Dare to Go Deeper Ezekiel 47:1-12
Introduction
The Book Ezekiel is a replete with visions and at the centre of the vision in this passage is that resource we can’t do without: water. Water is the secret of a full spiritual experience (See John 7:37-39) and is often the symbol of the word of God and of the Holy Spirit. The Word and the Spirit of God go hand in glove: the word activates the spirit, the word only works where the Sprit of God is active (Gen 1:2-3).
In Ezekiel 47, God was telling Prophet Ezekiel about wading into the deep spiritual waters of the Spirit-filled life. Can I ask you a question today? Are you afraid to wade into the deep because you think that God may require of you more than you are willing to give? Do you reason that if you don’t commit to the work fully then you won’t be found guilty of failing? Ezekiel saw the vision of a river that springs forth from God’s throne and that flowing river represents the power of the Holy Spirit. There are a few truths I want to share with you today, beginning with:
1. True Living Begins with the Beginning (Ezekiel 47:1)
The Bible says in John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In other words, Jesus was the word and remains the Word, he is also the author and perfecter of our faith, and in Him we have a true beginning. That exactly is where the profession of our faith should start. Ezekiel saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple, in other words, at the entrance or door of the temple. Jesus, the Bible tells us in John 10:7, is the Door, so the story begins at the door.
Without going through the Door, you cannot get to the Father. Christ is the beginning and the Door is inseparable from the cross. The altar in Ezekiel 47 speaks of sacrifice and sacrifice in the New Testament is signified by events at the cross of Calvary, where Jesus died for the propitiation of our sins. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Co 1:18).
2. The Further You Go, the Closer You Get (Ezekiel 47: 5)
When you have a deep relationship with God, He will show you things that are so deep, and sometimes scary, in terms of visions, prophesy and the like. I remember a couple of years ago I went to visit someone at the hospital with a pastor friend of mine and he told me as we were in the hospital room that there were no fewer than four demons in that particular room. He could see because he had the spiritual ‘eyes’ to see.
The Bible says this river grew large enough to swim in, yet there was no other river adding to it. No tributary streams pouring into it. How? It grew by its own self-supply from the sacred miraculous source in the temple (Hab 2:14). This tells me that God is the all sufficient one, you can’t help or support Him or add to His work. Once you tap into the River of Life, you will enjoy its sufficiency! Our sufficiency, the Bible says, is of God; who has made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Corinth 3: 5-6).
3. The Deeper Depth, the Deeper Your Relationship with God
This passage talks about four stages of the flow of this river and as you take a further step, you are deepening your relationship with Christ, growing each time to be more like Christ.
Stage One: Ankle Deep (…led me through water that was ankle-deep…)
The first stage is when the water is at the level of the ankle. Christians at this stage are baby Christians who are not yet ready to swim, lacking in spiritual understanding. As newborn babes, the Bible says, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby (1 Pe 2:2) How often do you study your bible? Do you just read it the way you read a newspaper? Note that it is perfectly normal for a four year old to be in the Kindergarten, but when you are 14 and you are still at that level, you will discover that those around you will be looking at you in a funny way, and you won’t even fit into the Kindergarten chair, because it is no longer for you, it is for four year olds!
To grow, you need to study the Word of God (See Joshua 1). God’s first measurement was ankle deep water, a steady diet of the Word of God. For those who keep on complaining that they can’t understand the Bible, they are still in the very shallow end of the water, ankle deep, the beginning of the stream. Note that walking in ankle deep water requires little effort. The force of the water against your steps is minimal, you can easily choose to get in or out at will, you are one of the people the Bible says are easily blown to and fro by all manners of doctrine (Eph 4).
You will listen to every voice that says what you want to hear, every voice that makes you feel good and justify your shallow walk with Christ. You will never experience the joy, fulfilment, trust and love for God that comes with this kind of minimal commitment because while professing love for Christ, you are still deeply in love with the safety that the shore offers. You refuse to leave your comfort zone, you refuse to stretch and grow beyond what you can see; you are like Thomas who needs to see before believing. Your faith is never exercised to the point that you have complete peace no matter what the world throws at you.
