In Jesus name, amen. Well, take your Bible and turn to Ezekiel chapter 37. Ezekiel 37, and as you turn there, we welcome one and all in the Savior's name. Those who join with us here in the building, those who join with us online, we welcome you in our Savior's precious name. We're reading a number of verses here. The first 14 verses of Ezekiel chapter 37. And we'll spend just a little time here in this chapter. I'm sure to us all you'll find Ezekiel just after there, the book of Lamentations. And so if you find Ezekiel, you'll be able to find it there. Ezekiel chapter 37. The word of God says, the hand of the Lord was upon me and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones and caused me to pass by them round about And behold, there were very many in the open valley, and though they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. When I beheld, though, the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, thus saith the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived. and stood up upon their feet an exceeding great army and he said unto me son of man these bones are the whole house of israel behold they say our bones are dried and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts therefore prophesy and say unto them thus saith the lord God, behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. And I shall put my spirit in you and ye shall live. And I shall place you in your own land. Then shall you know that I, the Lord, have spoken it. and performed it, saith the Lord. Amen, as I said, we'll end there at the end of the verse number 14 of Ezekiel chapter 37. You know, this 26th book of the Old Testament Scriptures is one of those Bible books that even ministers and pastors with years of preaching experience behind them struggle to fully understand what God is trying to communicate to His readership through the penmanship of the prophet Ezekiel. You've got whales and rainbows, you've got beings out of four faces and whenever you read it I'm sure at times you kind of scratch your head and wonder what is God trying to communicate to me as I read through the prophecy of Ezekiel. However, this chapter, Ezekiel chapter 37, is one chapter in the book where those struggles do not materialize. Because Ezekiel the prophet paints a very simple and yet a very graphic picture of the spiritual state of the land when he is carried by the Spirit of the Lord into a bone-filled valley. It is in that very location that God manifests to his servant Ezekiel what he is able to do in a place where it seems that nothing can be done. And I want us to briefly look at this chapter and the details within it. And I trust that what we'll consider this evening will encourage us as we come to see from this chapter that God can work in the most unlikeliest of places. That's my message title, God Can Work in the Most Unlikeliest of Places. As we think about our Bible clubs next week and the will of God, our gospel mission in the month of October, as well as our weekly meetings, we need to remember this very truth, brethren and sisters, the truth that God can work in the most unlikeliest of places. Who would have thought that God could send revival to the city of Nineveh, a city whose residents were given over to unimaginable cruelty, and yet God did. He spared the nation or He spared the city from God's judgment as they turned from their evil ways. Who would have thought that God could have established a church in the city of Corinth, with all of its sexual perverseness, but God did. And he brought into the membership of that church former fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners. If ever you had thought God could never establish a witness for him, it would have been in the city of Corinth. Who would have thought that God could have started to maintain churches behind the Iron Curtain in places like Romania and Bulgaria and Russia and Hungary, but God did. Winston Churchill first spoke about the Iron Curtain in 1946. A quarter of a million Soviet citizens were registered as members of the Evangelical Christian Baptist Union. By the time the Iron Curtain was lifted in 1991, that number had jumped from half a million to 1.5 million Soviets belonging to that one particular evangelical church. Who would have thought that God could have done that? To think that God can only work in certain places, in certain areas, in certain times, in certain districts, is to limit God. Brethren and sisters, we do not want to be doing that. We don't want to be limiting God. Now, if you had stood where Ezekiel stood that day, and you had surveyed the scene that Ezekiel had surveyed that day, you would have said, and don't think, brother, sister, that you wouldn't have. You would have said, God could never work in a place like this. God could never work in a place like this. But folks, God did, because God delights to work in the most unlikeliest of places. Now, as we look at this unlikely place where God chose to work, I want us to see, firstly, the conditions of the place. Now, God takes Ezekiel for a walk one day. Now, the walk isn't to some lovely garden, some beautiful garden. He doesn't take him for a walk up some majestic mountain. He doesn't take him for a walk beside some tranquil lake. But rather, he takes Ezekiel on a walk within what could only be but termed a graveyard full of bones, a valley full of bones. We read that the Spirit of the Lord, verse one, set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones. And we read later on in the verse number two, that there were very many bones in the open valley, and those bones were very dry. very dry. This valley into which Ezekiel is now standing and is being transported to by the Spirit of God, having been led there by the Spirit of God, that's important, but this valley is a valley that is destitute of any indicators of life. There is no sign of life whatsoever. It has got to the stage that the very bones, the very marrow in the bones is gone. They're so dry, dusty, dry bones. That is the condition of the place where God chose to work. As I thought of this valley full of dry bones, I don't think I need to remind you, brethren and sisters, that we live in such a place. I started to think about our community, thought about this town, the district in which we live. We live and we labor in such a place. We live in a