River Flowing from The Temple
Ezekiel 47:1-12
Ezekiel is having a vision of the Temple of God and it is a river similar to that mentioned in the book of Revelation.
Both rivers are associated with the Garden of Eden that we read about in Genesis, this is another example of reading the Old Testament to understand the New.
Now this river is symbolic and it is all about life flowing from God’s throne, it is gentle, safe but it is deep and is expanding as it flows.
The Arabah is where the dead sea is located now, this water is so salty that no living creature can survive in it and the minerals are used for beauty products.
Carol and I have floated in the dead sea and if you swallow any quantity of it you must seek medical help.
Yet as this river flows out from the Temple into this sea it makes it fresh and everything comes back to life.
Swarms of living creatures are suddenly there, fishermen are there with their nets, there is a total transformation of it all.
But this is a picture of the Holy Spirit flowing out from God’s throne and when a person opens their heart and allows Jesus in then a person is changed.
It does not matter how lifeless or corrupt a person may be, it doesn’t matter how messed up we feel or whether we feel beyond hope, God’s power can heal and change us.
Stop and think for a moment of the person you think is probably the furthest away from God, the good news is God can transform them in a moment.
So, start praying for that person that we will see a miracle.
Now, I said last week at the baptism people have a choice to accept or reject Jesus, He does not force Himself upon a person.
I went on to say He loves us that much He accepts us as we are, but He does not leave us like that, He changes us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And we have a choice how much of Him we want to allow into our lives.
In Revelation it says,“Behold I stand at the door and knock, He who opens the door I will come in and eat with Him and He with me.”
This is another interesting picture because you do not eat with someone you do not like this tells us how much God wants us.
Now this may come as a shock, but it is not written to non-believers, it is written to believers.
Many people, including me, use it for an altar call but it’s not really about that.
It’s about us opening up totally to God, being vulnerable and allowing him 100% access to our lives.
So, going with this vision the angel leads Ezekiel into the water and it is up to his ankles, he leads him out further, so the water is knee deep, then even further and it is up to his waist.
And then it is like a river, you cannot cross it.
In other words, our commitment level determines how much we seek after God and how much we are willing to reach out to Him.
If you want to stay up to your ankles no problem or up to your waist but if you want to be swimming in the Holy Spirit it calls for 100% commitment.
Do we bring our daily lives to Him? Do we grapple with the Word of God? Have we considered attending the prayer meeting or starting another one?
It’s great to have prophesies on the wall, it’s great to see or hear about healings but do you pray that we see this happening in our community, this valley or this Nation?
Do you ask God to come more into your life and to fill you anew with the Holy Spirit?
It is only when we do these things that we will see these things happening.
The rest of this vision talks about redeeming the land.
I was trying to picture this, an abundance of fish and living creatures, nobody will be starving anymore and people finding they can support themselves.
I have driven through deserts where not a thing is living and no hope of that either, nomads struggling to survive and yet one day all of this will be transformed.
This is an amazing picture of God’s life for all ofHis creation and we are so blessed to be chosen by Him to help to bring all this into being.
I want to finish with a small illustration of a big subject, on the corner of the Chapel, about half way up, a tree has been growing.
Some people didn’t know it was there, others knew but did nothing about it and this little tree has grown quite big.
Work has begun on the porch and front area and I said to Jason can you pull that tree out, when he did it changed the look of the Chapel.
Still work to do but much better.
We are like that, a work in progress, but much better than we were. This community has improved in some ways but there is still much to do.
God can do it with a click of His fingers, but He has chosen to do it in partnership with us, His body.