GETTING IN OVER YOUR HEAD Eze. 47:1-12
Intro:
The Pool of water on Ashwood
I remember struggling in the water and I remember going under. I also remember the distinct feeling that I was going to die. What I learned as a young child was that one should be careful about getting in over one's head. I would like to ask you a question. How many of you can honestly raise you hands this evening and tell me that beyond any shadow of a doubt, you know that you are exactly in the center of God's will and that you are right where God wants you to be in your spiritual growth? Any takers? I didn't think so! The truth of the matter is, we all have plenty of room for improvement! That's what this sermon is all about . It's about becoming more of what the Lord God wants each of us to be. It's about leaving the shore of stagnant, disappointed Christianity and wading out into the deep spiritual waters of the born again life. You see, what has happened in the modern church is that many have become far too cautious about giving their all to Jesus Christ. I really believe that there are many in the church tonight who are afraid of getting in over their heads.
Let's take a few minutes this evening to look at Ezekiel's prophecy. I want you to notice this prophecy that applies to you and me this evening. What I would like to do tonight is to help you learn to wade out a little bit deeper for Jesus. I truth, I would like to see you get in over your head tonight!
Text: Ezek 47:1-12 The River from the Temple
47 The man led me back to the door of the Temple, and I saw water coming out from under the doorway and flowing east. (The Temple faced east.) The water flowed down from the south side wall of the Temple and then south of the altar. 2 The man brought me out through the outer north gate and led me around outside to the outer east gate. I found the water coming out on the south side of the gate.
3 The man went toward the east with a line in his hand and measured about one-third of a mile. Then he led me through water that came up to my ankles. 4 The man measured about one-third of a mile again and led me through water that came up to my knees. Then he measured about one-third of a mile again and led me through water up to my waist. 5 The man measured about one-third of a mile again, but it was now a river that I could not cross. The water had risen too high; it was deep enough for swimming; it was a river that no one could cross. 6 The man asked me, “Human, do you see this?”
Then the man led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw many trees on both sides of the river. 8 The man said to me, “This water will flow toward the eastern areas and go down into the Jordan Valley. When it enters the Dead Sea, it will become fresh. 9 Everywhere the river goes, there will be many fish. Wherever this water goes the Dead Sea will become fresh, and so where the river goes there will be many living things. 10 Fishermen will stand by the Dead Sea. From En Gedi all the way to En Eglaim there will be places to spread fishing nets. There will be many kinds of fish in the Dead Sea, as many as in the Mediterranean Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 All kinds of fruit trees will grow on both banks of the river, and their leaves will not dry and die. The trees will have fruit every month, because the water for them comes from the Temple. The fruit from the trees will be used for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
I. V. 1-2, 6-12 EZEKIEL'S VISION
A. He Saw A River - this river is type of the Holy Spirit, John 14:16-18. There are three ways in which this river represents the Spirit and His work in the life of the believer.
1. In Its Source - The throne of God. The Holy Spirit, like this river, came directly from the Father's throne.
2. In Its Course - From the altar. Notice that this river came from the altar, or the place where sacrifice was made. The Water of Life, the precious Holy Spirit comes directly from the altar of Christ's sacrifice, the cross - Matt. 20:28. The Holy Spirit came only after the death of Christ on the cross, John 16:7.
3. In Its Force - Notice four great things about this river that made it very special. These four things make the Holy Spirit special as well.
A. It had no Feeder Streams - There was no need for any thing to flow into this river to give it force, size and power. When at left the throne, it possessed all that it needed. (Ill. The Mississippi is less that 3 feet wide where it begins, but after all the
feed streams flow into it, it becomes a mighty river. God's river needs no feeder streams.
(Ill. What I mean is this, God doesn't need the world, anything that is in it, and He
certainly doesn't need me and you to get His work done here in this world. God
supercedes us! He supercedes this world and He will get the job done in spite of
you and me. His river needs no feeder streams!)
