WEBVTT 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:15.280 Take your Bibles out this morning and turn to Ezekiel chapter 37. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:23.439 And as you're turning to Ezekiel, man, that was good hearing our students, wasn't it? 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:30.879 God did an incredible work, and uh the sky is the limit with the group that we have. 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:33.120 It's it's exciting times. 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:40.959 Um when I first arrived here, uh we didn't have a junior high student for almost two years. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:48.000 And so now I think I have five or less high school students. 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.760 So the energy level is much different and it's exciting. 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:59.760 I am privileged today to be standing in Pastor Danny Lovett's uh sacred desk. 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:04.640 And I say that it has his name on here, so Pastor, if you're looking, I'm not saying that wrong. 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:06.719 It just belongs to him. 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:10.639 And uh anyway, it's always an honor and privilege to come before you. 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:12.400 I don't take that lightly. 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:15.120 And um he is having a good time. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.599 If you watched any on Facebook, uh nothing has stopped for him. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.400 He baptized two yesterday on vacation. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:27.199 He led one to the Lord yesterday, and he's gonna baptize two more, he told me this morning. 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:31.919 So we may be meeting for church, but where he's going, church is still happening. 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:34.240 So thank you, Pastor Damus Susan. 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:34.960 We do miss you. 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:36.879 Hope you have a relaxing time. 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:45.360 But as we jump in, God really, over the um start of this pandemic, really started speaking to me. 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:50.400 Um, and many of you even posted the scripture from 2 Chronicles chapter 7, 14. 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:56.960 Now, uh you have to understand in the Bible there is one interpretation with many applications. 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:17.919 Okay, the interpretation of the scripture in 2 Chronicles is a passage for the Israelite people, and God's calling them, and it says, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:22.319 And so uh there's a problem in that passage with the people. 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:30.800 It says, if my people, now the application that we can draw from that, it's talking about Israel, but the application for us is Christians. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:34.159 If you're a Christian here today, you can say, I'm his people. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:41.520 And so as you turn to Ezekiel, the sermon series is gonna go over that passage, 2 Chronicles 7.14. 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:42.800 So look at it, study it. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:50.240 The verse before even talks about pestilences and kind of the pandemic, and God just kept putting it before me. 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:54.080 Um, and so we're gonna look at the four things in that verse. 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.120 Um, and today we're talking about my people. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:08.800 But as you turn to Ezekiel 37, I want to read to you two verses as Ezekiel uh is a prophet, he's a 25-year-old prophet, and he's a part of a Jewish exile. 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:15.199 Okay, there's over 10,000 Jews that have been scattered, many are in Babylon, and they've just been dispersed everywhere. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:25.279 There's no unanimity, there's no uh there's not an army, there's not a strength, they're just everywhere, and God calls him as a young man to be a prophet. 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:31.680 And so, in verse or in chapter 37, verses 1 and 2, this is where we're gonna catch up with them. 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:41.040 It says, The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the spirit of the Lord, set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:49.920 Then he caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed they were very dry. 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:54.560 And he said to me, Son of bone, son of man, can these bones live? 00:04:55.040 --> 00:05:02.240 What a vision! So Ezekiel gets this vision of a place that is bad. 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:03.920 Say bad with me. 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:05.839 It's bad to the bone. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:07.279 Say bad to the bone. 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:12.720 Bad of the bone. 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:30.399 I think Ezekiel awakens from his vision, and that's what he says to himself. 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:31.360 This is bad. 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:36.639 And uh anytime you can give a reference to George Thorogood and the Delaware destroyers. 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:37.920 I don't know if you knew that. 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:38.399 Okay. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:43.439 Number 29 of 50 influential people in the state I grew up in. 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:45.759 Um, but he says, This is bad. 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:47.040 This is bad. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:52.399 And there's an issue as he looked around and saw nothing but dry bones. 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:54.240 Let's pray together, Father. 00:05:55.040 --> 00:06:02.160 We thank you for the opportunity we have this morning to read your word, to be spoken to by your spirit. 