September 28, 2008

 The River of Life

 Revelation 22 

  

Revelation 22 1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,* with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.   3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.   6 Then the angel said to me, "Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets,* has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.*" Jesus Is Coming 7 "Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.*"   8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.9 But he said, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!"   10 Then he instructed me, "Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near.11 Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy." 12 "Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."   14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne.* I am the bright morning star."   17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let anyone who hears this say, "Come." Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.   20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!"   Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!   21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's holy people.*

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,

  always ready to help in times of trouble.

2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come

  and the mountains crumble into the sea.

3 Let the oceans roar and foam.

  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!    



4 A river brings joy to the city of our God,

  the sacred home of the Most High.

5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.

  From the very break of day, God will protect it.

6 The nations are in chaos,

  and their kingdoms crumble!

God's voice thunders,

  and the earth melts!

7 The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us;

  the God of Israel* is our fortress.    



8 Come, see the glorious works of the LORD:

  See how he brings destruction upon the world.

9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth.

  He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;

  he burns the shields with fire.



10 "Be still, and know that I am God!

  I will be honored by every nation.

  I will be honored throughout the world."



11 The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us;

  the God of Israel is our fortress.   

Ezekiel 47

The River of Healing

1 In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side.2 The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.

  3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet* and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles.4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist.5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.

  6 He asked me, "Have you been watching, son of man?" Then he led me back along the riverbank.7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river.8 Then he said to me, "This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea.* The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure.9 There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows.10 Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.*11 But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty.12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing."



Boundaries for the Land

13 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Divide the land in this way for the twelve tribes of Israel: The descendants of Joseph will be given two shares of land.*14 Otherwise each tribe will receive an equal share. I took a solemn oath and swore that I would give this land to your ancestors, and it will now come to you as your possession.



15 "These are the boundaries of the land: The northern border will run from the Mediterranean toward Hethlon, then on through Lebo-hamath to Zedad;16 then it will run to Berothah and Sibraim, which are on the border between Damascus and Hamath, and finally to Hazer-hatticon, on the border of Hauran.17 So the northern border will run from the Mediterranean to Hazar-enan, on the border between Hamath to the north and Damascus to the south.

  18 "The eastern border starts at a point between Hauran and Damascus and runs south along the Jordan River between Israel and Gilead, past the Dead Sea* and as far south as Tamar.* This will be the eastern border.

  19 "The southern border will go west from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh* and then follow the course of the Brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean. This will be the southern border.

  20 "On the west side, the Mediterranean itself will be your border from the southern border to the point where the northern border begins, opposite Lebo-hamath.



21 "Divide the land within these boundaries among the tribes of Israel.22 Distribute the land as an allotment for yourselves and for the foreigners who have joined you and are raising their families among you. They will be like native-born Israelites to you and will receive an allotment among the tribes.23 These foreigners are to be given land within the territory of the tribe with whom they now live. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!

  *** 

More...

This morning I have given you New Testament, Psalm, and Old Testament.  Old Testament is prophecy of what is to come in the New Testament, and, the New Testament is prophecy fulfilled. It is generally understood that not everything has come to pass....or has it?  We will take a journey together to learn more about this topic as time goes on.  In the meantime, let's talk about the river mentioned and its significance to us.

The following is what the Life Application Bible New International Version states in the footnotes of Ezekiel:  "The river is similar to the river mentioned in Revelation 22:1-12.  Both rivers are associated with the river in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:10).  The river symbolizes life from God and the blessings that flow from his throne.  It is a gentle, safe, deep river, expanding as it flows."

The book of Revelation indicates in the footnotes the following:  "The water of life is a symbol of eternal life.  Jesus used this same image with the Samaritan woman (John 4:7-14).  It pictures the fullness of life with God and the eternal blessings that come when we believe in him and allow him to satisfy our spiritual thirst (see 22:17)".

The reference in Rev. 22:17 reads, "When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, he told her of the living water that he could supply (John 4:10-15).  This image is used again as Christ invites anyone to come and drink of the water of life.  The gospel is unlimited in scope - all people everywhere may come.  Salvation cannot be earned, but God gives it freely.  We live in a world desperately thristy for living water, and many are dying of thirst.  But it's still not too late.  Let us invite everyone to come and drink."

I call sermons, or homilies or pastoral messages the '3 part harmony'.  Mostly because the source of each one should include God, Jesus and Holy Spirit.  But also because there are usually 3 points to emphasize.  I do not always do that because it can be confusing at best to remember all.  But this morning, I would like you to embrace 3 points given in relation to the River of Life.

Take a moment to picture yourself fully believing you are receiving life from God in his fullness coming into your body, your heart, your mind.  Feel that it is safe, fully flowing deeply into the very essence of the depth of your being.

Now that you have received this new life with God, realize it can be yours forever...eternally.  You have been parched....you are thirsting...and Jesus comes.  He wants to satisfy your spiritual thirst.  He wants to insure you have eternal life.  He wants you to have the fullness of life with God that comes from knowing him.  He wants you to have the eternal blessings that come when you believe in him and receive him, allowing him only to satisfy your spiritual thirst.  He says, "Come and drink of the water of life".   

And then he tells us to invite everyone to come and drink...we must share...we must now invite others, and show them how to drink of the river of life to bloom and grow.  

The three part harmony?  Receive him.  Drink of him.  Pour it unto others.  Or in otherwords, be made new, grow and share.  It's simple really.  Will you ask him to come...and fill you...today?  Will you share all of who he is, that he is, and how wonderful he is to others today?  Will you tell others who are dying of thirst how to be satisfied, full to overflowing?  If not, are you willing to answer him today as to why?  Are you willing to hear his response?  Or would you rather receive his eternal blessings?   Freedom of choice is all yours.  I will pray you will make the right choice. 

***

 Let Us Pray

 Dear Heavenly Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, I am so thirsty, so undernourished.  I long for and cry out for you.  Fill me Father.  Please.  Grant me, Jesus, eternal life with you.  Bring me to a new life and a new way of living.  Be my refuge and my strength.  Be at home in my heart and soul.  And then, Lord, as you fill me with your living water, Holy Spirit, give me utterance showing me how to share all that you are with others.  Enlarge my territory....increase my family...now that I am part of your family, all whom you embrace are my family.  All whom I tell who receive you become my family.  Let me not only pray for myself, but pray for you, Lord.  And pray for all those I may meet, even though I don't know them yet, that they may be satisfied with your River of Life and come to receive your eternal blessings.  May everyone on earth be filled with your River of Life.  Make me an instrument of your peace.  Thank you.  Thank you so very much my Father...my God, Jesus...my Savior, and Holy Spirit...my comforter.  Amen.    

***

And the Lord said,

"Be still, and know that I am God."

  ***