[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 1st of November, 2015. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
God’s Holy Spirit seems to have led me to the riverside for today’s message. And He did the same for the prophet Ezekiel long ago, and even for the Apostle John while he was in exile.
In his book, Ezekiel tells us of a vision God showed him of the end of the age. Listen and follow along as I read from the description Ezekiel paints of the new temple that Christ brings down when He returns, and then I’ll read a short passage from the Apostle John’s Revelation of Jesus, both from the New American Standard Bible.
First from Ezekiel chapter 47, verses 1 through 5…
In his book, Ezekiel tells us of a vision God showed him of the end of the age. Listen and follow along as I read from the description Ezekiel paints of the new temple that Christ brings down when He returns, and then I’ll read a short passage from the Apostle John’s Revelation of Jesus, both from the New American Standard Bible.
First from Ezekiel chapter 47, verses 1 through 5…
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.
3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. 4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. 5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.
--Ezekiel 47:1-5 (NASB)
And from Revelation chapter 22, verses 1 and 2…
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
--Revelation 22:1-2 (NASB)
You may have heard me tell this before, but you’re going to hear it again because I like it…
A small town passed some fairly liberal liquor laws even after a local preacher had fought against them. He knew firsthand the dangers that alcohol posed, how people and families could be destroyed by its allure, so he preached fiery sermons against drinking. One Sunday he got all worked up preaching the sins of consuming that demon rum. He ended his message by saying, “We need to do away with all this whiskey in our lives. Why, if I had my way about it, I’d take all the booze in this town and dump it right into the river.” As he concluded his sermon with an “Amen” and wiped the sweat from his brow, the choir director stood and announced, “Now if everyone would please turn to #695 in your hymnals and sing our closing hymn, “Shall We Gather at the River”.
I’ve often heard it said that timing is everything. Either this pastor didn’t have anything to do with picking out the music, or the choir director had a wicked sense of humor, or perhaps sometimes God just likes to poke a little fun and insert some irony into our personal crusades.
In his vision from God, Ezekiel is taken on a tour of the new temple that comes to earth for the Millennium Kingdom – Jesus’ 1000 year reign of peace. Water flows from the temple itself, right from the threshold, from under the doorway. It starts as a mere trickle, but by the time Ezekiel and his guide have gone 4000 cubits, or a little over a mile, it becomes a huge river, too deep to cross.
In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle John is shown the same river as it flows through the streets of New Jerusalem, originating from the throne of God. This is no ordinary river, not just a stream of water running through paradise. This river provides for the needs of God’s people, giving them continuous blessings. The trees planted alongside it bear different fruits and every month, so that no one need eat the same thing all the time. And the leaves of those trees bring healing to the people, to the nations.
The Book of Revelation is a terrifying and frightening look at the future of mankind and the world, full of fantastic creatures and bloodshed and destruction. But it has a wonderful ending and offers great hope and promise to those who believe in and follow Jesus. This river shown to Ezekiel and to John has everything to do with that promise.
Our scripture passages for today - the one from the Old Testament and the one from the New Testament - both indicate that the source of this river is the throne of God. Now these were simply visions shown to mortal men. But like the parables that Jesus so often employed, visions from God are often intended to relay a complex message in a simpler, more easily understood manner.
So what is the message here? I believe Jesus gives us a hint when He spoke during the Festival of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, held in Jerusalem to commemorate the 40-year experience of the children of Israel in the wilderness. This comes from the 7th chapter of John’s Gospel, verses 37 and 38…
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
--John 7:37-38 (NKJV)
At this festival, huge water vessels were brought up for the purification rituals during the first seven days, but not on the eighth day. On that last day, with no big water jugs around, Jesus shouts, “If you’re thirsty, come to Me and get a drink.”
So do you suppose Jesus and His disciples were handing out water bottles to the people? I don’t think so, especially when He talks about rivers again, and these flowing from the hearts of believers.
We have other clues, including this from one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Do you remember the Samaritan woman at the well? Her past was rather shady, to put it mildly. To avoid the stares and whispers of the other women, she would go to the well to draw her household water at midday, much later than anyone else would go. She met Jesus there, and He told her all about her life. In the end, she managed to bring the entire community to Christ, but the offer Jesus made to her bears greatly on today’s message. Again I am reading from the Gospel of John, chapter 4, verses 10, 13 and 14…
So do you suppose Jesus and His disciples were handing out water bottles to the people? I don’t think so, especially when He talks about rivers again, and these flowing from the hearts of believers.
