Pastor Slaughter
5-23-2021
Pentecost Day
Ezekiel 37:1-14
How do you know the LORD is God?
How do you know the LORD is God? If an atheist came and pushed you to give an answer what would you say? There are all kinds of ‘gods’ out there…Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims. How do you know that the one you believe in is the right one? Caught off guard, would you simply say “I feel it’s right” or “I just know”?
How do you know the LORD is God? Why do you believe in God? It’s a good question for us to ask because there will be times where outward circumstances, things that go on in the world around us, things that happen to us personally, circumstances we face, things that may cause us to fall into despair. And when we fall into despair, the devil is right there. To get us to question our salvation, to get us to question if God really exists. How do you know the LORD is God?
The nation of Israel found themselves in one of those situations. Because of their sin, the Jewish people were exiled to Babylon. This didn’t happen all at once. There were different deportations and when Jerusalem fell and the rest the nation had joined them in exile, the jews in Babylon had given up hope. They were saying, “Our bones are dried up. Our Hope is lost.” There is no hope…no hope to go home… no hope of salvation because it was to be in the land of Israel, just outside the city walls of Jerusalem, that God’s plan of salvation would be worked out.
I want you to imagine here for a moment that you are Ezekiel. And Spirit of the LORD sets you down in the middle of a valley. All you see is death. A valley filled with bones. And God has you walk around that valley. You look to the right and all you see are bones. You look to the left more bones. You look in front and behind you, more and more bones. You are completely surrounded by death.
As you look at this valley filled with bones, God asks you this question, “Son of man, can these dry bones live?” I mean there is nothing that you could do about. You may be able to put the bones together and form some sort of skeleton but to do that for everyone in that valley… it would take a lifetime. But to make them come alive again? For them to have tendons and flesh and skin put back on them, and to make them come alive again… impossible. Hopeless.
Do you remember how Ezekiel responded though? “LORD God, you know.” Ezekiel could do nothing. But God could. The God who made man from the dust of the earth could make something living out of the valley full of bones and Ezekiel leaves it in God’s hands. So God tells Ezekiel, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ This is what the LORD God says to these bones. I am about to make breath enter you so that you will live. I will attach tendons to you. I will put flesh back on you. I will cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel did as he was command speaking the word of the Lord and a miracle happened. The bones came together, tendons were attached to them, then flesh grew over them and skin covered them. Then the Lord had him prophecy to the wind and the breath entered them and they came back to life. The Bible says, “So I prophesied as he commanded me. Breath entered them, and they came back to life. They stood on their feet, a very, very large army.” God did the impossible.
The nation of Israel was saying “Our bones are dried up. Our hope is lost. We have been completely cut off.” They fell into despair, didn’t they? They were not only despairing their current circumstance in Babylonian captivity, but their very salvation. If someone came to them and asked, “How do you know the LORD is God?” how do you think they would respond? Would they say, “There is no hope for us?” “What does it matter because we as a nation and a people are as good as dead.”
At one point every one of us were like those dry bones. Spiritually dead. No hope of salvation. Paul in Ephesians uses a similar illustration in 2:1, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins.” In Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…” The picture here is that whole humanity is nothing but dry bones because of our sin. We needed a miracle, and a miracle is what we got.
The day of Pentecost gave a clear evidence of the power of the Spirit of Jesus to changes things dramatically. Just as dead bones became living, breathing beings in Ezekiel’s vision, so people dead in sin become spiritually alive through the message that the Holy Spirit has orchestrated and communicated through believers. This is what makes Pentecost such an awesome day to celebrate. Because when Jesus ascended into heaven, he didn’t leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit in a very powerful and special way, so that his word could go out through which he breathes new life to people who were spiritually dead and that has trickled down to each of you. He gave us the apostles and others who wrote God’s Word down. We have had pastors and teachers, family and friends who have shared that same gospel message that Holy Spirits works through.
We got to witness to witness that miracle today. As Dorthey was baptized, God breathed new life in her. Washed away all of her sins and gave her saving faith. That same Holy Spirit brought each of you to faith. You are not spiritually dead, but you are spiritually alive! How do you know that the LORD is God? Very simple answer. Because he breathed new life in you. Because he has raised you from Spiritual death to spiritual life. Because he has created saving faith in you!
How do you know that the LORD is God? Because of what he has done for you. When the nation of Israel fell into captivity and they said, “Our bones are dried up. Our hope is lost”
When the nation of Israel fell into despair, when they had doubts about the Lord and what he promised, God doesn’t point them to what they are to do, instead he points them to what he will do for them. Just listen, “My people, I am going to open your graves and raise you up from your graves and bring you back to the soil of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.” Verse14 “I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. I will settle you on your own land, and you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.”
The nation of Israel fell into despair and lost all hope and felt like they were cut off, because in the midst of their suffering, they forgot something very important. They forgot who the LORD is. That he is the God of free and faithful love that he always keeps his promises.
You are a new creation, raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. The devil is hard at work. His goal is to get you to fall into that despair to separate you from God’s word, so that you doubt his promises. It could be an overwhelming circumstance you find yourself in that you can’t see a way out…a sin you committed, stresses of work or stresses at home or at school that you can’t see anything else, especially what you need most…God’s word. It could be outward circumstances, something going on in your friend’s life or in the world around you that lead you to question the Lord and his promises. Whatever the situation may be the devil will try to separate you from that Word, so you go back to felling like the nation of Israel, dried bones… no hope of salvation.
That is why it is so important for us to stay connected to his word! Because that is how the Holy Spirit works. Just like how God had Ezekiel prophecy to the dry bones and the nation of Israel, Holy Spirit works through his word. When we begin to feel overwhelmed, when doubts come about our salvation, we need to go back to that word and be reminded who God is. He is the LORD all caps who keeps his promises. He he is the God of free and faithful love. He brought the nation of Israel out of captivity, he sent his Son to win for us forgiveness, he sent Holy Spirit to breathe life in us new life. When you are overwhelmed and begin to doubt, go back to his word, come to church, hear the forgiveness proclaimed to you, see what he has done for you, and be strengthen as His Spirit is at work in you. As you see what the Lord has done/what he does for you, then you will know that he is the LORD.
Dear spiritually alive members of Jesus precious family, how do you know that the Lord is God? It may not be the answer that an atheist wants to hear, but truthfully because he says so in his word. But he does not just say it in his Word, he proves it because he kept all of his promises. And not only proves it but he also works through that word in a miraculous way, by giving us the Holy Spirit to create and sustain and keep us in the one true faith! Amen.