The Restorative Power of the River

Scripture: Ezekiel 47:6-8, 12

He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me back to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then he said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh….By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

Insights: Third aspect of the river is broken up into two parts.  Today we will look at the first part which is the restorative power of the river.  Notice in today’s verses that the river is made fresh.  This is not a picture of our salt water fish verse fresh water fish.  This is a picture of the Dead Sea becoming fresh and alive.  Presently, that sea is not able to sustain life, not even salt fish life because the content of salt is too high.  So, for all practical purposes the Dead Sea is properly named because it is dead.  Yet, the Lord is going to send His living water into that sea and it is going to be made fresh.  In other words, God’s river has restorative power to transform something that was dead and make it alive.  This principle is exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross of Calvary.  He took our dead existence and gave to us new life.  It is for this reason we use language like born again.  We are literally reborn in Jesus and we are new creations.  The old dead existence is no longer.  We are alive, full and experiencing abundance in Jesus.  Beloved, considering our lives have so radically been altered, we ought to be zealous to tell others about God’s amazing grace.  We ought to desire to see everyone we meet to come to this saving relationship found in Jesus.  Maybe you are one who has never received Jesus, then will you today?  All you have to do is accept Him by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved.

Questions:

1.  Have you been made alive in Christ Jesus?

2.  In what ways have you personally experienced God’s restorative power in your life?

Prayer: Father, thank You for restoring me and making me whole in Christ Jesus.  I once was lost and dead.  I was desperate for life and You came and restored to me the life I had lost.  Thank You for Your grace.  Amen.

The Depth of the River

Scripture: Ezekiel 47:3-5

When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded.

Insights: Today’s verses were really the key thrust of my sermon Sunday night.  Notice how quickly the trickle of water turns into a mighty river that can not be forded.  The different levels of depth are in many ways the way our Christian walk can be described.  Many of us get saved and our feet our now wet with ankle deep faith.  Some never leave this level of faith.  They are casual attenders of church and are not going to stretch and grow in their relationship with Jesus.  Others begin to grow, and for  sake of illustration, join a small group Bible study.  These individuals become knee deep Christ-followers.  Their faith has been stretched a little and they have walked out there a little bit further into the river, but they don’t want to be classified as a Jesus Freak or anything and they stop growing.  Still there is another group and they keep walking out in their faith into deeper water, which is up to their waste.  At this point they start to feel the thermal changes and start to feel the power of the current and they say, “This is far enough.  If I go any further it will not be safe.”  In other words, it is at this point they have possibly experienced some resistance or even some minor persecution and they are not will to risk it all for their love of Jesus.  There is still a fourth group, however, and these are the ones who desire to swim with Jesus.  They plunge into the deep waters of the river and their faith is tested and stretched beyond anything they could have imagined.  It is at this point, however, we need to be reminded of Hebrews 11:6 which tells us it is impossible to please God without faith.  We need to ask the Lord to increase our faith and then we need to actively obey His commands when He tells us to step into the deep water.  Beloved, let us live by faith and swim in the deep waters with the Lord.

Questions:

1.  Are you swimming by faith or just getting your feet wet?

2.  What God sized assignment has the Lord called you to that you have been resisting?

Prayer: Father, I am often times afraid to swim in the deep water, but every time I do, I am overwhelmed by Your grace and mercy.  You are wonderful and worthy of praise.  Increase my faith Lord, and let me swim with You.  Amen.

The Source of the River

Scripture: Ezekiel 47:1-2

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side.