We have other clues, including this from one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Do you remember the Samaritan woman at the well? Her past was rather shady, to put it mildly. To avoid the stares and whispers of the other women, she would go to the well to draw her household water at midday, much later than anyone else would go. She met Jesus there, and He told her all about her life. In the end, she managed to bring the entire community to Christ, but the offer Jesus made to her bears greatly on today’s message. Again I am reading from the Gospel of John, chapter 4, verses 10, 13 and 14…
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
--John 4:10, 13-14 (NKJV)
Jesus offered the woman the living water. He offers to us all a fountain of water that springs forth into everlasting life. That river that Ezekiel and John saw sprang forth from a trickle and became a mighty fountain indeed. A river originating from the new temple, from the right side of the altar, according to Ezekiel.
Who do we know that sits at the right hand of God, on the right side of God’s throne? Jesus! That fountain of water that flows greater than any river springs forth from Jesus Christ our Lord and leads to everlasting life with Him and our Father God in paradise!
Of course, the catch is that we have to believe - believe in Jesus as the one true Son of God. And if we believe, we will follow His commands. We will repent and accept Him as our Lord and Master. And we’ll do it now, rather than wait.
Going back to the Book of Revelation, chapter 22, verses 10 through 12, we’re given a warning…
Who do we know that sits at the right hand of God, on the right side of God’s throne? Jesus! That fountain of water that flows greater than any river springs forth from Jesus Christ our Lord and leads to everlasting life with Him and our Father God in paradise!
Of course, the catch is that we have to believe - believe in Jesus as the one true Son of God. And if we believe, we will follow His commands. We will repent and accept Him as our Lord and Master. And we’ll do it now, rather than wait.
Going back to the Book of Revelation, chapter 22, verses 10 through 12, we’re given a warning…
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."
--Revelation 22:10-12 (NASB)
John’s guide notes that there are folks who have done bad things and they’ll keep doing bad things. But he encourages those who have lived righteous lives and are holy to keep practicing righteousness and stay holy, to stay right with God.
And then Jesus gives us a promise and a warning in the same breath. He is coming soon, and He’s bringing a bundle of rewards with Him. And each person will receive what they deserve – the good and the bad. The righteous and those who persevere in His name will be rewarded for their good works, as well as granted salvation for their belief. The wicked will be punished, according to what they have done in their lives.
If Jesus is coming soon, as the word of God promises, why would anyone hesitate even a minute to accept his offer of that living water? For when He does come back, it will be too late! Listen to the words of God as spoken to John in Revelation chapter 21 verses 6 through 8…
And then Jesus gives us a promise and a warning in the same breath. He is coming soon, and He’s bringing a bundle of rewards with Him. And each person will receive what they deserve – the good and the bad. The righteous and those who persevere in His name will be rewarded for their good works, as well as granted salvation for their belief. The wicked will be punished, according to what they have done in their lives.
If Jesus is coming soon, as the word of God promises, why would anyone hesitate even a minute to accept his offer of that living water? For when He does come back, it will be too late! Listen to the words of God as spoken to John in Revelation chapter 21 verses 6 through 8…
6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
--Revelation 21:6-8 (NKJV)
That’s good for believers like us that overcome and persevere, but even scarier for the wicked than the punishments that Jesus promises!
And there’s that “fountain of the water of life” again. The water shown to Ezekiel that originates from the right hand of the throne of God. The water of life shown to John that provides for all of man’s needs. The living water that Jesus offered the Samaritan woman at the well. The fountain of the water of life given freely, without cost.
And yes, Jesus is that water, the river flowing from the right hand of God, the living water, the fountain that leads to everlasting life. We can drink freely of that water because Jesus paid the cost, there on the cross of Calvary. He provides for all our needs, throughout each month of the year, with endless variety. His touch brings healing to God’s people. All we have to do is wade in and take a drink.
