gradual distancing from God. Either we are not encountering Him regularly, or we are not hearing from Him, or we are hearing Him speak to us intermittently. Or we just plainly want to distance ourselves from God, and not have anything to do with Him at all. God is, in fact, continually speaking to us. However sometimes we neglect to tune in.
5. Do you feel that your Spiritual Life is in a Rut?
You lack the excitement you once had in our relationship with God. Your devotional life—connection to God through the Bible and prayer—has either been reduced to a rote exercise, is occasional, or has ceased to exist at all.
We love God, but have lost a sense of being ‘in love’ with Him. Our relationship with God has lost its freshness.
6. Are contributing events affecting your walk with God?
The state of spiritual dryness does not always creep up on us slowly. Trials or sudden trauma can result in us being depleted spiritually, as well as in other ways.
7. Are you filled with Negative Thoughts?
‘The Kingdom of God is… righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ (Rom 14:17)
When we are in that valley time the atmosphere of heaven—righteousness, peace and joy—seems to evade us. Instead, we find it easier to give way to negative thinking. We falter in our ability to resist and ‘cast down’ destructive thoughts and emotions.
And no matter how hard we pray, no matter how hard we serve, no matter how hard we try to live for Him with all our hearts, we can’t seem to get out of that valley. There’s no zest in our worship, devotion, service. The best of us have experienced what David pleaded in Ps 63: 1
‘You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.’
Spiritual dryness, or depletion, is not a problem in itself. In fact, the awareness of our spiritual dryness is a gift from God. It is His invitation to come and partake of His life and His Spirit. Being in a place where we are dry, waiting, wanting, praying, examining, etc., is often the proving ground of strength and refinement. Then, after this time is completed, the thing that we have been prepared for comes upon us.
Sometimes this preparation is for hardship, sorrow, and pain. Other times it is for blessing, reward, and ministry. Remember, the Lord has not saved us to be trophies on a shelf. We are instruments in His hands to be used in the world. This usage requires that we be able to be used, able to be sent, able to trust the Lord in spite of what we see and feel! Hence, the time of spiritual dryness – that is a time of preparation for something God is about to unveil!
i.e – Jesus led by the Spirit in the desert for 40 days
PROPHESY
After Ezekiel observed this abundance of bones in the valley, God presented a question to the prophet: Son of man, can these bones live? Ezekiel was aware that God had the power to raise people from the dead. And yet these bones were dry, meaning that the flesh had decayed. This would seem to make resuscitation of these bones impossible. Ezekiel answers, “O Lord God, thou knowest.” In other words, he said, “I don’t see how they could. It’s beyond me – You alone know whether these dead bones can live or not.”
Have you been faced with situations that are beyond you? A broken marriage, wayward children, financial crisis, a debilitating disease? We can think of countless obstacles in our lives. Like Ezekiel we are oftentimes faced with this question, can this marriage ever be worked out? Can my child ever come back to the Lord? Can God truly provide our needs? Can I be healed? Can I find a way through out of this mess? Can God ever step in for me? Is there even a God? Because if there is, why am I in this situation.
Indeed God saw Ezekiel waver in the face of His questioning. After all, can dry bones ever come to life? But God is so good, that despite Ezekiel’s apparent wavering, He stepped in even in the face of doubt. God did not get into a discourse of how little our faith is. Instead God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to these bones and tell them that God would bring them to life. God commanded the prophet to address these lifeless bones with the message of the Lord. (pic 2) Twice in God’s proclamation it was announced that he would make breath enter these lifeless bones. When Ezekiel prophesied as God commanded him, there was a rattling sound, and the bones came together, tendons, flesh, and skin appeared on them but they did not yet breathe.
God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy, a second time, this time to the breath. God announced what the prophet was to say to the breath: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live. The four winds probably indicate the full power of the entering breath as the winds come from every direction, as symbolized by the number 4.
Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded, and breath entered the bones. As a result the bones came to life and stood up on their feet a vast army. The returning of these bones to life not only revealed an understanding of the possibility of bodily resurrection but also symbolized the revival of the nation of Israel. No more was the former desolation, instead a mighty declaration “Where O death is your victory, where O death is your sting?” 1 Cor 15: 55
As a result of this miraculous work of God, the people will know that God is the Lord. To complete the process of bringing the dead bones to life, God will put this Spirit into these resurrected bodies and settle them in their own land. Again the people will acknowledge that the only explanation for the nation coming back to life and returning to the homeland is that God has spoken and executed his plan. Nothing but the intervention of God can explain this supernatural return to life.
What is the significance of the two stages? The difference between them is found in the direction of Ezekiel’s prophesying; first to the bones, telling them to hear, and secondly to the spirit, invoking its inspiration. The first must have seemed to Ezekiel very much like his professional occupation, exhorting lifeless people to listen to God’s word. The effect was limited: true, something remarkable happened, but the hearers were still dead men. We have all been in that predicament. We know the word, but the word seems far from real in our lives. We can pore over our bible from page to page, memorize it even but still be in bondage to sins, circumstances, weaknesses.
The second action was tantamount to praying, as Ezekiel besought the Spirit of God to effect the miracle of re-creation, to breathe into man’s nostrils the breath of life. This time the effect was devastating. What preaching by itself failed to achieve, prayer made a reality.
Particular emphasis is placed on the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives life and is at work in believers lives. But the Spirit’s work does not stop there. We are in constant need of the Spirit’s power to live the Christian life. As Paul admonished the Galatian church: “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain our goal by human effort?” (Gal 3: 3). The same Holy Spirit that can give life to dry bones is available to empower believers to live lives of faithful obedience pleasing to the Lord.
The word of God can only come through for us, if applied with the Holy Spirit. Of what effect is it if we have all of God’s knowledge, the word of God says “We know that we have all knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” 1 Cor 8: 1, 2. Sometimes we begin to think we have really gained a great understanding of God’s Word, then begin to get puffed up in that knowledge. ‘The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,’ 2 Cor 3: 6.
It is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. Apart from the Spirit, all we have left is RELIGION, ‘having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.’ 2 Tim 3: 5. Jesus strong rebuke ‘… For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. …’ as written in Matt 23: 27 is a clear reminder to us, to always walk in the Spirit. Bono wisely said…”RELIGION IS WHAT IS LEFT…WHEN THE SPIRIT HAS LEFT THE BUILDING” Oh that God may take away the scales from our eyes today, and let us invite the Holy Spirit to reign upon our lives and upon our church, we must allow the Holy Spirit to have pre-eminence over all the aspects of our existence.
THE WORD IS IN YOUR MOUTH
Ezekiel was twice commanded by the Word of God to “prophesy upon this bones,” to prophesy over them- as to proclaim the quickening word of God, and to “prophesy unto the wind,” – such honor God gives to the divine word even in the mouth of a man.
Divine Power working through authorized human agency
The prophet was directed by God to prophesy over the bones; the terms of the message were put into his lips. He obeyed the divine mandate, and the valley rattled with the noise of bone fitting into bone and there grew an innumerable mass of perfected human form.
Observing the life of Jesus Christ our Lord, His was the ministry of the WORD, by His word the dead are raised to life, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the demons are cast out, the storms are stilled. All at the divine word spoken by the word of God.
In his book ‘The Fourth Dimension’ David Yonggi Cho emphasized on THE CREATIVE POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD, here is a narrative:
One morning I was eating breakfast with one of Korea’s leading neurosurgeons, and he was telling me about a recent finding about various operations of the brain. He asked, “Dr. Cho, did you know that the speech center in the brain rules over all nerves? You ministers really have power, because according to our recent findings in neurology, the speech center in the brain has total dominion over all the other nerves.”
Then the neurosurgeon began to expound on their findings. He said that the speech nerve center has such power over all the body that simply speaking can give one control over his body to manipulate it in the way he wishes. He said if someone keeps on saying, ‘I’m gonna become weak’, then right away all the nerves receive that message and say, ‘oh let’s prepare to become weak for we have received instruction from our central communication that we should become weak.’ Then in natural sequence adjust their physical attitude to weakness. If someone says, ‘Well, I have no ability, I can’t do this job, then right away all the nerves begin to declare the same thing. They respond we have received instruction from the nervous central system saying that we have no abilities, and to give up striving to develop any capability, we must prepare ourselves to become part of an incapable person.
