Ezekiel – Salisbury Baptist Church

Dry Bones to Living Army

3rd November 2024

The restoration of Israel as a nation in 1948 fulfilled the first part of God's prophecy through Ezekiel, but a second step follows the just previous restoration of them to their original land of the Old Testament. This remains yet to happen - their spiritual awakening. Just as God acted to restore physical Israel as told in Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37, then He has a second action as Chapters 37 and 38 describe a day when He will breathe spiritual life into their 'dry bones'. He can and will bring about spiritual revival to the nation. They won't stop being Jewish, but they will become Christians. The Jewish people's future conversion to Christ will come through a time of crisis, when nations from the north attack Israel. This pattern of the Holy Spirit's awakening work - bringing conviction of sin followed by spiritual life - applies not only to Israel but to all peoples and individuals who come under conviction to turn to God. There can be a "personal awakening" in the individual or "national awakening" as a nation to God. The threat of invasion from the North by a team of enemy nations will cause the Israeli people to repent of their sinful ways and cry out to God.

Spirit of Grace continued

14th January 2024

"In our church, we've been learning about the Old Covenant and the move into the New Covenant. And so, history has been divided as far as God's promises, and particularly the covenants that he made with his people, Israel. And both the Old Covenant, through Moses, and then eventually Jesus, through Jesus, the New Covenant was made. But both of those covenants were made with Israel, God's people. Where do we come in as those who are in the church? We come in because in the making of the New Covenant, it was made available on a different basis than that which followed the Old Covenant's reliance on the Mosaic Law. But rather, the New Covenant entrance point was in your attitude to Christ. And Jesus, and belief in him, and trust in him for the forgiveness of sins, was the entrance door. The entrance door into the New Covenant God gave to Israel. And by everybody being invited to come in who were prepared to believe in Jesus, it formed a new body, not just people who were Jews, but a new body, both Jews and non-Jews, anybody, in fact, who was prepared to put their faith in Christ. That's the New Covenant."