"Into The Music" - Pt. 4

Hi, this is John Ozanting, lead pastor of Evolved Church, and this is the Evolve Church Podcast.

Thanks so much for tuning in.

We hope that you find today's message encouraging and full of hope for wherever you're at.

Evolve Fam, how good has this series been?

Have you enjoyed it?

I've loved it.

And today's song, I just want to shout out to all of our incredible musicians and volunteers who just have taken time to practice.

And I loved the team today.

Um, it sounds a little weird saying that because I clearly was playing keys for that.

And so it's been that was a lot of fun for me to practice and get behind the keyboard.

And uh somebody said to me, Pastor John, aren't you gonna be singing like a special number during this series?

And so, like, this series is over today, but like if if anybody thinks we should add a fifth week and that I should like bust out some U2 or or something, light up the chats for me and let me know.

And maybe, just maybe we'll throw in a fifth week coming up here.

We'll see.

But um, if you've loved this series, uh, I hope it's brought encouragement to you.

Today, uh the team sung a Marin Morse song called The Bones, and the lyric said, We're in the home stretch of the hard times.

We took a hard left, but we're all right.

And man, I I read that as I was preparing for today, and I'm like, so many storms that we've faced this last couple of years, so many storms that we're facing right now.

Are we in the home stretch of the hard times?

I want to believe we are.

I want to believe we're in the home stretch of the hard times, and yet part of me is like, you know what?

The world has been groaning for centuries.

And the things we've experienced may come to an end, but there'll be other things coming around the corner.

But how many of you feel like the world took a serious hard left over the last 18 months?

Are we through it?

And yet here we are in the middle of crisis in Haiti with this massive earthquake and thousands of people losing their lives and all of the need and aid and food and water, but we can't get it to the people who need it the most.

And what's going on in Afghanistan just breaks my heart.

How's the Taliban has resurged into that country and just taken over?

And I've I've this week I've cried and worried about women in leadership and Jesus followers in hiding.

And what's gonna happen?

Are we in the home stretch of the hard times?

It's taking a hard left, right?

And and what storms?

What storms have hit your heart this week?

Have you gotten caught up in all of the vaccination conversations and your heart's just like imploding with fear and worry and anxiety with with delta variants and things going on with COVID?

And listen, we want you in the room Tuesday morning, 7 a.m.

I already mentioned it, but 7 a.m.

live on Instagram, live on Facebook this week.

Um, I want you in the room just for a time of prayer together.

We're gonna talk this through.

But this past week um uh we were rehearsing for today.

And before we before we hit the stage, before we rehearsed, um Becca, one of our leaders, was just sharing a quick thought with us.

And we were we were talking about keeping the main thing, the main thing.

Like even as musicians, we were talking about the presence of God is what we crave.

Just a touch from heaven is what we long to experience.

There's so much rubbish in our lives, so much noise, so much uh, so much rubbish.

That's the word we landed on.

Like what's what's feeling like it's distracting you right now?

But really, if you if you're serious, does this even matter to the heart of God?

Does this even matter to the mission of Jesus?

When we when we step into eternity with our King, will these things even matter?

These things we're so worried about, so caught up with right now, will they matter in light of eternity?

And what matters most was Jesus speaking to your heart in the middle of the storms you're facing right now?

Even as I look back on last week's message, what are you willing to overcome right now?

To step over, step through for just a few minutes of rest and worship with your God.

How do you keep your heart set on what matters the most?

How do we do this?

Because life can sure try to put love through it, but we built this right, so nothing's ever gonna move it.

When the bones are good, the rest don't matter.

The paint could peel, the glass could shatter, let it break because we remain the same when there ain't a crack in our foundation.

I know any storms we're facing will blow right over while we stay put.

That the house won't fall when the bones are good.

The house won't fall when the bones are good.

So how's your bones?

How's your heart?

How's your foundation?

Even as a few minutes ago, here in this space and in person this weekend at Evolve, we sang, You are my reward, treasure of heaven, that you're my supply.

You are my supply now and forever.

