SATURATED AND BLESSED BY THE RIVER OF LIFE

May 2, 2004 am MF Blume Psalm 1:1-6 (1)  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (4)  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (5)  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (6)  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Ezekiel 47:1-12 (1)  Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. (2)  Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. (3)  And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. (4)  Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. (5)  Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. (6)  And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. (7)  Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. (8)  Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. (9)  And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. (10)  And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. (11)  But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. (12)  And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. So many sermons have offered interpretations of what the ankles, knees, loins and swimming levels of water in Ezekiel's vision represents. And here is yet another thought I wish to offer. I believe that the Bible interprets itself. The bible should tell us what these things mean. And the bible does it by other references with the similar message and elements listed, as Psalm 1 lists stages, and also mentions the river and trees specifically noted with fruit and leaves. I want to preach to you today about God's will for you to be saturated and blessed by the river of Life, which is the Holy Spirit of God! If this statement does not relay to you the thought of ABSOLUTE satisfaction in life, then please understand that this is my intention in speaking in this manner. Jesus came to give us Life and that more abundantly. John 10:10 (10)  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. And Psalm 1 relates very much to Ezekiel 47. I wish to explain what Ezekiel's urges to walk into water to his ankles, knees, loins and finally to swim in the river of life actually means. May the Lord guide us today to understand the message in this vision. It speaks about absolute satisfaction in life. The two passages we read are very much closely knit together in essence of thought. We read of rivers of water in both and trees whose fruit and leaves are stressed specifically. Psalm 1.. bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither Ezekiel 47 ...whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed Ezekiel says that the River causes everything it comes into contact with to live. But it says it in a very unique manner. And notice the details. God wants to show us something in this when we read it. Ezekiel 47:(9)  And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: All that lives shall live. How can we say all that lives shall live? It's already living! The truth is that natural living souls require a greater Life of God! ANOTHER LIFE! This is speaking about giving living souls a GREATER LIFE. This is exactly what the New Testament teaches about God's Spirit. John 4:13-14 (13)  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: (14)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 7:37-39 (37)  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38)  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (39)  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) The RIVERS OF LIVING WATER represent the Holy Spirit of God that He dispenses to souls and gives them another life! Eternal Life! THAT is what you feel when a minister of God preaches in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It's ALIVE, so you can actually FEEL it in your soul. You do not need to hang around any religion that does not dispense this LIFE! So we see that the Holy Spirit of God is likened to a River of Life. Jesus told us to COME to it. Look where else we read Jesus telling us to come to the River. Rev 22:16-17 (16)  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (17)  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Come and take of the water of life freely. Look at the first of this chapter. Rev 22:1-2 (1)  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2)  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Same picture as Ezekiel 47 and Psalm 1. What is important for us to notice is that Psalm 1 speaks of trees specifically with fruit and leaves, as in rev 22 and Ezekiel 47, in referring to GOD'S PEOPLE. Psalm 1:(3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. People are called trees! And Revelation said this tree planted by the River of Life, that Jesus said is the Holy Ghost to which we must come and drink, IS THE TREE OF LIFE! Revelation 22 has one tree on both sides of the River. But Ezekiel 47 has MANY TREES on both sides of the river. It's ONE KIND OF TREE, but many of them. Back in Psalm 1 we read three distinct elements that David said cause a man to be like one of these trees planted by the waters with it's fruit and leaves. Psalm 1(1)  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Watch how this compares with Ezekiel 47. Ezekiel 47:1-12 (1)  Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. (2)  Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. Ezekiel is in a vision. He is guided to the door of the house, which is the temple. Waters are flowing from the temple's right side at the south of the altar. By the way, 1 Kings 