Insights: Sunday morning I preached out of Daniel chapter four, but I felt my evening message was more applicable for where we are as a church.  For this reason, therefore, my daily blogs this week will be reflective of the evening service.  We looked at Ezekiel chapter forty-seven which is also pictured in Revelation twenty-two.  John and Ezekiel saw the same scene and John gives us a few more details about it that Ezekiel left out.  For example in Ezekiel he describes the water trickle starting from the right side, south of the altar; whereas, John tells us it comes straight from the throne of God.  As we will see later this week, this river has restorative and healing power.  It is living water, if you will permit me to use that kind of language.  When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well He told her if any one drinks the water He offered they would never thirst again.  Here is the point today: the source of this living river of water is the Lord God.  Jesus is the second member of this Triune entity and it was His work on Calvary that purchased the sin payment that allows Him to offer this living water to anyone who will receive it and drink.  If we will receive this gift of life, then we will be born again and made new.  We will have eternal life with our Lord and Savior.  If you are one who has never received Jesus’s gift of salvation, then I pray you receive Him today.  Just pray and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life.  Then find a Bible believing church and start growing in your relationship with Him.  Talk to Him as you would anyone else and let Him know your fears, doubts, joys and happiness.  Let Him in every area of your life and watch your life brighten as you continue to drink of His river of life.

Questions:

1.  Have you received Jesus as the living water that flows from the throne of God?

2.  If not, why not?

Prayer: Father, I am so thankful I am a part of the body of Christ.  I have been washed in the blood and am joint heirs with Jesus because You gave me the living water to drink and I have now been refreshed.  Praise Your mighty name for Your great gift.  Amen.

A Family Unifies Each Other

Scripture: Obadiah 14

“Do not stand at the fork of the road
To cut down their fugitives;
And do not imprison their survivors
In the day of their distress.

Insights: The final thing the Edomites did was isolate and divide the people of Judah.  In other words, they exacerbated the hostility even more by imprisoning the survivors.  This act alone, not counting the previous three injustices, would have been enough to drive a wedge in the family relationship between the Edomites and the Israelites.  In modern day times we are not imprisoning our family members, but we often times drive wedges in our relationships.  We isolate family members and by practicing the previously mentioned items this week we divide our family loyalties.  Beloved, when we live our lives like this it is only bringing our adversary, Satan, the glory.  A watching world of lost people are watching those of us who claim to be members of the body of Christ Jesus.  They want to see if we really do love each other.  They want to see if we are unified or divisive.  The reason they want to see is because they have watched over and over again the body of Christ tear each other apart with their words and deeds.  If you were a lost person and you saw the body of Christ acting this way, would you want to be a part of it?  the answer would be a resounding, “NO!!!”  Let us this day, start to strive for church unity.  Let us start today to seek after love and fellowship with each other.  Let us do the opposite of what these Edomites did and let us defend, encourage, support and unify ourselves to one another.  May the Lord be brought glory as a result of our love for one another.

Questions:

1.  As you think about your primary interaction with your family, is it divisive or unifying?

2.  In what ways are you striving for unification within your family?

Prayer: Father, You tell us to be one as You and the Son are one.  Unfortunately, I often times mess this plan up and am rather divisive and isolating with those of which I am in contention.  Lord, forgive me and change me to strive for unity within my family so that we may shine forth brilliantly before a lost world that is watching us display love and unity toward each other.  Amen.

A Family Supports Each Other

Scripture: Obadiah 13

“Do not enter the gate of My people
In the day of their disaster.
Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity
In the day of their disaster.
And do not loot their wealth
In the day of their disaster.

Insights: The third thing the Edomites did was to rob the children of Judah from their wealth.  Now it is important to understand that at this point the people of Judah no longer have wealth because the Babylonians have already taken it back to their kingdom.  What the Edomites were doing was coming in and looting whatever of value still remained, whether that was food, clothing, or a few trinkets of value that somehow did not get taken by the Babylonians.  In other words, they came in and financially made a very bad situation worse.  They actually were hinderances to the people of Judah having any chance for economic recovery.  Beloved, we live in a day were many people are struggling to make their meager means make it to the end of the month.  It makes me wonder what I am personally doing to help relieve this distress or am I just as much of a hinderance to them by my judgmental attitude as these Edomites were in their physical robbery.  I pray we all allow the Lord to work on our hearts when it comes to this subject of financial responsibility and truly come to the place we are generous supporters of our family and not judgmental hinderances or worse actual thieves. May the Lord be brought glory as He works through us to help meet the financial woes of our family.

