Participants: Mark Howard
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000874
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01:00 Well, good morning. Good morning.
01:03 How many of you were here last night? 01:05 Okay, did you receive a blessing? 01:07 Yes. Okay, now last night... 01:09 Dwight Hall spoke to us about the valley of dead trees. 01:14 You remember that? 01:15 And this morning we're going to speak about 01:17 the valley of dry bones. 01:19 Now how many of know what I am talking about 01:21 when I say the valley of dry bones? 01:22 Okay, a number of you do. 01:24 It actually is picked up from a story 01:26 in the Bible in Ezekiel 37. 01:29 And I was talking with David Berthiaume 01:31 before this rally started. 01:33 And he said, you know, the valley of the dry bones. 01:35 We were trying to think of a title something 01:36 that would grab people's interest, 01:38 you know, "What kind title can we give it, 01:40 valley of dry bones sounds kind of plain." 01:43 "And I said how about Middle East massacre?" 01:46 And you'll see why I chose that in a minute 01:49 but David didn't think that would be the best idea. 01:52 So I said you pick the title 01:53 and we stuck with valley of dry bones. 01:57 But in fact, that's exactly what we see 01:59 when we open the Bible to Ezekiel 37. 02:01 And before we do that, I'm going to kneel 02:05 and ask God's special blessing on this time we have. 02:08 And I'm going to ask you to kneel as far as possible. 02:10 And I'll tell you there's two reasons for that. 02:12 The one reason, it's not the primary reason 02:14 is that it helps our circulation 02:16 so we stay awake, 02:17 that's really not the primary reason. 02:19 The primary reason is that when we kneel before the Lord, 02:23 it reminds us that we're the creature 02:25 and He is the creator. 02:27 It reminds us that we're here to learn of Him. 02:29 And it reminds us and it reminds me as a speaker 02:32 that if I'm speaking my words, 02:33 it's not going to do you any good. 02:34 We want the Lord's presence. 02:36 We want His words spoken this morning. 02:38 So if you will do that kneel as far as possible with me 02:41 as we invoke the Lord's blessing this morning. 02:48 Our gracious Heavenly Father, Father we want to praise You 02:54 that we can come together 02:56 and open our Bibles this morning. 02:58 We think of Africa 02:59 where so many don't have Bibles. 03:01 There are other parts of the world 03:03 where people don't have the Bibles 03:04 and the freedom that we have here this morning. 03:08 Father, now may we take advantage 03:12 of these Bibles that we have, 03:13 of this freedom to worship that we have, 03:15 we pray that your Holy Spirit would be present. 03:18 And as we open Your Word 03:21 that that Spirit that inspired the Word 03:23 would inspire our hearts and minds today. 03:25 And we ask and pray this 03:26 in the all powerful name of Jesus, 03:28 and for His sake. 03:29 Amen. 03:36 You know, the main reason for these rallies 03:39 is the Bibles for Africa project. 03:41 And I think, you know, some people may say, 03:43 "We know in Africa there are a lot of needs over there." 03:45 Of course, Dwight mentioned last night the AIDS epidemic. 03:49 There are physical needs that may need to be met, 03:51 and people may say, "Well, why Bibles? 03:54 I mean you could send a number of things over there. 03:56 I'm sure the people in Africa need lots of things, 03:58 why Bibles?" 03:59 Let me tell you something. 04:01 The Bible can do what nothing else can do. 04:04 We talked about miracles last night, 04:06 the greatest miracle, the greatest miracles, 04:09 the miracle of a transformed life. 04:11 And I want to tell you this morning 04:12 that the Word of God can change lives. 04:15 And that's our hope and desire 04:17 because if people in the continent of Africa 04:19 can hear the Word 04:21 can have their lives transformed, 04:22 they have an eternity with Jesus 04:24 and something far better than this world can ever offer. 04:28 And we're going to see that transforming power of the Word 04:32 if you go with me to the book of Ezekiel 04:34 in the Old Testament. 04:36 Ezekiel, if you take your Bible and open it in the middle, 04:39 most Bibles come right around some of the book of the Psalms 04:42 or in the book of Isaiah. 04:44 If you were come to Isaiah, which is a pretty book 04:46 to find the Old Testament, after that you have Jeremiah, 04:48 then Lamentations, then Ezekiel. 04:52 And we're going to go to Ezekiel 37, 04:57 Ezekiel chapter 37 04:59 and starting with the first verse. 05:03 Incidentally, throughout this weekend, 05:06 you know, we want you to give your Bibles 05:08 and donate Bibles 05:09 but please keep one for yourself 05:12 and bring it because we want you to be a... 05:15 You know, that one preacher said... 05:16 I'm sure there are other preachers 05:17 that have said the same thing. 05:19 "You got to know your Bible well enough to know 05:20 if your minister is misquoting it." 05:23 We've got to have our Bibles 05:24 and we'd be following along in the Bibles 05:25 because it's the Word that changes lives. 05:27 Now Ezekiel 37:1, this is how it starts, 05:32 "The hand of the Lord came upon me 05:34 and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord. 05:37 And set me down in the midst of the valley 05:40 and it was full of," what? 05:41 Bones. "Full of bones. 05:43 Then He caused me to pass by them all around 05:46 and behold there were very many in the open valley 05:49 and indeed they were," what? 05:51 Very dry. "Very dry." 05:53 Now get the picture, here is the Prophet Ezekiel. 05:54 God brings him out into this valley 05:56 and these bones are scattered. 05:59 In fact, it's says there... What was that in verse... 06:05 in verse 2 it says, 06:06 "There were very many in the open valley." 06:09 The New American Standard Bible says 06:11 they were on the surface of the valley. 06:15 There had been a massacre. 06:17 There had been a war and, you know, 06:18 when there were these... 06:20 This was a time of war 06:21 when people would fight and battle, 06:22 they didn't bury all the dead, 06:24 the enemy soldiers didn't go bury all the dead. 06:26 They laid on the surface of the ground. 06:27 Ezekiel comes on the scene, and he sees these bones. 