Dead Men Walking

Sermon content for this Sunday:
Image:  Gravestones.
Question What is dead in my life?
 
I'm going to two stories- one from the Old Testiment and the other from the New. 

Ezekiel 37:4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
John 11:39"Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

"What stinketh"
Thesis: We have dead places in their lives that we have mourned and buried.
The rebellious son
The dry bones of a marriage
Sobriety
A Vibrant relationship with Jesus
We bury these hopes because they are things that we gave up praying. We've prayed for God to move and there seems to be no answer whatsoever. It's out there in the open.  Jesus' timing Lord, in so many ways, in so many moments I have not allowed myself to hope that this dead part of my life could ever be resurrected. But help my unbelief!  The church must say: "I’m going to believe. You are the resurrection and the life. I do believe."
The real break through is when we are obedient to speak to the bones. It's crazy talk. Speak to bones!  To believe in something that we buried and that would stink if we dug it back up? Can these dry bones live?

Jesus says, "I dare you. speak to the dead and watch them bones rattle back together."