And all my hope and all my joy is found in you.

How beautiful you are, Jesus.

All of our hope, all of our joy is found in you.

So, Father, we would just embrace this moment together as family here in this online space.

We just invite your Holy Spirit, Spirit of the living God, to just renew us, restore us, fill us up once again.

In this moment, as we go to your word, Jesus, would you strengthen our bones?

Would you strengthen our foundation?

Jesus, our chief cornerstone, Jesus, the anchor for our souls.

We just set our hearts on you today.

Jesus, the firm foundation that we're building our lives upon.

Help us to keep our hearts set on what matters the most.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

I want to go to Ezekiel today.

As we're talking about this song, the bones, and this tension between like hard left and in the middle of this hurt and all the hard times we're going through, the house won't fall if the bones are good.

So let's talk about your bones.

Let's talk about your firm foundation.

What does that look like?

And we're going to go to an epic bone story in the Bible.

That's right, I said it.

Ezekiel, and to set the context, this um prophetic book, Ezekiel's a prophet, the voice of God sent to his people to deliver a message.

This takes place in 597 BC, about 600 years before Jesus.

And God's people, the Israelites, they've been taken captive.

The Babylonians have taken captive the people of God.

The Israelites are living in exile.

They're far from Jerusalem, far from the temple, far from the presence of their God.

And the people, they're disoriented and uprooted, and they're living out their lives in a foreign land, and they're frustrated and they're tired and they're exhausted and they're crying out, how long, O Lord, why, God?

And pause for a moment because this works.

This works with our climate.

This works with the hearts of Jesus' church right now.

I know across the nation of Canada, as I do life with so many incredible pastors, and they share stories of their people, people that are feeling disoriented and out of touch with God and disconnected from home and family, and they're crying out, Why God?

How long, O Lord?

And after years, God sends Ezekiel as a messenger to the people.

And here's one of the visions, one of the pictures that God gives to Ezekiel to share with his people in Ezekiel chapter 37.

Ezekiel 37 · chapter mention

The Bible has so much to say around this language of keeping our bones healthy and keeping our foundation strong.

Ezekiel 37 is a beautiful text.

And I want to encourage you, I'm reading from the New Living Translation today, grab your Bible, just put a page marker in there.

Ezekiel chapter 37 is where we're going to land today.

Ezekiel 37 · chapter mention

And I just want to share three thoughts from this incredible vision that God gives Ezekiel.

Okay?

Starting in verse 1, the first thought I want to share with you is this.

If you're taking notes, if you're in the chats, somebody write this down for me.

God wants to know that you know what he knows.

God wants to know that you know what he knows.

God wants to know that we know what he knows.

And so Ezekiel 37, starting in verse 1, here's what it said The Lord took a hold of me and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones.

He led me all around among the bones that covered the floor.

They were scattered everywhere, across the ground, completely dried out.

And then he asked me, Son of man, can these bones become living people again?

Ezekiel replied, Sovereign Lord, you you alone know the answer to that.

Pause for a second.

God wants to know that you know what he knows.

He wants to know that you, as his daughter, as his son, understand his heart, his motive, how he's worked before, and what he can do all over again.

But God wants to know that you know what he knows.

And so he poses a question to Ezekiel.

God asks Ezekiel a question.

Can these bones become living people again?

And Ezekiel's response is like, who am I?

God, you're God.

I'm not.

Shouldn't you?

Why are you asking me a question?

And that leads me to this like, what question is God asking you right now?

When you get still, when you get quiet with him, come on.

What's he prompting your heart?

What questions is God asking of your heart today?

He's saying, son, daughter, can this marriage become restored and beautiful covenant again?

Can your heart be made healthy and whole again?

Can this friendship become life-giving again?

Can your physical body be made well again?

Healthy and whole?

And you're like, God, God, what are you asking me for?

You're God.

Shouldn't you have the answer to that?

Come on, God.

You're after all, you're God.

I'm not.

And I love that God begins with this.

The Spirit of the Living God wants to know that we know what He knows.