06:32 There's no rotting flesh on the bones, 06:33 these bones are dry, they're very dry. 06:35 They have been there for a long time. 06:41 And then the Lord asked the question in verse 3, 06:43 "And He said to me, 06:45 'Son of man, can these bones live?' 06:51 And so I answered, 'Oh, Lord God, You know."' 06:56 He comes and sees a valley of bones of dead people, 06:59 these bones are sun bleached. 07:01 They have been there for a long, long time. 07:03 And God says, "Ezekiel, can these bones live?" 07:07 What would you say? 07:09 Can these bones live? 07:11 Some of these people have been dead for a long time. 07:15 "Lord, only You know." 07:19 And then the Lord says, verse 4, 07:22 "Again He said to me, 'prophesy to these bones."' 07:26 Now you know what it means to prophesy? 07:30 To prophesy means to speak the Word of the Lord. 07:34 When a prophet would prophesy, 07:35 he was simply giving a message from God to the people. 07:39 God says, "Ezekiel, I want you to prophesy 07:42 to these bones and say to them, 07:44 'Oh, dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord."' 07:53 You know, there's a lot of time... 07:56 Many times go by probably in your life 07:58 you've experienced it, in my life I've experienced it, 08:01 where the Lord wants to send you 08:02 and share the good news of salvation with somebody. 08:05 And you say, "Lord, these bones can't live." 08:11 God says, "Ezekiel, prophesy to the bones." 08:13 Now I'm a minister, and I'm thinking to myself, 08:17 "How would I feel if God were to tell me 08:19 to go speak to a pile of bones? 08:24 There's a waste of time, a colossal waste of time. 08:26 Here is a big pile of bones." "Yes, speak to these." 08:29 "Okay, Lord, whatever You say." Ezekiel goes for it. 08:31 God says, "Prophesy to them, speak My Word to them. 08:34 Tell the dry bones hear the Word of the Lord." 08:37 Okay, Lord, I guess I'll go ahead 08:39 and do what You say. 08:40 But I don't know how this is going to work. 08:42 Verse 5. 08:44 "Thus says the Lord God to these bones, 08:46 'Surely I will cause breath to enter you 08:49 and you shall live. 08:51 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, 08:55 cover you with skin and put breath in you. 08:57 And you shall live. 08:59 Then you shall know that I am the Lord.' 09:04 So I prophesied as I was commanded. 09:07 And as I prophesied, there was a noise 09:10 and suddenly a rattling 09:12 and the bones came together, bone to bone. 09:16 Indeed as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came over them. 09:19 And the skin was covered over them 09:21 but there was no breath in them." 09:24 Verse 9. 09:26 "Also He said to me prophesy to the breath, 09:28 prophesy, son of man. 09:34 And say to the breath, thus says the Lord God, 09:37 'Come from the four winds, O breath, 09:39 and breathe on these slain, that they may live.' 09:42 So I prophesied as He commanded me, 09:44 and breath came into them, and they," what? 09:47 "And they lived and stood upon their feet, 09:50 an exceedingly great army." 09:55 Verse 11, "Then He said to me, 09:58 'Son of man, these bones are," what? 10:03 "The whole house of Israel. 10:06 They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, 10:08 our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off.' 10:14 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 10:17 thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, O my people, 10:20 I will open your graves 10:22 and cause you to come up from your graves 10:24 and bring you into the land of Israel. 10:26 Then you shall know that I am the Lord 10:28 when I have opened your graves, O my people, 10:31 and brought you up from your graves. 10:33 I will put My Spirit in you and you shall live. 10:42 And I will place you in your own land, 10:44 then you shall know that I, the Lord, 10:47 have spoken it and performed it,' 10:49 says the Lord." 10:52 Fascinating little passage of scripture. 10:56 And we're going to expound on this this morning 11:01 and see what lessons we can draw 11:04 from this experience of the Prophet Ezekiel. 11:07 Now the first thing I want to touch on, 11:10 and it may or may not be necessary, 11:12 but we're going to touch on it anyway. 11:15 There are a couple things in here, 11:16 God says of course in verse 11 that we just read, 11:19 "Son of man, these bones are the," what? 11:22 "Whole house of Israel." 11:24 And I just have to put something 11:25 to rest in the event that anybody here 11:26 has not gotten the picture yet, 11:28 some people read this 11:30 and I know that there are people 11:31 who read this today and they say, 11:32 "Well, this is an interesting prophecy 11:34 but it has nothing to do with us today. 11:36 The only thing it has anything to do with 11:38 are people that live in Israel or who are natural born Jews." 11:44 It's speaking to the whole house of Israel. 11:46 I mean God goes on there to say in verses 13 and 14, 11:49 "I'm going to bring you into your own land." 11:53 Actually 12 to 14, He says, 11:55 "I'm going to bring you into the land of Israel." 11:58 Verse 14 says, "I'm going to bring you 12:00 into your own land, place you in your own land." 12:04 And I want you to understand 12:05 what the Lord is really trying to say here. 12:07 Now we're there in chapter 37, 12:09 I want you to notice again the wording that God uses. 12:15 In verse 11, He says, "These bones are the," what? 12:20 "The whole house of Israel." 12:23 Now on the one hand, you have to understand 12:26 that Israel had been divided. 12:30 Prior to this, Israel had been divided into two kingdoms, 12:32 the Northern kingdom that was made up of 10 tribes 12:35 and then you have the Southern kingdom of Judah 12:36 that was the remainder. 12:41 But I want you to see something interesting 12:43 in the same book of Ezekiel. 12:45 Chapter 36, just go back one chapter 12:48 and look at verse 8 with me, chapter 36:8. 12:56 Notice what the Lord says here, 13:00 "But you, O mountains of Israel, 13:04 you shall shoot forth your," what? 13:05 Branches. 13:07 "Branches and yield your," what? 13:08 Fruit. "Fruit." 13:10 And that's going to become significant in a moment. 13:11 "To my people Israel, for they are about to come, 13:16 for indeed, I am for you." 13:22 I want us to pause there and I want to us remember 13:24 something this morning. 