Alive Again

Ezekiel 37:1-4 “The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

Pastor Kyle preached a sermon last Sunday building and leaving a legacy for others in the name of Jesus Christ. When you read the Bible, you find that dead Prophets still bring life in their recorded thoughts, words and deeds within the Word of God’s Holy Scriptures. Even in death, a godly person can continue, based upon the legacy of their life. We see that hope lives just outside despair and sorrows front door because problems in our life are transformed to new life from grief to hope. Many prophets left a life of wealth and comfort to follow a calling to God’s purposes; to bless and encourage others, even after we are gone.    

Kyle gave us three ways to leave a legacy for future generations. (1) Focus on leaving a heritage rather than on your own personal happiness. Living a “good” life is not the same as living out God’s purposes. Matthew 6:32-33 “These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (2) Die doing what you love. Know that following the Lord will not inoculate us from getting sick or dying. (3) Fulfill your godly purpose for your generation. The “good” life is when you fulfill your godly purpose here, then you go home to be with the Lord. James 4:14 “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” We want to do our very best to make our life account for something. We cannot control what tomorrow brings or how and when we go, but we can control our legacy.

Ezekiel 37:5-7 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”  So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.”

Kyle gave us two keys to leaving a God-sized legacy that raises dead bones. (1) Choose God’s calling and kingdom over our own comfort and happiness every day, Busyness and distractions fill our time so much that we do not have time for the Lord’s purposes. Count the cost and follow the Lord because comforts have their own priorities. You cannot say: “Lord, Lord, me first in the same sentence. We spend far too much time looking for a reason not to do what God is calling us to do. (2) Remember: Someday we won’t be here and all that will remain is that which is eternal. God wants us to live a “good” life, but wants even more for us to live  out His calling in obedience.

If not for great men and women of God as examples in our lives, then God gives us the tools and ability to be that person to others, which we did not have. Read the Bible to them, pray for them, talk to them about our Savior and His gospel of forgiveness and salvation. Dead bones can come to life by the power of Jesus Christ. We are alive again in the blessed Redeemer.

Love, joy and peace in Christ, Brian