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:05.519 God, we pray that you would invade our hearts. 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:14.879 Lord, I pray that we would see the application or that there is a dry bone problem all around. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:26.000 Lord, it's not just in the cities or in the councils or in the politics, Lord, often and too much is that it's right in our churches. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:35.920 God help us to deal with the truth of your word today, to be confronted by your Holy Spirit, and to answer what you tell us to do. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:37.920 We love you in Jesus' name. 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:38.959 Amen. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:46.399 So the first point of this sermon this morning, number one, is a stirring is needed for awakening. 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:49.199 A stirring is needed for awakening. 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:57.839 Awakening is not something that, if you look back in the history of revivals and awakenings, it's not something that you or I can conjure up. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:03.360 Okay, it's not something that me and Heather can get together in prayer over and say, we're gonna have an awakening. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:05.680 Now let's just pray it through. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:10.720 Um, it has to happen by divine appointment and divine assistance. 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:17.759 Uh I was thinking about camp, and there were so many obstacles to go to camp this year. 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:22.959 Uh, first of all, they didn't know if we were gonna have it up until about a month out. 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:25.439 A month out to start planning camp is tough. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:28.319 Okay, tough in normal circumstances. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:36.639 Three weeks from camp, I get an uh email saying all of our students are gonna have to take and pass a COVID-19 test. 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:37.920 And I'm like, oh man. 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:40.879 You know, people don't even want to take these tests. 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:48.959 And you know, I'm like trying to plan for 39 students to all get together, and so that was an issue. 00:07:49.199 --> 00:08:11.920 Um we usually use the SurvePro vans and our van, and SurvePro's been using one of the vans is dedicated just for COVID, and I'm like, I don't want no parts of getting in that thing, and so we we didn't have a we had a van down, and um a few days out from or the day before we were going, I needed to get a trailer so we can get lugged, and and I'm there at the place, and my credit card won't work. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:13.600 And I'm like, are you serious? 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:25.360 And I and and so that that was going on, and then even in my own home the night before, I'm packing up and I'm putting stuff in the trailer, and we wake up the next morning and we're ready, you know, to get going. 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:33.679 And Wyatt is just back and forth, and his backpack, his brand new backpack that Graham bought him with clothes and stuff for camp is gone. 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:34.320 It's just gone. 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:37.120 I'm like, does somebody come in the house in the middle of the night? 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:38.639 You know, what is going on? 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:44.480 And then it it strikes me, okay, uh, as I'm reviewing all these things. 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:51.200 Listen, on a normal camp, it is really hard to get 39 students one health form collected. 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:55.840 Y'all, this year I had five health forms with some of them multiple pages. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:58.399 I don't even know how many hundreds of pages. 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:03.039 And so as we got moving along, we got all the health forms back, okay? 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:06.720 Uh the Wednesday before, we still didn't have all the COVID tests. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:10.639 So we're leaving Thursday, and I gotta have all these tests in order. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:12.320 They're not gonna let me on campus. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:17.279 And I'm like, we're praying, and I'm you know, I'm just feeling this, and all these things happen. 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:19.519 Well, that happened, but then God was breaking through. 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:20.720 So van secured. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:22.720 Thank you, Allisons, if they're in here. 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:24.720 Man, the Allisons gave up their van. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:32.240 They said, You can use this for the week, and then Dave came and saved the day while I was over at the place getting the trailer credit card. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:34.240 I don't mind didn't work, his worked. 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:35.600 Okay, we were good there. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:41.679 And so I ride around the circle trying to backtrack my steps on this backpack the morning before camp. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:43.039 And I'm like, where did I go? 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:44.000 What did I do? 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:48.320 You know, and and at first, you know, I'm like, I'm saying I didn't do it. 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:49.120 It wasn't me. 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:52.559 Surely I didn't put it on the trailer, and you know, that's the man thing. 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:54.240 And so I'm denying that. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:10:07.519 Well, I go riding around in Chelsea Park, wherever I would have moved the vehicle, and I go back by the park in Chelsea Park, and somebody has hung his backpack on a sign, and I'm like, oh, thank you, Jesus. 