1. Seeking Spiritual Renewal
Resurrection: God’s Promise of Life
Ezekiel 37:1-14

2. ‘Son of Man, can these bones live?’ (Ezekiel 37:1)
‘Sovereign LORD, you alone know’ (37:1)

3. Context Judgement Due to worshipping other Gods and disobedience.
At the hands of the Babylonians (Ezekiel 6)
Spiritual alienation leading them to repentance.
Physical alienation with a longing to return to the promised land.

4. Context God’s promise of a new covenant (Ezekiel 36)
Brought home (36:24)
Cleansed from sin (36:25)
New heart and Spirit (36:26-28)
Obedient to God’s Law (36:27)
Mercy and forgiveness.
Can this be true? How?

5. The Vision God’s hand was upon Ezekiel. God led him to the plain.
God set him in the midst of a valley of dry bones.
God led him amongst them.
Ezekiel sees the enormity of death.
Unburied bones under a curse.

6. The Question ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’
‘Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’
God’s abilities are not curtailed by Ezekiel’s inabilities.
From man’s impotence to God’s omnipotence.

7. The Command and Response
Prophesy my word (37:4-6)
Ezekiel is the spokesman of God’s omnipotence.
The Response (37: 7-8)
Bones come together.
Prophesy my word (37:9)
Ezekiel prophesies to the wind.
The Response (37:10)
The breath enters and the bones come to life.

8. Interpretation (37:11-14)
State of the people – sorrowful, depressed, without hope.
Ezekiel is to prophesy hope to the hopeless
God will open the graves.
God will lead them back into Israel.
God will burst open the prison of exile.
God will give them the gift of his Spirit.
God will do this.

9. The Word of God Alive and Active (Hebrews 4:12)
“Anytime and anywhere people have discovered the truth of the Scriptures, it has resulted in a great awakening of their hearts to worship the Lord Jesus… Something dynamic happens when the Bible is opened. Lives are changed. Christ is exalted. And worship flows from the hearts of God’s people. The miracle that transpires in the hearts of people is inexplicable.”
(Sammy Tippett, Prophetic Worship 1999)

10. The Word of God Alive and Active (Hebrews 4:12)
Statement of belief in the titles of paraphrases of the Bible: Living Bible, The New Living Translation, The Good News Bible, The Message.
Statement of belief in placing yourself in the posture to perceive and respond to God’s Word.

11. The Word of God Sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)
‘The sword of the Spirit is the word of God’ (Ephesians 6:17).
A scalpel used in divine surgery.

12. The Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is sent to:
Prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness and judgement (John 16:8-10)
Teach and remind us of the teaching of Jesus (John 14:26)
Inspire the writing of scripture (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21)
Uses the Bible to teach, rebuke, correct, train in righteousness, equip the servant of God (2 Tim 3:16)
Anoint the preacher (1 Timothy 5:13)
Equip the church for ministry (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-13)

13. The Word and the Spirit All Word and no Spirit and we dry up.
All Spirit and no Word and we blow up.
Both Spirit and the Word and we grow up.

14. Signs of the Times
Sabbatical: Growing the church in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Graham Horsley: Squeezing the Holy Spirit out of the church.
Duncan Malcolm: Prophetic word for 2017.

15. Duncan Malcolm
70 years since the Smith Wigglesworth prophecy about the word and spirit heralding a revival.
50 years since the Jean Darnell prophecy about the revival spreading from UK to Europe.

16. Word and the Spirit Conversion of the churched but not converted.
Strengthening the hearts of those who love Jesus.
God is going to revive and strengthen small local churches.
A fresh confidence in the Gospel.
A deeper yearning for prayer for the nation and the lost.
The passion for the gospel to spread from the UK to Europe.
(Duncan Malcolm: WPC Website)

17. God needs people to make time to be in his presence.
God needs people to pray in any promised move of God.
God needs people to accompany people into his presence.
Are you available?