7:39 says that in Solomon's temple a huge "sea" of 3000 baths of water was situated at the right side of the Temple towards the south. And the PRIESTS were to wash themselves in it, while ten other lavers of water were to wash the sacrifices they offered. Ezekiel saw this RIVER flowing from where this huge basin stood in Solomon's temple. And a man with a measuring line measures forth towards the east, in the direction the water is flowing, 1000 cubits (half a mile). He GUIDES Ezekiel that distance. And Ezekiel is then up to his ANKLES in this river. Another 1000 has the man guide Ezekiel to his knees. Another 1000 has the man guide Ezekiel to his loins. Finally, another 1000 is measured, bringing us to 4000 cubits from the temple, and the man does not lead Ezekiel there, but Ezekiel finds that the waters are a veritable RIVER at this point. And Ezekiel SWIMS in the River! Notice the sequence. Ankles. Knees. Loins. Swim. And when Ezekiel swims, he returns to the place where he started. (6)  And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. (7)  Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. After he returned, and NOT BEFORE, he sees many trees on the river's edge. (12)  And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. The trees have the fruit and the leaves to HELP THE WORLD. Psalm 1 shows the SAME SEQUENCE OF THOUGHTS. The first thing Psalm 1 said is (1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly This corresponds to Ezekiel's experience of following the GUIDE who MEASURES the river the first 1000 cubits and the water is up to his ankles. THE ANKLES are associated with WALKING. (2) nor standeth in the way of sinners THE KNEES are associated with STANDING. (3) nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. THE LOINS are associated with SITTING. Psalm 1 gives three elements that show HOW BLESSED such a man is! Ezekiel was being BLESSED as he used his ankles for something other than walking in the counsel of the ungodly! Ezekiel was WALKING IN RIVER OF LIFE called the HOLY GHOST! He used his knees for something other than standing in the pathway that sinners take! He Stood in the power of the Spirit! His loins did not seat him in the seat of the scornful! He was in the river of life! The spirit of Ezekiel's vision in chapter 47 is not saying it is Not good enough to got to the ankles and stop! It is simply saying that Ezekiel experienced a touch of God upon the very things that Psalm 1 spoke about! And Psalm 1 lists these three elements and then says that a person who does not give his ankles, knees and loins to the walk, standing and sitting of unsaved humanity is blessed to BE LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE WATERS. And lo and behold, after Ezekiel touches these three areas of his life, he then enters waters to SWIM IN! If this is the Holy Spirit of God that we are reading about, and we know that it is, then we are reading of having God's Spirit simply carry us away in such wonderful blessings. And when Ezekiel returns to the starting place, he sees many trees by the waters with the leaves and fruit to touch this old world! Psalm 1 said these trees were planted by the waters. That means they did not simply GROW there. THEY WERE GROWN ELSEWHERE AND TRANSPLANTED THERE. When you do not walk, stand and sit where the world walks, stands and sits, but are directed away from that into the things of the SPIRIT OF GOD, YOU ARE TRANSPLANTED by these waters of His Spirit. Your entire life is different now! You've been uprooted from where you were. Watch what else Psalm 1 said. (4)  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. The ungodly are not transplanted, but remain where they were. And their lives DRY UP AND BLOW AWAY! Contrast that with plump fruit and leaves that do not whither! Death versus LIFE! In order to not walk stand or sit where the world does, means to ABSORB THE SPIRIT OF GOD INTO YOUR LIFE! Like a tree planted by the waters of life! Now Jesus said to COME TO THE WATERS. After noticing that Ezekiel allowed Himself to be GUIDED and LED and BROUGHT to the waters at the leading of the man with the measuring line, and realizing that each of the three elements speak about GETTING AWAY FROM THE WORLD'S WAYS and GETTING INTO GOD'S SPIRIT INSTEAD, then following the leading into the waters represents HOLINESS. Do we know what holiness really means? It means WE BELONG TO SOMEONE. In this case, it is God. God is saying that in order to be blessed like this, we must LIVE LIVES THAT ARE DIFFERENT than the world's common way of living. You cannot do what the rest of the world does. You cannot be ungodly, sinful and scornful. Locking into God's Spirit is synonymous with leaving ungodliness, sin and scornfulness. You are HIS. You are HOLY. Notice that two of the sort of people we read about in verse 1 are said to not experience some things. You do not do what they do, and they will not experience these things that you will experience. (5)  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. The ungodly cannot stand in the judgment as you will! They will not make it! They will fall when judgment comes. When judgment comes for us all at the end, the only way you will SURVIVE it and STAND when it's all said and done is to have locked into the Spirit of God. Depend upon His Spirit like a tree depends upon the river it stands beside. And a tree with a river beside it is a STRONGLY ROOTED TREE that WILL NOT WILT NOR LEAN AND FALL. Sinners cannot stand in the