Colossians 1:19-22 Ezekiel 37:1-14
God reconciles man to God – He is the only one who can do this but why does he need to? Can we reconcile ourselves to God? The problem as always is our sinful nature and that we are sinners and God is Holy – the two cannot mix and so the "sin problem" has to be dealt with before we can be reconciled to God.
Reconcile – To make things compatible with each other that are incompatible!
This is what Jesus does and he is the only one who can do it!
1 Timothy 2:5
John 14:16
The way to God is through Jesus and Jesus only – The Colossian Church had listened to false teaching that said it was Jesus plus other things and Paul wants to remind them that it’s Jesus plus nothing or it isn’t really Jesus at all? Universal faith? – all roads lead to God in the end – Not True – Only Jesus leads us to God and anything else diminishes what Jesus did by going to the cross and dying for us. If all roads lead to God why did Jesus need to die at all?
Romans 5:1
Jesus had to save us and bring peace to our relationship with God by Jesus blood on the cross – the great sacrifice for our sins
What is our position before this?
v21 – You were far away from God – You were his enemies separated by your evil thoughts and actions (Sin)
BUT NOW – he has reconciled you to himself through Christ Jesus and you now stand Holy and blameless.
Ephesians 2:1 – You were dead in your trespasses and sins and separated from God without hope.
v4 : How does God make us alive through Christ when we are dead? He breathes the life giving spirit into our souls and makes us alive to Christ – If you are dead you need a miracle and you need the breath of life breathed into you –Just the same as we read
in Ezekiel 37 – The bodies are complete but they have no breath in them – Until God comes and breathes LIFE into them
v14 : This is what God does when we become a Christian – death to life by the living power of God’s breath – Remember he is creator God and has been since the beginning of time – It’s what he has always done
Genesis 1:7 : Jesus in his Ministry breathed life into Lazarus when he had been dead for 4 days and Martha said it was too late. Even Martha didn’t realise that Jesus had power over death and the tomb and that all was not lost – the breath of God raised Lazarus from the dead because his breath brings life!
John 11:25 : Jesus died and was laid in the tomb for three days. The life giving breath of God was breathed into him and he was raised from the dead – because God’s breath brings life – as soon as he met the disciples after he was raised from the dead he breathes life into them.
John 20:21 : The Hebrew word for this breath is RUACH – it’s a wind, a life force that sustains all living things – human beings included.
This living breath is the same today.
God wants to breathe his life into you and you will never be the same again. No one is too far away – no one is so dead they cannot be saved – nothing is impossible with God!
Song – Zach Williams – Rattle
Since when has impossible stopped you , He can restore anything he wants to
Questions:
1. Does the passage from Ezekiel 37 help us understand the power of God and the power of his breath? Think also of Genesis?
2. The picture of us being dead and then being made alive by Jesus Christ is very powerful – do you understand that is what happened to you when you became a Christian – How does that make you feel?
3. We all have people in our minds that we think are nearly saved and those that we think are a million miles away! Pray for those who you think are impossible because nothing is impossible with God. Don’t give up praying!
4. In preparing this talk I just wanted to worship God for his life giving power and that he has breathed life into my soul – let us worship together and thank him for his amazing love – Read Ephesians 2:4-10 – that will help!
Colossians 1:19-22 Ezekiel 37:1-14
God reconciles man to God – He is the only one who can do this but why does he need to? Can we reconcile ourselves to God? The problem as always is our sinful nature and that we are sinners and God is Holy – the two cannot mix and so the "sin problem" has to be dealt with before we can be reconciled to God.
Reconcile – To make things compatible with each other that are incompatible!
This is what Jesus does and he is the only one who can do it!
1 Timothy 2:5
John 14:16
The way to God is through Jesus and Jesus only – The Colossian Church had listened to false teaching that said it was Jesus plus other things and Paul wants to remind them that it’s Jesus plus nothing or it isn’t really Jesus at all? Universal faith? – all roads lead to God in the end – Not True – Only Jesus leads us to God and anything else diminishes what Jesus did by going to the cross and dying for us. If all roads lead to God why did Jesus need to die at all?
Romans 5:1
Jesus had to save us and bring peace to our relationship with God by Jesus blood on the cross – the great sacrifice for our sins
What is our position before this?
v21 – You were far away from God – You were his enemies separated by your evil thoughts and actions (Sin)
BUT NOW – he has reconciled you to himself through Christ Jesus and you now stand Holy and blameless.
Ephesians 2:1 – You were dead in your trespasses and sins and separated from God without hope.
v4 : How does God make us alive through Christ when we are dead? He breathes the life giving spirit into our souls and makes us alive to Christ – If you are dead you need a miracle and you need the breath of life breathed into you –Just the same as we read
in Ezekiel 37 – The bodies are complete but they have no breath in them – Until God comes and breathes LIFE into them
v14 : This is what God does when we become a Christian – death to life by the living power of God’s breath – Remember he is creator God and has been since the beginning of time – It’s what he has always done
Genesis 1:7 : Jesus in his Ministry breathed life into Lazarus when he had been dead for 4 days and Martha said it was too late. Even Martha didn’t realise that Jesus had power over death and the tomb and that all was not lost – the breath of God raised Lazarus from the dead because his breath brings life!
John 11:25 : Jesus died and was laid in the tomb for three days. The life giving breath of God was breathed into him and he was raised from the dead – because God’s breath brings life – as soon as he met the disciples after he was raised from the dead he breathes life into them.
John 20:21 : The Hebrew word for this breath is RUACH – it’s a wind, a life force that sustains all living things – human beings included.
This living breath is the same today.
God wants to breathe his life into you and you will never be the same again. No one is too far away – no one is so dead they cannot be saved – nothing is impossible with God!
Song – Zach Williams – Rattle
Since when has impossible stopped you , He can restore anything he wants to
Questions:
1. Does the passage from Ezekiel 37 help us understand the power of God and the power of his breath? Think also of Genesis?
2. The picture of us being dead and then being made alive by Jesus Christ is very powerful – do you understand that is what happened to you when you became a Christian – How does that make you feel?
3. We all have people in our minds that we think are nearly saved and those that we think are a million miles away! Pray for those who you think are impossible because nothing is impossible with God. Don’t give up praying!
4. In preparing this talk I just wanted to worship God for his life giving power and that he has breathed life into my soul – let us worship together and thank him for his amazing love – Read Ephesians 2:4-10 – that will help!