Covenent Christian Reformed Church

Winnipeg, Canada

 

SERMON OUTLINE FOR JULY 12

Pastor Peter Hogeterp

 

THE 9TH AND FINAL BIBLICAL BUILDING BLOCK FOR THE TRANSITION PROCESS: “CAN THESE BONES LIVE?”

 

Introduction:

The State of the Christian Church in Western Society (North America and Europe) is not a pretty picture. There are a few bright spots in the picture, but for the most part the picture is one of doom and gloom.

 

  1. God walks Ezekiel through a Valley of Dry Bones

a)     This is not a group of malnourished dying people; it is a collection of disconnected, sun-bleached bones

b)     God asks, “Can these bones live?”

c)     The obvious human answer is “No”

 

  1. God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to these bones:

a)     “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord”

b)     The bones began to find each other and became full skeletons

c)     “Now, say to the wind, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’”

d)     Two other times in the Bible something similar happened

 

  1. God’s Explanation of this Miracle

a)     The valley of dry bones is a metaphor of the spiritual dryness of Israel

b)     We grieve that our church today is a shadow of its former self

c)     Do we believe that this church can thrive?

 

Conclusion:

One terribly dark Friday our Lord died; the hope that He might have been the Messiah died with Him. Three days later He rose from the dead. The resurrection of our Lord is our GUARANTEE that Christ’s body (today, that’s the church) will not stay dead, but will be alive and thrive. Our hope for our future lies in Christ’s resurrection power.