congregation of the righteous. They're not fit! But do not think for a minute you are better than anyone else, because it is not YOU that rendered yourself to become like this! You just left the ungodly lifestyle. And notice what Ezekiel learned about why the trees of life have so much fruit, whereas Psalm says the ungodly blow away like chaff in the wind. Ezekiel 47:12 (12)  And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. The fruit is there because of the waters that come from the temple. We only become strong and flourish bountifully by God's Spirit, and not our own efforts and natural life! When Ezekiel saw the man with a measuring line and following his guidance as the man measured 1000 cubits, we see a picture telling us a message. Psalm 1 gives the answer. The bible interprets itself, and it's such an adventure to learn these things and find these associations out. Psalm 1(2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. The LAW OF GOD is something we must MEASURE UP TO. We align our lives with the Law of God. In other words, LEARN from GOD. Did you know that you need a person who is genuinely inspired by God to TEACH you things you simply cannot naturally know? God will show you things Himself as well. But there is also need for ministers of God whom God uses. It all works together! The man measures 1000 cubits and brings Ezekiel that far and Ezekiel finds that his ankles -- his walk -- is not a walk in the counsel of the ungodly. When you learn from God, you live as the ungodly's counsel dictates them to purposely do mischief and evil. The counsel of the ungodly is not being influenced by God and doing everything one would do on one's own. He counsels others to care nothing for true religion. Don't pray. Do your own thing. No need for God. Just be honest and good in yourself You are walking, but things regress, and you are soon STANDING. Standing in the way of sinners is worsening the previous state. Going for no influence from god which is ungodliness, to ADDING TO IT AND SINNING. That brings you to a standstill. Sinners have different WAYS of living. Then you worsen and SIT. Worse then simply not having godly influence, and worse than sinning, the SCORNFUL MOCK GOD! From walking, to standing and finally sitting, to be SO DIVESTED OF LIFE THAT YOU BLOW AWAY IN THE WIND LIKE CHAFF! Talk about inability to stand in the day of judgment! The ungodly blow away with the WIND let alone God's mighty judgment! But the righteous who love God's ways will stand strong. And nothing stands stronger than a tree planted by surging and full Rivers of Life! (4)  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. If you walk as the ungodly, you will soon stop walking and merely stand and commit sin after sin, until you finally SIT and actually SCORN ALL THAT IS OF GOD. But instead, you PROGRESS and move greater than you ever have before when you get in the Holy Spirit! YOU SWIM IN IT! In SIN YOU SLOW DOWN AND FINALLY SIT AND GO NOWHERE. IN THE SPIRIT YOU GET DEEPER! The three regressions in sin are walk, stand and finally sit and then dry up and blow away. They’re backwards. But the three progressions in the Spirit are Ankle deep, then knee deep, then waste deep, and finally SWIMMING! That’s forwards! Wet, wetter, saturated and rooted forever! And your life becomes so fulfilled with meaning and purpose! YOU FEED OTHERS. AND YOU BLESS OTHERS. Fruit from your life is so LIFE-GIVING to those who come to you! And you bring HEALING to the nations of peoples who are so wounded and hurt and beaten. Remember that PEOPLE who love God's LAW are like these trees. Therefore, it's fruit and leaves that feed and heal speak about God using our lives to minister to the world. There's no greater blessing than knowing God is using you to minister to the world around you! Psalm 1:(2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Wherever this RIVER flowed, IT GAVE LIFE! Rom 8:1-2 (1)  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Walk after the Spirit! Follow the MEASURING LINE of God's LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE! The measuring line on the river of life speaks of the law of the Spirit of life. A life that follows God's Spirit is represented by following a measuring line in the river of life! When you follow the MEASURE to leave ungodliness, sinfulness and haughty scornfulness and mockery of all that is spiritual and good, YOU WILL BE BLESSED! God's MEASURE requires you to BE influenced by God and not simply a life that is without God -- ungodly. When Ezekiel followed the man with the measuring line, it represents a life that obeys God's law of life and SEEKS INFLUENCE FROM GOD. It's a life that Ceases from sin. It ceases the negligence of things sacred and spiritual. Once you are GUIDED in these three areas of your life, you are ready to ENJOY HIS SPIRIT FULLY! The fourth time the man measured the water 1000 more cubits, we do not read he guided Ezekiel. Ezekiel enjoyed the fullness. But he required all three former steps! You cannot choose to leave the way of the ungodly but continue to stand in the pathway of sinners and expect to enjoy blessed living. You cannot do follow or two of the measurements, and refuse one or two of the other parts. After Ezekiel went all the way, he SWAM! He went back and found many trees by the river's edge! His life became RIGHTEOUS and so full of ministry to others. WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT! Be blessed of God! Feel FULL-FILLED!