Dry Bones: Experiencing Real Life Here and Now

Thesis: God wants us to have real, full life, and we can have it if we will demonstrate faith.

Objective: Tell people that God wants them to truly live without defeat and hopelessness and invite them to experience real life by renouncing their former lives, owning God as the Lord of their lives, receiving the Holy Spirit as a permanent part of their lives, and discovering that God will indeed prove Himself if we will believe.

1. We know all about death (1-3, 11).
   1. We are well acquainted with defeat (“it was full of bones” (1); “the bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up'” (11); The image is that of a long-forgotten battlefield, where the losers were so utterly defeated that no one remained to bury the dead. We are all well acquainted with “life” in which we live defeated by a dead-end job, spouse or friends, daily circumstances, our own sense of doubt and fear, and/or sin.).
   2. We understand hopelessness (“I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry” (2); “our hope is gone” (11); The image is that of bones which are all that remain of carcasses picked clean and scattered by scavenging animals, from which every last vestige of flesh has rotted away. We understand all too well, from personal experience, what it is to “live” without hope. DEFINITION: “Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best” (Wikipedia). ILLUSTRATION: 18.8 million Americans per year suffer from depression. That's 9.5% of the 18+ population every year. 30% of women, and an estimated 23% of American children have depression. Preschoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants, with an estimated 4% suffering from symptoms of clinical depression. Everyone will be affected by depression – their own of that of someone they love. (http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_stats.html) Some estimates say approximately 80% of depression goes undiagnosed.).
   3. We are resigned to death (3; “we are cut off” (11); When God asked Ezekiel if these bones could ever be restored, Ezekiel's words were right - “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know” - but you can clearly hear the resignation in his voice. A great number of people today – outside and inside the church – go through life resigned to the fact that defeat and hopelessness are inescapable. ILLUSTRATION: 54% of people believe depression to be a personal weakness. 41% of depressed women are too embarrassed to seek help. 80% of depressed people not receiving any treatment. Depression results in more absenteeism than almost any other physical disorder, costing employers billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, excluding medical bills, etc. Depression well be second largest killer after heart disease by 2020. 15% of depressed people will ultimately commit suicide. (http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_stats.html)).
2. God would make us alive (4-6).
   1. He will do it through His word (“Prophesy to these bones” (4); The way that God would restore us to life is through Scripture and the Savior.).
   2. He wants to do it (“I will;” Three times, God tells Ezekiel that He wills these bones to be restored. In Scripture, repetition is generally for emphasis. God doesn't want us to remain in our defeated and hopeless – dead – state. He wants to restore us, once and for all, to life!).
   3. He wants us to look alive (“I will attach tendons...” (6); God would give us the appearances of real life.).
   4. He wants us to be alive (“I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life” (5); “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life” (6); God doesn't want us to just look the part. He wants us to actually be alive, to overcome the defeat and hopelessness with victory and hope!).
   5. He wants us to know Him (“Then you will know that I am the Lord;” God's objective in all this is that we would recognize Him as Lord, the Sovereign Savior, of the universe and, more importantly, our lives.).
3. We can live (7-10, 12-14).
   1. We can look alive (7-8; We can go through life with the appearances of life! We don't have to scowl and condescend and complain. We can – and must – look the part! ILLUSTRATION: But if all we ever do is just look the part, then we are nothing more than a clown.)
   2. We can be alive (9-10; We can go through life with actual life! We can have victory and hope, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control!).
   3. We must recognize that death stinks (12; The way that we are living, with defeat and hopelessness, is not good in anyone's nose. And we must resolve that we don't want to stay there anymore.).
   4. We must own the Lord (13; If we're going to have real life, then we must acknowledge God as the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and our lives. And in that moment that we own Him, He will also own us as His people.).
   5. We must receive the Spirit (14; The only way to have real life is to allow the Spirit to take up permanent residence within us. This means that we let God move into our lives.).
   6. We will know God is real (15; If we will do all of these things, then God will demonstrate His word and Himself to be real and working and powerful in and through us. He will prove to us that He is indeed the Lord. NOTE: We must overcome our doubts and reservations to recognize that death stinks own the Lord and receive the Spirit BEFORE God will prove Himself to us. That's why it's called faith.).