Stage Two: Knee Deep (led me through water that was knee deep…)
The believer who is at this stage understands the power of prayer and of the Holy Spirit. He or she studies the bible and will not hesitate to take some (not all) things to God in prayer. While walking in knee deep water requires a little more effort and a deeper commitment that in ankle deep water, it is still fairly easy to be knocked out of the water by the same circumstances as those who are up to their ankles. These two categories of believers are non-committal and compromise with the world. It was the late US President Teddy Roosevelt who said it is far better to fail in the attempt of great things than to take rank with the weak, timid souls who know neither the glory of victory nor the agony of defeat.
Stage Three: Waist Deep (led me through water that was waist deep…)
At this point, the water is at the mid section and I want you to notice two things here:
1) The loins is the reproductive zone of the anatomy (See Heb 7:10) and reproduction here means increase, in other words reproducing souls for Christ, witnessing to others. The believer at this stage understands doctrine, his or her assurance about the grace of God is settled, and he or she tithes, without fail. He or she understands justification, blood atonement, and is interested in the second coming of Christ.
2) The Loins is the place of strength: The Bible says the hand of the Lord was on Elijah he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. The believer at this level of the water appreciates God’s strength, is growing in the Lord and is solid. But there is still another level.
Stage Four: Over the Top (water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross)
At this stage, the believer is completely submerged, out of sight, buried in the water. This is the final stage, the water is supporting you, you are not using your own power to wade through the water, and you are working in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This is where God wants all of us to be. This is the goal God has for all believers. This is water over your head; you are submerged in the Holy Spirit, swimming in it, forgetting your abilities, knowledge and education. It is about total submission to His will and the flow of his spirit, it is about leaving your comfort zone and going real deep. And I mean real deep.
4. Submission takes you the Place of Subsistence
In verses 2-4 of Ezekiel 47, there are instances of how the prophet in the vision surrendered himself to be led. He got into the river at the Door, walked down stream and never got out of the water. The river got bigger and bigger, wider and wider, deeper and deeper. Our Christian life must grow larger and larger; we need to depend upon Him for everything. He must increase, but we must decrease (John 3:30) Are you holding back on total commitment to Christ because you are afraid of drowning? God will not fail you. He is faithful to take care of you. He is Jihovah-Jireh, the Lord that provides. If he gives u a vision, he will make the provision financially, spiritually and in other areas. Deeper commitment, wading deeper is saying Holy Spirit take control, help me stay close to the father, I am like Ezekiel, willing to be led. It is not about you, it is about God and His will for you. After all we are all created for God’s good pleasure.
5. At the deep end, there is complete transformation
From Verse 8 to 11, the passage talks about fruitfulness, that the barrenness of the land is healed by this river of life. Everywhere the river flows things begin to live. As you swim in the fullness of his glory, your life will bear fruit and everything you touch shall be successful in Jesus name (See Eze 34, from verse 26)
Conclusion
If you don’t get to the fourth level, your faith will never grow because of your fear to stretch out beyond what you can see. You will stand on the bank of the river to grumble and complain about almost everything, you will play the blame game and blame everyone but yourself for your plight. Just because you fail to go into the deep. Such believers will never truly understand the purpose of God to them; they will keep on doing what they want, when they want and how they want, refusing to surrender to the Will of God. They will never truly be able to experience the peace that passes all understanding.
Spiritual maturity is coming to the end of yourself, of your abilities and plunge into God’s hands. He wants us to be obedient to His will. God says go deeper, loose yourselves in me get rid of your ankle deep goals, dreams, ambitions and surrender all to Him.
Remember:
• Ankle deep water requires little effort and makes for a shallow believer
• Knee deep water requires a little more effort but is still based on your abilities
• Waist deep water means you are in training for another level in God
• Water above your head requires total surrender to the Will of God
You need to ask yourself, where am I today? In the shallow end? Or still on shore? Let the river carry you wherever the Holy Spirit leads. Allow Jesus into your life, step into the water; get out into the deep. Don’t worry about the sharks, the jellyfish or the waves that may come. Jesus will let you walk in the deep water if you keep your eyes on him just as he did for Peter on the Sea of Galilee. I dare you to go deeper. Will you?
