THE LIVING WATER
Ezekiel 47:1-12
V:1-2 " The man brought me back to the entrance of the
temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple
toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from
under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.
2 He then brought me
out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate
facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side."
A. The more you study God's Word, the more His divine plan will
be revealed to you.
1. Sometimes God
uses physical examples to explain Spiritual concepts.
2. Ezekiel
observed water flowing out of the temple though the temple gate.
3. The entrance to
the temple faced east.
4. Ezekiel was led
outside the gate and around the temple.
a. He observed
that the water was flowing from the south side of the temple toward
the east.
b. The south
side is the right of the altar.
c. Jesus is
seated at the right hand of God.
B. Jesus is the source of life.
1. Jesus is the
living water. John 7:38
2. From the temple
of God
3. From the temple
of God
4. All that we
need flows from God.
a. Seek first
the kingdom of God
Mat 6:33
b. The Word of
God flows from the altar.
c. Man shall
not live by bread alone, but every word of God. Mat. 4:4
V:3. " As the
man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand
cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep."
A. The Word of God
comes to us first in bits and pieces that we can understand.
1. The more we
study God's Word, the deeper our understanding gets.
2. Jesus started
His ministry on earth with 12 disciples that He selected.
a. The
ministry continued to grow as the Word was proclaimed.
b. We continue
to grow spiritually, as we continue our study of the Word.
3. We first start
our life with Christ as carnal Christians.
a. We are more
emerged in ourselves than the Word of God.
b. Once baptized in Jesus, the feet are wet but
the heart is still unchanged.
B. As Jesus continued
teaching the Word of God, more and more people were
drawn to Him.
1. In one setting,
He fed 5000 and in another setting, He fed 4000 people.
2. Our job is to
first be fed so that we can feed others the Word of God.
V:4. " He
measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was
knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was
up to the waist."
A. The more we study
the Word, the more we are emerged in the Word and in the Spirit
of God.
1. The more we
study the Word of God, the more distant we become from our worldly
ways.
2. We have to put
off the flesh to put on the spirit of God.
B. If we view the
cubit as time, God continues to reveal His Word to us throughout our
life time.
1. God began
revealing His plan of redemption in the Garden of Eden after the sin of
Adam.
2. He selected
Abraham as the father of faith.
a. From Abraham, He
grew a nation in slavery who He called His people.
b. Through 42
generations, He brought Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
c. The Church of
Jesus Christ was born with His death on the cross and His
resurrection.
V:5. " He measured off another thousand, but now it was
a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough
to swim in — a river that no one could cross."
A. At some point in
our spiritual growth we should be completely emerged in the Word
of God.
1. We should be
filled with the Spirit of God and totally committed to Him.
2. When we become
completely filled with the Spirit, worldly ways will have no place
in our lives.
3. There ought to
come a time in our lives when we should quit swimming and start
walking on
water.
4. With the Lord
Jesus in our lives, we have supernatural powers.
B. Jesus commanded
His disciple to get in a ship and go to the other side of the sea.
1. They toiled all
night against the waves of the sea and made little progress.
a. Their
problem was, they failed to take Jesus on their trip.
b. Jesus was
not in their hearts.
2. When Peter saw Jesus walking on water, he
stepped out of the boat and started
walking
toward Him. Mat 14:29
C. We will always have situations that we can't handle.
1. With Jesus, all things are possible.
2. When our lives
are totally focused on the will of God, nothing will be impossible
for us. Mat 17:20
3. We must trust
the Lord to answer our prayers.
V:6. " He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?"
Then he led me back to the bank of the river."
A. We should make it
our duty to get a clear understanding of God's Word.
1. God said, in
all your getting, get an understanding. Prov 4:7
2. The just live
by faith and not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7
B. We should start
with a passage of scripture and fully
understand it before moving to
the next
passage.
1. There are some
Biblical concepts that are basic that we must understand before we
can move to
the next level.
2. The Apostle
Paul stated that he determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and
Him
crucified. 1 Cor 2:2
3. John 3:16 is basic. "God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever
believes in Him shall not parish, but have everlasting life."