Questions:

1.  As you think about your primary interaction with your family, is it hindering or supportive?

2.  In modern day economy many families are financially struggling, in what ways are you helping your family?

Prayer: Father, I may not rob my family as the Edomites had done with the people of Judah, but at the same time I am not always supportive of my family either.  Help my heart to be transformed Lord to where I am generous with the provisions that are rightfully Yours.  Let me be used in such a fashion as to be a blessing to my family and not a hinderance.  Amen.

A Family Encourages Each Other

Scripture: Obadiah 12

“Do not gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, do not boast
In the day of their distress.

Insights: The next thing the Edomites did was to degrade the children of Israel by rejoicing in their pain.  They were literally standing around taunting the children of God and increasing their already demoralized spirit with their verbal assaults.  Beloved, again, I tell you as I did yesterday, it is very bad when our own families join in on the attacks of our lives.  These Edomites ought to have been over there encouraging the people of Judah to remain strong in their faith, to hold on to the truth of the Lord God.  They ought to have been encouraging them to repent and to turn from their wicked ways.  Instead they joined in on the Babylonian band wagon and increased the torment with their words.  It was a tragic event and one of the problems I perceive to be rampant in the local body of Christ.  We come in each Sunday with fake smiles and the placating, “I’m fine” response to people’s enquirers as to our well being.  Then after we give our obligatory response, we are often times talked and gossiped about behind our backs.  At worse times, we are even told to our face the reason for others disappointments in us.  God forgive us for our hurtful response to people.  May the Lord truly transform our hearts and allow us to display the love of Jesus with and to everyone we meet and encourage them to remain steadfast in their faith.  To God be the glory!

Questions:

1.  As you think about your primary interaction with your family, is it degrading or encouraging?

2.  When the pressures of this world rise against your family, in what ways do you help them get through the ordeal?

Prayer: Father, I am not always the best encourager.  Please forgive me for those times in which I degrade my family instead of lifting them up with encouraging words.  I am grateful You don’t treat me as I treat my family.  Amen.

A Family Defends Each Other

Scripture: Obadiah 10-11

“Because of violence to your brother Jacob,
You will be covered with shame,
And you will be cut off forever.
“On the day that you stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And cast lots for Jerusalem—
You too were as one of them.

Insights: The passage we are going to be looking at this week comes from the book of Obadiah.  It is a small little book which is a judgment against the nation of Edom.  The Edomites were descendants of Esau, who was Jacob’s older twin brother.  In the verses this week we are going to see the way the Edomites treated the children of Israel and in seeing their response we see the way we ought to treat family.  In today’s verses we find that when Babylon came and laid siege against the nation of Judah that the Edomites did nothing to defend their brothers.  In fact, they were coming along side and making raids themselves from time to time to help with the subjection of the people of Judah.  Beloved, these truths this week do not only apply to our families by blood and name, but also to the family of God.  We ought to live at peace with our family.  We ought to be the first ones to come along side and defend our family when attacks come.  The problem is that often times the attacks come from within our families.  It is our very own flesh and blood that attack us and cause us the most pain.  This sad reality ought not to be.  When attacks are coming we ought to be the first people to come along side of them and encircle them and help them defeat these assaults.  Beloved, do not stand aloof and watch your family be covered in shame.  Live at peace with them and defend them from the evil of our adversary, which is ultimately Satan himself.  Let the love of Christ defend, protect and empower you to fight for your family, both biological and the family of God.  Let our actions bring glory to our Lord!

Questions:

1.  As you think about your primary interaction with your family, is it aggressive or peaceful?

2.  When others attack your family do you defend them from the assaults?

Prayer: Father, in this world we are hated and attacked by enemies on all sides.  Satan hates us and the lost world does not understand our values.  As a result many of us are confused and easily swayed to live as the lost world lives.  Help me, O Lord, do defend my family and to live peaceably with them.  Amen.