If someone keeps saying ‘I’m very old, I’m so very old and tired, I can’t do anything.’ Then right away the speech control response begins giving out orders to that effect. The nerves respond, ‘Yes we are old, we are ready for the grave, let’s prepare to disintegrate.’
The neurosurgeon continued saying that man should never retire. Once a man retires, he keeps on saying to himself ‘I am retired,’ and all the nerves start responding and become less active and ready for a quick death. That conversation carried great meaning to me. It made an impact in my life. For I could see that one important usage of the spoken word is the creation of a successful personal life. People easily adapt to speaking in a negative way. ‘Life is so hard, I’ m so poor.’ Then the central nervous system kicks in with these instructions. ‘I won’t be able to be rich, because I haven’t received that reverse instruction from my nerve center yet. So I’ m supposed to be poor.’
Light attracts light. And since you think as if you were a poor person, you attract poverty. This attraction, if it remains permanent, will allow you to dwell in poverty and insufficiency. Exactly as the Bible said 2000 years ago, it is so today. Medical Science has recently discovered the principle. This one neurosurgeon said that people should keep saying to themselves ‘I am young, I am able, I can do the work of a young person, no matter what my chronological age is.’ The nerves of that person will become alive and receive power and strength from the nerve center.
But if you will keep on saying that you are able – that you can achieve success, then all of your body will be bridled for success. You would be able to meet any challenge, ready to conquer it. This is the reason you should never speak in a negative way.
Before you can be changed, you must change your language. If you do not change your language, you cannot change yourself. Feed your nervous system with these words. Constructive, progressive, productive, victorious words. Then you will become victorious. For you will become completely conditioned to meet your environment and circumstances and achieve complete success.
MOVING IN GOD’S DIMENSION
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty,darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Genesis 1: 3 – 5
This verse tells us that the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Not only was the Spirit of God present, but the second person of the Trinity, the incarnate Word, was also present and active in creation. God had only to speak and things came into being. This demonstrates the sovereignty of God, and reminds us of the importance and authority behind all of God’s words. God’s word is sufficient authority to have matter and life come into being in a way that was decreed for them. (He had the ability to create out of nothing) The Latin term FIAT is a translation of LET THERE BE. This is a technical term for creation that occurred as a result of God’s word. This phrase and GOD SAID is found in every day of creation. GOD CALLED is a phrase that is used when God named the items he had created. Naming something, both today and in the ancient world, signifies an exercise of sovereign right. Only the parent of a child, or the inventor of an item, has the legal right and authority to name.
MAN’S DIVINE POSITION IN GOD
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Gen 1: 26 – 27
Special attention is paid to one creature who, although he could be confused with other land animals, was significantly different. Mankind became the highlight of this day and, except for the Creator himself, became the most powerful, authoritative being in all creation. His creation is treated separately from the other land creatures.
Only of this creature is it said that he was created in the image of God. (pic 4) The “creation” of man in the image of God refers to all mankind, not just Adam.
God and mankind share a likeness that is not shared by the other creatures (the Hebrew term for image and likeness are essentially synonymous terms). This likeness probably involves the personality, aesthetic, appreciation, authority, moral and spiritual qualities that both God and humans share, unlike animals. Since God and humans share such likeness, it should not be surprising that a relationship between God and humans is a focus in the rest of Scripture. Why? Because we are a part of Him, as He is a part of us. Without God in your life, you will never know who you are, and what your greatest potential is. But David found the key:
David said in Psalms 8
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children & infants you have ordained praise. . .
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon & the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
“You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings & crowned him with glory & honor.
“You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks & herds, & the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, & the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the sea.
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1-9)
Without His Word and Spirit residing in us, how easy it is to fall prey to life. Positionally, God ordained you to RULE. He crowned you with Glory and Honor, He has made you ruler over the works of your hands, and put everything under your feet. In Jesus, We have been restored to our rightful position.
