New Creation: Can These Bones Live? (Ezekiel 37.1-14)

Introduction

Are you are glass half-full or a glass half-empty person? Those who say “the glass is half-full” we call optimists. Those who say “it’s half-empty” we call pessimists. Those who say “Exactly 50% of the volume of this glass is occupied by H2O” we call realists (or maybe scientists – or perhaps just bores who should get out more). Those who say “The glass is twice the size it needs to be” are pragmatists. And while everyone is just standing around talking about this, those who pick the glass up and drink the contents we call opportunists.

So - glass half-full or a glass half-empty?

If you’re a pessimist, I have the perfect gift for you.

If you can’t read it at the back… you should sit further forward. No, seriously, it has a line mid-way down the glass and says ‘This glass is now half-empty.’

This is from a website called despair.com whose slogan is “Welcome to the cure for hope.”

Believe it or not, there’s a company that runs this site called “Despair Inc” that sells depressing t-shirts, cheerless calendars and discouraging poster designs that they call demotivators.

In fact, at Despair Inc create soul-crushingly depressing Demotivator designs, so you can skip the delusions that positive products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!

Here’s an example of a Demotivator poster. Here’s what looks to be a long distance race and again in case you can’t see at the back (and for the benefit of those listening on the website) - the strap line says “Defeat: For every winner there are dozens of losers. Odds are you one them.”

Here’s another one of a pencil sharpened down to about two inches in length. It says “Retirement. Because you've given so much of yourself to the company that you don't have anything left we can use.”

And here’s one more. The picture is of a canoeist at the top of some fairly treacherous looking rapids. And it says “Believe in yourself. Because the rest of us think you're an idiot.”

What do you think Despair Inc. would make of Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones?

Hope to the Hopeless

But Ezekiel’s vision, which is supposed to be the most wretched, most hopeless, most unpromising and depressing of bleak outlooks imaginable, is just the opposite of all those Demotivator posters. It’s about hope to the hopeless, life to the lifeless and a future for those who had none. God is in the business of doing that.

A friend of mine in Southampton conducted a funeral service on Thursday in which he talked about the woman who had died in his eulogy. At the end of the service the woman’s daughter was kind enough to thank him for his words, saying that he’d described her very accurately. She said, “You really brought mum back to life!”

Well, not quite. But in Ezekiel’s vision the dead do come back to life.

Some situations in life do appear to be completely and utterly hopeless don’t they? Can you think of one in yours?

A spouse you’ve prayed for over many years and who shows no signs of interest in spiritual things - even though others come to faith?

A problem with your health that you have battled with and that is no better despite much prayer and frequent ministry - even though others are gloriously healed?

Debts that just seem eternally unpayable - even though others manage to pull themselves into the black? Or whatever?

The Hand of the Lord

Ezekiel 37.1-2 says this. “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. 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.”

The picture here is of the nation of Israel. England has a lion, Wales has a dragon, the USA has an eagle. Israel, at this point in its history is just a whole pile of dry bones. Why? Because the nation has been forced out of its own land into exile, into captivity, in a far off place called Babylon.

The capital Jerusalem is smashed to rubble. The land is laid waste. The leaders have been deposed or executed. The villages have been depopulated. And God, who is supposed to be on their side, has not stopped it. The nation is defeated, scattered, and lifeless with no future - just like these old bones strewn across the killing fields. Surely there is no way back from this. It is over!

You look at a situation like this and faith just drains out of you. But v1 says this; “The hand of the Lord was on me…” If the hand of the Lord is on you, no matter what your situation looks like, there’s still hope.

One afternoon a man was walking his dog when he came across a children’s football match. He saw a boy all dressed up in his kit on the bench so he asked him what the score was. The boy said, “We’re losing 16-0.” “Well,” says the man, “I’m sorry to hear that, you must be really devastated.” The kid turns and looks up at him and says, “No! Why should I be? It’s not even half-time. And in the second half, I’m coming on as a sub! This game’s not over yet.”

Some of you this morning need to hear this word: There are no hopeless situations. There are only people who have grown hopeless about them.

I want you to see how destructive pessimism and moaning can be. The Israelites had grown hopeless. Look at v11; “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.” Now listen carefully. “They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’”

But if the hand of the Lord is on you there’s hope.

If all I had to read were newspapers, I would become quite disheartened. I would probably begin to wonder if there was any hope at all for our nation and for the world.

But I do read something else every day and that’s the Bible. And because of what I read here, I know there is hope for the future. The Bible tells me that I live in a world that is marked by evil and violence. God’s word is realistic about that. But it tells me the end as well and, in the end, Christ is going to put evil under his feet.