valley and in this valley we certainly have symbolized for us the condition of the human race. Men are dead in their trespasses and in their sins. Spiritual life is gone, departed. Death reigns. Any form of spiritual life among the general public is by and large absent in these days. And we find ourselves, as Ezekiel found himself, in such a place. Conveyed there, transported there, set there by the Spirit of God. But is it not the case that even, sadly at times, among us as the people of God, This very valley represents our own hearts, our own lives, our own Christian experience. At times we find ourselves in such a condition ourselves. There's a terrible deadness sweeps across the soul, across the spiritual life. There is a dryness among us as a people of God. Dry eyes, dry hearts. dry souls and certainly the conditions that were prevalent in this place really at times reflects the spiritual conditions that abound in our nation and sadly within the church of Jesus Christ that's the place the conditions of the place wasn't very much to encourage Ezekiel wasn't really any indicators that God was going to do anything in such a place how could God work in such a place But I want you to look secondly at the communication regarding the place, because having been brought by the Spirit of God to survey the condition of the place in which he now stands, God communicates with Ezekiel, and he asks him a question at the beginning of the verse number three. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? Now logic and reason Logic and reason would have had Ezekiel give the answer, no, impossible. That's what logic, that's what human reasoning would have said to Ezekiel as he surveyed this valley full of many very dry bones. The answer to the question, can these bones live again? The logical, the reasonable answer would have been no, absolutely impossible. And yet, Ezekiel doesn't give that answer. Notice what Ezekiel says. Ezekiel says, You see, from a human perspective, these bones would never live again. And yet, there was something about Ezekiel. He was a man of faith. a man who believed God, a man who was led by God, a man who was, the hand of the Lord was upon such a man, and thus faith, though it was small, as small as the grain of a mustard seed, yet there was enough faith in Ezekiel for Ezekiel to realize that wherever God is present, and wherever God is at work, What is impossible with man is possible with God, and thus he said, Lord thou knowest, Lord thou knowest. He doesn't come out with an outright no. There's enough faith in Ezekiel to understand that with man, yes, impossible, but not with God. You see, beloved, all things, even those things that to our minds are impossible, become possible whenever God is in the midst of his people. Faith refers all possibility to God. Let me repeat that. refers all possibility to God. And certainly we, in our day, we need to be men and women of faith. Faith in God who can do the impossible and can work in the most unlikeliest of places. You see, sight, sight, our sight, would have us to look out into our nation and into our neighborhood and say there's no hope. Sight would have us to say there's no point in trying to reach the laws. Sight would have us to say there's no way that there could be a better day for the church of Jesus Christ. However, faith, instead of looking out, faith looks up, looks up to God. and that faith causes us to say that there is hope and that there is every reason to be engaged in soul winning enterprise and that there can be a better day for the church of Jesus Christ because with God all things are possible. Now Ezekiel had a part to play if he was going to see to the reversal of the state of affairs within the valley of very dry bones. God tells them, in verse 4, prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. And so the prophet, he faithfully communicates to these sun-bleached bones the message that God gave his servant. I'm convinced, brethren and sisters, and I trust you are too, I'm convinced that God never does anything of an injuring nature in our lives or in the lives of others except through the agency of the preached word. Anything of an injuring nature is communicated to us and is accomplished by the agency of the preached word. It is God's ordained way, the preaching of the word, the ministry of the word, God's appointed way to bring men and women, boys and girls to salvation. And so we go forth next week and we'll go forth in the gospel mission and we go forth on our Sunday evening meetings believing that God's word preached under God's power and in God's power will see to the reversal of things within the nation. Now as Ezekiel preached in the valley of very dry bones, God's servant had enough sense about him to know that he needed more than simply oratory skill, mere homiletics. a well-pointed and set forth and structured sermon to see anything accomplished in this place of death. You see, he had enough sense to know that he needed the workings of God the Holy Ghost. He needed the workings of the Spirit of God. And so we find these bones coming together, the sinews, the flesh coming upon them. But here we have verse eight, but there was no breath in them. And so he said unto me, prophesy unto the wind. prophesy son of man and say to the wind thus saith the lord god come from the four winds of breath and breathe upon these slain that they may live now we know what the wind is a picture of the wind is a picture of god the holy spirit remember what christ said to nicodemus the wind bloweth where it listeth and thou canst not tell whence it cometh or whether it goeth so is everyone that is born of the spirit of god The Spirit of God in the day of Pentecost. There was the sound, the noise of a rushing, mighty wind. And so many times in Scripture, we have the picture of the wind as a type, a picture of the God, the Holy Spirit. And thus, he prophesies, or we could say he prays. He prays to the wind. He's praying here to the Spirit of God. that the Spirit of God will come and animate these unanimated skeletal fiends and breathe literally life back into them where life once existed. And, brethren and sisters, the application is very, very simple. Ezekiel learned He learnt that day that it is the Spirit of God who imparts life into the dead. And certainly, and most assuredly, we need the ministry