Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Today is Pentecost Sunday, a day on which the universal church reflects upon the Person, the work, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and that’s what I’ll do in today’s sermon. I’m going to do so by asking three questions from today’s text: First, from verse 1, Is the ‘hand of the Lord’ upon us? Second, from verse 3, Do we believe these bones can live? And finally, third point, how might this relate to our church?
But Point Number One… Is the ‘hand of the Lord’ upon us?
It’s fortunate timing that Pentecost Sunday falls so close to May the fourth, otherwise known as “Star Wars Day.” Do you know why it’s called “Star Wars Day”? Because… “May the fourth be with you”… I know it’s corny, but Star Wars fans apparently love it.
Of course, “May the fourth be with you” refers to the oft-repeated Star Wars blessing, “May the Force be with you.” Because in the Star Wars universe, certain people—like Luke Skywalker, like his father, Anakin, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, and like his sister, Princess Leia… they are all born with “the Force.”
And the Holy Spirit, I suppose, is at least a little bit like the Force. George Lucas grew up as a Methodist, of all things; so it stands to reason that the faith of his childhood, including our orthodox Christian belief in the Holy Spirit, played at least a small role in influencing the Star Wars universe that he created.
Of course there are many important ways in which the Holy Spirit is not like “the Force.” But there’s one important way in which he is, and it’s this: we have power through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
But make no mistake: While Luke Skywalker is able to rely on “the Force” to fire that missile and blow up the Death Star rather than relying on his own vision or the instrument panel in his X-wing fighter, the power we receive from the Holy Spirit is infinitely greater than the power portrayed in those movies!
It’s not even close!
Brothers and sisters, if we have been born again through faith in Christ, that means we possess within us the Holy Spirit, which means we have access to incredible power.
The prophet Ezekiel, when he wrote today’s scripture, was also possessed of this same incredible power from the Holy Spirit. We’re told so in verse 1: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.”
For background, the prophet Ezekiel is prophesying to fellow Jews who, like him, are exiled in Babylon. And he’s prophesying to a people who have lost all hope. And in this powerful vision he describes, Ezekiel is showing them—and, by extension, us… that God doesn’t give up on his people, even when things look bleak… and that the Holy Spirit can accomplish new and powerful things through God’s people regardless of the circumstances.
But I love that phrase in verse 1: “The hand of the Lord was upon me.” In Psalm 139, verse 5, David uses this phrase of himself: “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” These are words implying great protection, great security: We are hemmed in by God; we are surrounded by God. So this hand of the Lord is a hand of protection.
It reminds me of that great praise and worship song that Michael W. Smith popularized. It includes these words: “It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you.”
When God’s “hand” is on us, we can be confident we’ll always be safe and secure!
But more than mere protection and security, the “hand of the Lord” implies great power. You know who understood this? Caleb—one of only two Israelites of that first generation of Israelites who left their life of slavery in Egypt and made it into the Promised Land. Because Caleb, like Joshua, remained faithful to God without wavering.
But Caleb also makes a reappearance in the Book of Joshua. He tells Joshua that God had promised a particular piece of land for him and his family many years earlier. The only problem now? That land is in the hands of the fearsome Anakim, who were considered giants in relation to the Israelites. How could Caleb and his family possibly take the land from these giants? Especially given how old Caleb is now. He’s 85. He was only 40 when he was ready to enter the Promised Land the first time.
So it seems impossible, right? Except, as was the case in the Book of Numbers when Caleb had the faith to believe that God was giving the land of Canaan into their hands, he once again musters faith. He says, in Joshua 14, verse 12, “But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.”1
Notice Caleb’s slight uncertainty: If the Lord with me… If.
But what Caleb knows for sure is this… follow the logic: If God is with him—which is another way of saying that the “hand of the Lord” is on him… If that’s the case, then that means certain victory for Caleb… Of that he has no doubt. “Maybe God won’t be with me,” Caleb thinks, “but if he is with me, then I can be sure that God will give me the victory!”
The fact that God is with him will ensure the victory… and Caleb knows it!
So what’s the difference between us—who through faith in Christ have received the Holy Spirit—and Caleb?
Only this: Unlike Caleb, we who are in Christ can always be confident that God is with us! The Bible says Christ is our Emmanuel, “God with us,” and Jesus promises to “be with us always to the end of the age.” 2 And he will be with us always because we have the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Christ, living within us!
We can always be confident, in other words, that the “hand of the Lord” is on us.
There simply is no “if”… There’s only a “because.”
“Because God is always with me, because his hand is always on me, because the Holy Spirit is dwelling within me, I can be assured of the victory!”
And that’s Point Number One… The “hand of the Lord” is on all of us believers in Christ because we have the Holy Spirit. This means protection, power, and purpose for us.
