The Remaking of Destinies, by Brother Abiodun Aremu Oliyide
INTRODUCTION: Colossian 1:28, 27, 26.
God is willing to make known the riches of the glory of the mystery which had been hidden from the foundation of the world. The mystery is Christ in you, which is the hope of glory. This is being made know to the world by preaching so that every man may be presented perfect in Christ Jesus. Col.1:28
Christ is being made known by preaching of the word of faith (Rom.10:8), it is also called the word of Reconciliation (2Cor.5:19), the word of Truth in Eph.1:13, the word of Righteousness in Heb.5:13, the word of Life in 1Jn1:1. He is actually the Word of God as written in Jonh1.1, in the beginning, was the Word, logos in Greek means reason, idea, essence, bro Ahimah calls logos the agenda of God. As we look at the remaking of destinies this morning we will look at the Agenda of God, the word of God, the word of faith, the word of promise, the word of reconciliation, which is the word of faith which we preach Rom.10:8
TEXT: Ezekiel 37:1:11
This is a very popular story when God took the prophet in the spirit into the valley of dry bones. Ezekiel confirmed that the bones were very dry. The people had died for ages and their remains had already decayed. This is a hopeless situation dry bones are only useful for archaeology research. Verse 11 of Ezekiel 37 actually made us to understand that the bones were symbolic of the house of Israel (Then 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.). That vision was referring to the house of Israel and by extension whole of Humanity as a result of Adam’s sin. Adam became very dead (separated from the life of God) the moment he ate of the tree God commanded him not to eat (Gen.2:16-17). The glorious destiny and the future God had for Man became truncated. Mankind became separated from God. Rom.5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
The State of Fallen Man:
The state of fallen man was like that of the dried boned, Man was without life although they were still living in the flesh, some of them got new mortgages, new jobs, got married, celebrated birthdays, went for holidays, but they were all dead Matt24:38 (For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage). Eph.2:1, you who were dead in trespasses and sins. Man began to walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air who currently works in the children of disobedience. Isa.59:9-11. Man began to grope for the wall like the blind, as if he has no eyes. Man began to stumble at noonday as in the night, and concluded in verse 11 that: “we are in desolate places as dead men”. The destiny of man was tampered with, man became destined for destruction by the transgression of Adam Rom.6:23, Rom.3:23.
What then is the way Forward for Man?
Rom.5:6-8. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly verse 8: But God commends his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Man has to be saved from destruction Eph.1:7, Col.1:14 i.e be. brought back to life by believing in the finished work of Christ. This is salvation; man has to be begotten again from the dead. Man can only do what dead men do, i.e. to receive life from God. Just like the bones in Ezekiel 37, they were very dead; dead bones cannot do anything for themselves, they could only receive life.
Ezekiel37:11 Then 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. 12: 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. 13 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, 14: And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
NOTE: If can will be saved, man can only be saved by God Himself. Hence only God can restore the destiny of man and that he has done in Christ Jesus by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour (Titus 3:6-7).
Conclusion
The Gospel of Christ restores the future of a man
Believing in Christ Jesus redeems a man from destruction. Jn.3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Salvation restores us back to the image of God; which is the image of Christ Col.1:15, Col.2:9.
The destiny of man is to conform to the image of Christ Jesus. Rom.8.29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate (Proorizo in Greek) to be conformed to the image of his Son.
God wants all men saved from destruction; He does not want any man to die without receiving Jesus. 1Tim.2:4
Finally: 2Pet.3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The sermon, The Remaking of Destinies, by Brother Abiodun Aremu Oliyide, was delivered on January 21, 2018 on the occasion of the Special Youth Service.