13:25 The Apostle Paul says in the book of Romans, 13:27 "If God is for us, who can be," what? 13:29 Against. "Against us." 13:31 For neither life, nor death, no principalities, 13:33 powers, or anything else 13:34 can separate us from the love of God. 13:37 Something we have to remember as Christians 13:40 is that God is for us 13:43 because there are times in your life 13:44 where you will feel like God is not going to be willing 13:46 to help you even if you were to ask Him. 13:49 It says here in verse 9, "For indeed, 13:53 I am for you and I will turn to you 13:58 and you shall be tilled and sown." 14:00 Notice verse 10, "I will multiply men upon you 14:06 all the house of Israel, all of it. 14:11 And the city shall be inhabited and ruins rebuilt." 14:15 "I will multiply men to you." 14:17 Now keep that in mind, 14:21 as we go to the book of Isaiah. 14:23 Go back before Ezekiel, before Lamentations, 14:27 before Jeremiah, and to the book of Isaiah. 14:29 We're going to Isaiah 56. 14:39 Isaiah 56:6. 14:46 Now Dwight had done, 14:48 I'm not even going to pick on Dwight. 14:50 But sometimes I've been in this habit of saying, 14:52 you know, if you're there, say amen. 14:54 And what people have let me know is that 14:57 it's always the fast people that get there and say amen. 15:01 And so I say if you're there, say amen, 15:02 and a couple of people say amen, I say okay, 15:04 let's start reading and the rest of the people 15:05 are flipping their pages. 15:08 So I've tried to go away from asking people 15:10 if they are there, say amen, 15:11 and just listening for the pages 15:13 to stop turning so you can get there. 15:16 We're in Isaiah 56, and I want you to notice 15:21 what the Lord says in verse 6, "Also the sons of the," what? 15:27 Stranger. 15:28 "Stranger or foreigner," 15:29 it says foreigner in my translation here. 15:31 Now God is speaking about Israel 15:33 but now He is speaking of those beyond Israel, 15:35 the foreigners to Israel, 15:36 the strangers to Israel i.e. the gentiles. 15:40 "Also the sons of the foreigners 15:41 who joined themselves to the Lord to serve Him 15:44 and to love the name of the Lord to be His servants. 15:47 Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath 15:50 and holds fast my covenant even them I will bring 15:54 to my holy mountain 15:55 and make them joyful in my house of prayer." 15:58 Who's He going to bring into His holy mountain? 16:01 The gentiles, the foreigners, the strangers to Israel. 16:06 The Old Testament is full of promises to the gentiles. 16:15 Incidentally, how many are natural born Jews here today? 16:20 Okay, I don't see any hands. That means we're all gentiles. 16:23 That means this is good news for me and you. 16:25 Amen. 16:26 Because otherwise we have part in the blessings of God. 16:29 This is why I want to review this 16:31 because if we have no parts in the blessing of God, 16:33 Ezekiel 37 has nothing to do with us 16:35 because it's to the whole house of Israel. 16:37 Now notice what He goes on to say. 16:43 Verse 7, "Even them I will bring 16:45 to My holy mountain 16:46 and make them joyful in My house of prayer. 16:48 Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices 16:50 will be accepted on My altar. 16:51 For My house shall be called a house of prayer for," what? 16:56 "All nations. 16:57 The Lord God who gathers the outcast of Israel says, 17:01 'Yet I will gather to Him that is Israel, 17:05 others besides those who are gathered to Him." 17:09 That is a promise where God is saying 17:11 I'm going to take those from the outside 17:13 and I'm going to bring them in too. 17:15 Salvation is not just going to go to natural born Jews, 17:19 it's going to extend to everyone. 17:22 Are you following me so far? Yes. 17:24 Now let's take some of the virtues 17:26 we looked at there, we're going to go 17:27 to the New Testament, book of Romans. 17:33 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans 17:36 in the New Testament, Romans chapter 11. 17:39 Romans chapter 11, 17:44 and we're going to begin in verse 21. 17:48 Now in Romans 11, 17:50 God is portraying the nation of Israel 17:55 as a tree with branches and fruit. 18:00 Did we just see that? 18:02 In Ezekiel 36, He talks about the tree 18:05 and the branches and the fruit. 18:07 Now notice what the Apostle Paul does here. 18:16 Verse 21, "For if God did not spare 18:21 the natural branches, He may not spare you either." 18:25 Now we're kind of in the middle of His presentation 18:28 but what He is saying here is 18:30 that they are the natural braches of the tree, 18:32 those are the natural born Israelites. 18:35 But, you know, the natural born Israelites were cut off 18:38 when they refused to accept Christ. 18:41 And so the gentiles are saying, "Hey, now salvation is to us." 18:44 And Paul is just saying, "Hey, you gentiles 18:45 don't get too big for branches, 18:47 if the natural born branches got cut off, 18:48 you could get cut off too." 18:52 Verse 22, "Therefore consider the goodness 18:55 and severity of God, on those who fail severity 18:58 but toward you, gentiles, goodness. 19:00 If you continue in this goodness, 19:02 otherwise you also will be cut off. 19:05 And they also, 19:06 if they do not continue in," what? 19:09 Unbelief. "Unbelief." 19:10 Unbelief of what? Unbelief of Jesus Christ. 19:14 Listen to me. 19:16 There is not going to be anybody saved, you or gentile, 19:18 who don't believe in Jesus Christ. 19:21 The Bible says in Acts 4:12, "There is only one name 19:24 given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved." 19:27 I've had people today tell me whether it's a Jew, or Jews, 19:29 or natural born Jews, they should be saved. 19:31 Some people say, "Well, Buddhists and Hindus, 19:34 I mean they are sincere people 19:35 and they are going to be saved." 19:36 Look there is one name given under heaven among men. 19:40 Amen. 19:41 You know what that ought to prompt us to? 19:43 That'd prompt us with a burning desire 19:46 to let people know about Jesus who don't know about Him. 19:49 They need to hear the name. 19:53 Paul says, "If those Jews who didn't believe in Jesus 19:58 don't continue in their unbelief, 20:01 they too can be saved. 20:03 For they will be grafted in, 20:05 God is able to graft them in again." 20:08 Remember He is talking about a tree, 20:10 and that tree is Israel. 20:11 And those who have been cut off, 20:12 they can be grafted into that tree. 20:14 They are natural branches and they can become part again. 20:18 Verse 24," For if you," speaking of the gentiles, 20:23 "Were cutout of the olive tree which is wild by nature, 20:26 and you were grafted contrary 20:28 to nature into a cultivated olive tree," 20:31 That is the nation of Israel. 