WANTED: A GREAT AWAKENING

[I have been asked to share this sermon I preached in print. God moved through this message and at the end of it, as I extended the invitation, a number of people were moved to get on their knees and cry out to God for spiritual awakening. To God be the glory! My prayer is that the Spirit will breathe on each of us today through His Word and make us fully alive in Christ—a mighty army to shake the nations!~D.T.]

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.

Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’

I replied, ‘Lord God, [only] You know.’

He said to me, ‘Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.’” (Ezekiel 37:1-5 HCSB)

In the 1700’s, a mighty revival swept across America. It came to be known as the Great Awakening. The results were dramatic with many conversions, the strengthening of the churches, elevating the moral standard, and founding of benevolent institutions. In fact, the revival became the spiritual womb for the birth of this nation!

When I think of it, my heart cries, “Lord, do it again!”

We need a rebirth of our nation in a return to God. I am more convinced than ever that this is our only hope. Our problems are spiritual in their origin and beyond human correction.

In Ezekiel 37, we see an illustration of how spiritual awakening happens to the people of God. I say, “illustration” because the interpretation is that this passage is a prophecy of the future restoration of the nation of Israel at the end of the age. That will happen. However, there are timeless principles applicable to every generation. This is what can happen.

Consider THE REASONS FOR SEEKING A GREAT AWAKENING as seen in verses 1-3. God took His prophet to a valley of dry bones which symbolized the nation of Israel under the judgment of God. It is also a graphic picture of the current state of most of Christianity.

So many churches are DRY.

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.” (v.1-2)

This is illustrative of the dryness of spiritual experience in multitudes of modern church goers. Consider Dr. Snodgrass of the First Church of Snootyville. On the church sign, at the end of his name, his Doctor of Divinity degree was appended by the abbreviation D.D. Someone asked what the letters stood for, and one of his members answered, “Dry and dusty!” I am fearful that could be said of many in the pulpit on Sunday mornings—and of multitudes in the pew as well!

It seems a lot of churches are dry—and even DEAD.

“Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’

I replied, ‘Lord God, [only] You know.’" (v.3)

Israel was in a state of spiritual deadness. That would be true of multitudes of professing Christians in our time. There is no life, no vitality. It is the state of the church that Paul warned about which would come in the last days of those “holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Tim.3:5a)

Yes, it is possible for a group to gather and have the structure of being a church, to go through the formalities of piety and still be spiritually dead. Consider these words of Jesus to a church of the first century, and still applicable today:

“’Write to the angel of the church in Sardis:

“The One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. But if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come against you. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white, because they are worthy.

In the same way, the victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels.

Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”’” (Rev.3:1-6, emphasis added)

So, the issue is not whether there are churches and church members that are dry and dead. The question is, “Can these bones live?”

Ezekiel is asked that question and he is not altogether sure. The prospects don’t look too promising.

Yet, we believe in a God that can raise the dead!

How does He bring a spiritual awakening to a dead church?

To answer that, we turn from THE REASONS FOR SEEKING A GREAT AWAKENING to THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SEEING A GREAT AWAKENING as observed in verses 4-9. We see that two things are required: the Word and Wind of God.

Note the broadcasting of THE WORD OF GOD.

“He said to me, ‘Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.

I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’

So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.” (v.4-8)

Ezekiel was to preach and God would give life to the bones. That speaks of the authority of God’s Word.

Remember how God spoke and the universe and all it contains came into existence—and the earth became teeming with life? Jesus spoke the name, “Lazarus,” and commanded, “Come forth,” and the man dead for four days was raised by the authority of the Word.

Every revival in history has been rooted in Biblical preaching: whether it be the preaching of Luther and Calvin in the Reformation, or Whitefield and the Wesleys in the Great Awakening.

But, we must be mindful that although the Word of God is essential, of itself it is not enough. “As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.” (v.8) The skeletons now connected by sinews and covered with skin, were not animate. As old Vance Havner said, “You can be as straight as a gun barrel theologically and as empty as one spiritually.” When we share the Scriptures there is potential for life, but only when the Spirit stirs us through that preaching is there power for life.

The broadcasting of the Word of God must be united with the blowing of THE WIND OF GOD.

“He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!" (v.9)

This is the same rushing, mighty wind that came upon the first Christians on the Day of Pentecost—the very breath of heaven that filled their lungs as they inhaled divine life. When they left that upper room, and exhaled the message, the Spirit brought conviction of sin and conversion to salvation—3,000 were swept into the Kingdom of God in minutes!

That wind needs to blow again! He gives life! You can’t live without breath! If someone were to stop breathing in our worship service, we have a medical team in place to rush to their assistance. If needed, they are trained in how to resuscitate the one who has stopped breathing. There are a lot of churches that need God to breathe into them!

Maybe you have heard of the church that was so dead that when someone died during the service, they had to have an autopsy to determine which one! God have mercy—that may be the case for many who gather in the name of the Living God. What a contradiction!

We have witnessed in Ezekiel 37, THE REASONS FOR SEEKING A GREAT AWAKENING and THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SEEING A GREAT AWAKENING. Then what? There will be THE RESULTS IN SECURING A GREAT AWAKENING as described in verses 10-14.

When spiritual awakening comes, there will be VITALITY.

“Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.” Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel. You will know that I am the Lord, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do [it].’ [This is] the declaration of the Lord.” (v.11-14)

The corpses came to life. One of the chief characteristics of life is the ability to reproduce.

In the first two chapters of Genesis, we see the stress on species reproducing after their kind. God intends for fruitfulness.

This is why revival is always associated with evangelism. In fact, this has led some churches to schedule an evangelistic meeting and call it, “Revival.”

Revival and evangelism are not synonymous. Revival is the waking of saints and evangelism is the winning of souls. Although not synonymous, they will be simultaneous. It is what happens to a church that is alive, as clearly seen in Acts 2 and following throughout that book of church history. A dry baptistery is evidence of a dry church! Living churches generate live births.

Spiritual awakening in the church results in vitality, but also in VICTORY.

“So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.” (v.10)

It was an army that arose. God intends for His people to be the church militant and triumphant! Under the banner of the cross, we march to victory over our foes. Those foes are not of flesh and blood, but are spiritual forces.

Don’t forget that our war is not with sinners, but with Satan. They are pawns at his direction, but he is the prince who moves them.

“For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” (Eph.6:12)

If the theater of war is in Europe and I go to Asia to fight the battle, I am not going to experience victory. Too often, we show up to battle in the culture war using ballots for bullets, militant toward the media, prosecuting the war on the abortionist, the gay activist, and the pornographer. These are evils to resist and battles to fight—make no mistake—but the real battle is spiritual in nature.

Our supreme weapon is prayer. When we dress in the whole armor of God, the field of battle is in the prayer chamber, fought out on our knees—just read Ephesians 6:10-20. You cannot stand strong against evil and speak powerfully against it, unless you kneel humbly and pray fervently.

Although elections are important, and we face grave problems economically, plus the specter of war looms on the horizon, the real need is spiritual and the solution is supernatural! We need another Great Awakening!

Let us be desperate for it! Pray that through the faithful sharing of the Word, there will be a fresh stirring of the Spirit. A church that comes alive can impact the culture. Spiritual awakening can elevate the moral standing of an entire nation! It has happened before. It can happen again. IT MUST HAPPEN AGAIN!