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When the heavens are brass. Deu 28:23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.
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When the heavens are brass • Deu 28:23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. • 2 Chron 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
What about “My people”? • Eze 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
What about “My people”? • 11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…
Dry Bones • The bones are very dry: • Structure is still there, but life is no more • We may still do all the “right things” but lost the passion of fellowship with God, the fire of worship, the deep love and devotion, the eagerness to serve and sacrifice • Without the protection of a life abiding in God, the bones dry quickly under the elements, sun and wind • Modern life takes its toll: 9-5 drudgery, relentless pressure from the world’s philosophies…
Dry Bones • We become dry bones when: • We want stirrings without change • We want good doctrine without compliance • Philippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. • We want it told like it is, but live like it isn't; • We want Salvation, but not give it all in our witness • We want to be God’s special people, but live like the world
Dry Bones • We become dry bones when: • We want to experience without commitment: • A. Committed Hands to Work in the Vineyard. • B. Committed Hearts to Worship in Victory. • C. Committed Home to live the Way of Christ; a vital part. • We want to be blessed without being a blessing • We want to be spectators and not partakers
What must we do? • Psalm 51:16,17, "You, O Lord, do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..." • Neh 9:1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.
Humble Yourself… • Jonah 3: 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." 5Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. 7He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. • 8"But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men (H)call on God earnestly that each may (I)turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. • 9"(J)Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish."
Pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways 8"But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9 "Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.“
Pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways Isaiah 55:6,7, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him for he will freely pardon." Psalm 66:18, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."