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Ember Friday
First Lesson
Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 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,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there
were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And
I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause
breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And
I will lay sinews upon you, and will 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.
7 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.
8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon
them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath
in them.
9 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.
10 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.
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.
1st Lesson Questions -
To live is to know that God is LORD. (V. 6) Am I alive? When man does what God says, the miraculous occurs. Do I believe that, or are my bones dried and my hope lost? (V. 11) Have Israel's words of verse 11 ever applied to me? How so? RESOLVE.
Second Lesson
1 Timothy 4
1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared
with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,
which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them
which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused,
if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou
shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the
words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself
rather unto godliness.
8 For
bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and
of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because
we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially
of those that believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let
no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers,
in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in
purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to
doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee
by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that
thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in
them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them
that hear thee.
2nd Lesson Questions -
Do I know any of the guys listed in verses 1-3? Which am I more into - exercise or godliness? (V. 8) How am I doing, in regard to being an example as described in verse 12? RESOLVE.