20:33 "How much more will these, who are the natural branches 20:36 be grafted into their own olive tree?" 20:38 Verse 25, "For I do not desire, brethren, 20:42 that you should be ignorant of this mystery, 20:45 lest you should be wise in your own opinion 20:47 that blindness in part has happened to Israel 20:50 until the," what? 20:52 Fullness. "Fullness of the," who? 20:54 Gentiles. "Gentiles has come," what? 20:56 In. "In," Where? 20:59 Into where? 21:02 Israel, the tree, right? 21:04 Paul says very plainly here that God is waiting 21:08 for the fullness of the who? 21:10 Gentiles to come into Israel and then... 21:15 And this is the kicker verse 26, 21:17 and maybe you've heard this before, 21:18 I've people telling me this all the time. 21:20 "And so all," what? Israel. 21:23 "Israel will be saved." 21:25 I've people that come to me and say, 21:26 "Well, Bible says all Israel will be saved." 21:27 Yes, it does. 21:29 Right before that, who is all Israel? 21:31 Israel includes the fullness of the gentiles. 21:35 Now the only reason we look at this is simply to say that 21:38 when we're going through these Old Testament prophecies 21:40 and somebody wants to say, "Well, that only applies 21:41 to the nation of Israel," guess what, 21:44 Paul says in the book of Galatians, 21:45 "If you're Christ, then you're Abraham's seed." 21:49 Amen. 21:51 Those who believe in Jesus 21:53 are brought into the common wealth of Israel. 21:56 When we're reading Ezekiel 37, God is speaking to all of those 22:00 who would believe on the name of Jesus. 22:03 And when God is speaking to the dry bones, 22:05 He is not only talking about His people in ancient times, 22:08 the nation of Israel but He is speaking to you today 22:10 and He is speaking to me today. 22:12 Are you following me on that? 22:15 Let's go back to Ezekiel 37, and let's pull some things out 22:18 of that fascinating prophecy. 22:24 Ezekiel 37. 22:28 Now I want to draw your attention 22:30 to one part of this prophecy, 22:35 specifically verse 11 again. 22:38 "Then He said to me, 'Son of man, 22:41 these bones are the whole house of Israel.' 22:45 They indeed say, 'Our bones are,'" what? 22:48 "Dry, our hope is lost and we ourselves are cut-off." 22:53 Now I want to give you the setting 22:56 of the vision of Ezekiel 37. 22:59 I already shared with you that there are 12 tribes of Israel. 23:03 Israel was split into two kingdoms. 23:05 The Northern kingdom went up into the area of Samaria 23:08 and that kingdom had been taken captive by the Assyrians 23:12 over 100 years prior to this vision. 23:14 It was no more. 23:16 Ten of the twelve tribes were gone. 23:21 And now just one year prior to the time Ezekiel 23:25 sees his vision in chapter 37, the Southern kingdom 23:29 had been taken captive into Babylon. 23:32 So Israel, as a nation, was gone. 23:36 They were swallowed up by their enemies. 23:40 God had promised them these great and wonderful things 23:43 and here God's people are thinking the ten tribes, 23:46 the Northern kingdom is gone, the Southern kingdom, 23:49 we're captive in Babylon, so many of our people 23:52 are dying and dead, our hope is gone. 23:59 There is nothing left for us. 24:03 Have you ever felt that your hope is gone? 24:07 Have you ever found yourself in a situation 24:09 maybe it's in your job, maybe it's in your home, 24:11 it could be in your marriage, 24:13 it could be in your family situations 24:15 where you feel your hope is gone, 24:16 it's just where else are you going to go. 24:19 I spoke to a young lady just this week, 24:22 she has struggled in her life. 24:25 She has been baptized and re-baptized. 24:29 She has been re-baptized two times. 24:31 I asked her if she wanted to liver her life for Jesus. 24:33 She says, "You know, 24:35 I've been re-baptized two times, 24:36 isn't that the limit?" 24:39 And she was serious. 24:41 She really thought that she had just gone so far 24:44 that God could not do anything more for her. 24:46 Two rebaptisms, I mean how many more times 24:49 is God going to take you back. 24:54 You may remember in the New Testament 24:56 where Peter comes to Jesus and he says, 24:57 "Hey, Jesus, if somebody does me wrong, 24:59 how many times should I forgive him?" 25:01 Seven times? 25:02 'Cause seven times is good, you know, 25:03 some people don't forgive at all 25:05 and some people maybe two or three times." 25:07 Peter says seven times you said that was a good round number, 25:09 perfect number in the Bible. 25:10 Seven times, have I forgiven seven times, 25:12 Jesus says to Peter, "How about 70 times 7?" 25:19 Our hope is cut off, our hope is lost, 25:22 rather they say, "We're cut off, 25:24 we don't have any more future as God's people." 25:27 This was the picture, this was their understanding, 25:29 and this is why God says, "Therefore, Ezekiel, 25:31 go and I want you to speak My Word to them, 25:33 prophesy to them. 25:35 These bones can live." 25:41 Further down, it says in verse 13, 25:46 "You know that I'm the Lord when I've opened your," what? 25:49 "Graves," well, before there weren't any graves, 25:51 bones were scattered on the surface of the ground. 25:55 The simple point being that God is not addressing 25:57 as much the physical death as the spiritual death. 26:02 His people weren't all dead, 26:04 they were in captivity here, they were scattered there. 26:07 He wanted His people to know there was hope. 26:12 Do you want hope this morning? 26:16 I want to show you a couple of passages 26:18 in the scripture on this idea of death. 26:20 Go with me to the New Testament book of Colossians. 26:25 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 26:27 first and second Corinthians, 26:29 Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 26:31 and then you come to the book of Colossians. 26:33 Chapter 2, notice verse 13, 26:38 Colossians 2:13. 26:42 See I was just about to ask if you were there with me 26:44 and some of you would have said amen. 26:46 And then I would hear the pages turning 26:48 from the frustrated people 26:49 who didn't get there fast enough. 26:50 So I'm trying to listen for the pages. 26:52 Colossians 2:13, 26:57 notice what the Apostle Paul says here, 26:59 "And you being," what? 27:00 Dead. "Dead in your," what? 27:02 Trespasses. 27:03 "Trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh." 27:06 He says you're dead in trespasses and sins, 27:08 and He is speaking of Christ, and He says, He, Christ, 27:11 have made you alive together with Him 27:13 having forgiven those trespasses. 