B. V. 8 It could Heal - This river made the sea water pure when it flowed into it. (Ill. The deadly effect of drinking sea water. It will kill you!)
(Ill. I am talking about a river that has the power to heal this evening. I am talking about the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and mine. He can heal broken hearts. He can heal broken lives. He can heal broken dreams. He is a Spirit who flows with healing power tonight. I challenge you to bring that which is broken to
the lord Jesus and watch Him heal it by His power! (Ill. Matt. 11:28; Luke 4:18
Jesus can take a life broken by sin and through the working of His Spirit, bring
healing to that soul and glory into the heart of that life that was the slave of sin!).
C. V. 9 It could Revive - Everything this river touched was transform with its life giving power. Notice that verse 9 tells us twice that everything the river touches will live!
(Ill. When the Spirit of God moves into a life, there will be a renewal. When God
moves in, He will change things! He can take that which was dead and make it
live, Eph. 2:1-4. He can and will give a drink of the water of life that will produce
everlasting life and eternal satisfaction in the life of the believer.)
(Ill. By the way, the Holy Spirit is what our churches need if we are going to see
revival and the power of God in our midst. We need to learn to welcome Him and not be afraid of His power in our midst.)
D. V. 12 It could bring forth Fruit and Freshness - Everywhere this great river flowed, fruit sprang up.
(Ill. So it is with the presence of the Holy Spirit. When He moves is, His presence will be manifested by fruit and freshness in the life of the believer, John 7:38-39; Gal. 5:22-23. (Ill. Contrast this fruit with that of the flesh!)
(Ill. All of these things picture the work of the Holy Spirit in saving and using the believer for the glory of the Lord. When our eyes are open, it is easy to see where the Spirit is moving and working.)
B. He Saw - Sadly, many hear the Gospel call, John 1:29, and they see what the Spirit can and is doing in the lives of others, yet that is as far as they get! However, that isn't far enough to save them Many, many see the river flowing by, but they never get wet! For this river to do you any good, you have to get into it, John 3:7. (Ill. The Ethiopian Eunuch - Acts 8:36-37).
(Ill. As the man in Ezekiel's vision measured the river, he carried Ezekiel along with him. As a result, the prophet was led into every deepening waters. God wants to do this same thing in your life tonight!
A. Ankle Deep - (Salvation)This represents the step of faith that saves the soul, Acts 16:31, Psa. 34:8. It is truly great to be saved, but it isn't the end! Yes, He brought us out, but He also wants to lead us one. Many stop right here and never go one step farther with God. There is much more to being saved than just getting saved!
(Ill. This is where the waders stay! Those who get saved and refuse to grow in the Lord are just dabblers. They spend all of their time in the shallow end of the pool afraid to wade out deeper. They miss the blessings of the deeper life. These people are in total, absolute control of their loves.)
(Ill. Have you ever watched the children in the kiddie pool? They remind me of a lot of church members this
evening. Always yelling and screaming, wanting somebody else's pool toy. Doing their best to splash
someone and push someone else under. Sounds just like many of the folk in our churches, doesn't it?)
B. Knee Deep -(Committed to God) The knees speak of prayer. This represents a life that is learning dependence upon the Lord. This is the person who prays and trying to live their life in faith before the Lord, Heb. 10:38. Many never reach even this shallow level of maturity in the Lord. You need to remember, however, that no person will ever stand taller than he does on his knees!
(Ill. Those who are at this level know something of the power of the river. They can feel its power as it rushes past, but they aren't really affected by it. They are still standing on their own 2 feet. They are in control of their lives and aren't being supported by the river.)
C. Loin Deep - (Spirit Filled) The loins are emblematic of strength. This speaks of spiritual power in our lives. When one has waded out waist deep into the river, more of the river and less of the man is seen, Ill. John 3:30. When we have waded out this far, we can feel the power of the river, and others can see its effect on us, Eph. 6:10.This level of maturity is rarely reached, but when it is, you can't hide its effects in your life! It will tell on you!
