IKEA moment – look at a pile of pieces and wonder – can this ever become what it is supposed to be

Before IKEA we would have called it an MFI moment

Not new – 2600 years ago there was an IKEA moment…

Eze. 37:1-3 Bones all over the place!

Humanly speaking the situation is impossible – Ezekiel recognises this

V4-10 A clear demonstration of the power of God to bring life into a place of death and destruction

The scene we have here in Ezekiel is God’s plan accomplished by God’s power … yet Ezekiel was given a role in the story

V4 Prophesy to theses bones and say to them…

Ezekiel’s job was to speak to the dry bones!

Doesn’t stand up too well to logical analysis – probably more sensible options…

• Ezekiel, watch what I’m going to do with these bones
• Ezekiel, pray for these bones
• Ezekiel, arrange the bones in heaps

Speaking to the bones is probably the least likely option that springs to mind – yet it was the way in which God chose to work

Until Ezekiel spoke God’s word to the bones they remained as dry bones – no change until Ezekiel spoke!

God’s word to you today – if you want to see change you are going to have to speak it – you are going to have to prophesy to some dry bones

2 dangers to mention before we proceed:

Overdoing this – word faith movement

• Prayer replaced by positive confession – commanding God rather than wrestling with God
• Faith becomes a force rather than knowledge of God
• Over emphasis on forms of words and superstitious paranoia about negative words
• Focus on personal prosperity over character and holiness

Under doing this – pious fatalism

• Passive acceptance of problems
• Ascribing everything to the sovereignty of God
• Cautious prayer – hardly daring to ask
• Low expectation of answers to prayer

Christians often pendulum swing between the two extremes – need to see what the Bible actually teaches us

Seen Ezekiel – now the New Testament…

Mark 5:40-42 Little girl, I say to you, get up!

Mark 4:39 Quiet! Be still!

Dead girls, waves and wind do not possess the ability to hear – yet Jesus spoke to them and they responded!

Does that mean we can do so though??

Matt. 21:18-21 We have here both permission and paradox – many have tried this in a literal sense and many mountains have stayed put!

Need to understand the message here – there is no limit to what can be achieved – yet we do not become gods ourselves – we remain part of the process not the ultimate controller of it

If you are walking in a God given direction and there is a mountain in the way then you can speak to it

Acts 13:6-11 Elymas was a mountain that obstructed the preaching of the gospel – he was removed!

Number of other times in Acts where the believers spoke to situations they faced…

Acts 9:32-34 Peter did just as he had seen Jesus do – more than positive confession though – this is clearly done in the name of Jesus

V36-40 Peter prayed first – then he spoke to the dead woman

What happened as he prayed? We don’t know for certain but I believe faith rose in his heart and he was led to speak out the bold words of command

Can you see the picture coming together now?

Ezekiel looking at dry bones knew that God and only God could do something – then God gave him words that commanded the miracle into reality

Jesus spoke directly to many situations and saw them miraculously transformed

The disciples continued the work of Jesus – speaking what he gave them to speak and seeing amazing things happen

Like Peter we need to spend time on our knees in prayer about things but there will also come times when we need to rise to our feet and prophesy into a situation

Those with a word-faith tendency are sometimes all speaking and no time on their knees

Those with a passive tendency are sometimes stuck on their knees and need to do some speaking

Some say “God hears every prayer – even the quiet ones in our hearts”

This is true, but when he tells us to speak a word or prophesy to a situation not doing so is disobedience!

Imagine if Ezekiel had been like many of today's Christians...

“Ezekiel, speak to the dry bones”

“Ezekiel, I can’t hear you speaking”

“I’m praying for them Lord”

“I know that, but I told you to prophesy to them”

“But I’d feel a right idiot doing that, can’t I just pray like I’m used to doing?”

“No”

“But surely it doesn’t make any difference whether or not it’s out loud?”

“It does when I’ve told you to speak out loud!”

“But the bones can’t hear anyway, so what difference will it make?”

“The difference between seeing something happening and not seeing something happen!”

Speaking something out is incredibly powerful – it is a step of faith – it shows that we really believe that our God is able to do something

Remember there is no salvation without confession:

Rom. 10:9-10 Confess with your mouth…

Believing in your heart is only half of the process – need to speak it out!

Not good at speaking? Remember what the Lord said to Moses:

Ex. 4:10-11

Perhaps today you need a touch from God to open your mouth – ask and you will receive!