SERMON
NOTES

Humans have long grappled with the seeming hopelessness of death. So strong was this hopelessness that cultures around the world believed in so-called divine beings that ruled over death.

Gods of the Dead and the Underworld
Greek Mythology – Hades: God of the Underworld and the dead; Thanatos: Personification of death.
Hindu Mythology – Yama: God of death and the afterlife; Kali: Goddess of destruction and transformation, often linked to death.
Egyptian Mythology – Anubis: God of mummification and protector of the dead; Osiris: God of the afterlife, resurrection, and judge of the dead; Ammut: Devourer of the unworthy souls.
Japanese Mythology – Izanami: Goddess of death, associated with the underworld Yomi; Shinigami (more Japanese folklore): Spirits of death guiding souls to the afterlife.
Mesopotamian Mythology – Ereshkigal: Goddess of the underworld and ruler of the dead; Nergal: God of war, plague, and the underworld.
Native American Mythologies – Iktomi: Associated with death and the spirit world in Lakota myths.

The Israelites, on the other hand, believed that there was only ONE God – YHWH. And he was God over life and death
YHWH, God over Life & Death
“See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39)
“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
(Hannah's song – 1 Samuel 2:6)

But something happened that shook that belief. Around 586 BC, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Ezekiel's message of judgment in Chapters 1-24 had been a warning that it would happen because of the nation’s sin. [Chapters 25-32 were written during the siege.]
When Jerusalem finally fell, and most of its inhabitants were deported almost 1,000 miles away, those 70 years in Exile made them feel, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” (Ezekiel 37:11) The Exile from their land felt like death. And indeed, many had actually died before, during, and after the Fall of Jerusalem. The latter part of Ezekiel’s prophetic book (chapters 33-48) – written while the Israelites were in Exile – actually turned to a message of hope. Even with its strange imagery, the vision of Ezekiel 37 is one of hope that points to what God was going to do for Israel, but in the larger and future context, what God had planned for the Church at Pentecost!

• Spiritual Hopelessness => the Portrayal of "Death"
  • The aftermath of war has devastating effects. Pictures of gas chambers, mass graves, and mangled bodies after explosions – all cause us to shudder.
  • Ezekiel’s vision is no less horrific, shocking. He is brought by the Spirit to a valley filled with dried bones and made to walk about them. Understand: Ezekiel is a priest (1:3), and to be among bones is not just shocking to his senses, but completely offensive to his religion.
  • Two things: first, there were a great many bones (enough to be a vast army (v.10), and second, they were very dry, i.e. there was absolutely no trace of the original humans they once were.
  • The fact that they were so dry and exposed pointed to the Covenant curse of Deut. 28:26. Even God had cursed and deserted them.
  • The feeling of utter hopelessness and helplessness was very akin to the reaction to death.
  • That is exactly how the disciples and his family felt after Jesus died – hopeless and helpless.

• Spiritual Resurrection => the Reconstruction of Life
  • Ezekiel is then asked a very strange question: “can these bone live?” (v.3). Sure, the Israelites’ belief was that YHWH was God over life and death. Yet what hope was there in these absolutely dried bones?
  • However, it was God asking the question; he must have a reason…so Ezekiel wisely tosses the ball back into God’ “court” – you know the answer to that!
  • In response, God gives Ezekiel the most peculiar task. He is told to do his ministry to the bones; prophesy to the bones.
  • Fortunately, God supplies him with the exact words. And the Word of God does its work. Each bone finds its partners – Bones assemble to become a very large… morgue.
  • “…but there was no breath in them” (v.8). Just like what happened at Easter, and for the next 50 days. The Word of God had worked – “But God raised Jesus from the dead,” Peter preached (Acts 2:24). But the disciples hadn’t changed much – still afraid, still doubting (Matthew 28:17b)

 
Something else needed to happen…

• Spiritual Empowerment => the Breath of Kingdom Life
  • Ezekiel was asked again to do his job – this time to prophesy to the breath, the four winds…
  • Rúach = breath, wind…spirit (or Spirit). Same as pneuma
  • READ Ezekiel 37:9-10

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the Rúach; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, Rúach, from the four Rúach and Rúach into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and Rúach entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

• Ezekiel 37:11-14 gives the explanation of that prophecy in terms of the 70-year Exile ending, and the people returning.
• But the larger context is made real along with the Joel 2:28-32 prophecy

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days…”

• The disciples who waited together, behind those closed doors, praying, experienced the Rúach of God filling their lives. Then everything changed.
• From then on, “…they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”

Forgiveness from the past, our sin, our brokenness came because of the crucifixion.

The assurance, promise, proof of new life came through the resurrection and the empty tomb.

But the New Creation Life that enters into our Beings transforming us, empowering us with the Breath of Kingdom Eternal Life happens because of the Rúach of God given in us

The Spirit Gives Life: Dry Bones Live Again