As deep s this level of spiritual growth is, it is still not as deep as we can go!
(Ill. The few who are at this level of spiritual maturity, have lost some control over themselves. They are often picked up by the river and moved a few feet at a time, but still, they are close enough to the shore to be able to stand if they need to. They are in control.)
D. Rivers to swim in (Flowing in the Supernatural)
(Ill. At this point, Ezekiel has reached a place where the river is in control. It takes him where it will. He has no power over his destination. He is at the mercy of the river!)
A. This represents the highest spiritual level that any believer can reach in this life. (Ill. Couldn't pass over! It just doesn't get any deeper than this!)
B. There are three reasons why I can say that this is the deepest you can ever get as a Christian.
1. When you are this deep, you have gone beyond your own ability - Ill. Ezekiel was at the total mercy of the river. (Ill. Far too many like the safety of the shore.) The person who has reached this level of spiritual maturity has moved beyond himself and has placed himself under that control and command of God.
(Ill. This is what true spiritual maturity is all about! It is about coming to the end of ourselves and realizing just how big this thing really is, and that there is no way that we could ever do it on our own. We must come to the place where we realize who is in control! Phil. 4:13.)
2. When you are this deep, you have ceased to support yourself - (Ill. Ezekiel was no longer wading, he was just resting. He wasn't in charge, he gave himself over to the power of the river!) Ill. this is where God wants to bring you and me to. He wants us to reach the place where we learn to rest in Him and allow Him to support us and carry us through this life. It will no longer be you trying to run around and get things done, it will be you resting in the power of the Holy Spirit watching the Lord conduct His business as He caries you along with Him.
3. When you are this deep, you have given yourself up to the will of the river - (Ill. Ezekiel was going to go where the river took him) This is how the Lord wants us to be. He wants us to loose sight of ourselves, our goals, our ambitions, our dreams and He wants us to be totally, 100% surrendered to Him and His will for our lives. God is looking for surrender from you and me, Rom. 12:1-2.
4. When you are this deep, you are just happy to be carried by the river - The will of the river becomes your will also. This is where we are all commanded to be - Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:25; 1 John 2:6. (Ill. Basically, Ezekiel was all wet! He was into something that was way over his head. That, my friends is where God wants to get you!)
Conc: Do you know what the secret to real revival is? It is nothing more than for God's people to get to the place where they are as deep in Him as they can get! That's what it is! It isn't for that ankle deep crowd! Those knee deep folks will get a ripple every now and then. Even those who are out there to the loins won't feel the force of God's power like they should. It is only when we throw ourselves on the mercy of the river and allow the Spirit of God to have the absolute right of way in our lives that we can experience true and genuine revival. Now, I want you to notice 2 things that are so deep and profound that you may have missed them during this message.
1. Notice this statement in verses 3 - 4, "He brought me through the waters." Some of you are holding back on total commitment to the Lord this evening because you are afraid that if you fully sell out to Him that you will drown. God will never let you down! Some of this saints have walked through some mighty deep waters over the centuries and God brought them all out!
A. Job, Job 1-2
B. 3 Hebrews, Dan. 3
C. Daniel, Dan. 6
D. The Disciples - the storm!)
My friend, what the Lord did for them, He will also do for you! (Ill. Isa. 43:2; Isa. 45:7)
The deeper you go, the harder it is to jump out - When you are in the kiddie pool, you can jump in and out whenever you feel like it. Even when you are knee deep and loin deep, it is just a short hike back to the safety of the bank. However, when you have placed yourself at the mercy of the river, it's a whole lot harder to get back out again. What I am saying is that an ever deepening spiritual life is a hedge against failure. Get in as deep as you can!
Just how deep are you this evening? Are you still in the shallows? If so, wade on out, because the water is fine! Besides, you can't do the backstroke in the kiddie pool! You've got to get out there pretty deep to get where your feet no longer touch the bottom. What are you going to do? Some of you have never even gotten into the water. Make tonight your night to give it all up to Jesus. Will you do it?