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:12.639 You know, because when one of your kids has an attitude on the way to a trip, it's horrible. 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:20.080 And so we find the back, and God starts clicking all these things literally one hour before we arrive on campus. 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.320 I got my last COVID result. 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:24.639 Okay, one hour, okay. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:25.679 I was making plans. 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:30.720 I was gonna have to put this person, it was a leader, so y'all y'all looking at me like I'm not good at making plans. 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:34.000 Okay, I was gonna have to put them up in a hotel in Tacoa. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:37.120 And so, but God worked all of these things out. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:38.000 Why? 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:42.320 Because God wanted to do a stirring. 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:44.399 God wanted to do a stirring. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.840 He wanted us, usually 31 churches at this camp. 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:49.519 We were one of seven. 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:53.120 God wanted our group to be at this camp. 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:58.799 I'm telling you, it's nothing short of a miracle to get 39 kids to turn in five different forms and have them all. 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:00.720 God wanted a stirring. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:05.120 We were 40 of 140 students. 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.440 It's usually a thousand. 00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:09.200 God wanted us there. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:16.080 It was divine assistance, divine appointment that we were there because he wanted a stirring. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:17.360 Why did he want a stirring? 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:20.399 Letter A in your notes this morning. 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:24.399 Because the bones are at the bottom. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:28.879 The bones are at the bottom when the hand of the Lord brought him. 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.799 It says he set him down in the midst of the bottom in the valley. 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:34.480 It was full of bones. 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:36.399 I want you to think about something with me. 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:48.000 In Matthew chapter 3, the end of the chapter, Jesus is baptized and the Holy Spirit falls upon him, and it's uh the verse where the Father says, This is my beloved son, whom I am well pleased. 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:49.440 All the people hear this. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:51.120 He proclaims this about him. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:12:01.360 And the very next chapter and the beginning verse says this, and Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness to be tempted. 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:07.919 Is it possible, as we look at this verse, that God can carry you to a valley? 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:11.519 Can God carry you into a wilderness? 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:22.000 How can I one minute feel so anointed by God and the next minute feel like God who took me to a mountain has taken me to a dry place? 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:24.879 It says these bones were dry bones. 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:26.559 They weren't wet bones. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:29.679 Wet bones would have a stench. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.159 These bones have sat out so long. 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:36.320 They've become so dry they don't even smell anymore. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:37.840 They've lost all of it. 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:43.200 How can I go in a moment from so holy to so human? 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:47.279 Now listen, I know that God has a calling on my life. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:48.639 I know there's an anointing. 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:52.799 I've placed hands on people, and God has healed people. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:58.159 I placed hands, Heather and I, on my children, and God heard and answered those prayers within hours. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:12:58.879 I believe in that. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:00.799 And you say, well, you sound hyper-spiritual. 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:05.840 You've got listen, I just believe in what the book says, and so I know that there's anointing. 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:07.200 Do I just I don't deserve it? 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:11.519 I don't know why I have it, but I know that there's a calling in my life. 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:19.279 And when I think about this place in the valley, how can I go from such a place here to a place so low? 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:25.360 Have you ever felt like you were called by God and you know that you were involved in something with the spirit? 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:32.399 And then you lost all consciousness of your call, and then somebody pulled out in front of me without the turn signal. 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:34.879 And I forgot who I was. 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:36.639 I forgot my calling. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:39.120 I couldn't even remember a scripture. 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:43.519 I blessed him, I said, Your world, sir. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.639 I'm sorry I decided to wake up in it today. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:48.879 And I laid into my horn. 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.039 Thank God Heather wasn't with me. 