27:16 Paul says that we can be dead in our, what? 27:20 In our sins. 27:21 Now I want to show you something that I think 27:23 is even more to the point. 27:26 In the book of 1 Timothy, 27:27 just keep on going there right past Colossians. 27:31 And you'll come into the T books. 27:33 And all the T books are there right in alphabetical order 27:36 which is very nice. 27:37 We're going to 1 Timothy chapter 5:6. 27:48 1 Timothy 5:6, notice what the Bible says here. 27:53 "But she who lives," what? 27:56 "In pleasure is dead while she lives." 28:03 He says in Colossians, 28:05 we can be dead and trespasses in sin, 28:07 He goes further to say that if we're living our lives 28:10 for the pleasure we can get here 28:12 and now, we're dead 28:13 even as we're walking on our feet. 28:18 I want to tell you something this morning, 28:20 brothers and sisters, that there are many of us 28:21 who may even profess to be servants of God 28:24 but we live for pleasure. 28:27 On a regular basis, and I hate to say it, 28:30 but on a regular basis, I hear from one over here, 28:33 and one over there, and one over here, 28:34 "Pastor, it's just too hard to live the Christian life. 28:38 It's just too hard to do what God wants me to do. 28:42 It's a struggle. It's a fight." 28:44 We are cursed to live in a nation 28:47 where everything is handed to us on a silver platter. 28:51 Just like Dwight said last night, 28:53 the poorest person in America 28:55 would be the richest person in Africa. 28:58 But we whine and moan over the littlest things. 29:00 We want to live for pleasure, we want to live for the here 29:03 and now, "I want everything now, 29:04 I can't deal with these struggles." 29:06 Little do we know that those struggles 29:07 that we're dealing with are God's way 29:09 of answering the prayer 29:11 that we want a character like Christ's. 29:13 Amen. 29:15 We go to work out, you don't work out at the gym, 29:17 you know the saying, "No pain, no gain." 29:23 Your muscles don't grow 29:24 if you don't work them till they hurt. 29:27 Your spiritual life, you know, the Bible says 29:30 in the book of Romans 29:31 that tribulation works patience 29:37 in Romans chapter 5. 29:39 And patience works character. 29:46 So many of us look at the easy path and we say... 29:50 We look at that broad road and we say, 29:52 "I don't want to go. 29:53 I don't want to deal with the difficulties of life. 29:55 I don't want to make those decisions to follow God 29:57 that would be difficult." 30:00 Those who live in pleasure are dead while they live, 30:03 unlike what the Bible says about Moses 30:05 in the book of Hebrews, the faith chapter. 30:08 It says, "Moses chose to suffer affliction 30:12 with the people of Israel, the Hebrews." 30:16 Moses was the heir 30:18 to the throne of the world empire. 30:24 He had wine, women, and song, and he's beckoning, 30:26 all the money he could ever possibly want. 30:29 And yet he chose to suffer affliction. 30:32 Why? 30:36 Because the Bible says he looked to the reward. 30:40 He didn't live in today, he looked to tomorrow. 30:44 He didn't live for the here and now. 30:47 He realized that the pleasure here and now 30:50 may have consequences in the hereafter. 30:57 And as a pastor I've had the privilege, 31:00 if you want to call it a privilege, 31:02 of meeting people who have lived for pleasure. 31:06 When you're young, you can live for pleasure and enjoy it. 31:09 And then the aches and pains of old age come 31:12 coupled with the results of all those years of pleasure. 31:19 And you've thrown your life away 31:23 because you lived for the here and now. 31:26 You've got a valley of dry dead bones. 31:33 Bones that could represent God's people 31:36 who are dead in trespasses and sins, 31:39 bones that could represent those who have not yet 31:41 heard the name of Christ, 31:42 who are dead and trespasses in sins. 31:45 What's fascinating to me is God's solution. 31:50 What do you do for these people who have no hope? 31:54 You send them to a self-help seminar. 31:58 What do you do for them? 32:01 He says, "Ezekiel, preach My Word to the bones." 32:04 And Ezekiel did the same thing that so many of us do today, 32:08 just preach the Word like the Bible 32:10 is going to fix their problems. 32:12 Isn't that a little bit simplistic? 32:15 Yes. Praise God for it. 32:19 See, we look at everything from a humanistic standpoint. 32:22 "Well, it's just a book." 32:24 It's not just a book. Amen. 32:29 The Apostle Peter says 32:30 in the book of 2 Peter chapter 1 32:32 that "Through the promises of the Word of God, 32:36 we can actually become part takers 32:38 of the divine nature." 32:41 That means that the power of God is in His Word, 32:44 that when we apply God's Word to our lives, 32:46 it will bring the very power of God 32:49 into our lives to transform us. 32:52 It's not just a book. 32:55 If people are down and out, 32:56 the best solution God says is the Word. 33:01 "Prophesy to them, 33:02 Ezekiel, preach My Word to the bones." 33:07 And Ezekiel said like we said, 33:09 "Lord, this isn't going to work. 33:10 These people got big problems. 33:12 That's not going to help them out 33:13 but at your bidding." 33:15 And he tells them, 33:16 he begins to preach to the bones 33:17 and what happens, the bones come together. 33:19 They form skeletons. 33:20 And then the sinew comes upon them, 33:22 and the muscle, and the skin, and there they stand, bodies... 33:31 Without breath. 33:36 Now this is interesting to me. 33:39 Their connection with the Word, 33:42 their experience from hearing the Word 33:44 has brought the form of bodies together. 33:47 But the work is not finished. 33:54 And I wish I could say that most people could see it 33:57 when they got to that point. 33:59 But I want to tell you that I think there are multitudes 34:02 who profess to follow Christ that have gotten to the point 34:04 where the bodies and assemblance of people, 34:06 but they are lacking the vital power of godliness. 34:10 As the Apostle Paul talks about 34:11 those in the last days, he says, 34:12 "Who have a form of godliness but deny the power." 34:17 There's something missing in the picture, 34:19 they have the look of being, but God says, 34:21 "They are not done yet, Ezekiel. 34:24 Now prophesy to the breath and say, 34:25 'O breath, come into these bones.'" 34:29 And the Bible doesn't say that they live 34:32 until the breath comes. 