Why are you asking me, God?

You're God.

Shouldn't you know the answers that we seek?

You alone.

Shouldn't you have the answers?

Come on.

The words of Jesus in Matthew 7 come to life because Jesus is anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise.

When we not just listen to the teaching of Jesus, but we follow it, we apply it, we obey it.

That's where wisdom is.

And it's compared to a person who builds a house on a solid rock.

Though the rain comes in torrents, the floodwaters rise, the winds beat against it, it won't collapse because it's built on bedrock.

Here's a great picture of foundation.

Foundation of knowing what God knows.

God wants to know that we know what He knows.

How?

Through scripture, not just listening to the teaching, but following it and obeying it and applying it to our lives.

Last week we talked about soap, S O A P scripture, observation, application, and prayer.

You can't shortchange this one church.

There's no shortcut, there's no microwave button for this one.

We have to know what God knows.

We have to know how he's worked and how he's loved and how he's served and how he's provided for in the past so that we have the trust and the faith and the confidence to know that he can do it again.

And so he's asking you a question.

Come on, can your is your marriage worth fighting for?

Is that wayward son or daughter worth loving with unconditional love?

Come on, what what question is he posing to your heart in this season of trouble?

In this season of hardship.

Why?

Because God wants to know that you know what he knows.

And oftentimes while we're in the waiting and hoping that God will download some answer or some truth that we've been asking for, He's waiting for us.

He's waiting for us to invite what He knows, invite what He's already spoken, invite what He's taken the time to put down in writing through Scripture to shape our lives and bring about the transformation, the answers that we seek.

Second thought, oftentimes waiting for God to move looks like God waiting for us to get our inner thoughts and our outer words in agreement with him.

Oftentimes when we're waiting for God to move, come on, God, you're God, after all, he's actually waiting for us.

He's waiting for us to get our inner thoughts and our outer words in agreement with him.

The story picks up in verse 4.

Then he said to me, Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, God even says what to say.

Ezekiel says, Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord.

This is what the sovereign Lord says.

Look, I'm going to put breath into you and make you live again.

I will put flesh and muscles on you, cover you with skin, I'll put breath into you.

You will come to life, and then you will know that I am the Lord.

And so, Ezekiel says, I spoke this message just as he told me.

God said it, and I spoke it.

And I love this picture because oftentimes when we're waiting for God to show up and do something, he's like, Hey, kid, son, daughter, how's your heart?

What are you thinking on?

And how is it coming out of your mouth?

Keep in mind, Ezekiel here is in exile.

He's a captive in Babylon.

He is in distress.

He is in need.

His wife has died.

He is hurting.

He is tired.

He is broken.

And God's people are not only living in exile.

Matter of fact, they're far from God and they've taken on the flavor and the practices of their captors.

They're living in dishonor and disobedience to the ways of God.

And Ezekiel's heart is hurting and it's broken.

This army of dry bones in Ezekiel's vision is a picture of God's people dried up and ineffective.

Scattered and lifeless.

And oftentimes we stand on the valley floor looking at the looking at the dry bones.

We stare at the bones and we see what's scattered and we see what's broken, and we see what's ineffective, and we see what's lifeless.

And we say, Where are you, God?

Let's get real for a second.

Come on, God.

Aren't you on the throne?

Didn't Jesus make a way for us?

Where are you, God?

My life is in shambles.

It's broken and hurting and scattered and ineffective.

Where are you, God?

I'm waiting.

And God's like, How's your heart, son?

I want you to not only know what I know, but to get their inner thoughts and voices in your heart and your outer words in agreement with me.

Come on.

Get your thoughts and your word lined up with what God knows.

Because look what God does.

He says, Ezekiel, come on, son.

Don't just stare at the problem or the issue.

Speak to it.

Use your words.

Find your voice.

See what can be, using the eyes of faith, looking ahead to what I can do, knowing who I've been in the past, knowing what I've done for others, knowing what I've done for you.

Use your voice.

Speak a prophetic message to these bones.

