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This podcast is a production of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, USA. Watermark exists to be and make more fully devoted followers of Christ, looking to God's Word as our only authority, conscience and guide.
Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? Okay. You three who are doing good, I just want to say, "Thank you, God." Hey, if this is your first time here, welcome. I hope you feel like this is a place where you can take either your first or your next step with Jesus. Look. This is a moment… I'm not trying to manufacture something. I'm not trying to be fake or surface level in this moment, but I'm just going to say… This is especially to the members in the room.
There has been this sense in me during our time of singing over the past couple of weeks that there is a response that's trying to break out, yet we kind of push it down. Some people start to clap, and then it gets stifled. So I just want to invite us. Can we celebrate the goodness of God really quickly, as the people of God? He is worthy of us responding freely and wholeheartedly every single Sunday. So, welcome to church.
We're going to jump into studying the Word of God. I'm really excited about where we're going this morning. Before we jump into the message, let me tell you this. This Thursday night, at 7:00 p.m., we have a Night of Prayer and Worship in this room where we can come together as a church family to sing and pray. Those are good reasons to gather as a church family, just to seek the face of God together in prayer. So, I would strongly encourage you to come and be with us this Thursday night.
If you would, take a second and pray for yourself and just say, "God, would you speak to me this morning?" Then, would you pray for the people around you and just say, "God, would you speak to them as well?" Then, would you pray for me and ask God to speak through me to you?
Lord, your presence is all we want. We want to meet with you now. We want to hear from you, God. Holy Spirit, you're welcome here. Would you lead us and guide us into truth? Would you glorify Christ in our hearts and our minds this morning, I pray. In Jesus' name, amen.
A few Fridays ago, I was finishing up my sermon prep here at the church in the office, and I called Costco to place an order for a pizza, because every Friday night is pizza-and-movie night in the Ateek household. So, I put in the order, and then I finished stuff up in my office and made my way over to Costco.
I was standing there waiting for our pizza, and as I was standing there, these two girls came up. I realized I knew them because they were the daughters of one of my good friends. One of them is starting her sophomore year at Texas A&M, and the other is still in high school. They were holding their pizza. I was like, "Okay, good choice."
Then I asked them what they had been doing, and this is what this college girl and high school girl told me. They said, "We've just been prayer walking over at UTD." I was like, "Yeah, me too, me too. Cool. Cool. Cool. Yeah, likewise." That's what they said. "We've been prayer walking over at UTD."
As we're talking, I realize I need to talk to the pizza guy from Costco. So, I don't even say, "Hold on one minute." I just ignore them, and I turn to the pizza guy, and the pizza guy tells me, "Hey, we don't have your order." I was like, "Well, I put it in. It was 30 to 45 minutes ago." He's like, "Okay. Well, we don't have it, and there are 15 to 20 orders in front of you now."
I find myself frustrated. Like, it's beginning to change my night. I'm sitting there thinking, "Okay. This changes everything. How long am I going to be standing here at Costco when it's pizza and movie night?" So I'm like, "Wait. So, what you're telling me is you don't have my pizza." He's like, "No, we don't have your pizza. I'm going to do the best I can."
In that moment, I'm rattled because the guy doesn't have my pizza. Then I step back and begin to talk to these girls again, and the Lord is like, "Yeah. So, we've got some growth to do. You're a pastor, and your biggest problem today is that Costco doesn't have your pizza when there's a college girl and a high school girl who have been prayer walking UTD, begging God to move in a miraculous way."
I drove home so convicted. I texted the dad of these two girls. I was like, "Would you ask their forgiveness for me?" I was embarrassed that my worst problem was that Costco didn't have my pizza. I was convicted because it was a reminder that I have so far to go. Some of y'all might hear that and be like, "Okay, dude. You're really talking about your growth is that you just need to be more flexible when Costco doesn't have your pizza." No. What I'm telling you is those are the small things during the week.
There are other times where it's like, "You know what? I need to work on not being short with the kids sometimes." There are other bigger things. I'm just telling you, here was the conviction, even as I was preparing for this week. Our story, as Christians, is that we were dead and now we're alive. If we were dead and now we're alive, I want to look alive even when I'm interacting with the pizza guy at Costco, because that is the extent of the transformative work of the Spirit of God in our lives when we have been dead and been made alive.