‘Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ Phil 2: 9, 10
THE POWER SOURCE
1. Jesus possesses all authority
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
– Authority to command wind and waves
– Authority to heal crippled
– Authority to open blinded eyes
– Authority to raise the dead
– This is the authority that is made available to us
Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2. Jesus called his disciples to Him to give them authority.
– They received his authority because of their relationship with Jesus
3. Our Authority is based solely on our relationship with Jesus.
– That is why we must maintain that relationship.
– Apart from Christ we are nothing.
God has placed everything under our dominion through our Lord Jesus Christ!
THE POWER SHORTAGE
1. Too many Christians never learn that they have been given authority.
2. A Christian that never uses Gods authority becomes:
A. Defeated Christians – ‘Every time I take a stand I get knocked down so I just give up and accept it.’
Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
B. Desperate Christians – ‘I’ll never live in victory; I hear it preached; I see it in others lives; but there is no hope for me.’ They can only quote the first part of Psalms 34:19.
Psalms 34:19 – Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
C. Despondent Christians – ‘Satan has been attacking me; My family is in turmoil; my health is being attacked; I guess this is my lot in life.’
Philippians 4: 13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
3. When we learn to use that authority we become;
A. Destructive Christians – to the enemies kingdom
2 Corinthians 10:3 – For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2 Corinthians 10:4 – For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds
2 Corinthians 10:5 – Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
B. Determined Christians – Overcoming, Victorious, nothing the enemy does can stop us.
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
C. Deployed Christians – in the front lines of combat
Ephesians 6:10 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Ephesians 6:11- Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:12 – For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
– When we learn to operate in the God given authority that we possess as Christians, then nothing that Satan does to stop us will succeed.
THE WORD IS IN YOUR MOUTH – SPEAK OUT YOUR OWN MIRACLE
Exercise your faith by speaking the Word of God over your life.
2 Corinthians 4:13
“I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak
Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
1. Words have Power
“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
“If anyone says to this mountain” …” who is this “anyone” here? The answer is, Anyone who has faith in God… can speak to the mountain.
Anyone who has faith in God can use this powerful principle, because He gave you the same authority that He has as God
We all know that “mountain” speaks of barriers, obstacles and troubles.
This passage is teaching us to incorporate power of confession in our prayer.
Sometimes we think prayer is a long list of our needs, but mature praying is filled with God’s word speaking it to your situation.
This is what Isaiah said about the word of God.
Isaiah 55:11 …so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
There is only one way to “return God’s Word unto Him” and that is by CONFESSING IT AS BEING PRESENT TENSE TRUTH IN YOUR LIFE!
-Gary Carpenter
• God’s Word is full of power; it will not return to Him empty.
• God’s Word will accomplish His desires and purposes.
• God’s Word has irresistible power!
When you speak the Word of God, you are tapping into limitless power!
God’s desire is that His words will accomplish something in your life, and He will never stop till you experience the miraculous power of His word. Look at the connection of power of words that we can use in prayer.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mk 11: 24
When you see the word “therefore” that means “what immediately precedes” or “As a results.”
However some Christians, neglect this part in their prayer. Speaking to your mountain is speaking to your problems in life.
“SPEAK [God’s Word] faithfully” and all kinds of positive things will begin to happen!
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29
Think of God’s Word as a hammer. Every time there are problems, hammer it with God’s word and all kinds of obstacles and opposition will begin to be broken.
Before every miracle Jesus will speak a word.
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” [44] The dead man came out… John 11:43-44a
Psalm 107:20
He sent forth his word and healed them.
Begin to speak to your mountain. Confront it with the power of God’s words!
Command sickness to go in Jesus name! And speak out Matthew 8:17 “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
If you have a need in finances, Philippians 4:19 is one of the verses that you need to speak out.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
word!
When God’s human agent proclaims God’s divine word, in the authority of Jesus Name, by which all things in heaven, earth and under the earth bow too, it activates the Holy Spirit to mightily move on their behalf – the power of the spoken word.
Church, it’s time to call the life you desire!!!!
What we are right now is the sum total of our confession of the past.
In order to undo the negative confession in the past, start confessing God’s words into your life right now.
We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
What is our tool? THE WORD THAT IS IN YOUR MOUTH, QUICKENED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT! SPEAK YOUR MIRACLE TODAY!
