August 16, 2010

• "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost; we are clean cut off." (Ezekiel 37:11)

  I've read Ezekiel 37 many times, but this morning verse 11 stood out to me:

  Ezekiel 37:11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.’

  I had to give praise God that in spite of the low state of Israel at that time, the Lord GOD had given her eyes to see her neediness and poverty, unlike the Church at Laodicea:

  Revelation 3:17  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

  Then we hear God's blessed word of revival, reformation and restoration coming to the house of Israel:

  12  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14  And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”

  Praise God! Israel saw her neediness. She saw her helpless state. She saw her bones were dried up. She saw she had no hope in herself. She saw she was dead. She saw she was in the grave, and she also saw she could do nothing to resurrect herself.

  Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

  Yes, it did seem Israel had gotten to the point where she'd lost sight of God's everlasting love for her and had begun to despair, but praise God – because of His unceasing love, grace and covenant mercies He had set on Israel, He was ready to move on her behalf and to do for Israel what she could never do for herself.

  Consider the state of Israel at this point...

  Israel was in the grave, unable to raise herself. Israel was living far below the life God had for her. She had fallen into idolatry. She was worshiping false gods and was living no differently from the world around her. She was in desperate need of God to send the Spirit from on high to revive her, so she might live for the will of God and for the glory of God, rather than live for her own lusts and continue to do what was right in her own eyes. She was in ruins and a reproach to God's Holy Name.

  Yes, that was Israel then, but what about us today?

  My brothers and sisters in Christ, it's so easy for us to point the finger at Israel, but aren't we living in a similar state today? Remember these things are an example for us! Aren't we in the Church living far below the life God has for us? Have we not fallen into idolatry? Are we not worshiping false gods? Are we living any differently from the world around us?

  Do we see our neediness? Do we see our helplessness? Do we see our bones are dried up? Do we see we have no hope in ourselves? Do we see we are dead? Do we see we are in the grave?

  O, may He give us eyes to see our bones are dried up, our hope is lost and we are clean cut off apart from His grace and His Holy Spirit!

  I know that a few of you have seen our desperate plight and our neediness. But along with that, do we also see we can do nothing to resurrect ourselves? How often do we insist on attempting to do the work of God apart from the power of God? How often do we seek revival, reformation and restoration in the Church apart from seeking God Himself? How can a dead body crawl out of a grave? How can the dry bones, the very dry bones, live apart from the Spirit of God?

  Have we forgotten that for Jesus' sake, our God is ready to move on our behalf and do for us what we could never do for ourselves?

  How often are we tempted to think we can manufacture or work up a revival in our own power?

  How often do we forget Jesus' words from John 15:

  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

  What is it Jesus says we can do apart from Him?

  Nothing.

  When we begin to get a sense of the sorry state we are in, how often do we become desperate and anxious to do something, to do anything? How often do we forget God's command to us not to be anxious about anything but to let our requests be made known to Him in prayer? How often do we not avail ourselves of the privilege of going to the throne of grace in our time of need? Isn't that what Jesus gave His Body and Blood for – so we might enter into the Holy of Holies? How ridiculous it is for us to continue to rely on our own might and our own power and never ask God for His Spirit!

  How often do we have meetings, make extensive plans and formulate program after program, try gimmick after gimmick, but how seldom does it occur to us to tarry in prayer and ask the Lord God to send His Holy Spirit to fall fresh upon us? (Well, yes, we may open and close with a short prayer at our congregational or committee meetings...but then don't we so often go our way, forgetting what we've prayed and forgetting once more that we can do nothing apart from Him? Nothing.)

  How often do we give lip service to the Holy Spirit of God? Yes, we may mention Him in creeds and in songs. And yes, in most churches, He does get at least a cursory mention in the obligatory annual sermon on Pentecost. But don't so many of us continue to go about our daily lives without really acknowledging our ongoing need of the Holy Spirit and without ever asking for His power to sustain and equip us?

  No wonder we remain ineffectual in being salt and light in the world. No wonder there is no boldness in our witness. No wonder we continue to be overcome by sin. No wonder licentiousness has run rampant in professing Christians. No wonder we are not bearing the fruit of the Spirit. No wonder Christianity in many places is not the vibrant life God intended but consists of a dry creed recited by unregenerate souls. No wonder we have no power in prayer. No wonder souls are languishing in doubt and despair rather than filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. No wonder we do not love one another as He loved us. No wonder preaching in most churches resembles t.v. talk shows. No wonder the Bible is no longer seen to have any authority. No wonder denominations are being tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. No wonder messages abound which teach Christianity as a moral life with no mention of the necessity of the sanctifying power of the Spirit. No wonder Jesus is preached as being on a par with Buddha, Muhammad or Oprah. No wonder the prosperity gospel has run amok. And so on.

  I say this with all sincerity: how can we expect Jesus to keep knocking at the door, much less come in and sup with us, if we are effectively shooing the Holy Spirit out the back door? (Yes, that passage in Revelation is Jesus knocking at the door of the Church.) Are we not in danger of having our lampstand removed? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and is the Spirit of the Father. If we are not welcoming the Spirit of God, we are not only grieving Him but we are also limiting God. And let's remember that the Spirit's work is to give glory to Christ. Therefore if we are not welcoming the Spirit of God, we are not opening ourselves up to Jesus Christ being glorified as God intends. The Father's plan of salvation is to bring glory to His only begotten Son, to make Jesus Christ preeminent. May we soberly consider what it really means for any of us to interfere with or impair God's plan to glorify His Son by not welcoming His Spirit into our midst.

