Sermon Central
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Can These Bones Live?
Contributed by Larry Norman on Nov 21, 2000 (message contributor)
Summary: Nothing is Impossible with God
201
Can these Bones Live?
Intro: The title of my message is found in verse 3.
Can These Bones Live?
Ezekiel is faced with a seemingly hopeless situation.
God physically picks Ezekiel up and carries him out to a valley full of dry bones. Probably the scene of some great battle of years gone by.
And He asks him a very interesting question. "Son of man, can these bones live?"
Ezekiel looks out over the carnage. Bones are lying everywhere. I doubt very seriously if they were all nice and neatly arranged. They had been certainly ravaged and torn apart by scavenging animals. Then they had been exposed to the elements for any number of years.
Likely the bones of individual bodies were scattered everywhere.
Ezekiel ponders His answer. Of course had it been anyone else asking the question, the answer would have been obvious. Ezekiel's first thought was probably what yours and mine would have been. Are you joking? These bone have been laying here for years. What do mean, "Can they live?" Then Ezekiel remember who he is speaking to.
Look at verse one.
LORD - Jehovah - The self-existent one.
Then he gives his wise answer.
"O Lord GOD, thou knowest."
He answered that way because as far as he could see, the situation was plainly and desperately HOPELESS. And yet, in faith, he recognized that NOTHING IS HOPELESS WITH GOD.
God, this situation is in your hands.
The Title of my message this morning is…
The God of the Impossible
As we look deeper into this story this morning, the thing I want us to remember more than anything else is that
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.
When Sarah was 90 years old and God told her that she would bear a son, He reminded her…
Gen 18:14
Is any thing too hard for the LORD?…
God reminded Jeremiah…
Jer 32:27
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
The angel Gabriel reminded Mary…
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Jesus encouraged His disciples…
…With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Ø There is no such thing as a hopeless case.
Ø There are no hard cases
Ø There are no problems that are too big for our God.
Ø There is no situation that we face that comes as a surprise to Him.
Did it ever occur to you, that nothing has occurred to God?
I'll remind you that Scripture has only one interpretation.
But it can have several applications.
As we examine this portion of Scripture we are going to examine, first of all, the primary interpretation, then we will look at several applications.
I. THE DRY BONES ARE A PICTURE OF ISRAEL
There can be no mistaking of this interpretation, because Scripture itself is very plain. - vs. 11
A. At the time of this writing, Judah is being held captive in Babylon.
They had been there for over fifty years.
B. Things looked hopeless. - vs. 2b, 11b
The last time Israel found themselves in this kind of captivity was their time spent in Egypt.
That captivity lasted for over 600 years.
They didn't see any way out of this. The Babylonian Empire ruled most of the known world. They weren't likely to let go their grip on this small nation.
C. But God lets Ezekiel know that no matter how hopeless the situation may seem, God is not finished with the nation of Israel. - vs. 12-14
He doesn't stop there. He reminds them time and time again that he still has plans for this nation.
But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Certainly there was a message to the captives of Israel in this passage. God had not forgotten them. All was not lost. It was not hopeless.
God sent Ezekiel to remind Israel that with God, nothing shall be impossible.
But the application goes far beyond that of Israel. Because in this story, we learn something about the character of God.
And God's character doesn't change regardless of the people he is dealing with.
And in that sense…
II. THE DRY BONES ARE A PICTURE OF LOST MANKIND.
Every person with out Christ is as dead as the bones in that valley.
It doesn't matter who it is-rich or poor, old or young. Everyone who has not come to Christ in repentance and faith is dead.