We can trust in God’s offer – it appears twice in the last chapters of Revelation alone. The last part of verse 6 in chapter 21 says…
And there’s that “fountain of the water of life” again. The water shown to Ezekiel that originates from the right hand of the throne of God. The water of life shown to John that provides for all of man’s needs. The living water that Jesus offered the Samaritan woman at the well. The fountain of the water of life given freely, without cost.
And yes, Jesus is that water, the river flowing from the right hand of God, the living water, the fountain that leads to everlasting life. We can drink freely of that water because Jesus paid the cost, there on the cross of Calvary. He provides for all our needs, throughout each month of the year, with endless variety. His touch brings healing to God’s people. All we have to do is wade in and take a drink.
We can trust in God’s offer – it appears twice in the last chapters of Revelation alone. The last part of verse 6 in chapter 21 says…
6c “To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”
--Revelation 21:6c (NLT)
And then the last part of verse 17 in chapter 22 repeats it…
17c "Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life."
--Revelation 22:17c (NLT)
Before our service began this morning, I had our guys play a song for you by the Rhett Walker Band from a few years back. The song is titled “Come to the River”, and the refrain goes like this…
You say come to the river,
Oh and lay yourself down,
Let your heart be found.
You say come to the river,
Drink from the cup I pour,
And thirst no more.
Are you thirsty? Come and take a drink. It’s free for you – the price has already been paid.
If you can’t fully rid yourself of the influence of the world and its culture, come jump in the river and let your heart be found, stand in the river and be washed clean. If you haven’t yet completely given yourself to Jesus as your Lord and Master, then come – He offers you the Living Water, the water of life.
Jesus says come and drink from His cup. And thirst no more. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, Your love for us flows like a mighty river, so deep it cannot be crossed. It covers us with Your love, providing for all our needs, healing all our wounds, mending our spirits. Your Son Jesus offers us a drink from that river. He is the true essence of Your love. He is that living water, flowing from Your throne and leading to everlasting life for all who believe! If we but drink of that water, we will never thirst again.
But Father, we can be a stubborn and fearful people. We’re afraid of making a decision sometimes. We want to follow Jesus but we want to do it on our terms rather than His. He calls us to repent, but we don’t want to give up all the aspects of our world and its culture. We’re too comfortable with our lives to want to change everything. Help us, please Lord. Take us by the hand and walk us down to that riverside so that we might drink freely.
Hear us now, Father God, as we come to You in the quiet with our eyes closed and our heads bowed, repenting of our sin, seeking Your forgiveness. And Lord, if anyone feels drawn to Your altar, to Your Son’s cross, urge them to come now…
Lord Jesus, give us that water please, the living water you offered the Samaritan woman. Spring forth Your fountain and cover us with Your love. Flow over us and wash us clean. This we pray in Your blessed name, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
You say come to the river,
Oh and lay yourself down,
Let your heart be found.
You say come to the river,
Drink from the cup I pour,
And thirst no more.
Are you thirsty? Come and take a drink. It’s free for you – the price has already been paid.
If you can’t fully rid yourself of the influence of the world and its culture, come jump in the river and let your heart be found, stand in the river and be washed clean. If you haven’t yet completely given yourself to Jesus as your Lord and Master, then come – He offers you the Living Water, the water of life.
Jesus says come and drink from His cup. And thirst no more. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, Your love for us flows like a mighty river, so deep it cannot be crossed. It covers us with Your love, providing for all our needs, healing all our wounds, mending our spirits. Your Son Jesus offers us a drink from that river. He is the true essence of Your love. He is that living water, flowing from Your throne and leading to everlasting life for all who believe! If we but drink of that water, we will never thirst again.
But Father, we can be a stubborn and fearful people. We’re afraid of making a decision sometimes. We want to follow Jesus but we want to do it on our terms rather than His. He calls us to repent, but we don’t want to give up all the aspects of our world and its culture. We’re too comfortable with our lives to want to change everything. Help us, please Lord. Take us by the hand and walk us down to that riverside so that we might drink freely.
Hear us now, Father God, as we come to You in the quiet with our eyes closed and our heads bowed, repenting of our sin, seeking Your forgiveness. And Lord, if anyone feels drawn to Your altar, to Your Son’s cross, urge them to come now…
Lord Jesus, give us that water please, the living water you offered the Samaritan woman. Spring forth Your fountain and cover us with Your love. Flow over us and wash us clean. This we pray in Your blessed name, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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