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:55.279 Thank God somebody didn't have a camera phone to see. 00:13:55.759 --> 00:14:00.399 I lost all consciousness of my calling. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:02.159 I've forgotten who I was. 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:04.240 You all don't do this, do you? 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:06.399 Nobody was clapping. 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:07.200 I went low. 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:14.480 See, the thing is there's a cohabitation within me of flesh and spirit, humanity and holiness. 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:16.480 Is God with both? 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:21.120 Can you be on the mountain with God and then go down to the valley? 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:26.480 See, I believe God can be with both, and I believe that's why we need this stirring. 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:34.639 That takes us to letter B, because verse 2, the bones are not just low in the valley, but they're bare. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:38.320 Then he caused me to pass by, verse 2, them all around. 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:43.440 And behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed they were very dry. 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:45.279 Dry bones. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:46.480 The bones are bare. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.240 How many of you, good old country folk here, like some cornbread? 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:52.799 Like your cornbread, you like it done right. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:55.840 Uh how many of you had cornbread before and it wasn't right? 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:02.799 Now I've had some cornbread before, and I just thought this was the way it was supposed to be for a long while. 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:08.080 I eat cornbread and it would like take every bit of moisture right out of your face. 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:12.080 Like all of a sudden I got skinnier from eating cornbread. 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:17.679 I turned my head one time, the cornbread was in the vegetable soup, looked back, and the soup was gone. 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:20.799 It was so dry. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:23.440 Dry, it says. 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:25.279 Dry, the scripture says. 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:28.159 There was no moisture on the bones. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:30.559 There was no meat, any bones. 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:34.639 I gotta talk to some people today that are in dry places. 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:36.799 Is there anybody in a dry place? 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:44.480 Dry marriage, your bills are making you dry, your friendships are dry, the job place is dry. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:47.039 Is there anybody going through a drought? 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:52.399 Walking through bones, some depressed people. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.120 Help me, church, with something. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:16:08.080 Maybe it's just me thinking, is it possible to come to church and dance all over the place with joy and find contentment in that moment and go home and still feel like you hardly can breathe. 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:10.000 Y'all with me? 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:12.320 I get in the presence of God and I feel it. 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:15.200 But then I go to a place and the place is still the place. 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.720 The thing is still the thing, and it's still there, and it's not gone. 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:23.759 You're trying to walk with the Lord, but it hasn't gotten any better. 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:31.759 Ezekiel has a vision, and this is what it is: it's death, defeat, discouragement, depression, devastation. 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:35.919 Well, I bet if there was a time he wanted to hang it up as a prophet. 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:37.759 Dry bones. 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:41.519 You have to ask yourself, how does it get to that point? 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:54.240 Well, number one, if you're here this morning and you're hearing God's word, the first thing you need to understand is a lost person, a person that doesn't have a relationship with Christ, is inherently dry spiritually. 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:58.000 You have no walk with Christ, you don't have that Holy Spirit within you. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:03.840 So you may be here today, and this may be the first time you're really hearing something like this, or it's clicking maybe for the first time. 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:10.720 If you feel dried up spiritually, you never get excited about church or worship or anything of the Lord. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:15.920 You might be lacking a real relationship with Jesus Christ, you might be lost. 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:20.160 The second thing that happens is disobedience. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:27.920 When God calls you to something and you disobey his call, disobedience creates distance. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.920 We become distance from God, and distance creates dryness. 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:39.359 Israel can't celebrate because they are worshiping idols all week long and still showing up at the temple. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:41.839 Y'all hearing me? 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:44.079 Application America? 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:48.640 We'll still show up at the church place on Sunday. 00:17:50.160 --> 00:18:02.559 But the church in many instances is so dry because too many Christians are worshiping something else Monday through Saturday when they enter COVID-19. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:16.799 God says, I'm gonna show you the world's fragile systems, the things that you've built up as monuments in your life, and I'm gonna show you that they're really not anything. 