4. If we can
understand the basics;
a. We can
understand love
b. We can
understand forgiveness
c. We can
understand the cleaning power of the blood of Jesus
d. We can
understand salvation
e. We can
understand the way to heaven
C. Ezekiel came to
an understanding that all life flows from the altar of God.
V:7. " When I arrived there, I saw a great number of
trees on each side of the river."
A. Anything that is
planted by the river of life grows and prospers.
1. The water of
Christ is a living water.
2. The water of
Christ is refreshing water.
3. The water of
Christ is redeeming water.
B. We should become
like a tree planted by the river of life.
1. We should be
rooted and grounded in Jesus.
2. The winds of
life may blow hard, we will bend but not be broken down.
3. A tree that is
planted by the river is continuously nourished.
4. A tree planted
by the river of life continuously grows stronger.
5. The Lord is
our strength and our redeemer.
V:8. " He said to me, "This water flows toward the
eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it
empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh."
A. The living water
ran towards the dead sea, the lowest point on earth.
1. The dead sea
has a high salt content and nothing lives in it.
2. Once the
living water entered a dead substance, it became alive.
B. Without Jesus, the
world is dead in its sins.
1. Without Jesus,
the world is barren of any fruit.
2. Without Jesus,
the world cannot produce anything of value.
C. Before Jesus came
into our lives, we were dead in our sins.
1. Once we
established a relationship with Jesus, we became new creations.
2. Being alive in
Christ opens a new world of
opportunities for us.
3. Being in the
light, God gives us insight and hope for tomorrow.
V:9. " Swarms of living creatures will live wherever
the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows
there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will
live."
A. There is an abundance in the Lord.
1. The Earth is
the Lord's and the fullness there of.
2. Jesus said, I
came that you might have life and have
it more abundantly.
B. In Jesus, there is
an abundance of Joy.
1. In Jesus,
there is an abundance of peace.
2. In Jesus,
there is an abundance of love.
3. In
Jesus, there is an abundance of wisdom.
a. If any man
lacks wisdom, let him ask the Lord.
b. In Jesus,
there is a continuous newness of life.
V:10. "
Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be
places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds, like the fish of the
Great Sea
A. Peter and John,
Andrew and James were fisherman of fish.
Mat 4:18
1. In Jesus,
they became fishermen of men.
2. Life is not
about us, but what we can do for others.
B. We stand in the living waters of Jesus, so we can
proclaim the good news about Jesus.
1. In life, there
are people from all nations of the world.
2. Everyone we
meet should hear the Word of God.
3. Anyone in the dark needs the light of Jesus Christ.
4. We are the
universal Church that possess the ability to enlighten the world.
5. Jesus gave all
believers the great commission to take the Gospel to the ends of the
earth.
V:11. " But the swamps and marshes will not become
fresh; they will be left for salt."
A. There are those
who will hear the Word, but will reject it.
1. There are
people who enjoy being in the swamps of life.
2. There hearts
are evil and all their thoughts are evil.
B. Jesus sent His
disciples out two by two to proclaim the word of God.
1. They were told
if any household would not receive them, shake
the dust off and
move on.
2. The Word is
the blessing of God.
a. Those who
reject the Word, reject the blessing of God.
b. Those who
reject the Word are condemned to eternal
hell.
V:12. " Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both
banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail.
Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them.
Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
A. In Jesus, we are
constantly being renewed.
1. God has
blessings for us that we cannot think or conceive.
2. It is our duty
to be servants of the Lord.
3. Those who
serve the Lord are a blessing to others.
B. When we put God
first, He puts us first.
1. When we humble
ourselves before the Lord, He will lift us up.
2. When we give
God our best, He gives us His best.
C. We have already
received the Lord's best, His Son.
1. Our true
healing is everlasting life with the Lord.
2. With Jesus in
our life, heaven is in our mist.
"For the Lamb
at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to
springs of living
water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Rev.7:17
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of GMBC
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