Life in Death Valley – Ezekiel 37:1-14

Background

God’s people, the Israelites, have been taken captive. Jerusalem has fallen. The temple has been destroyed. So they felt completely rejected by God. The thing is, God told them through the prophets that this would happen to them if they did not repent and turn back to God. So they are in this situation because of their own sin. In the consequences of their sin they are now realizing their sinful condition and what it has got them. They realize that their sinfulness is worse than they think it is. The truth is their sin has caused them to feel like their relationship with God has no hope. What God was telling the Israelites through the valley of dry bones was that because he has the power to bring the dead to life there is still great hope. Not only does he have the power, but he tells them that he IS going do it to this. What we see in this story today is that is is a picture of God covenant relationship with us. It is a picture of our being rescued by God from our sin.

Our condition is more serious than we thought.

We are Dead.

• God admits their condition is Death. V12
• Here is the equations. Bones = God’s People Dryness = Hopeless Death = cut off from God

We are not good.

• God doesn’t save because we are good, but because he is good.
• The existence of laws makes us aware that we are not good. If people were basically good then we would not need laws, security systems and parents wouldn’t have to discipline their children.
• Rom. 3:10 “There is none good no not one…”
• Luke 18:19 “none good except God”

We are hopeless

Our God is more Good than we ever dreamed.

God creates life in Death Valley.

• The only reason that God rescue us in our sin is because he is good.

Death never stops God.

• The truth that God overcomes death gives us hope because we are “dead in our trespasses and sins.” Jesus came up out of the grave to live again, once again proving that God has the power over death. Our sinfulness is deadly serious, but God’s goodness and his power to rise us to life in him is more than we can imagine.

He put his Spirit in them. v. 11

• These English words are the same word in Hebrew… Spirit = Breath = Wind
• When a body doesn’t have breath it is dead. When we don’t have the Spirit of God in us we are dead to Him. When we have the Spirit of God, then we are alive to God.
• His people stand. v. 10 We know that these bones were alive because they started breathing and because they stood up. The way that we know that we have the Spirit of God in us is that we stand for the things of God. We know that we are still dead to God when we don’t stand for the things of God.
• His people know “that He is the Lord” v. 13 “know that I am the Lord” is found at least 72 times in Ezekiel. The reason that God brings us to life and puts his Spirit in us to show us that he is the Lord.

What does this mean to us personally?

We can’t boast

• It is just as impossible for you to be saved as it is anyone else.

We can rejoice because God does it.

Sin doesn’t completely cut us off. (even when sin makes it feel like it.)

• Sin is the reasons we don’t have a relationship with  God, but what I am talking about here is that the Israelites were still God’s people even though he was punishing them.  Sin hinders our relationship with God and brings many consequences.  But this passage teaches us that sin does not automatically cut us off from God completely.  We also need to know that a lack of true repentance proves there never was a relationship with God.
• They felt like they were cut off but they weren’t. The Israelites sin made them feel like they were hopeless and cut off from their relationship with God. But because God is good and gracious and powerful He was going to rescue them from the full consequences of their sin. They only had are relationship with God because God pursued their dead bodies and brought them to life.
• They felt that way because of sin. Sin many times makes us feel like God can never forgive us… like we are without hope… like we are dead to him. All of that would be true if it were up to us, but God in his mercy has the power of death and will bring us to life through Christ Jesus.
• They felt that way because of bad stuff God allowed to happen. They had sinned. They were told to repent. They didn’t. The consequences came. Now they could see desperately that they needed God.

What does it mean for being on mission with God?

The word still brings life and hope. V4

• It was the preaching of Ezekiel that brought life and hope to Israel. It is still the the preaching of God’s word that brings life and hope today.

We must believe the impossible? V3

• You may think that there is some person you know who is so bad they will never get saved. It is just as impossible for them to be saved as it was for you. Just like God raised you from the dead, he can save anyone else. Salvation is impossible for everyone, but with God all things are possible.