There is no greater state of hopelessness than of a man or woman without Christ. If you are living without Christ this morning, let me tell you that God loves you, and wants you to know him. And he has made that possible through Jesus Christ. Everybody is separated from God because of sin, but through his death on the cross Jesus made it possible to be right with God and start a new life. Don't ignore the spiritual side of you, but put your life into Christ's hands today and begin to follow him.

So the hand of the Lord was on Ezekiel.

Prophesy to These Bones

What happens afterwards is very instructive. God asks “Can these bones live?” What do you think?

Is there any possibility that this desperate state of affairs could somehow turn around? Think once again about your life’s most hopeless situation. “Any hope?” What do you say?

I love the way Ezekiel sits on the fence. (“Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”) In other words, “If I’m being really honest, they do look a bit pasty. I’ll leave that one with you, Lord.”

Whenever we are faced with hopelessness or impossibility we usually do one of two things. Either we give up and say “it’s beyond the pale” or we pray about it. “Lord, you see this hopeless situation, please do a miracle and change everything round.”

Praying in desperation is better than giving up. But there’s a third option; one we don’t often take or even think about.

Often - and in particular when a situation is especially hopeless - God wants us to do something else entirely and we have an example of it here.

Verse 4: “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!’”

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 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.’”

Sometimes God calls us to take authority and prophetically speak out his Word into the hopelessness. This is what he asked Ezekiel to do.

Jesus said to do this as well. “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” (Matthew 17.20)

Notice what Jesus doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed pray about the mountain.”

You speak to the mountain. I don’t think Jesus was talking about literal mountains. In fact, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t.

I was out shovelling a large pile of gravel with yesterday at Preston Primary School as part of Love Stockton. And I mentioned this verse to Linda Errington, saying it would save my back just to speak to the pile of gravel in faith and tell it to move 30 feet to the left. So I did. And nothing happened - which didn’t really surprise me. It’s not about literal mountains, it’s about immovable problems. It’s about hopeless situations.

So I ask again. What’s the mountain in your life?

I mentioned a few earlier. Here are some others. A long-term illness? A marriage that is going wrong? A son or daughter drifting away from God? A fruitless search for a job? A salary that just isn’t meeting the bills? Speak to it. Say “Hear the word of the Lord.” And proclaim truth to it in faith and with authority.

Even Christians who know the Bible well are not always familiar with all this.

But when Peter and John met a crippled man in Acts 3 they didn’t close their eyes and say “Father, we just pray that this man will get better.” They spoke to the mountain. They opened their eyes, looked straight at the man and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” That’s prophesying to the bones. That’s telling the mountain to move.

Here’s another example, there are many. In Acts 19, Paul is preaching a sermon on the third floor of a building. The Bible says “he talked on and on.” You can probably relate to this story… And the sermon is so long and so boring that a man called Eutychus, who is sitting by an open window, dozes off, falls out of the window and lands dead below. Again, Paul doesn’t close his eyes, put his hands together and pray about the tragedy. He prophesies to the bones, he speaks to the mountain. “He’s alive!” he says and the young man revives.

Most of Jesus’ healings and miracles are like this. Look it up. Read the gospels through.

To a crippled woman: “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”
To a deaf man he puts his fingers in the ears; “Be opened.”
To Jairus’ dead daughter; “My child, get up!”
To a leper; “Be cleansed.”
To the storm on the Sea of Galilee; “Be still!”
To the paralysed man; “Get up, take your mat and go home.”

Speak to the mountain! Prophesy to the bones!

I’m learning to do this in prayer ministry now. I try to avoid long-winded prayers about an illness or situation and instead I try to remember to use the authority I have as a child of God to speak God’s word to a situation in faith. Because it’s the truth that sets people free.

Ending

Back to Ezekiel. Verses 7 and 10; “So I prophesied as I was commanded.” And the bones come together. And tendons, flesh and skin appear. And breath enters them.

Here’s the meaning; v14; “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.”

And they did. 70 years after entering exile, against all odds, the Israelites did return to their land and became a nation again. Historical records in Babylon and elsewhere confirm what the Bible says. The word of the Lord came to pass.

May it come to pass in situations of hopeless desperation around you. May the hand of the Lord be on you as you take authority in faith and prophesy to the bones and speak to the mountains.


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 20th May 2012

New Creation: Everything New (Romans 8.18-30)

Introduction

Just a quick announcement before we begin, from the Lost Property department, if I may. If you have lost a wad of £50 notes, bound together by a rubber band ...well, someone’s handed in the rubber band!

You might recognize that as a line from Spider Man 2. And if you’ve seen that film, you’ll know it’s all about a young man named Peter Parker who has special powers and who uses them to double up as Spiderman in his spare time.