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:20.240 Go ahead and build a world around sports. 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:22.880 Take it out like this. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:26.240 Go ahead and build a world around stocks. 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:29.359 I can make them go like this and make your head. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:34.319 The 401k, the vacation. 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:38.160 You might not even go to the supermarket. 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:43.279 We got such a fragile system, yet we're worshiping the system. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:47.599 And we'll show up on Sunday and feel, why can't I celebrate God? 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:50.000 And that's what Israel was doing. 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.960 They were worshiping idols all week long. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:19:01.599 So we get Psalms 46, 10 in the midst of COVID, and he said, Be still and know that I am God. 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:04.880 You need to get back to the root thing, the main thing. 00:19:05.119 --> 00:19:10.319 The purpose and why I have you here is that you are to be still and know that I am God. 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:13.279 Know me, learn me, love me. 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:21.839 And if we're not careful that as this thing waxes and wanes, we're gonna miss the opening for God to do an awakening in our lives. 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:23.920 He has set the stage. 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:29.359 But we'll miss it if we sleep through it. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:32.160 Dry, sleepy Christians. 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:40.160 The third thing that can happen is not disobedience or being lost, but the third thing is God can test us to better us. 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:43.759 God, you see, all through scripture, God testing his people. 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:45.119 God wants to test us. 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:47.440 Dryness can be a test of faithfulness. 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:55.039 You say, but Pastor, I'm praising him, I'm worshiping, I'm loving him, and I keep going back to the thing and it's not getting fixed. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:56.480 What do I do? 00:19:57.359 --> 00:19:59.599 God wants to keep testing sometimes. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:01.279 It's a test in faithfulness. 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:06.000 Our students, we have a VBS team, and I'm having them read the book called The Dreamgiver. 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:13.359 And in the Dreamgiver, it's about ordinary, you and me, who's been called by God to the place of the big dream. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:17.680 And ordinary is headed to the big dream, and along the way, he encounters bullies. 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:26.000 And in chapter three, he encounters bullies at the borderland, which surprisingly to him, as he was called by God to something, it was some family members. 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:30.000 It was some people that were good friends and said, You don't need to follow that dream. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:31.200 You need to do this thing. 00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:33.279 This is what everybody else is doing. 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:35.759 Why do you think you're so special? 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.440 Everybody's doing this. 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:41.359 So you jump in with the rest of us as we worship the world's idols. 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:47.759 And so as he gets through those borderland bullies, he goes into the wasteland in chapter four. 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:54.319 And in chapter four, in the wasteland, he thinks I'm done with these bullies and I'm moving on to the big dream that God has called me to. 00:20:54.400 --> 00:21:00.640 And he enters a bunch of trials and struggles, and he says, I'm about ready to just give up, God. 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:01.920 You're not the dreamgiver. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:04.640 You called me to this, but why is it so hard? 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:13.200 And all of a sudden, chapter four, the dream giver sends a good friend that helps ordinary so much. 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:15.279 The friend is faithfulness. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:19.119 He says, just keep pushing. 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:20.160 This will be your friend. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:23.759 Just keep pushing because the dream that's out there is for you. 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:25.519 You just gotta keep pushing. 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:32.720 And sometimes the bones are bare because it's a test of our faith. 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:34.480 You might be lost today. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:36.480 You might be disobeying God's call. 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:38.799 It might just be a test of your faith. 00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:44.960 At any rate, the second thing that we need this morning is a spark for awakening. 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.119 We need a spark for awakening. 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:51.599 We need that stirring that comes from divine appointment and divine assistance. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:54.799 But the second thing then is a spark, a catalyst. 00:21:56.480 --> 00:22:01.519 A way to start, a way to begin, because Verse 3. 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:03.920 His letter A there. 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:07.519 Because the bones need belief. 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:09.599 They need to believe again. 