I tell you that to say…I was convicted. I have room to grow. There are still areas of my life where I still look dead, and it's time for growth. I tell you that because, as we step into the book of Ezekiel, we're looking at the most famous vision in the book, and it is a story that is a reminder that God is in the business of taking things that are dead and making them alive.
So, if you have a Bible, turn with me to Ezekiel 37. Just a reminder. We're in the portion of the Bible known as the _Major Prophets_. They're called _major_ because of the lengths of the books. The Prophets can be difficult and depressing to read, but you have to remember that the Prophets are so packed full of hope.
While the Prophets unpack how Israel and Judah need to repent because of their idolatry, and the Prophets do unpack the judgment, the punishment, that waits for Israel and Judah because they refuse to repent, there are also these beautiful glimpses of hope that God promises to renew and restore Israel. This vision is one of those glimmers of hope.
Ultimately, it's not just going to be hope for Israel; it's going to be hope for _us_, because it is a reminder that God takes things that are dead and makes them alive. Now, we're going to be looking at verses 1-14, and this message today is going to flow differently than most messages, because I just want us to enjoy the story that's being told.
We're going to read the vision. We're going to try to see the vision, feel the vision, hear the vision, and then we'll get to application. So, if you're a points person, don't put your notes up 15 minutes in because you're like, "Well, clearly, we're not going anywhere." No, we _are_. Just give it some time. All right? Here's the vision. I love this story. Here's what it says.
**"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. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry."**
Understand what's happening here. This is a vision. This is a vision Ezekiel is having. He has a vision of being transported by God to this valley. The valley is full of bones, and it tells us that the bones are on the surface. What does that tell us? It tells us that these bones didn't receive a proper burial. Whoever these people are, their story is a story of defeat. The text says that God leads Ezekiel through the bones, around the bones.
Just imagine. Ezekiel is walking back and forth through a field packed full of bones. The detail is very interesting, because it says they are very dry bones. That means these people have been dead for a long time. The feeling is one of hopelessness. It's a feeling of finality. Whatever these people's story was, their story is over.
Now look at what God says in verse 3. **"And he said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'"** That is a ridiculous question. "Can these bones live?" We're at a point where they are just bones…no muscle left, no veins or arteries, no skin. The bones are no longer even assembled together. I love Ezekiel's answer. This is my favorite part in the story just because I love the interchange. "Ezekiel, can these bones live?" Ezekiel's answer is brilliant. He says, **"O Lord God, you know."**
This is a good rule to live by. If God ever asks you a question, the best response is, "O Lord God, you know." You can't go wrong with that. When we were moving to Dallas, there were so many unpredictable variables in our move, and Ezekiel 37 was in my mind. I felt like God was asking me different questions, like, "How are you guys going to sell your house? Where is your kid going to go to school, because elementary school doesn't have a place for him?" There were these different moments.
I still remember sitting in my car when I found out the news that there wasn't a place for my son at the elementary school. In that moment, I was like, "You know." It was like I was like, "Where's he going to go to school?" and I was like, "O Lord God, you know." You can't go wrong with that answer. Verse 4: **"Then he said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'"** As if the bones have ears. Verse 5:
**"'Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.' So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling…"**
There might be a little footnote in your Bible next to _rattling_. Look down at the bottom. What does it say? In my Bible it says _earthquake_. There was a rattling. **"…and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them."**
This is a moment for us to pause and make sure we see it and hear it and feel it. Some men in here are going to pay attention for the first time this morning. They're like, "Did someone say 'November 1'?" No. Welcome to church. That's where you're at right now. I just want you to imagine. Just put yourself there. You have spoken to bones. Then… Can you imagine thousands and thousands of bones, bone to bone, coming together? Isn't that crazy?
Can you imagine the sound, the rattling, the earthquake? Ezekiel is watching the decomposition process completely reversed. Veins, arteries, and skin all back together. Yet now he's in kind of a traumatizing scenario, because once all of the bones and bodies are assembled, there's no breath in them. He is literally looking at a field of dead people. That's traumatic. It went from being loud to eerily silent.