Point Number Two: Do we believe these bones can live? Of course this is the key question in the entire passage of scripture. Verse 3: “And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’”
We don’t know where this valley of dry bones was. We don’t know if it was merely a vision that God gave to Ezekiel—or an actual physical place, perhaps somewhere in Judah where a battle had been fought… between the Israelites and the Babylonians. We don’t know… What we do know—what Ezekiel can see clearly as God lets him walk around amidst these dry bones—is that the Israelites whose bodies these are… are dead, dead, dead… I mean, really dead. Their bodies have been picked over by scavenging birds, other animals, insects. They decomposed a long time ago—perhaps years ago.
This reminds us of that episode in the life of Jesus recounted in John chapter 11: the death and raising back to life of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. Remember that when Jesus finds out that his friend is terminally ill, the implication is, “You better go right away to Bethany, a two-day journey away, and save your friend Lazarus before he dies!” And what does Jesus do? Does he hurry off to save his friend. He waits… for two whole days. Jesus knows, of course, that Lazarus will die. He tells his disciples that that’s going to happen. But still he delays… for two days. Deliberately.
Why? So that he won’t arrive until long after Lazarus’s death—four days after! He delays so that a sufficient amount of time will have passed so that literally no one will believe that Jesus can save Lazarus now. Even earlier in the gospels, Jesus brings at least two people back to life who had died. But in those cases, the deaths had only just happened. Lazarus was different. From the perspective of Lazarus’s sisters Mary and Martha—not to mention the many neighbors and onlookers—there was no chance that Jesus could bring Lazarus back to life. After four days, he was dead, dead, dead. He was really dead.
That’s why Martha and Mary are upset with Jesus. That’s why, when Jesus tells the people to roll the stone away from Lazarus’s tomb, Martha objects—in the King James Version—“Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.” 3
“He stinketh…” In other words, all hope was lost.
And this is the context in which God asks Ezekiel this profound question: “Can these bones live?”
Of course the vast majority of people in the world would say, “Absolutely not. No way!” The situation couldn’t be bleaker. By all outward appearances, these bones can only remain dead. These circumstances are beyond hope… They are irredeemable… This is one problem that can never be solved.
That’s what most of us would think. Because that’s clearly the case! “We have eyes, after all. So you need to face facts, Ezekiel: These bones cannot live. That’s the most obvious truth imaginable; this isn’t mere opinion. This is a sober, realistic assessment of the situation. These bones cannot live!”
And yet… And yet we remember our church’s vision statement for this year…
“But God…” Dot, dot, dot.
Ezekiel doesn’t actually use those words—“But God”—but they’re implied. He understands perfectly well that from a human perspective the situation is hopeless. He knows what the “common sense” answer is. He knows what the answer should be… you know… if God didn’t exist… if God didn’t factor in… or if God didn’t love and care for him and his people… Ezekiel knows all that…
But he isn’t seeing things merely from a human perspective. So he answers God, “O Lord God, you know.” Or as the NLT puts it: “O Sovereign Lord… you alone know the answer to that.”
We may have preferred for Ezekiel to answer more enthusiastically, “Of course these bones can live because you can make them live!” But his answer isn’t bad: He at least leaves room for God to do his miraculous work.
And God, as we see, does do the miracle.
Remember when Sarah laughed at the prospect of a ninety year old woman conceiving and having a child? Genesis 18:13-14:
The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Is anything too hard for the Lord?…
When God is involved… when the Holy Spirit is involved… appearances are not reality… God can always, always, always bring new life.
I bet every single one of us has the equivalent of a “valley of dry bones” in our lives… We all face a situation or a circumstance or a relationship or even something about ourselves that we’ve given up on. “There’s nothing more I can do. All hope is lost. That opportunity is gone.”
And all I can say to that is, “These bones can live.” And “Nothing is too hard for the Lord?” And my favorite… “But God.” Dot, dot, dot.
Point number three… How might this relate to our church?
If you head over to McNeely Hall you’ll see that the Trustees have done some very fine work in order to make that space more functional for our children’s ministry. We’ve got kid-sized tables and chairs. We’ve got new paint on the walls. We’ve got new cabinets to store our children’s supplies. We’re creating a space that communicates to parents, to young families—not to mention to children themselves—that this church is a place for them. This church places a priority on children. Of course there’s more work to be done in McNeely, but we’re off to a great start. And for the first time in years—since long before I got here—we even have a dedicated children’s director, Kayla Griffith, who’s doing great work.
And of course McNeely will continue to be used for other important ministries. That was my vision all along, as I said back in January when we talked about it.
