Can These Bones Live

[00:00:02] In the name of Jesus. [00:00:04] Amen. [00:00:07] Well, can these bones live? [00:00:14] That's the big question in the lessons today. Did you notice? [00:00:18] It's the big question in our lives as well. [00:00:23] It is the question that comes up at funerals, at memorial services. [00:00:29] It's the big question that wafts as a wind through this cemetery that's right next door to us here. [00:00:39] It's also the question in this room today because we look at ourselves and we look at our own dead, dry bones. [00:00:51] Dead, dry bones from chasing after the things of this world. [00:00:56] Dead, dry bones from trying to live up to all the expectations of others. [00:01:03] Dead, dry bones because of doubts and fears and of broken promises, dried up and dead because of our trespasses and sin. [00:01:19] Well, it's the season of Lent, and so it's appropriate because of that that we take some time and look at our own dying bodies and ask that very question, can these bones live? [00:01:36] Now, if we didn't have God's word, if we didn't have the encouragement that we receive from it and the truths that it tells, the best that we could hope to say about that question, can these bones live? Is, well, I sure hope so. [00:01:58] Not much comfort there. I mean, imagine if that was the response to all of our big questions in life. [00:02:04] Does your spouse love you? [00:02:08] I sure hope so. [00:02:11] Are we getting paid this month? [00:02:16] Hope so. [00:02:18] Is this airplane safe? Oh, I really hope so. [00:02:26] Does your surgeon know what he's doing? [00:02:30] You know how they come in and they mark the part of your body that they're going to operate on? It's like, that's encouragement. [00:02:39] Sure hope so. [00:02:42] You know, we couldn't live with that kind of uncertainty, could we? So the question's a good one. Can these bones live? And today we hear the wonderful answer to that question with no uncertainty whatsoever. [00:02:53] It might be kind of a spoiler alert for the rest of the message today. But without hesitation, without doubt, the sure, certain unwavering truth of God's word tells us these bones can live. Yes. Yes, they can. [00:03:13] Because Jesus said it. He said, I am the resurrection and the life. [00:03:19] Did you hear it? [00:03:21] Did you hear it in the lesson? And so today we learn. [00:03:29] What he is. He gives. He gives what he is is the best way to say that it's not new. He's always been doing that. [00:03:35] Our giving God is always giving what he is. [00:03:39] He's life. [00:03:41] He gives life. [00:03:43] He rose from the dead. He gives resurrection. [00:03:48] So we might think about it this way. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and he created all living things out of nothing. [00:03:58] We preachers learn it in Latin, ex nihilo. Out of nothing. He. [00:04:04] Simply because he gives, simply because he lives, simply because he loves, he spoke. He spoke everything into existence with these words. Let there be. And there was. Let there be light and there was. Let there be the sun and the moon and the stars, and there was. Let there be all living things. [00:04:31] And there was. [00:04:37] He is, as we will confess in the Apostles Creed shortly, the Maker of heaven and earth. [00:04:46] And so today we hear about Ezekiel's dry bones. And they were bones of Israel's sin. They were bones of Israel's rebellion. [00:04:56] They were there the result of her unfaithfulness in chasing after other gods. And yet God gives life to those dead, dry bones. And it's with these simple words of prophecy and with the breath of the Holy Spirit. And those bones come to life because God willed to give life. [00:05:15] Again, as we will confess in the creed, Jesus, he rose again from the dead. [00:05:23] And then we also heard about Lazarus this morning. [00:05:27] Dead Lazarus four days in the grave Lazarus. [00:05:34] And again another victim of the wages of sin, and not just sin in general, but Lazarus own sin. And yet God wills to give life. He wills to give love. And so he speaks. Lazarus, come out. [00:05:49] And with those words, Jesus raised a dead man. [00:05:56] Just as again we will confess in the creed. I believe in the resurrection of the body. [00:06:04] Jesus, he is the one. [00:06:07] He is the one who is true God. [00:06:09] He comes in the flesh. There is no other. He is the resurrection and the life. And the only one who is the resurrection and the life. And remember, he gives what he is. [00:06:26] But that's true not only because of who God is, but most importantly, it's true because Jesus gave what he is in another way. He who is the life gives his life for us on the cross. [00:06:41] Now, we heard in our lesson today Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. And as we listened, we heard about Caiaphas plotting and all those others plotting to take Jesus life from him. But no one can take Jesus life from him, for he is the life. And only he could give that life. And only he could lay that life down. As we learn In John chapter 10, Caiaphas, he really didn't know what he was saying. And he for sure didn't know what he was doing. [00:07:10] But Jesus, he knew full well. He knew they opposed him. He knew the plot against him to kill him. And there was, well, in reality, not many enemies, but only one. [00:07:28] He knew that the signs and the