Then God says (verse 9), **"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…"** That word _breath_ is the Hebrew word _ruwach_, where we get _wind_ and _spirit_ from. **"'…and breathe on these slain, that they may live.' So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army."**
Isn't that incredible? God says, "Speak to the breath; speak to the wind," which we are going to find out is the Spirit. What we should be reminded of as we're reading this is Genesis 2, where God forms Adam, and Adam is lifeless until God breathes into his nostrils his own divine breath. Ezekiel calls for the divine wind from the four corners of the earth that gives life to every breathing thing, and you have an exceedingly great number of people who all gasp for air at the same time. I wonder what that sounded like.
That's the vision: that God takes a people that are dead and makes them alive. Now, here's the good news. The good news is that the next few verses tell us what the vision is about. That's always helpful. Verse 11 says, **"Then he said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.'"** That's really interesting, because if you remember, before the exile, Israel had been divided into two different kingdoms, the northern and southern kingdoms. Now God is talking to the whole house of Israel.
**"Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.'"** The nation of Israel reached a point where the nation was dead. There was nothing still in existence that could identify them as a nation. If you think about it, the temple was destroyed. The priesthood is gone. The sacrificial system is dormant. Verse 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. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 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."**
What is the point of this vision? Here's the point: the nation of Israel is dead, and God is going to bring it back to life. That's the point of the vision. That's the prophecy. So, now the question becomes…_What do we do with this prophecy?_ What do we do with this vision? Some people who teach Ezekiel 37 focus primarily on what God will do with ethnic Israel in the future.
While I don't want to discount that, and it's really important for us to talk about what plans God has for ethnic Israel in the future… We're _going_ to talk about that. We're stepping into some talks on eschatology and end times over the next couple of weeks, and one of the things we will address is God's plans for ethnic Israel. But what I want you to see today is that Ezekiel 37 is actually applicable to us now. The reason I can say that is because of what happens in Acts, chapter 2.
You just have to see the connection here and why Ezekiel 37 has everything to do with us today. This is the beginning of the church. This is known as _Pentecost_. Watch it. **"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind…"**
Remember, Ezekiel prophesies to the breath, _ruwach_, which means wind or spirit. **"…and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."**
Make the connection. What happens in Ezekiel 37? Those who are dead are made alive because the wind of the Spirit comes and fills them and makes them alive. You get to Acts 2, and you see the wind come again. The Spirit of God comes, and what does it do? It fills Jews. Watch this. Acts 2:5: **"Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven."** That's interesting, because what you see is Israelites have been regathered into the land in some way from being dispersed.
Then, listen to Acts 2:36 and watch the connection with Ezekiel 37. **"Let all the house of Israel therefore know…"** You remember Ezekiel 37. It says the prophecy regarded all the house of Israel. The bones were all the house of Israel. Now God is saying, through Peter, **"Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."**
In Ezekiel 37, what was the ultimate result of the Spirit filling the nation of Israel? The ultimate result was that they knew that the Lord was God. What do you see right here in Acts 2? You see Peter calling the house of Israel to know for certain that God has made Jesus Christ both Lord and Christ. Then, Acts 2:41: **"So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls."**
Watch this. In a moment, 3,000 Jews are raised from death to life by the work of the Spirit. If you go and read the book of Acts, it shows the Spirit moving throughout the Roman Empire, raising both Jews and Gentiles from death to life, cultivating an exceedingly great army of believers, spreading the victory of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection throughout the world. Just make the connection.
What this means is Ezekiel 37 isn't just for ethnic Israel one day; it is for us today. So, here's the application. What does Ezekiel 37 mean for us? It means two things: _new life_ and _new living_. Let's say those things out loud. "New life. New living." The reason I have you say them is because even right now, I want you answering the question for yourself. "Is this message for me in regard to new life or new living? Is it an invitation? Do I need to take a step? Do I need to take a step either with new life or with new living?"
Ezekiel 37 is an invitation to new life. Right now, I'm especially speaking to the people in the room who aren't Christians. Maybe you're here because a friend brought you, and you're just trying to be a team player right now. You didn't have the heart to say no, so you made it. I'm so glad you did. I'm especially speaking to you.
