Ezekiel 37:1-14
I have a bone to pick with you. In the valley of dry bones, we can learn something about ourselves and our local churches. Let us take a moment to find out what these dry bones can tell us. Nothing on this earth can bring bones back to life, only God can restore life. Ezekiel came across a valley of bones. The Spirit of the Lord told him to prophesy to these bones, and as he did, the sinews and flesh came on them, and then the skin. Ezekiel was then told to prophesy for the wind to blow, and as he did the wind blew, and the bodies stood up and breathed. This vision delineates the promise made in chapter 36, life renewed and a country reestablished, in physical and spiritual aspects. The dry bones are a portrayal of the Jewish individuals in bondage, dispersed and dead. The outcasts of both Israel and Judah would be discharged from their 'graves' of bondage and one day be regathered in their home country. Ezekiel felt that he was addressing the dead as he lectured the outcasts since they only reacted to his messages occasionally. In any case, look how these bones reacted! As God brought life once again into these dry dead bones, He would bring life once more into the spiritually dead people.
The dry bones spoke to the individuals' condition of being spiritually dead. Our places of worship may appear to be a load of evaporated issues that remain to be worked out, spiritually dead with no expectation of essentialness. Similarly, as God vowed to reestablish His country, He can reestablish any congregation, regardless of how dry it might be. As opposed to giving up, Christians ought to appeal to God for recharging, for God can reestablish it to life. The expectation and supplication of each congregation ought to be that God will place His Spirit into it (Ezekiel 37:14). God is calling His children back to Himself, bringing new life into dead holy places and dead Christians.
This vision was to encourage the Jews. It shows their rebuilding after being in captivity, and their coming together from being exiled. Additionally, it represents the restoration of the dead, and it speaks of God's saving grace. Types of Bones:
How many churches of today are like these bones in Ezekiel 37? The fundamental lesson is when the Spirit of God is present, His people are enabled to live.
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Ezekiel 22:1-31
In Chapter 22, we learn why judgment would come to Jerusalem (22:2-16), how it would be approach (22· 17-22), and who would be affected by it (22:23-31). Those actions and sins that occurred back then seem remarkably similar to what is happening in society today (James 3:1). We are living in a period of extraordinary assaults by Satan. It is critical that we maintain prayers for our leaders, and it is fundamental for the leaders to take accountability to assist them with keeping their spiritual and moral integrity. Valuable metals are refined with extreme heat to expel the impurities. When heated, the impurities (dross) ascend to the top of the liquid metal and is skimmed off and discarded. The reason for the attack of Jerusalem was to refine the individuals, however the refining procedure indicated that the individuals, as useless dross, had no good thing in them. The leaders (priests), those whom God chose, were to keep God's worship pure and to teach right living. Unfortunately, they had ignored the Sabbath and caused God to become commonplace in everyone's life. They discontinued performing their duties (Leviticus 10:10-11; Ezekiel 44:23). While we are accomplishing God's work, and it turns into not any more significant than any commonplace assignment, that is showing that we have discontinued giving God the worship He merits. Rather than bringing God down to our level, we should be lifting our hearts and our lives up to His level. The 'hedge' was not a physical wall, but rather faithful people united to resist evil. The hedge had become broken and crumbling because there was not anyone who could guide the people back to God. Feeble attempts to repair through religious rituals and opinionated messages not based on God's Word, were worthless, which is basically like using a band-aid or whitewash to cover the problem instead of getting to the cause of the problem. The people needed spiritual rebuilding. At the point when we give the presence of adoring God without living by His direction, we are concealing sins which could eventually harm our lives farther than can be repaired. We should not utilize religion as a band-aid or whitewash; we need to fix our lives by living by the standards of God's Word. It is then that we can unite with others to 'stand in the gap' and have any kind of effect for God in the world.
What Does It Mean To Stand In The Gap?
Who In The Bible Filled A Gap?
How Can We Fill The Gap? Intercessory Prayer:
Work:
Witness:
Preach:
Spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
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