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:13.839 And he said to me in verse 3, Son of Man, can these bones live? 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:15.680 Bones need belief. 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:21.680 And what we see out of Ezekiel here is first, it's apprehensive thinking. 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:29.119 He's looking at the situation and he's filtering it and looking what is all around him. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:34.079 Well, these are dry people, and these are dry people, and that's dry, and what's behind me is dry. 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:38.000 And everywhere around me is this dryness, and he's so apprehensive. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:43.039 And he has become adjusted to the situation. 00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:46.640 He's developed a mentality for the bones. 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:50.319 He's acquired a coping mechanism for the bones. 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:54.960 Dry bone living has become the status quo. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:58.000 Church, have you made peace with your bones? 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:08.240 And just when you get comfortable in your situation and you've made peace with your bones, he's going to ask, can these bones live? 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:10.960 That's what God's going to go and do to you? 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:14.319 Why, Lord, would you wake my hope? 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:19.119 Why would you stir up my hope to something that hasn't changed in so long? 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.799 I've gotten used to it. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:23.599 I've just given up on that call. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:28.400 I've just come to terms with this isn't the way it's supposed to be for me. 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:31.279 I've just come to I'm not even praying for that no more. 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:33.359 Can these bones live, God? 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:37.680 What do you mean calling me out on this right now? 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:50.240 And God said to Sarah, when she was done and she wasn't trying to have no more babies, are you ready to have this child of promise? 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:55.440 Just when she had given up her hope, she laughed at it. 00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:58.799 You know, it seems like God don't have no watch or anything. 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:00.880 God send the timing. 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:03.839 When I was ready, he didn't do what I asked. 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:10.319 Now I'm ready, and he's gonna, I'm not ready, and he's gonna ask, can these bones live? 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:11.680 And look at what he says. 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:14.400 He says, Ah, I don't know. 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:16.799 So we answered, Oh Lord, God, you know. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:17.839 Lord, you know. 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:22.319 I don't know if these bones can live, but Lord, I know that you know. 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:27.200 Here's what I looked at in the book of Mark. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:29.920 Mark 9, 23 says, This church. 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:34.960 All things are possible for those who believe. 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:36.400 All things. 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:37.359 Say all. 00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:40.400 Things are possible for those who believe. 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.599 You see, dry bones need to believe. 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:50.799 Well, he went from apprehensive thinking to authentic talking in verse 4. 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:57.519 It says, again, he said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:00.480 And so he's called to authentic talking. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:02.480 He's called to preach to the bones. 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:03.759 Now, this is not unusual. 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:08.559 If you go back just one chapter in chapter 36, Ezekiel's called to speak to a mountain. 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:18.720 Interesting because Scripture says in the New Testament, if you say to a mountain with faith like a mustard seed, mountain move, that the mountain will be moved, that Ezekiel has already been talking to mountains. 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:24.720 He's been talking to dry bones, and God has called him to continue speaking to his stuff. 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:25.839 Y'all hear me? 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:26.960 Don't miss this. 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:30.400 Jesus said, if you just have faith like a mustard seed. 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:38.640 Now hear me, the posture of your faith and the power of the word of God within you makes a difference. 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:42.160 We're like, well, this situation ain't gonna change, Pastor Rick. 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:44.799 It's not gonna change with that. 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:50.319 But if you will just believe with God, all that scripture says things are possible. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:52.240 The power of your words matter. 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:54.400 You say, well, tell me, how does it matter? 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:58.480 If you look at your Bible in Joshua, you know what he did to the walls at Jericho? 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:02.640 He shouted at those walls and they came a tumbling down. 00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:08.400 When Gideon and 300 men were taken, 300 men were taken to a fight against a hundred thousand. 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:10.400 You know what God told him to do? 