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YES HE CAN!

 Ezekiel 37:1-10

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out [a]by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord [b]God, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause [c]breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6 I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [d]noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

 

In his day, hope had become a rare commodity. Ezekiel must have felt as desolate and useless as the piles of bones that he had seen in a startling vision.

 

As the prophet sat in the middle of a valley, he knew that only a miracle could bring together his decimated and scattered people. Yet as Ezekiel watched, a miracle of life took place. Where before only dry bones had littered the landscape, the Lord added muscles, tendons, and tissue. And into those restored, silent bodies, God breathed new life.

 

Maybe you feel dry, defeated, emotionally scattered. Perhaps you sit alone, dejected, watching a panorama of death unfold before you. But do not despair! If the God of Ezekiel is your God, then know that even the dry bones before you can live again. In His grace they can live and stand upon their feet-an exceedingly great army.

 

When God sends forth the Spirit amazing things happen:
barriers are broken,
communities are formed,
opposites are reconciled,
unity is established,
disease is cured,
addiction is broken,
cities are renewed,
races are reconciled,
hope is established,
people are blessed,
and church happens.

Today the Spirit of God is present
and we’re gonna‚ have church.

So be ready, get ready…God is up to something…

discouraged folks cheer up,
dishonest folks ‘fess up,
sour folks sweeten up,
closed folk, open up,
gossipers shut up,
conflicted folks make up,
sleeping folks wake up,
lukewarm folk, fire up,
dry bones shake up,
and pew potatoes stand up!

But most of all, Christ the Savior of all the world is lifted up.

Folks, TODAY we are gonna have church! When God sends His spirit amazing things happen!

 

I don’t know what your problem is today. I don’t know your troubles. I don’t know which bill you are struggling with, and I don’t know how God is going to grow this church, but what I do know that God is bigger than that. Whatever “that” is, God is bigger!

Folks, it’s bad English, but there aint no problem God caint handle!

 

Amen? Praise the lord? C’mon now, don’t you believe it? Let me hear you!

  • I want you to know God turned the Red Sea into a highway.
  • I want you to know God sent food down from heaven.
  • I want you to know God provided water from a rock.
  • I want you to know God made the blind to see.
  • I want you to know God made the lame to walk.
  • I want you to know God made the dead alive again.

 

Amen?

 

  • Today God can heal your broken heart.
  • Today God can bring your family back together.
  • Today God can heal that addiction to drugs.
  • Today God can deliver you from alcoholism.
  • Today God can deliver you from sickness.
  • Today God can put the pieces of your broken life back together.
  • Today God can heal his church.
  • Today God can bring revival.
  • Today—God CAN!

 

My friends we choose to live in that valley of dry bones. We forget that God can do anything so we just moan about how dry those bones are. God will resurrect the bones of our life and stitch them together to form a new creation—a creation that is His and His alone.

 

      We Were Placed Here For God!

Notice verse 1:

1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones.

 

The prophet was placed in the valley of bones for a reason. For Ezekiel that reason was so he could witness the miracle that would occur. Likewise God has placed us in South Daytona for a reason. It’s not circumstance, it’s not happenstance, it’s no coincidence, it is PROVIDENCE!

For a while there it was the “in thing” for people to watch home repair shows. Some television entertainers would go into an old abandoned house and one would muse to another that even though the old house needed some work, it was ok because it has “good bones.”

We are gathered here together in this place this morning to experience what God CAN DO! Cast aside all of that talk about what we can’t do, or what we don’t have the resources for, or the people for and believe today that God CAN DO! God can take the tired old bones of this church and breathe the breath of life right back into them. I can tell you that through God we have good bones!

 

Hear the Word of the Lord! 

Change came to the valley of dry bones because of the voice of the prophet. Look with me at verse 7:

7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

God told his prophet “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live” and it was so! The word came to those bones, and got into those bones, and the noise was great! There was a great shaking, and the bones came together one right after the other.

Folks, to bring life back to these bones you must hear the word of the Lord! You need to take every opportunity to get into God’s word.

As they heard the word of God they began to come together, and make noise together! As we fellowship together, we need to begin to make some noise.

  • Yes, we have a limited number of people.
  • Yes, we have a whole lot of people who have lived long enough to let others do it.
  • Yes we have no financial resources.
  • Yes, we still have damage from the Hurricane. 

All of this is true! But let me tell you what else is true. We have God! And God is Good, all the time. Let’s make some noise. Let’s tell this community that God’s church—THEIR Community church—is open for business.

When the community around us hears the noise they will come and investigate! Let’s make some noise!

Stand To Your Feet

10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

 

These bones in Ezekiel represent a church that is in a mess, lives that are in a mess there is strife, and envy and confusion, there is competition and pride and resentment there’s rebellion and selfishness.

And the result is: The spirit is gone. The life is gone, the joy is gone, the anointing is gone. To the world, the Church is gone. Are we to be that today? Or are we going to experience revival?

 

Stand up oh church! Stand up today. Stand up, anointed to the great commission given by Christ Himself. While Ezekiel was ministering, God was working!

 

While Ezekiel was preaching the very bones of the valley of death were standing up and testifying to the work that God was doing. It’s not about knowing how to do church, or when to stand, or when to sing. It’s not about passing the offering plate at the right time, or anything else except for standing up and telling the world what God is doing.

 

It is about glorifying God. It is about allowing Him to fix what is broken. It is about choosing to forgive, and be merciful.

 

Stand Up Church! Stand Up today!

Can these bones be healed?

Can the dead be resurrected?

Stand Up Church! Stand Up Today!

Can God be glorified at FBC South Daytona?

YES HE CAN!

Stand Up Church! Stand Up Today!