Why pray with intensity?

Pray intently because you need to be watchful.

• watch for the enemy 1 Peter 5:8
• watchful over your own sinful desires 1 Cor. 16:13

Pray intently because you need to be thankful

• say thanks for the little things.
• Praying intently will include thankfulness to God.

Practical Pray plans

1. pray for the gospel to impact you first (implied in v.2)

• The gospel reminds us to be watchful and thankful.
• You can’t preach the gospel to yourself enough. We need to be reminded of our own sinfulness, God’s deep love for us in Jesus, and our new life in Christ.

2. Pray for the gospel to impact others V.3

Would you describe your prayer life as “devoted.”

3 things that indicate the depth of our desire in prayer.

1. Persistent prayer shows the depth of your desire.

• Depth of desire determines devotion.
• Depth of desire determines how easily you are deterred.
• What you pray about the most is what you desire the most from God.

2. The length of pray shows the depth of your desire.

A heartfelt short prayer is good, but as a general principle, if we don’t care to pray about something more than one sentence then we don’t care that much about it or God answering it.

What you go on and on about in prayer indicates what you desire the most from God.

3. The subject of prayer shows the depth of your desire for God’s will.

What do you beg God for consistently?

Pray for advance of gospel more than personal comfort problems

Pray Together

conflict always hinders prayer together.

“meaningful prayer follows meaningful relationships” John Franklin “And the Place was Shaken”

If we don’t pray passionately about anything it’s because we aren’t passionate enough about anything that matters to God.

What are your prayer goals?
Here is a short clip from the Sermon

Col. 3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Eph. 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Biblical Principals of Parenting

1. Fathers should discipline and set the tempo for it.

Why Fathers?

Because Fathers are responsible for their families.

• 1 Sam. 3:13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

Because children generally respond better the their fathers discipline.

• Because it is dads job with the help of his wife to figure out together what music your children are going to listen to, what shows our off limits, and who low you the neck line of that shirt is going to go our your daughter.

2. The main priority of parenting is to train them in the ways of the Lord.

It may feel like the main goal is survival.

• Understand that our children are sinners from birth that need our direction.
• Prov. 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

• I have heard parents say, “I don’t want to force my kids to do the God stuff. It’s their decision.” Really? What about helping out around the house? Or going to school? Is that their decision too. Don’t your kids have a right to decide if they want to be lazy. When you give them a choice on the things of God but not on other things your are teaching them by what you enforce what is the most important.
• It is not the churches job to train your children.
• It’s the parents job to teach their kids about God, Jesus, the Bible, the importance of the church. If it’s in the Bible, it’s the “Fathers” job to teach his kids, not the churches job. Sure the church should teach the Bible but its the parents job at home to make it stick. The churches 1 hour of teaching will never trump what parents say and do all week.

3. We should avoid making our children bitter.

• Provoke means “to make bitter, to embitter, to become bitter. The verb has the idea of being sharp, harsh, and bitter. It speaks of friction cause by impatience and thoughtless nagging.

Bitter towards who?

There is a way of disciplining that makes your kids bitter towards you.

• Prov. 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

There is a way of disciplining that makes your kids bitter towards the whole world.

• Eph. 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger

There is a way of disciplining that makes your kids bitter towards God.

We provoke our children…

When we don’t parent out of love.

Play favorites Jacob and Esau don’t compare children.

Be inconsistent

Unrealistic expectations. Expect more out of them than is reasonable for their age.

By failing to love their mother

Disciplining in anger

When we parent hypocritically.

enforce things you never do yourself – Make them go to church but don’t go yourself.

Teach them by your example to do wrong

Never admitting when you are wrong. A father who never admit hes wrong is training his children to never admit they are wrong.

When we talk badly about or to or children.

verbal abuse

Always focusing on the negative and not the positive

not encouraging or praising your children

failing to keep our promises

mocking or ridiculing your child

When you don’t support them or say “I love you” to them.

By disrespecting your parents in front of your children.