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:14.079 Shout that the sword of the Lord in Gideon is here. 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:16.720 And God destroyed that army of a hundred thousand. 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:18.559 You know what David said in the Psalms? 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:22.799 That I will declare with a shout and a voice of triumph. 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:29.359 It matters what you speak, it matters what you believe and you speak. 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:33.200 We were uh fast asleep. 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:38.000 And as everything goes at 2 a.m., nothing is good. 00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:39.759 We were fast asleep. 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:43.359 And Wyatt, this is when we were at the other house on Lake Chelsea. 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:49.839 Wyatt came screaming downstairs, Callie can't move! Callie can't move. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:50.799 We're like, what? 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:52.880 You know, at two in the morning, nothing makes sense. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:54.400 So she can't move. 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:59.119 And I'm like, I get myself up the stairs and I gotta assess the situation right. 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:01.680 Assess, don't panic, do the dad thing, fix it. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:08.079 And I'm at two in the morning, I'm clearing the carwise, and I'm looking at her, and I'm like, how did she get paralyzed in her sleep? 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:09.200 What does this mean? 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:12.640 You know, and I'm looking at her, and Wyatt has lost his mind. 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:26.799 Evidently, evidently, we found out later that he had she had been crying out for like an hour, and Wyatt gets to her, and he's he's so emotional when something happens, and he he gets to us, and and and I'm like, so I'm testing her. 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:33.440 I'm like, she can't move, so I'm like grabbing her arm, and I'm like, you know, can you move? 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:34.559 You know, what's wrong? 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:40.000 You know, I'm like, I don't know, you know, medics don't move people if they can't move, so I'm like, do I move her? 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:41.039 You know, do I pick her up? 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:43.279 You know, and so I'm testing body parts and moving. 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:44.559 I'm like, can you stand? 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:53.359 And and so we come to find out that this is the first time she had ever had the flu, and her body parts were just aching. 00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:55.440 And it hurt her to move. 00:27:55.759 --> 00:28:01.039 She was hurting to move, and here I like, I'm like, oh no, my child can't move. 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:01.839 What are we gonna do? 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:03.839 You know, nothing makes sense at two in the morning. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:08.240 And so when I heard that voice yelling that thing, guess what happened? 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:10.240 I paid attention. 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:14.880 Because the boy shouted something into my hearing. 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:16.079 I paid attention. 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:19.680 And listen to me, we are told in Scripture to speak. 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:21.200 It said, speak to those bones. 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:25.839 And if you look at the end of that verse in my version of the Bible, there's an exclamation point. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:30.000 And exclamation means emphasis, and emphasis means elevation. 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:33.920 So he says, Wake up, dry bones. 00:28:34.720 --> 00:28:36.799 Can we declare something today, church? 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:38.000 Can we say something together? 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:39.920 Can we say, we won't sleep? 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:42.240 We won't sleep. 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:50.480 We won't sleep for a virus, we're not gonna sleep for an argument, we're not gonna sleep for a slip-up, not for a mistake, not because somebody's hating on you. 00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:54.720 We won't sleep as a church, we can't sleep as a church. 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:57.680 We need a spark, and that takes us to letter B. 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:06.160 Not just because we need belief, but as we look through the illustration, because bones are in need of beef. 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:10.079 Bones are in need of beef to live. 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:11.119 Look at verse 5. 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:23.359 He says, Thus says the Lord God to these bones, surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live, and I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.880 Then you shall know that I am the Lord. 00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:35.119 And so we the best bachelor party I ever been to, that's not what a pastor is supposed to start off with an illustration. 00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:38.480 But the best bachelor party I think I've only been to one or two. 00:29:38.640 --> 00:29:45.200 Um, but the best one, my brother-in-law was getting married, and he took a group of men, and we're talking about manly men. 00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:52.799 Two of them were in the army, you know, and then there was me, but then there was other manly men, and they're like, We're going to Texas de Brazil. 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:54.400 I hear any men say amen. 00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:56.400 Y'all know what that is? 00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:58.559 That's an all-beef house. 00:29:58.799 --> 00:29:59.279