34:45 You know, the Bible tells us that the Word of God 34:47 is living and powerful, living and powerful. 34:53 Go with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 55. 34:59 I want to tell you this morning 35:00 that these are no idle tales that I'm telling you. 35:03 What we're going to read in Isaiah 55, 35:06 what we've read elsewhere, 35:07 these are the very words of the God 35:09 with the power of God behind them. 35:12 When God speaks, 35:14 our biggest problem isn't hearing 35:16 what He says but believing it. 35:19 Listen to what He says in Isaiah 55. 35:24 Isaiah 55:10. 35:29 "For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven 35:35 and do not return there but water the earth 35:38 and make it," what? 35:40 "Bring forth and bud 35:43 that it may give seed to the sower 35:44 and bread to the eater. 35:46 So shall My word be that goes out of My mouth." 35:52 God said, "My Word going out of My mouth, 35:54 it's going to like the rain and effect that it has." 35:56 Now I was talking with David Berthiaume, 35:57 we were talking about this just recently about 35:59 how we kind of liked it for a long time 36:01 over the summer, there was a drought, 36:03 we weren't getting any rain. 36:06 Somebody said in prayer meeting, 36:07 they said, "Oh, praise God for the rain days. 36:09 Like well, you know, I'm kind of glad 36:10 that it hasn't rained because my lawn goes 36:12 dormant tonight and I don't have to mow it." 36:15 Have you noticed that? 36:16 I'm with him on that, you know, that's just one more thing do. 36:20 So, you know, the grass, it's fine, 36:22 it will come back when the rain comes again, 36:24 but notice, when it stops raining, 36:26 the grass doesn't grow. 36:29 But when the rain comes, 36:33 then the grass starts to grow again 36:37 as I realized yesterday as I was mowing my lawn. 36:43 In fact, when the rain comes, the grass can't help but grow. 36:49 God says, "So shall My Word be that goes out of My mouth." 36:56 He goes onto say, "It will not return 36:58 to Me void or empty 37:00 but it will accomplish what I please 37:02 and it will prosper in the thing 37:04 for which I sent it." 37:06 Do you believe that? Amen. 37:07 Do you believe when you open the Word of God, 37:09 and God promises something to you, 37:11 do you believe that you can bank on it? 37:14 Amen. 37:17 Now let me tell you something this morning. 37:19 I have a neat little way of knowing 37:22 whether you believe those things or not, 37:23 your pastors do by the way. 37:26 You know, how I know? 37:28 You practice it. Amen. 37:31 You see the people who don't practice the Word 37:33 and make excuse for practicing the Word, 37:36 deep down inside don't believe it's possible. 37:39 I have had people tell me, "It's just too difficult." 37:42 Yeah, for you maybe. Is it difficult for God? 37:51 God says, "My word won't return to Me void." 37:59 You know, the Bible contains 38:00 such preaches instructions and direction. 38:04 We live in a generation that is biblically illiterate. 38:07 Did you know the Bible gives us instruction on health, 38:11 on family, on marriage, parenting, work, 38:17 work relations, how to deal with our boss. 38:20 I mean, the Bible gives practical instruction 38:23 that if we would simply put it into practice. 38:27 You'll say, "Well, wait a minute, 38:28 Pastor, if I went to put that into practice, 38:30 I mean, I'm not able to do it." 38:32 No, but God is. 38:34 You step forward in faith 38:35 and the power of God is in that Word. 38:39 It will transform your life. 38:43 "Ezekiel, preach to the bones." 38:45 There they were standing on their feet 38:47 with the flesh and the muscle, 38:48 but they were void, they were empty, 38:50 there was no life in them. 38:59 I was reading this story. 39:03 It was printed in the September 20 issue, 39:05 2004 of MacLean's Magazine. 39:09 It tells about a man named Jim Sulkers, 39:12 he was a municipal worker from Winnipeg. 39:16 Fifty three years old, went home, went to bed, 39:18 climbed in his bed, died in bed. 39:25 And wasn't found until two years later. 39:32 Of course, he was a very responsible person, 39:36 he had his checks, his retirement checks 39:39 going into his bank account 39:41 and then he had automatic payment setup, 39:43 so all his bills were still being paid. 39:45 Apparently, he had a medical condition 39:48 that kept his body from decomposing, 39:50 they found him a mummified state. 39:51 For two years, 39:53 people thought this man was alive 39:55 but he was dead. 39:59 I wonder how many of us, how many people 40:02 that are name the name of Christ 40:03 that sit in our churches with the name 40:05 that they are alive but spiritually inside, 40:07 they are empty, they are dead. 40:12 The Lord says, "Ezekiel, prophesy to the breath." 40:19 I want you to see something with me in the book of Matthew, 40:21 chapter 12. 40:26 To me, this is one of the most important parables 40:30 that Jesus told. 40:34 Matthew 12:43. 40:44 Matthew 12:43. 40:51 Jesus says, "When an unclean spirit 40:53 goes out of a," what? 40:55 A man. 40:56 "A man, a person, he goes through dry places." 41:02 Other translations say erred places, desert places. 41:08 "He goes through dry places seeking rest and finds none. 41:14 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' 41:19 And when he comes, he finds it," what? 41:24 "Empty, swept, and garnished," or put in order. 41:29 Okay? 41:30 His house, this evil spirit's house 41:32 that he left, 41:33 what was the house that he left? 41:35 A person. It was a person. 41:37 He leaves the person. 41:40 He is looking for places, evidently that person 41:43 had made a decision in their life 41:44 that caused evil spirit to leave. 41:47 There was only one problem, when that evil spirit 41:50 couldn't find anywhere to go, he says, 41:52 "Well, maybe I can find occupancy at my old house." 41:55 And he goes back, and how does he find the house? 42:00 He finds it swept and in order. 42:05 It looked nice, but there was nothing inside. 42:11 This is what Ezekiel is talking about. 42:14 You've got the people 42:16 that are standing on their feet, 42:17 they have got the flesh, they have got the muscle, 42:19 but there is no breath in them, there is no spirit in them. 42:23 Outwardly, they profess to be these stellar servants of Jesus 42:26 but inside there's nothing. 42:35 How is it in your experience? 42:40 Do you feel like you have to put your church face on? 42:46 Do you feel like you have to 42:47 put on a front to be a Christian? 