  May our Lord give us grace to examine ourselves honestly in these matters.

  Do we resemble the Church at Laodicea:

  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

  ... or the nation of Israel in Ezekiel's day:

  Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.

  May He give us ears to hear so we might be zealous and repent!
  
  When we came to Christ, we came with nothing.

  I imagine most of us would freely admit that.

  But then how many of us turn around and begin to rely on ourselves rather than abiding in the Vine and resting in Christ's yoke and asking for His Spirit to fill us with the power we need to will and do the good works He's ordained for us?

  Do we have anything apart from God's Holy Spirit?

  Can we do anything apart from God's Holy Spirit?

  Do we really believe Jesus' words that without Him we can do nothing? If we do, shouldn't our lives reflect such moment-by-moment dependence on the Holy Spirit?

  * * *

  May we continue to ask ourselves to see ourselves as God sees us. We can too easily become complacent. We can too easily be deceived. We must allow His Word to pierce and discern us. May the Holy Spirit to open our eyes so we might see ourselves as He does.

  And then we must ask God to show us if we are really relying on Him as we ought. May we continue to ask Him to rend the heavens and send supplies of His Spirit from on high to revive us again for the sake of His Name and for His glory. Isn't that part of Paul's exhortation for us to pray without ceasing? Is there is a day that passes in which we are not in need of Him and His fresh supplies from above? How much more do we need to eat of the living Bread from heaven than physical bread?

  Some of you already know this, but many of my newer readers may not, but I've been writing over the past year and a half about the ruins in the Church and the need for us to be praying for revival (though not so much lately). I'm not going to recount all that here, but if you are burdened over the current state of the Church today and if you are burdened over the state of your own soul, I encourage you to message me as well as see the links I've included at the end of this post on revival and visit my other sites tent of meeting (prayer for revival) and deerlife (ministry encouragement).

  May we never forget that the Church was breathed into existence by God's Holy Spirit and we can only be sustained and live to the glory of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us always be wary of beginning in the Spirit and then resorting to walk in our flesh. We are all so tempted to rely on our own power, our own resources and our own understanding, and look to what we see, rather than relying wholly on the Spirit of God and look to Him Who is unseen. May our Lord protect and guard us, so we might continue to abide in Him and rely on Him so we might bear much lasting fruit to His glory, honor and praise.

  Lord God, give us eyes to see our bones are dried up, our hope is lost and we are clean cut off apart from Your grace and Your Holy Spirit!

  Give us eyes to see our neediness!
  Give us eyes to see our helpless state!
  Give us eyes to see our dry bones!
  Give us eyes to see our hopelessness!
  Give us eyes to see our deadness!
  Give us eyes to see we are in the grave!
  Give us eyes to see our lifeless state!
  Give us eyes to see we can do nothing to resurrect ourselves!
  Give us eyes to see through our façade, to see our deadness in spite of appearances!
  Give us eyes to see that though we may seem to live, we are really dead apart from Your Spirit!
  Give us eyes to see that we are not really alive unless we are living by Your Spirit!
  Give us eyes to see how far we are from the place You have intended for us!
  Give us eyes to see and mouths and hearts to confess to You that

  ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.’

  We confess we are in ruins and a reproach to Your Holy Name.

  We are in desperate need of You.
  We are in desperate need of Your grace.

  We know in and of ourselves we deserve nothing,
  but we come to You through Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  We are Your people.
  Look with favor on us for Jesus' sake.

  We are in desperate need of You to send Your Holy Spirit from on high to revive us
   so we might live for Your will and Your glory,
  rather than living for our own lusts and continuing to do what is right in our own eyes.
  
  Give us hearts to cry to You to rend the heavens and send Your Spirit once more to revive, reform and restore us
  so we might know You are Lord
  and the nations might know You are Lord.

  ---

  Related posts...

  on the ruins in the church and the call to pray for revival:
  

  • Naphtali News: the Ministry of the Word & Prayer
  • Tent of meeting, my other site devoted to prayer for revival.
  • my holy ambition
  • why deerlife? (we are separated on the wall, far from one another - Nehemiah 4)
  • Here I stand & from here I cast (devoted to prayer & the ministry of the Word)
  • Do you see the trouble we are in? A call to prayer for revival (Bible reading - Nehemiah)
  • When they conspire, do I make my prayer to You? (Nehemiah 4:7-9)
  • the lost treasures of Christianity & the call to pray for revival (Bible reading: Ezra 1)
  • Postcards from England: do you care?
  • postcards from England: "The Burden for Revival" (ML-J)
  • postcards from England: are we excited over a dead fish and a car wreck?
  • Revival resources, etc.
  • More revival resources: opportunity and eyes to see the ruins, a burden from God
  • 492 years later: You say you want a reformation? (my theses and a call to prayer)
  • "Consider your ways" (Haggai 1)
  • "ALL public work must be subservient to my prayer work." (Evan Roberts)
    

  on the Holy Spirit:

  • Naphtali News: God speaking to me about my failures & the one thing needful
  • Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
  • trusting the eagles' wings (reliance on the Holy Spirit)
  • Give us eyes to see how blind and poor we are (Church at Laodicea)
  • the lost treasures of Christianity & the call to pray for revival (Bible reading: Ezra 1)
  • He is a great King over ALL (God's sovereignty, earthquakes, governments & charismatic gifts)
  • the journey to Jericho (Joshua 4-6): the journey of dependence on the LORD

  Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  • 7:35 PM
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