Speak a prophetic message to this ineffective, scattered, broken, dried up, lifeless situation.

Speak to that child of yours who's wandered away from God.

What are you saying?

Come on, to that marriage that's cold and brittle.

What's in your heart?

What are you saying?

To that heart that's overcome with fear because of what's going on in the world.

How's your heart?

What are your thoughts?

What are you saying?

To that financial crisis that has you drowning in anxiety right now.

What are your thoughts?

What are your words?

Are you in agreement with the heart of God?

This is not a name it and claim it thing.

This is not a like pull the lever.

If I say these things, then God's gonna do this.

And I heard this preacher once, come on, just say it.

That's not what I'm talking about.

That's not what I'm talking about.

Oftentimes waiting for God to move looks like God waiting for us to just patiently get our inner thoughts and our heart and the narrative and the voice as we as we resist the attack of the enemy and get our thoughts in line with God's heart for us, and then it comes out of our mouth.

And it's got to.

You've got to speak, you've got to find your voice back.

You've been at home too long, you've been watching church for too long.

You've, I guarantee you're not preaching me, you know, shouting me down in your living room.

You're not on your feet saying, Come on, Pastor Johnno, did you stand up and sing with the worship team or did you just quietly receive?

You've got to find your voice back, church.

We've got to champion and use our authority as sons and daughters.

We've got to find our voices back.

Three of the four eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus.

Cite the story where Jesus is moved into the wilderness for a season and tempted by the accuser.

And they all say the same thing.

Jesus' only and best offensive weapon against his wilderness season and the lies of the accuser was to use his voice, shout aloud, know what the devil speak out loud to the lies of the accuser.

And what did he speak?

Scripture.

That was it.

The accuser whispered, and Jesus said, No, I know what my God said.

The accuser lied?

No, I know what my God said.

The accuser tempted?

No.

I know what my God said.

Jesus himself had to do this.

Jesus himself had to do this.

God made flesh.

Big brother Jesus had to do this.

Guess what?

Jesus can't do this for you.

You're going to have to learn how to do this all on your own.

I'm teaching you how today, but you're going to have to learn this one, church.

Luke 6, a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart.

An evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart, and what you say flows out of what's in your heart.

God wants to know that you know what he knows, but often waiting for God to move looks like God waiting for us to get our inner man, our inner thoughts, and our outer words in agreement with him.

Third and final, even when it's not finished, or the answer doesn't look complete, keep your heart and your words in agreement.

Even when it's not finished, or the answer doesn't look complete.

Keep your heart, your inner, your inner thoughts and your outer words.

Keep them in agreement.

The kingdom of heaven is seed, time and harvest.

I've said that before, right?

God's word is like seed, our lives are like soil.

And God's word is agricultural.

Our relationship with God is agriculture.

It's not mechanical.

This piece is broken.

God give me a new piece to fix this.

No.

Our lives are like agriculture.

Our hearts are like soil.

Scripture, the Bible, is like seed, and as we plant it, it takes time to grow.

How long does it take for a seed to come to maturity and bear good fruit?

How long?

It takes as long as it takes.

And sometimes we wait.

We wait to see the fruit come.

What your heart believes to be true about God, what your heart believes to be true about his goodness and his character and his faithfulness and his power and his provision and his love and his embrace and his protection.

It just takes time.

It takes time to see it come to fruition in our lives.

And while you're waiting, are you getting frustrated?

Are you getting bitter?

Are you getting angry?

Are you saying, I'm done with this?

This doesn't work.

While you're waiting, are you keeping your inner heart and your outer words in agreement with him?

Sometimes we do this for a week.

I'll read my Bible for a week and I'll say these things, and then a week later we're like, I'm done checking out.

This doesn't work.

Don't get discouraged.

Come on, come back.

Parents, let me think, let me talk to you for a second.

All the moms and dads watching.

When you think about your parenting journey, how often do you have to repeat yourself?

Come on.

Come on, moms and dads.

Get in the chats for me.

Let me know you feel what I feel.

