Be Empowered for the Call

Standing in the Gap Series

Be Empowered for the Call

Study Guide 

Message for Sunday June 9, 2019

This Week Reading:  Ezekiel 37:1-14  Additional Reading: John 11: 1-45

Introduction

Dry Bones - what a great picture. A  picture of broken dreams, unfulfilled potential, of no longer feeling it, of being lost and being sure it is over for you. A picture of the consequences of sin, a picture of regrets. Many of us have been in the Valley of dry bones. Perhaps we entered the valley when we lost our job or received a horrible phone call that changed our lives in a second or perhaps as simple as just going through the motions, running on the hamster wheel with no exit in sight. A picture of hopelessness. Our lives have seasons of dry bones. Our world is a world filed with dry bones. The question is always the same, " Can these bones live?" 

Main Themes: Hopelessness; Renewal; Revival; God's Power; Restoring Hope

Basic Outline:

I. Verses 1-3: The hopeless situation

II. Verses 4- 8: God's first command to speak to the bones and Ezekiel's obedience

IV. verses 9- 10: God's second command to speak to the wind and Ezekiel's obedience.

V. Verses 11-14: The interpretation of the vision.

Background Information

The people of Israel were a defeated people. The glory of the time of King David was now a distant memory. Because of the people's turning away from God they experienced God's judgment upon their society. They were a defeated and hopeless people. Their temple of worship had been destroyed and they were exiled to a foreign land. In midst of this hopeless situation God gives Ezekiel a vision. The vision is clearly symbolic. The symbols are explained in verses 11-14. The dry bones represent the people of Israel who have been in exile for 10 years already. They were hopeless and depressed. Note there are two stages to the bones coming back to life. First, Ezekiel speaks to the bones and they come together. Second, he speaks to the wind to breathe on the bones so that they can live. The wind represents the Holy Spirit which is needed for true reawakening. The obvious answer to God's question would be "No" since the bones were dry and no human power could cause them to live again. Note Ezekiel's obedience to God's command even in a seemingly hopeless situation.

   

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Read Ezekiel 37:1-14 aloud together.

Watch this Video of these verses together: Ezekiel chapter 37:1-14

Point of Light Group Questions

1. Read aloud verses 1-3. What impression do you get from this scene? What would you feel and think if you were in Ezekiel's place? Why? 
2. How would you have answered God's question in verse 3? Why? What does Ezekiel's answer reveal about what Ezekiel thought and felt? 
3. Have you ever been in a place in your life where you lost hope? Explain how that felt. Do you know people who have lost hope? Why do people lose hope? 
4. Read and discuss verses 4 - 8. What happened? What is the sequence of what happened? (God spoke - Ezekiel gave God's message - the bones came to life). What does the sequence indicate to us about how God works? What can we apply in our own lives and in the lives of others from this sequence?
5. Read verse 9 - 10 and discuss. Note again the sequence. What is the significance of the breath? How is that applicable to our lives today?
6. Read verse 11 -14. What symbolism is explained in these verses? Discuss what in your own words is the teaching and meaning of this vision that God gave to Ezekiel.
7. Discuss ways that you can apply this teaching to your own life and the lives of other people both individually and as a group. Be specific.

This Week's Challenge: Discuss as a group how you can be a light of hope to others in your community.

Additional Resource:

Valley of Dry Bones for today's Church