March 6, 6:00 p.m. 
Speaker: Joel Beeke
Topic: The Role of the Holy Spirit

Message Summary: 

Ezekiel prophesied 2500 years ago during the Babylonian captivity, a dark time of divine judgment. But in the midst of judgment, God provides glimmers of hope to His chosen people. One of these is found in Ezekiel 37, where God provides Israel with a message of hope through a valley full of dry bones.

Although this vision describes the literal restoration of Israel to her land (37:11–14), our passage has much to say about God’s redemptive power in Christ, mediated through the Holy Spirit, in raising spiritually dead sinners to life by regeneration, through the means of evangelism and gospel preaching.

The doctrine of the Holy Spirit and His salvific power ought to be as encouraging to us as the doctrine of the cross and the doctrine of election. No election, no one would ever be saved. No cross of Christ, no one would ever be saved. No work in individual souls by the Spirit, no one would ever be saved.

We need to be trinitarian theologians who exalt the Triune God.

#1. The Necessity of the Spirit’s Power

In a vision, God reveals to Ezekiel the hideous sight of a valley littered with dry bones—all that remained of the victims of a massive slaughter many years before. This is a sobering picture, but God says in verse 2 that Ezekiel is supposed to take a long look at these bones to show us the death, decay, and devastation of sin.

Ezekiel is preaching to a seemingly hopeless scene. The bones are very many and very dry. The thought of resurrection looks impossible.

Before He starts using us mightily in evangelism, the Lord often crushes our dependence on visible things, showing us that humanly speaking, there’s nothing hopeful about the unbelievers to whom we minister. Without the Triune God, our work is absolutely hopeless.

#2. The Provision of the Spirit’s Power (Ezekiel 37:3–7)

In verses 3–7 we see that the Spirit can transform the dead bones into a great army.

The Conundrum Before the Prophesying of Ezekiel (37:3) — How could this almighty, faithful, loving God use our weak evangelistic efforts? Can we change the dead, dry bones? Ezekiel comes into this conundrum, and he answers “O Lord God, thou knowest” (37:3). In other words, “I have no confidence in my own power to create life, but I have confidence in you.”

The Command to Prophesy Into This Seemingly Hopeless Situation (37:4) — God calls Ezekiel to be His herald. To communicate what He has to say to these dead, dry bones. And through that divine word, His Spirit will bring life out of death.

The Compliance of Ezekiel (37:6) — We offer the gospel freely to sinners, knowing God can touch their hearts, knowing He can change their wills. We obey the Lord’s command, and we preach the full gospel of Jesus Christ.

The powerful, life-giving Holy Spirit can and does and will to the end of time change human hearts. So we get up in the pulpit and preach with confidence because of His power.

#3. The Effect of the Spirit’s Power (Ezekiel 37:7–10)

By the overpowering grace of the Holy Spirit, a breathless army is transformed into a breathing army.

It’s the powerful, energetic indwelling of the Holy Spirit that effectively produces life in obedience.

Our God is faithful. His Spirit is almighty, and He is as willing to work as Christ is to die and as the Father is to elect. The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church of God. This gives us the assurance of victory as we evangelize for the great day to come.

Press on and pray on for revival. Keep proclaiming to the spiritually dead. The Holy Spirit will do the work, to the glory of God.