42:52 That in your heart, 42:54 you're really desiring other things 42:55 and maybe even sitting here this morning 42:57 there are things that you hold in your heart, 42:59 lies, directions that you were going 43:01 that are in contrast with the religion of Christ, 43:03 and yet nobody knows. 43:07 I bet somebody does. 43:09 See you can fool me and you can even fool 43:11 your pastors but you can't fool the Lord. 43:17 And maybe in that condition, you find yourself in no hope. 43:19 Maybe you find yourself, you say, 43:21 "You know, the reason I'm that way 43:22 is because I don't know the way out of it." 43:24 Listen, can these bones live? 43:26 Amen. 43:30 No matter how down and out, there is sun bleached bones, 43:33 they have been dead for years. 43:36 Can these bones live? 43:39 There was no case that it's so far gone 43:42 that God can't revive you if you'll simply come to Him 43:47 and ask Him for that revival. 43:51 Hear, O bones, hear the Word of the Lord. 44:01 There are multitudes today who take comfort in the fact 44:04 that their name is on some church role. 44:08 They are joined to the church but are they joined to Christ? 44:18 Turn with me back to the book of Ezekiel. 44:25 Chapter 37. 44:40 Look at verse 13 with me. 44:46 The Lord says here, 44:48 "Then you shall know 44:54 that I'm the Lord." 44:56 I want you to notice... 45:03 That the point being made here 45:05 is not that you'll know that there is a God. 45:09 A lot of people know about God, 45:11 even church members know about God. 45:13 They know what it says in the Bible, 45:14 they can tell you the Bible stories. 45:16 But when He says, 45:18 "Then you shall know that I am the Lord." 45:19 What He is saying is, 45:21 "Then you'll have an experience with Me, 45:22 a real enough experience that you'll know 45:24 from your own experience that I am the life-changing, 45:28 all powerful God of heaven." 45:29 Hallelujah. When will we know? 45:32 "Then you'll know that I'm the Lord, 45:33 when I have opened up Your graves, 45:35 O my people 45:37 and brought you up from your graves. 45:40 I will put My," what? 45:43 "Spirit in you and you shall live. 45:47 And I will place you in your own land." 45:54 Jesus says in John chapter 14, 45:59 "Let not your hearts be troubled 46:02 neither be afraid for in My father's house 46:07 are many mansions. 46:10 If it were not so, I would have told you." 46:13 Jesus isn't a liar, is He? 46:16 He is gone to prepare a place for us. 46:20 He goes on to tell His disciples 46:21 that where I am, you maybe also. 46:25 It His greatest desires 46:26 that we can live in eternity with Him, 46:29 free from the struggles and trials of this earth 46:31 if only in the here and now, 46:36 we will fight the good fight of faith. 46:37 We will take Him in His Word 46:40 through good times and bad times 46:42 if you can only trust the Lord that through His power, 46:46 He can transform our lives. 46:48 He will bring us into our own land. 46:51 He has prepared a place. 46:57 Then verse 14, right in the middle, 46:59 "Then you shall know that I, the Lord, 47:02 have spoken it and performed it," 47:04 says the Lord. 47:12 What's more difficult? 47:14 To resurrect the dead or to change your life? 47:18 I think of what Jesus asked, 47:19 remember He went to heal the man. 47:26 Actually the man who was lowered down 47:27 from the ceiling, 47:29 he told him his sins were forgiven, they said, 47:30 "Hey, who are you to forgive sins? 47:34 The man with the withered hand, 47:35 you have all these different examples, 47:36 who are you to forgive sins?" 47:38 Jesus said, "Let me ask you a question, 47:39 what's more difficult? 47:41 To forgive sins or to heal the whole man?" 47:44 But that you may know that the Son of man 47:45 has power on earth to forgive sins. 47:47 And He tells the man, "You rise up and walk." 47:54 I think about that here with the prophecy of Ezekiel. 47:57 I mean, what's more difficult? To change a... 47:58 If God can take dead sun bleached dried out bones 48:02 and bring them to life again, 48:05 certainly He can change your life, 48:08 certainly He can give you hope and victory in your life. 48:11 Don't you believe that? Amen. 48:16 Why does He want to do this? 48:18 Why does God bring us into situations in our lives? 48:20 I mean, as I said, we may be sitting here, 48:23 maybe we have challenges in our homes, 48:26 maybe we have challenges in our jobs, 48:28 maybe we've lost loved ones, 48:31 maybe it's in our Christian experience 48:33 and we just seem like we struggle, 48:34 and struggle, and struggle, 48:35 why does God allow us to go through it? 48:39 Because God knows that those things 48:44 that we have to face will drive us to Him, 48:48 will teach us more and more how to trust in Him. 48:50 And listen to me, it is only 48:54 when we're put in a position of need 48:58 that we can begin to appreciate the power of God, 49:01 not in everyone's life but in my life. 49:05 I mean, I know people that say, 49:06 "Well, Jesus came into the world, 49:07 I know Jesus died for sin." 49:10 But they can't believe that He died for theirs. 49:14 "I believe that Jesus can give victory, 49:17 but you have to understand, pastor, for me, 49:19 I'm just too far gone." 49:22 God puts us in difficult situations 49:25 that as we face them 49:26 and wrestle with them and go to Him for help, 49:28 we can see His deliverance. 49:30 "And then you will know that I'm the Lord 49:32 when I've brought you out of your grave, 49:34 when I've put My Spirit in you. 49:36 Then you'll know by experience." 49:38 And when people want to challenge you 49:40 and argue with you about your religious experience 49:42 and your God and say that's a bunch of nonsense, 49:45 you say, "No, I know in whom I've believed." 49:48 Amen. 49:49 And I'm persuaded that He is able to keep that 49:52 which I've committed to Him. 50:06 I want to share one more thing with you. 50:11 On the one hand, as I read through Ezekiel 37, 50:16 I see myself as dry sun bleached dead bones 50:22 that need the life that comes from Christ. 50:28 On the other hand, 50:31 I see myself not just because I'm a minister, 50:35 I see myself and I see you as Ezekiels, 50:39 who God has called to prophesy to the dry bones. 50:45 There are people you meet in your life. 50:50 There are people you come in contact with 50:53 and the Lord urges you through His Holy Spirit, 50:55 and says, "Go and speak to this person. 