Like every day, every week, every hour, sometimes every minute, aren't we repeating ourselves and repeating ourselves and repeating ourselves?

Why?

It's not because our kids are dense, it's because they're distracted.

It's because our voice in their life as mom or as dad or as mom and dad is so important.

We're going to continue to go before them.

Not only are we going to speak what we're asking of them or expecting of them or what we believe in them, but we're going to speak to their purpose.

We're going to speak to their identity.

No, no, no, no, no.

I know I love you, son.

I know that you are such a great listener.

That's why I'm confused right now, because you aren't listening to me.

Come on, I know this is who you are.

Man, God does the same thing for us.

He speaks and he speaks still and he speaks again and he spoke so clearly.

It was written down for us to read and to read and to read again.

And we still miss and we still fall away and we still get discouraged and we still get bent out of shape and we still get heartbroken and we still get wounded.

And the voice of the Father says, Come on, son, come on, daughter, come back, return to me.

I want to know that you know what I know, because oftentimes I'm just gonna pay.

He says, I'm gonna patiently wait till you get your inner thoughts and your outer thoughts.

Words in agreement with me, and then even when it's not done, even when it's not finished, stay put.

Don't wander off.

Ezekiel 37, the story picks up in verse 7.

So I spoke this message just as he told me, and suddenly, as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley.

And the bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.

And then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones and skin formed.

But they still had no breath in them.

So this miracle in the making, this vision for Ezekiel, these dry bones scattered together.

Picture with me, femurs and thigh bones and uh, you know, I don't know, all the bones scattered, and they like come together and form skeletons, and then muscle and tissue and skin.

Just like God said, He said, Ezekiel, if you speak it, this is what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna bring them back to life.

And so Ezekiel spoke, and the dry bones gathered and formed, but they still had no breath in them.

At this point, I picture Ezekiel being like, Come on, God, didn't you say?

Didn't you say?

But verse 9, God said to Ezekiel, speak again.

Speak a prophetic message to the winds, Ezekiel.

Speak a prophetic message, say, This is what the sovereign Lord says, Come, O breath from the four winds, breathe into these dead bodies, so that they may live again.

And Ezekiel, if I picture this, I'm like, I already said that.

You want me to say it again?

Okay, God.

I'm gonna let my inner thoughts and my outer words stay in agreement with you.

And so Ezekiel spoke the message as God commanded him, and breath came into their bodies, and they all came to life and stood on their feet, a great army.

God wants to know that you know what he knows.

Because oftentimes, waiting for God to move in the middle of something that feels rocky and difficult and hard, as we like, as we trust, are my bones good?

How's my foundation?

Come on, God, move.

Often that means God's waiting for us to get our inner thoughts and our outer words in agreement with Him.

And then even when it's not finished, or even when the answer doesn't look complete, will you keep your heart and keep your words in agreement with the Father?

Keep soaping in Scripture.

We talked about soap last week, scripture, observation, application, prayer.

Keep rising early, keep going to the Bible, keep allowing his thoughts and his words and his ways to penetrate the soil of your heart and take root and grow.

Keep guard over your mind and your thoughts as they're being shaped and transformed into the character of Jesus.

Keep allowing the words of your mouth to be in line with what matters most to the Father, what matters most to God.

What are the storms that you're facing right now?

What are you going through?

What feels impossible?

What feels insurmountable?

What's keeping you up at night?

What's taking your breath away?

Here's what I know when there's no crack in our foundation, and when the bones are good, the rest don't matter.

Our our firm foundation is Jesus, only Jesus.

It's that simple.

It's not complicated.

He's the word of God with skin on.

God's word became flesh and dwelt among us.

It's Jesus.

It's only Jesus.

So are you spending time getting to know Jesus?

How's your homework?

If you missed last week, I assigned some homework to just start reading through the gospel book of Mark in the Bible.

Just the life of Jesus.

Let who Jesus is impact you.

If you want to see God, look to Jesus through soap.

Scripture, Mark.

Observe what it's saying, take note, apply it to your life, and then pray.