miracles that he was performing, he knew that the Word that he was teaching. He knew that the life that. That he was giving was rousing his ancient enemy, Satan. [00:07:43] Satan hates Jesus. [00:07:47] Now, no one loves life more than Jesus, but no one hates life more than Satan. [00:07:52] And no one hates death more than Jesus, but no one loves death more than Satan. [00:08:00] So Jesus laying down his life was, well, for Satan, too good to be true. [00:08:09] The worm on that hook was too fat to pass up. And Caiaphas, he thought he was saving a nation, and Satan thought he was saving a kingdom. But only Jesus knew the truth. He was saving the world. He was saving you. And he was saving me. [00:08:27] So that we would know the answer to the question, can these bones live? [00:08:37] He who is the life showed us in his own resurrection that yes, yes, they can. [00:08:45] And he showed us through Ezekiel's dry bones, and he showed us through the raising of Lazarus, the reality, that very same reality is awaiting us, that our bones can live and do live even now. [00:09:02] Again, I want you to note carefully Jesus words and the order of Jesus words that he said about himself. He said, I am the resurrection and the life. [00:09:15] That order is important. [00:09:17] We tend to think it the other way. Life and then resurrection. That, yes, God has given me life, and then I will die and then resurrection. And I don't know if you noticed, but that's what Martha thought too. [00:09:31] She said, yes, Lord, Lazarus will rise on the last day. [00:09:38] And we're kind of invited to see that. Martha is there with tears in her eyes and maybe some anger in her voice. [00:09:45] But these dry bones don't have to wait till that last day to live, just as we didn't wait until our last day to live, but are already dead in trespasses and sins. So we don't have to wait to live. Why? Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Again, that order is important. Our eternal life doesn't just start on the last day. [00:10:09] We've been given life already here now. [00:10:15] We've already been raised by grace, through faith. [00:10:18] For the one who is the resurrection and the life is here. [00:10:23] And His Word and His spirit are here, here, giving what he is giving resurrection and life here and now. [00:10:37] And when we are resurrected to new life in him, well, that's when life really begins. [00:10:45] Maybe you could look at it this way. Before our baptism, we looked just like Lazarus, bound up in our sin, quite at home in death and the grave. We stinketh, to borrow the words from the King James version, But in the water and the word of holy baptism, the voice of Jesus commands us come out. [00:11:09] And the Word and The Spirit goes to work on us and we come up out of that watery grave and we live in new life. And the resurrection and the life are given to us. And these dead bones live. [00:11:25] Oh, and then think about forgiveness. [00:11:28] Because each week, well, each day, well, really many times a day, we look just like Ezekiel's dry bones, not able to lift one sinewy finger to God. That sin in us has left us all dried up and we come here like a heap of dry bones. [00:11:49] And yet in the absolution, it is the voice of Jesus. Not just the voice of a pastor speaking, but the voice of Jesus through that pastor who comes with life giving and breath giving words. I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and, and of the Holy Spirit and the Word and the Spirit of God go to work in us and the resurrection and the life are given to us. And these dry bones live. [00:12:20] Oh, and then there's Holy Communion where we come and we eat the bread of life and drink the blood of the one who is the living water. And we're satisfied. And this divine food feeds us to eternal life. And the Word and the Spirit of God does its work and the resurrection and the life are given to us. And these bones lives live. [00:12:39] Which means that when we're faced with death, either the death of a dear loved one or our own impending deaths, we know these bones can live. [00:12:55] And when we're faced with our sins, which divide us from each other and which divide us from God and cause death and destruction and dryness, we know these bones can live. [00:13:09] And when we are faced with Satan who whispers in our ear and tells us that we've blown it too many times and how could God love you after what you did? And telling us that the life that we crave, it's just a myth. [00:13:28] Well, we know these bones can live. [00:13:33] We know it, for he is the resurrection and the life. We know it for his bones live. We know it for he gives what he is. As we heard from St. Paul. [00:13:44] If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. [00:14:04] So our life is not a life of. [00:14:12] I hope so. [00:14:15] Oh, far from it. It's a life of confidence. Confidence in Christ. [00:14:23] All of our questions of life and death have been answered. Oh, more taken care of. [00:14:31] Because in the battle of life and death, life has won for those who are in him. Sin is not the last word. Forgiveness is. [00:14:42] Death is not our future. [00:14:45] Life is. [00:14:48] And the grave is not our end. [00:14:52] Resurrection is. [00:14:56] Why? [00:14:58] Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and he is here. [00:15:06] And so the question can these bones live?