50:58 Speak to them the words of life, 50:59 witness to them." 51:01 And you say, "Lord, can these bones live? 51:05 This person wouldn't be interested in religion." 51:10 The Lord has shown me in my experience 51:12 that oftentimes it's the people 51:14 that I would think are the most hardened 51:16 against religion that are most open. 51:20 And so what does the devil do, he comes and he tells us, 51:22 "Well, no, no, no, 51:24 don't even bother with that one." 51:27 But what does the Lord say? 51:28 "Ezekiel, can these bones live?" 51:30 And Ezekiel says, "I don't know." 51:33 And the Lord says, "Ezekiel, you don't need to know, 51:36 just do what I told you to do." 51:39 Jesus says, "He is going to put His Spirit within." 51:41 That's right here in Ezekiel and in the book of Acts, 51:44 He said, you tell your Jerusalem 51:46 until the Spirit comes upon you, 51:48 "You're going to receive power when the Spirit comes upon you 51:51 and you shall be witnesses unto Me." 51:53 Amen. 51:56 If we're to receive the Spirit, 52:00 we can't receive the Spirit 52:02 and not be witnesses for Christ. 52:05 You know, I tell my congregation all the time, 52:07 everyone of you is a witness. 52:09 You're either a good witness or a bad witness. 52:12 You may not think you're a witness, 52:14 you may not want to be a witness, you are. 52:16 When we take the name of Christ, 52:17 we're witnesses. 52:18 And God has asked us when the Spirit comes upon us, 52:20 He says, "I've given you power to be witnesses for Me. 52:23 Speak My words to the people." 52:26 Even those who seem to be impossible, 52:29 even those that it looks like 52:31 they will never make a decision for Jesus Christ. 52:33 "Can these bones live?" "Lord, I don't know." 52:35 "Prophesy to them." 52:37 The Word of God can transform the lives. 52:47 Turn with me to the book of Philippians, 52:49 and we will close with this passage. 52:53 I find this particular passage fascinating. 52:56 After you go through the first few books there, 52:59 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 53:01 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, 53:03 we're going to Philippians chapter 3. 53:09 Philippians 3:8. 53:28 The Apostle Paul says, "Yet, indeed, I count," what? 53:35 How many things? All things. 53:37 "All things lost for the excellence 53:40 of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord." 53:45 I'm going to tell you, Paul had an aspiring future, 53:51 he was very well educated, he was very well esteemed, 53:54 he gave everything away, counted it all as loss, 53:57 so he could serve Christ. 54:03 When we don't see that everything in this world 54:07 that we would seek for, 54:09 that all the acclaim of this world 54:11 that we would seek for, when we don't realize 54:13 all the pleasures of this world that we would seek for, 54:16 when we don't realize that that's nothing, 54:21 we've not seen Christ, 54:23 we've not had the view of Christ 54:26 that God wants to give us. 54:28 Why? 54:29 Too often it's because we haven't 54:30 let the Word speak to our hearts. 54:34 You know, prophesy, Ezekiel. 54:37 Well, you know what, the Word of the Lord 54:38 can't get to you if you don't spend time in it. 54:42 And even if you spend time in it, 54:44 if you're not putting it into practice, 54:45 it can't transform your life. 54:47 Paul had taken God's Word, and even as it cut across 54:50 the grain of everything that he was, 54:52 he said, "I die daily. 54:55 I am crucified with Christ. 54:57 I don't live anymore. I no longer live." 54:59 He says here, "I count all things 55:01 as lost for the Excellency 55:03 of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, 55:06 for whom I have suffered the loss of all things 55:09 and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ." 55:13 Notice verse 9 and 10, 55:16 "And be found in Him, 55:18 not having my own righteousness which is from the law 55:21 but that which is through faith in Christ, 55:23 the righteousness which is from," who? 55:25 "From God by faith." 55:27 Verse 10, especially note this, 55:30 "That I may know Him and the," what? 55:33 Power. Power of what? 55:36 "His resurrection 55:38 and the fellowship of His sufferings 55:41 being conformed to His death." 55:43 Verse 11, "If by any means, I may attain to," what? 55:49 "The resurrection of the dead." What's his point? 55:52 Notice, he separates two things, 55:54 the power of His resurrection 55:56 and being resurrected from the dead. 55:59 In other words, Paul says, 56:00 "If I ever want to be resurrected from the dead, 56:03 when that day comes, 56:04 I must first know 56:05 the power of Christ's resurrection in my life." 56:09 Again, the same apostle in Galatians 2:20 says, 56:12 "I am crucified with Christ. 56:13 I no longer live but Christ lives in me," why? 56:15 Because when we're crucified with Christ, 56:17 we need to experience the power of His resurrection 56:19 breathing that breath into us and coming to spiritual life. 56:24 Paul said, "If there's one thing, 56:25 I count all things as lost, if only I can know 56:29 the resurrecting power of Christ in my life." 56:31 If only I can experience the living Christianity 56:35 that makes me a Christian not on one day a week 56:38 when I come to church in the morning 56:39 and sit with my friends but every day of the week, 56:42 every moment in my home, every moment in my workplace 56:44 that I may know the power of Christ's 56:46 resurrection in my life 56:47 and that Christ may be seen in me. 56:49 Amen. 57:00 "Prophesy to the bones, Ezekiel. 57:04 And say to them, 'O dry bones, 57:08 hear the Word of the Lord, 57:12 hear the Word of the Lord.'" 57:14 Brothers and sisters, this morning... 57:18 may we all have faith to believe 57:22 that Jesus Christ can transform our lives, 57:28 that through our exposure to His Word, 57:31 we may experience the power of Christ's resurrection 57:35 and that Christ may be seen in us. 57:38 Amen? Amen. 57:39 Let's bow our heads together. 57:42 Father in heaven, O Father, I just pray this morning 57:48 that as we hear the words of Ezekiel the prophet, 57:53 as we hear Your words speaking through him, 57:56 as we feel that our hope is gone, 57:57 that we are cut off, 57:59 Lord, help us to realize that nobody is so far gone 58:01 that You can't save them. 58:03 Lord, if only we will receive Your Word 58:06 and believe it and accept it for Jesus' sake. 58:10 Father, it's in His name that we pray these things, 58:12 Jesus Christ. Amen. |
Revised 2018-05-02