What I want you to understand is that Christianity is ultimately about new life in Jesus Christ. The message of Christianity isn't "Do better. Try harder. Be at church more often." No, the message of Christianity is that you and I are dead, and Jesus Christ has come to make us alive. New life is available to you today.
Watch what the apostle Paul says in the New Testament in Ephesians 2:1-3. **"And you…"** Talking to you, talking to me. **"…were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."**
Paul is saying you and I are dead apart from Jesus. Those dry bones in the valley are you and me spiritually. Every single person is spiritually dead apart from Jesus. So, the hopelessness we saw in the valley of the dry bones… Those bones are dry, meaning they've been dead a long time. Their fate is final. That hopelessness is _our_ hopelessness. That helplessness is _our_ helplessness. Living the life God requires is impossible because we're sinners.
What does it mean to be a sinner? It means we call good what God has called bad. That's called _sin_. Sin is extremely offensive to a perfect, holy God. It is impossible to live the life God requires. We can't do it. Just loving yourself more won't fix it. Getting your life together won't fix it. Helping others more in life won't fix it. Being a more spiritual person won't fix it. Going on an ayahuasca retreat won't fix it.
I shared last week that the night before school started, Kat informed me that our washing machine was leaking water. She had noticed that it was leaking water. You know what? Honestly, something in me was like, "Let's just try it again. Hopefully it'll just work." Because you just don't want to deal with it. It's like, "I don't have time for this."
So, we ran another load, and there was water coming out of it. Do you know what my thought process was? "If we just use enough towels every time, would it still work?" No. No, it will not work, because in order for your clothes to get clean, it needs water _in_ the machine for it to work. Do you know what we needed? We needed a completely new washing machine.
I tell you that because you cannot clean yourself up enough for God, because you and I are broken. People don't like to hear that. There's a reason we try getting our lives together and try all of these different things, yet we still have this gnawing feeling that we're not satisfied. It's because something is broken. It's something inside of us that realizes, "Hey, your life can't hold the water needed to cleanse your soul for a perfect God."
In order for us to be clean before God, something new has to come. You have to realize that you're dead and need to be made alive. The only way for spiritually dead people to be made alive is for God to put spiritual life in them, like he did with the dry bones. It is for the Spirit of God to move in to work inside of you and to awaken you to new life.
Here's the good news: God loves to make things that are dead alive. He loves to take people who are spiritually dead, and he loves to make them alive. The reason I want to highlight that is I hope there are people here this morning who are like, "I just wonder if God could ever love me." I hope there are people in this room who doubt that God could love them because of where they've been or what they've done.
I have great news for you. Here's the great news: dead is dead. When was the last time you went to a cemetery and were like, "Yeah, but how dead _are_ they?" Do you ever walk from grave to grave, like, "I wonder how dead _this_ one is"? No. Dead is dead. No one is more dead than other dead people. Dead is dead. Without Christ, I'm dead. Without Christ, you are dead. Everyone needs the same miracle, which is for the Spirit of the living God to come and awaken you to the beautiful reality of the gospel.
Here's the great news. This church is full of cheaters, addicts, liars, pagan worshipers, adulterers, and manipulators who have all experienced a miracle. Now our individual and collective stories are that we were dead, and now we are alive. So, let me just say to you… If you're here this morning, and you're one of those people like, "I don't know if God could love me," here's the great news.
Ephesians 2:4-6 says, **"But God, being rich in mercy…"** Isn't that good news? God is rich in mercy, compassion. **"…because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…"**
Either you will endure the punishment for your sin or you will bank your life on the fact that Jesus Christ died to take the punishment for your sin, but then he rose from the grave, declaring that just as _he_ rose from the grave, so can _you_. You can be made new.
Look. I'm not done. I have more to say. I'm going to talk to the believers in a minute, but let's just stop and pray right now. We don't normally do this on a Sunday, but I'm just going to ask it. With eyes closed, if that's you, if you're here this morning, and you're like, "I want new life in Christ…" You want to move from death to life. Would you raise your hand so I know exactly who I'm talking to right now? Okay. If that's you, there's no magic "rabbit's foot" prayer. You don't have to say exactly what I'm saying. I'm just trying to help you take a step.