In fact, Spiderman 1 and Spiderman 3 are pretty much about the same sort of thing. But in the second film of the trilogy Peter Parker starts wondering about his true identity.

Does he still want to be this amazing hero of New York City, jumping from building to building, rescuing damsels in distress and foiling the evil plots of evil psycho terrorists? Or would he prefer a quiet life, where he can date his heart throb, Mary-Jane and settle down? There is a pivotal scene in the film where he looks at himself in the mirror, confused and demoralized. “Who am I?” he asks.

Even if you’re not currently needing to sort out your issues with your superhero alter ego, the question “Who am I?” is one of the most important you can ask yourself. It’s one of life’s basic questions, what we call existential questions, that self-aware human beings occasionally ask themselves.

Your Portrait in Christ

If you were to look in a special mirror, that God held up in front of you, in which everyone sees themselves inside and out as they really are, what would you see?

If you are a Christian believer here this morning, because of Jesus, you would see the image of someone for whom there is no guilty verdict for the sins of your past. No condemnation.

You would see somebody completely set free from the tyranny of sin and death.

You would see someone able to be led by the Holy Spirit.

You would see someone loved from all eternity, a child of God, adopted to be an heir with Christ of all the riches of heaven.

Looking closer, you would see that God has given you all you need to be sure that you belong to him. Your eternal security is anchored in him, stretching back into eternity past, before time began - and before you existed.

So you would see someone foreknown by God, predestined by God and chosen by God from before the creation of the world to be like Jesus.

You would see that God himself is on your side and that, therefore, nothing can bring you down.

You would see the image of someone whom God has declared to be inseparable from his love and more than an overcomer.

The Bible says all that about you. This is a true portrait of who you are in Christ - and all of that is from the magnificent chapter of the Bible we call Romans Eight. And there are the references.

Believe it. Embrace it. Live and breathe it. This is the source of true and real self-esteem. This is the one eternally unshakeable foundation for your life.

But it’s not the full portrait. Romans Eight doesn’t just say that the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the state of your heart or your soul’s future. That’s too small a thing.

Yes, what happened to you when you come to faith and were baptized with the Spirit was life changing. But salvation is bigger than souls getting right with God.

Look at Romans 8.23; “We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly wait for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.”

In other words, we all grumble a bit as we grow old and become wrinkly, go grey, lose our teeth, go deaf, can’t read a thing without reading glasses and get stiff joints.

Two old men, Sid and Stan, are talking in a nursing home. Sid says, “I’m 85 years old and I feel awful. My arms are so weak I can hardly lift a cup of coffee. My cataracts are so bad I can't even see my toothbrush. The arthritis in my neck is so bad I can't turn my head. My blood pressure pills make me dizzy. But thank God for small mercies; at least I can still drive! How do you feel Stan?”

Stan says, “Even though I’m nearly 100, I feel like a new-born baby.” “How can you feel so good at your age?” says Sid. Stan says “Look, I’ve got no teeth, I’ve got no hair, I can’t sleep through the night, and I’m back to wearing nappies.”

But the Bible says this: “We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4.6).

We are, by faith, a new creation; new men, new women. You might say, “Well I don’t feel like I am after a week of rain and the kids were sick on the new settee” but it’s the truth, bear with me! Bottom line; God says on the inside, you're all getting younger every day. Isn't that good news?

So much for your portrait in God’s mirror, which is nice and detailed, but what about the background?

In other words, Scripture is clear about what’s happening to you. But what is happening to the universe around you?

The Bible says that Christ is making all things new. It started with the resurrection of Christ but it doesn’t stop there. He is actually going to transform and eventually completely renew everything - from the physics of subatomic particles to the dynamics of that vast expanding void we call deep space. God is creating a new earth and new heavens.

1) The Frustration of Old Creation

In a little section right in the middle of Romans 8, from verse 18-25, there’s a significant change of focus. This short section is a bit like a camera that suddenly shifts from a close up shot through a zoom lens to a wide angle panorama view.

Up till verse 17, the focus of Romans 8 is on your heart and what God has done in your life. But then it pans out so you see what is happening in you against the backdrop of massive change to the whole of the created order. What’s happening? What we see is this;

Verse 19: “The creation waits in eager expectation...” Verse 20: “The creation was subjected to frustration…” Verse 21: “The creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay…” Verse 22: “The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

What’s all that about? I’ll give you some examples.

Cosmologists tell us that our sun has already consumed over half of its hydrogen and helium fuel and one day it will burn out completely, making life on earth impossible. Stars die every day. (Don’t worry too much about that; there are still about 3.5 billion years to go before that happens).

Closer to home and right now, our oceans are becoming more and more polluted as we continue to dump more and more waste into them.

Every year hundreds of square miles of good land are lost to the advancing desert.