But already… as you can see for yourself from these photos… with very little fanfare or promotion… we already had eleven children using that space at Friday night’s “dinner and a movie.” That renovated space is already being used to teach these children about Jesus Christ and his love. Kayla Griffith and her volunteers are making sure that that’s happening at every children’s event.
I praise God for this! This is a deeply encouraging sign of new life! Look what God is doing! Eleven precious souls. And our church is placing a priority on children… just as Jesus himself taught us to do, when he said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 4 And “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” 5
Just yesterday I read these words in my quiet time: Psalm 77:5-6:
I think of the good old days,
long since ended,
when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
The good old days…I love the good old days! My oldest and dearest friend in the world, Andy Smith, and I—whenever we get together—we reminisce about the good old days, growing up in the ’70s and ’80s. We talk incessantly about all the fun we had back then… Midvale Elementary and the late great Henderson High School… the teachers and classmates, mutual friends… girls on whom we had crushes… youth group retreats and summer camps… the trouble we often got into… the many movies we saw, the shopping malls at which we spent hours and hours… Sorry, I just did a funeral for Andy’s mom, and these things are especially on my mind.
Well, this man Mr. Asaph, the particular psalmist who wrote Psalm 77, is “thinking about the good old days,” too. But notice what he says: “I search my soul and ponder the difference now.”
Ponder the difference…? The difference, in other words, between the way things are now versus the way things were back then. He’s “pondering the difference.”
Oof. That is a spiritually deadly exercise. See, a part of the the reason Asaph is so deeply unhappy in the first half of Psalm 77 isn’t exactly because of what’s happening to him right now… although I’m not denying that his present circumstances are painful and difficult.
But, no… He’s not merely unhappy because of what he’s going through right now; what’s contributing to his unhappiness—what’s magnifying it greatly—is that he’s comparing what he’s going through right now with what happened in the past! You know, back in the good old days!
He doesn’t—at first—appreciate what the Lord is doing for him at this present moment, because he wants the Lord to do the exact same thing the Lord did for him in the past.
What is that if not a lack of faith? Who knows better how to run Asaph’s life… Asaph… or the Lord?
I bring this up because we had eleven children in McNeely Hall on a Friday night—of all things… Yet when you heard me say that, I’m afraid some of you were thinking, “But why weren’t there thirty? You know… like there would have been back in the ‘good old days’?”
Maybe you think I’m being unfair, but can we just talk, for a moment? If you’re visiting our church, now might be a good time to take out your smartphones and browse houses on Zillow. I’m only talking to members right now…
Because I think I really am starting to figure out this church… finally… after five years.
And I’m not exaggerating when I say that for five years I have heard from dozens of people—some of whom are in heaven with Jesus now… And I’m talking about good-hearted people, sincere Christian believers, people who love Jesus… But I’ve heard dozens of people who have complained to me using words such as these: “I remember when… when this church had this many people in worship… this many teenagers in youth group… this many children in children’s ministry… this many in Wednesday night supper and Bible study…” In so many words, you say, “Why can’t things be like they used to be… in the good old days?” And you don’t like the way things are now.
But when you’re complaining that things aren’t as good as they were in the “good old days,” you’re complaining—whether you know it or not—you’re complaining against Almighty God.
Brothers and sisters, this longing for the good old days is deadly spiritual cancer. We risk missing out on what God is doing in our midst right now… And as with the psalmist, it speaks to our faith and trust in the Lord… because we disagree with the Lord… that what he is doing right now in our midst, in 2024, is as good as what the Lord did for us back in 2004… or 1984… or 1964.
Well, I give you permission to take it up with the Lord… But as your pastor I’m done with it… I want you to be done with it, too. For the sake of the majority of people in our community who need Jesus and his gospel right now for the salvation of their souls, I want us to be done with it.
God is doing something new at Toccoa First, he’s doing something good at Toccoa First, he’s bringing new life at Toccoa First… right now… in our midst… for which we should praise him and thank him and glorify him… which is what we’re meant to do before we do anything else!
But I believe I’m sharing a word from the Lord… and I don’t know who it applies to… I’m not stepping on your toes if it doesn’t apply to you, but I need to say it… I feel like Jeremiah: this word of the Lord in my heart is “like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot”6: And the word is this: Please… Repent of this spirit of pessimism… and instead look with eyes of faith and see… that actually… these bones can live. Nothing is too hard for God… God is bringing new life! And the fields are white for harvest right now.
Will you join me in the harvest fields today?
And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
May the Holy Spirit enable us—sons, daughters, young, old, or anywhere in between—to dream dreams… to see visions… to prophesy… and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ… that we—or even generations long after we’re gone—will say, “Look what God did here at Toccoa First Methodist.”