Let me encourage you to repeat after me. Just say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life now? Would you save me from my sin? Would you take my dead life and make me new? Jesus, I want you to be my Savior, and I want you to be my King." For the Christians in the room, would you just take a moment and say, "Thank you, God, for the miracle of salvation in my life. Thank you, God, that you're in the business of raising the dead to life." Amen.
The first thing Ezekiel 37 means for us is new life, but the second thing it means is new living. New life should lead to new living. I'm especially talking to the Christians right now. If you were dead and now you're alive, are you living like you're alive? Let me just ask you a couple of questions based on what we see in Ezekiel 37. The first question I want to ask you is…_Are there any ways you still look dead?_ Look back at Ezekiel 37:12-14.
**"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. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 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…"**
The message is "Look, Israel. It's going to be so clear when I make you alive. It's going to be obvious that you're alive. You're going to know that I'm the Lord. You're not going to be in the graves; you're going to be alive by the Spirit." So, it's worth asking… Are there any ways you still look dead? Does the way you talk make you sound like you're still dead…using profanity, joking inappropriately, talking condescendingly toward those you supervise, using words to manipulate people into getting your way sexually, yelling at your spouse or kids consistently.
What about _this_? Does the way you deal with your insecurities make you look like you are still dead…looking at pornography to feel desirable, criticizing others to make yourself feel better about yourself, being a workaholic to prove you're enough, spending money like crazy to buy happiness, manipulating your diet in an unhealthy way to feel more attractive.
What about _this_? This is something God has been convicting _me_ of. I'm going to share another embarrassing story in a moment. Pay attention to what you allow to stress yourself out. Let me say this. If you're someone here with a clinical anxiety disorder, I'm not talking to you right now. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the petty things in life that we allow ourselves to stress out about. Let me give you an example from my own life. Some of you are going to hear this and be like, "I know exactly what he's talking about."
My youngest son, second grade, just started a new baseball season, and the intensity of _this_ baseball season is far different than it was _last_ season. This is where I, as a dad, am getting exposed. There's a reason I became a runner in seventh grade and ran cross-country and track: hand-eye coordination doesn't work well for me. So, in terms of sports that I can offer my son coaching on, baseball is at the bottom.
For example, this past week, we played sons versus dads, and I got the ball and was supposed to throw to first. I was in the second base position. I got the ball, and when I went to throw, the ball went straight down into the dirt. I literally almost pegged the second-grade boy running to second. That's not a joke. And here's the thing. It didn't just happen once; it happened twice.
I'm sitting there, and the coach is like, "I think your son needs a new glove," and I'm like, "I don't know what to do." So, stress started creeping in. It was pizza-and-a-movie Friday night, and I'm disengaging from my family. I'm sitting there on my phone watching YouTube videos about youth baseball gloves. Like, the thing I stressed out about most over the past couple of weeks is second-grade baseball.
Why am I telling you this? You're like, "This is dumb. Let's talk about real problems." Do you know why I tell you this? How dumb that I allowed myself to be drawn offside by second-grade baseball, yet how easy it is for us to get drawn offsides. If the pastor of your church can find himself preoccupied, stressed out, worried about second-grade baseball… It's just so easy.
It's so easy for us to get infatuated or preoccupied or zoned in on things that aren't God. What would be the result of the nation of Israel? They would know that the Lord is God. Are we consistently, not just on Sundays, not just at men's Bible study, not just at women's Bible study, but on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. or Tuesday at 10 a.m.… Are our lives declaring Jesus Christ is Lord? New living. It's time to put death to death.
I think about the story of Lazarus when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. It's probably my favorite story in Scripture. God brings Lazarus out of the tomb. He's all wrapped in linen strips. And what does Jesus say to the people standing around? He says, "You guys unwrap him." I'd be like, "You heard him. Unwrap him." That would be so weird to go up to the dead guy and be like, "All right, man. Let's get you out of these things."