of God the Holy Spirit among us again. Imparting life, life into his church. and into the souls who are dead in their trespasses and sins. And no better prayer could we offer tonight for the work of God here in this church, aye, and in other places. No better prayer could we offer but this prayer. Come, Holy Spirit, and breathe upon these slain that they may live. Let's pray that type of prayer tonight. I want you to look. At another point, I want you to look at the commotion in the place, the condition of the place, the communication concerning the place. I want you to notice the commotion in the place. Now, as Ezekiel preached in probably the most unlikeliest place that you would ever think of preaching, well, things began to happen. Bones began to rattle. Those bones joined together to form a frame. Only for sinews and flesh to clothe those bones and finally for breath and life to animate those skeletal frames. Notice what it says there, verse seven. So I prophesied as I was commanded and as I prophesied there was a noise. Would to God there were noises whenever I preached in the gospel. Men and women crying out to God for mercy. And behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And then we read on what I've already said. What a commotion! What a commotion there was in that graveyard, that boneyard that day. Someone has termed this, they preached a message, Reggie Cranston it was, revival in a boneyard. That's what we need, brethren and sisters, revival. Revival in that bone yard. What a commotion there must have been. Rattling of these bones, them joining together. What a noise there must have been. Believe it or not, commotion doesn't go down well with everyone in the church. We're creatures of habit. If anyone sits in our pew, and by the way, there are no pews in this church. You don't own a pew. There are no pews in this church, not your pew. But someone sits in our pew and we're up in arms. Oh, terrible. And if a child or a young'un, they start to make a little bit of noise, well, we glare and we stare, and we look at the struggling mother, and we say, tut, tut, under her breath, forgetting what our own children were like. Brother, sister, if you're a person who likes the status quo, well, you're not going to like it whenever God starts to work in the church. There's going to be a commotion. Going to be a bit of a commotion. And how we need a holy commotion in these days in the work of Jesus Christ. The breath of God sweeping through us, removing the spiritual cobwebs. Breathing life back into us again. Maybe you don't want that. Well, I tell you, this is what we need. This is what the church needs. Of all places, a bone-filled valley is not somewhere we do think that God could secure for himself an exceeding great army. But that is exactly where God worked, and that is exactly what God secured for himself that day. Verse 10, so I prophesied as he commanded, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Why does God do this? Why does God do something like this? The answer to that question is found at the end of the verse six. And ye shall know that I am the Lord. That's why he does it. He does it to make his knee unknown. He does it to make his stain known. He didn't do it for Ezekiel's sake. He didn't do it for Ezekiel's comfort. He did it that all the world would know. He did it so that God's name would be glorified, that ye shall know, Ezekiel, that I am the Lord, that I am the God that can do the impossible. I believe that sadly, too many of us as God's people, we have forgot that God can do the impossible and we have settled for the norm. Settle for a spirituality that keeps us content. We've settled for death. Oh beloved, if God was able to work in Ezekiel's day, is he not able to work in our day? If God was able to work in that most unlikely place, can God not work in your family and in your home? and in your district, and in your place of employment, in your school, on your street. He can. He can. Of course he can. And he'll do it. He'll do it so that his name is known. Oh, sadly, we're a little bit like the children of Israel Here in the verse 11, our bones are dried and our hope is lost. That's where many of God's people are. That's in the position, that's the position that they're at spiritually. The whole thing's lost. Well, brethren and sisters, it may be lost with you, but it's certainly not lost in this heart of mine. God is able. God works in the most unlikeliest of places. Did he not work in your heart? Did he not work in your life? Sure, was that not an unlikely place? And yet he worked. Wondrous grace, the wondrous grace of God. May God be pleased to work by his Spirit in coming days and raise an army of Christians that will sing to the conquering of our nation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He opens the graves. He breathes new life within. Oh, may God come. We sung it tonight. Oh, breath of life, come sweeping through us. Revive thy church with life and power. Are we waiting for it? Are we ready for the commotion, the stirring? Oh, may God help us to be ready for it. May God be pleased to breathe again upon this church. Let's pray to that end. Let's cry to God, O come Holy Spirit, and breathe upon these slain. May God encourage and stir up our hearts, even for Jesus' sake. Amen. Let's bow in prayer briefly. Our Heavenly Father, what an encouragement this chapter is to our soul. Lord, we believe that all things within the Old Testament Scriptures are written there for our learning, for our instruction. We read on in that particular verse that ye threw the comfort off the Scriptures. And how comforting, Lord. Here we are. Oh God, this is our valley of very dry bones. Lord, will you not come? Will you not come and breathe upon these slain? Will you not come and revive the church? Will you not come and pour out thy spirit upon us in these days? Will you not come and stir up the people of God? Will you not come and implant new life and zeal and enthusiasm for the things of God and for the gospel of Jesus Christ? Oh, may we not die on our feet but grant, dear God, new life and new power and new zeal and enthusiasm for the things of God. And answer prayer, therefore, and draw near to us as we come to pray in a few moments' time. We offer now these, our petitions, in and through our Savior's precious and holy and wondrous name.