The protective ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is punctured with huge holes.

Our consumption of fossil fuels and our demand for cheap rainforest timber puts carbon into the atmosphere and takes oxygen out of it resulting in a greenhouse effect. The earth is warming up rapidly.

The icecaps at the poles are melting at a record rate. Ocean levels are rising. The behaviour of currents and winds is changing. As a result, we are noticing that the weather seems to be getting more and more extreme, and every week dozens of species become extinct.

That’s what we mean by frustration, groaning, decay, corruption and curse. Science has been giving us the data for decades now. But God was telling us about this millennia ago, before modern research was even conducted, let alone analysed.

More than that, God has told us why.

Genesis 3 tells us, very vividly, that human disobedience towards God had, not just personal, but global consequences.

The earth became a corrupted, dysfunctional, out of order and broken planet from the time the first humans disobeyed God. And this is why, after the fall, God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you.”

Sin messes up everything.

2) The Promise of New Creation

But the Bible teaches that God is the Chief Executive of a universal recycling company. God is going to transform planet pain into planet paradise.

The prophet Isaiah saw a vision of this and he described it in these terms; “The wolf will live with the lamb… and a little child will lead them… and the lion will eat straw like the ox… and young children will put their hands into the viper’s nest.”

In Romans 8.21 God says that our entire messed up creation (including the punctured ozone layer, shrinking rainforests, toxic oceans, dwindling raw materials, chaotic climate patterns, the struggle against extinction and the inevitability of human death) - all that will be liberated from its bondage to decay. It is going to be a thing of the past.

That’s what Jesus means in Revelation 21.5 when he says, “I am making everything new! Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

So when you look in the mirror, be positive; not just about what God has already done for you, but also about what he’s going to do everywhere; make all things new. That is the sure Christian hope.

Did you know that hope is a very important factor in how healthy you are?

I read a report a few years ago about a study conducted among 122 men who had recently suffered their first heart attack. Of the 25 individuals ‘most pessimistic about their condition’ 21 died within five years.

Of the 25 most optimistic patients, only 6 died in the same timescale! According to that study, hopelessness causes a 300% increase in mortality rate.

More than any other medical factor (including BMI, pulse, diet, exercise, blood pressure and cholesterol levels) hopelessness, according to this research, was the greatest factor in premature death.

The author of the report ended by noting that maybe it’s better to cheerfully eat full English breakfasts than pessimistically eat broccoli!

“Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed!” You have every reason to be the most optimistic, most positive, most confident people on earth.

What About the Environment?

Maybe there’s a question arising in your mind that sounds something like this: If the world is decaying (because of sin) and God is going to make it all new again anyway, (because of the resurrection) why should we be concerned about pollution and global warming and climate change and other environmental problems?

Isn’t God going to sort everything out in the end? Well, he certainly is.

But we need to listen to the other things God says to us about the earth.

The Bible says that God made the heavens and the earth. “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.” It all belongs to him, not to us; but we have been entrusted with the task of looking after it.

It’s when we forget that the earth is the Lord’s that we end up abusing and neglecting it.

By the way, as a bald man my environmental credentials are impeccable; low shampoo use and no need of a hairdryer. As comedian Larry David says, “Walking around with a full head of hair is like driving an SUV or dumping toxic sludge into a river. It's irresponsible. Hey, you hair people, shame on you!”

But seriously, what do you think are the top three reasons people are so careless about the way they treat the world? Forgetfulness? Laziness? Lack of awareness perhaps?

Is it a coincidence that some of the world's worst systemic environmental damage was done by the old atheist states in Eastern Europe?

The root cause of environmental damage is because people ignore God and forget that this is his world to tend - not ours to trash. Things go wrong when we act as if we are the center of the universe. We end up not even thinking about the problems we’re leaving for future generations.

And so the greatest need of humanity is to have the heart changed from within so that God is at the centre of our vision and not us - and that can only happen when we give our lives to Christ.

If you have never done that, turn your life over to Christ today and ask Him to come into your heart. God loves you, and life's greatest joy is knowing him. If you don’t believe me just ask someone who does know him.

Conclusion

As we close then, look again in the mirror – God’s mirror.

While people watch the deterioration of our natural world and fear the worst, and look at themselves aging and get depressed, God offers us another perspective.

Look in the mirror. See a background world that belongs to God, that he will make new from top to bottom.

Look in the mirror. Yes, you’re looking older than you did five years ago - but look at the inside – where you’re getting younger every day.

Look in the mirror. See a precious child of God, made righteous in Christ, forgiven of all sin, adopted into his wonderful family, delivered from the tyranny of sin and death and on your way to eternal glory.

Let’s stand to pray…


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 13th May 2012