What's the point? God uses his people to clean up his people. That's why community is so important. That's why you should reengage with your Community Group, or maybe it's coming to re:gen tomorrow night or you and your spouse going to re|engage on Wednesday. Maybe it's trying men's Bible study this year. Maybe it's stepping into a women's Bible study. Those things are about to start. It's a great opportunity to get around other people who can help you. Not shame you, not rebuke you, but help you put death to death in your life.
That's the first question. Are there areas of your life that still look dead? The second question is…_When we talk about new living, are you marked by hope?_ Is your life marked by hope? Think about it. Ezekiel takes a people who were hopeless, a nation that was dead, and promises complete restoration. God will make them new and bring them back to the land. In this, we're able to zoom out from the nation of Israel to all humanity who know Jesus.
We get a glimpse of the entire story of Scripture in Ezekiel 37. Think about it. We've talked about it, if you've been with us on this journey. Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. What happened to them? They were removed from the land. They were removed from the garden of Eden, and their intimacy with God was fractured. Humanity was helpless, humanity was hopeless, yet God from the beginning promised that he would send a Serpent crusher. God promised that he would restore what was lost from the garden of Eden.
So, you fast-forward to the end of the Bible, and you find a return to the land. Revelation 21:1-5: **"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem…"** This is great news. The garden has given way to a city. It just means the land has gotten better. **"…coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.'"** So, not only has God's place been restored but God's presence has been restored to his people.
**"He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."** Death is put to death. **"And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'"**
Do you see it? It's a new creation, and the new creation is filled with people from every tribe, tongue, and people group who _were_ spiritually dead, hopeless, and yet were raised to new life with God because Christ lived perfectly, Christ died sacrificially, and Christ rose victoriously. His work has been made real to us because of the Spirit of God's work in our lives. This is what awaits all those who know Jesus Christ. This is where we're headed. This is why our lives should be marked by hope.
A couple of years ago, I was talking to a pastor friend who runs ultramarathons. That's the closest I can get to an ultramarathon. I talked to a guy who has run one. He ran a 100-mile ultramarathon. I was like, "Let me get this straight. So, when you've finished one marathon, you're like, 'Great. Just three more of those to go.'" He was like, "Yeah, that's about it." My question to him was, "How do you not stop? How do you make it?"
Do you know what his answer was? His answer was, "I just think about how good it is going to be to be done. I just think about how good it is going to be to be finished." Here's the reality: life is an ultramarathon. It _is_. There are going to be times where you are going to want to quit. Horrific things can happen to Christians during this life, and there are going to be moments where you question, "Why did I even start this race in the first place? Shouldn't I just give up now? I don't even know if I want to do this anymore."
Let me encourage you. Just keep thinking about how good it is going to be to be done. Just think about how great it is going to be when there is no more chronic pain, no more heartache, no more financial stress, no more struggling kids, no more mental illness, no more cancer, no more tragedy, no more death, no more sin struggles, no more unemployment, no more shame, only life fully alive and fully satisfied in the presence of God for all of eternity.
Just keep thinking about how great it will be to be done, because you can't imagine how compelling your life is to an unbeliever when your life declares that Jesus is still worth it even in the midst of the darkest days. New life. New living. God is in the business of taking that which is dead and raising it to life.
I was thinking about this. There are a bunch of stories and even books that have been written about people who died and came back to life. You can Google it. The reason books and articles have been written is because, first, people want to share their experience because of how grateful they are to be alive. Secondly, it's because people love hearing that miracles are possible. If you were to look up these stories, they're all classified as a near-death experience.
Here's the reality: we _were_ dead. It was not a near-death experience. We were dead, and now we have been made alive. That's our stories. So, here's my hope. May we share our stories with joy and gratitude, and may we share them freely this week. May we testify to an unbelieving world that we were dead and we're alive, because there are people desperate to know that a miracle is even possible for them. Let's pray together.
Lord, thank you that that's what you do. You take those who are dead, and you make them alive. Thank you for the people in this room who, even during this hour, came in here dead and will leave here alive. Lord, I pray that our lives will be marked either by new life this morning or by new living. God, would you convict us of the areas where we still look dead and gently lead us toward life. Would you sustain us all the way to the finish line. May we glorify you in everything. We need you, we love you, and we praise you. In Jesus' name, amen.