15th December 2013
1. Introduction
· Perspective = How you view someone or something, point of view
· God sees redemptive – His nature is love, He is always planning how can redeem not punish.
· You can’t see as God sees if you remain committed to your opinion (pride).
E.g. Peter; I thought Jews and Gentiles never mixed
Paul; I thought doing God a service persecuting Christians
Jeremiah; I thought can’t speak, I’m only a youth
· We need to open our heart to see life, relationships, people from God’s point of view
E.g. 2 Cor. 4:17-18 This light affliction which is but for a moment is working from a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory, while we do not look at things which are seen, but at things which are not seen.
· ‘Look’ = NT4648 = to take aim at, fix mind upon, direct attention towards.
2. Ezekiel’s Vision – (Ezek. 37:1-14)
a) Ezekiel = OT3168 God will strengthen. I son of Buzi = OT941 = disrespect, shame, contempt
· Hand of the Lord = The Holy Spirit came upon Him and began to bring revelation and hope
- What is influencing your thinking? Holy Spirit or rejection, offense, opinions?
- God’s heart is always to strengthen us, to empower us (Is 41:10) I will help you.
b) The Valley of Dry Bones
· Valley = low place; place where battles were fought, armies clashed in war
- Many different valleys spoken in the Bible
- Shadow of Death
- Baca – Weeping
- Soreh – Temptation and defect
- Rephaim – Giants
- Achor – trouble
- Minnom – idolatry
· Valley of Dry Bones
(vi) scattered bones = consequences of a great battle and people overcome
(vii) “very many, very dry”
- Our conflict is not with people but with evil spirit beings set on destroying
(viii) Not the Condition of the People
(a) “Bones are dry” = Lacking in life, lacking in vitality, lacking in Holy Spirit
- Prov. 17:22 Broken Spirit dries the bones
- Prov. 15:13 By sorrow of heart the spirit is broken
- Sorrow = rejection, betrayed, trauma, abuse, disappointment, sin
(b) “Hope is lost” = lost hopes, dreams, expectations
- Delays, setbacks, difficulties can come loss of hope
- Without hope there is no expectations on God, a negative outlook on future
(c) “We are cut off” = disconnected from relationship God/people
- Feeling isolated, rejected, no place for me
· God sees what is but His focus is redemptive, on what will be! On His loving faithfulness not as human failure.
V3 Can these bones live?
· God already knows the answer – He is wanting to draw out perspective
· Can you see a positive future in the midst of difficulties? Bones or an Army?
· Rom. 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing that you many abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. God Perspective in Redemptive
V12 God’s heart is not to punish but to restore. (No curse on Israel, Num. 23:23)
· I will cause you to come up from your graves – Deliverance! Grave = place of captivity, bondage.
· I will bring you into the land of Israel – Restoration! Hand = inheritance, living in the promises of God.
· I will put my spirit in you, you will live – Life! Impartation of the life of God that transforms and changes.
· I will do it! = These are promises of God to be received by faith. = Christ has made provision for this at the cross.
· God has provided for us to succeed in every area of life or failure
4. Responding in Faith
· What is our part in this? What must I do?
· There is always a part we play in the Kingdom manifesting on our life
· Ezekiel was commanded to exercise faith (Heb. 11:6) – believe!
(i) Hear the Word of God – what God is saying, His perspective
· Rom. 10:17 Faith comes by hearing the Word of God
· There are many voices pressed upon us – what is God showing, saying to you.
(ii) Speak the Word of God – speak into situations
V4 Prophesy to these dry bones
V9 Prophesy to the
- Pray in tongues and begin to prophesy, speak God’s word over self, church
V7 as he prophesied God moved supernaturally – noise!
(iii) Act on What God is saying
· Jn 5:19 Jesus did what He saw the Father doing
· V7 Bones came together = Connect – don’t isolate, build relationships connect
· V8 Ligaments formed = Relationships – ligaments are what hold bones together = covenant relationship