Are you going through the Word of God?

There's no other way.

The story ends, Ezekiel 37, verse 10 through 14.

Ezekiel 37:10–14

Ezekiel says, So I spoke the messages he commanded, and breath came into their bodies, and they all came to life and stood on their feet, a great army.

And then he said to me, Son of man, these bones represent the people, the people of Israel.

And these bones are saying, We've become old, dry bones.

All hope is gone.

Our nation is finished.

Therefore, Ezekiel prophesy to them and say, This is what the sovereign Lord says.

O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again, and then I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

And when this happens, you will know that I'm the Lord.

I will put my spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land.

And then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I've done what I said.

Yes, the Lord has spoken.

Where in your life today, church, does it feel like all hope is gone?

Where what part of your story right now feels dried up, scattered, broken, lifeless?

And then how do we respond?

I want my bones to be good.

I don't want there to be any cracks in my foundation.

So here's what you need to do: you need to speak, you need to start using your voice.

You need to recognize and understand that if Jesus did this, we're gonna have to do it too.

And Jesus can't do this for you.

Big brother Jesus showed you how, modeled it, but you're gonna have to find your voice.

But Pastor John, oh, I don't know the Bible.

That's not an excuse anymore.

I'll get your Bible, I'll sit with you, I'll show you how to read it.

But Pastor John, oh I'm kind of quiet and reserved and introverted.

I don't like speaking out loud.

This isn't about your preference.

This is about your story and your future and your destiny and all the people that God wants you to inspire and draw into relationship with Him.

Come on, think big, dream with me.

It's time to find your voice back.

Has COVID robbed you of your voice?

Has sitting in isolation moved you inward to a place of quietness.

It's time to find your voice.

It's time to find your voice, use your voice, speak out loud.

It's time to worship, it's time to crank your favorite worship song and sing the goodness of God into your home, into your marriage, into your family, into your future, into your workplace, into your heart, into your physical health.

It's time to dust off that Bible and begin to practice soaping in scripture.

Scripture, observation, application, prayer.

It's time.

It's time.

You want a strong foundation?

You want to know that the bones are good and that the rest, the rubbish, don't matter?

Speak his word over your life.

Speak it.

Might feel weird, but it's time.

Out loud.

I want to encourage you this week as you keep going back to Mark in your quiet time in the morning, those 10 minutes, as you open up your Bible.

I want you to start reading out loud.

Don't read inner voice, read out loud voice.

Allow the words to penetrate your heart, but also to come out your mouth.

I want to encourage you to try reading your Bible out loud this week.

It's going to be a great way for you to find your voice back.

Just try it for me.

Try it.

I triple dodged dirty.

Try it.

Can we pray?

Can we pray together?

Come on.

Let's pray.

Father, you want to know that we know what you know.

And often when we're waiting for you to move and we're crying out, why God, how long, O Lord?

You're quietly encouraging us to make sure that our inner thoughts and our outer words are in agreement with you.

And then even when the answer doesn't come like we wanted it to, or as quick as we wanted it to, or as complete as we hoped it would, that we're not going to bail or walk away, that we're going to continue to persist in the consistency of our inner man and our outer words.

Speaking your voice, speaking your words, speaking your truth over our story.

Jesus, we invite you into this moment, into this season, this hardship, this pain, the pieces of our story that feels like there's no hope.

The pieces of our life that feel dried up, scattered, ineffective, and lifeless.

Would you breathe again?

Would you bring us back to life?

Jesus, through reading and knowing and applying the Father's thoughts, speaking his words into our homes, speaking into our lives, our circumstances, our relationship, would you strengthen our bones?

Strengthen our foundation.

No cracks, Jesus.

Jesus, our chief cornerstone as we build our lives on you, the anchor for our souls, Jesus, the firm foundation that we're building our lives upon.

Jesus, help us keep our hearts set on what matters most.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you so much for listening to today's message.

If you're ever in the Edmonton area, pop by for a visit.

And if you need any more information, visit EvolveChurch.com.

We hope to see you soon.