Sermons by Mike Blume

Message:

In both accounts, the DEAD SEA is referred to.

In Joshua 3, we read that the Jordan waters flowed from the north and the City of ADAM was mentioned.
Adam was beside Zaretan.
And whereas the waters that flowed down through Jordan to the Dead Sea -- the Salt Sea -- were cut off.

In Ezekiel, the river from the Temple flowed eastward and reached the Dead Sea.

47 (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.

When we read verse 10, it mentions two cities -- one was the north tip of the Dead Sea and the other is the South Tip of the dead Sea.

47 (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.

Engedi was the southern most part of the Dead Sea and Eneglaim was the norther most part of the Dead Sea.

And for fishermen to stand from the north to the south of the city and cast out nets and catch so many fish as though from the great sea, is to see not only a healing of the waters, but abundance of life in those formerly dead waters.

So we see two rivers flowing to the Dead Sea.

One starts in an area by a city called Adam and flows to the Dead Sea but is cut off from flowing there.
And the other starts at the Temple of God and flows to the Dead Sea and makes it alive.

We studied how the River from the Temple represents the River, or the SPIRIT, of Life.

We now learn that the river from the city Adam represents the flesh.

When Ezekiel walked in the river from the temple we seen how this is symbolic of walking in the Spirit.

And the reason there was a man with a golden reed measuring the rivers was that there is a LAW OF THE SPIRIT we must become familiar with.
When we understand the law of the Spirit, we can learn how to walk in the Spirit.
You learn how to be led by the Spirit once you understand how the Spirit works but learning the LAW OF THE SPIRIT.
But before we learn to walk in the Spirit, there is another walk, just like there was another river in our studies.
People walk after the flesh and walk in the flesh before they learn to walk in the Spirit.

I want to put together these two pictures that involve rivers flowing to the Dead Sea to teach us how to cease walking in the flesh and the begin walking in the Spirit.

When the river in Joshua flowed south to the Dead Sea, it was cut off by the ark of the covenant carried by the priests on their shoulders and stepping into the swelling Jordan waters.

And the waters backed up into a heap at the CITY OF ADAM.
This is so plainly showing us that a WALK AFTER THE FLESH started and came down to us even today from ADAM, the first man.
Adam threw all mankind into sin.

Speaking of Adam, Paul wrote:

Rom 5:19 KJV For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, ...

The walk in the flesh came down to us from Adam.

When Paul continued in Romans, he noted that the ones who are in the flesh are the ones who MIND the things of the flesh.
And this is in the chapter that speaks of walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

Rom 8:1-2 KJV 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.

Rom 8:5-6 KJV For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Just as the river waters flowed from Adam to the Dead Sea, the ones who walk after the flesh are the ones who are after the flesh, and to be carnally minded -- or to mind the things of the flesh -- leads to DEATH.

The Dead Sea represents the destiny of all those who walk after the flesh.
They shall die.

Rom 8:13 KJV For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

To walk after the flesh is caused by thinking constantly of the things of the flesh -- minding the things of the flesh.
That is why we need a renewing of the MIND.

Rom 12:1-3 KJV I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (3) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

We must be sacrifices!

Renew our minds by ceasing to think of ourselves so highly.
People who regard themselves as living sacrifices cannot think of themselves highly.
Sacrifice causes one to be humble.

And notice that the story of Joshua says the priests upheld the Ark of the Covenant and walked into the Jordan River in order to cause the waters to be cut off from flowing down to the Dead Sea.

The ark of the covenant is associated with SACRIFICE.
On the day of Atonement, the High Priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood on the mercyseat of the ark, and the death of the sacrifice counted in God's eyes as the death of the people of Israel.
A substitutionary death was what the ark of the covenant was all about.
When we think of OURSELVES as sacrifices, though we still live, it transforms us.
When we renew our minds and start thinking a NEW WAY, instead of thinking HIGHLY of ourselves, it transforms us.

Now, this is not written to sinners, but believers.

Because salvation does not automatically change your style of thinking into spiritual mindedness.
This shows us that believers -- not sinners-- need to stop walking after the flesh and begin walking after the Spirit.
And the way to do this is to realize the SACRIFICE OF JESUS is our atonement.
His death was substitutionary for our own.
So we must consider ourselves to HAVE DIED in the death of Jesus.

Now, the death of the lamb freed Israel 40 years earlier when they were in Egypt.

But when they crossed the Red Sea, they crossed at night, fleeing from the Egyptians.
But at Jordan they then had an ark of the covenant, which they never had in Egypt.
And they upheld that and crossed in the daytime in bold defiance of the Canaanites, for they were crossing to conquer the land and begin with Jericho!
What a difference from fleeing at night from Egyptians, and crossing in daytime to conquer kingdoms!

That is the difference between someone first saved, and someone saved for some time who has matured in the Spirit and FULLY UNDERSTANDS their deaths with Christ.

They had the sacrifice in Egypt that freed them from Egypt.

The death of Jesus frees us from sin.
But it is not until we learn and mature in the Spirit for some time afterwards that we come to a revelation of OUR DEATHS WITH JESUS.
That same sacrifice that freed us from sin means so much more for us now.
And we later realize that WE DIED WITH JESUS.
We are sacrifices who LIVE -- living sacrifices -- and not just people saved by a sacrifice.
And when we fully come to UPHOLD our faith in OUR SACRIFICE with Christ, we cease to walk after the flesh.

You see, Egypt was defeated by the death of the Lamb.

The passover brought on the destruction of the Kingdom when the death angel slew all the firstborn of Egypt, but the Israelites were saved by the death of the lamb.
But now we see our own FLESHLINESS and FLESHLY WALK DEFEATED by the same sacrifice when we mature and learn the law of the Spirit Of Life.

The thing that stopped the River of Jordan is the same thing that STARTED the river of Life.

Rev 22:1 KJV 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.

Notice that the River of Life flowed from the throne of God and the Lamb.

This throne of God is represented by the ark of the covenant.
The ark had a mercyseat with cherubims and the wings overshadowing the seat.
This is symbolic of the throne of God in Isaiah 6 with seraphims above the throne.
And this connects the ark of the covenant that stopped the flow of the water of life with the beginning of the River of Life.

The revelation that helps us to stop walking after the flesh is the revelation that teaches us how to walk after the Spirit.

It is the revelation that Christ's death counted as our deaths.
And the destination is now become the DEAD SEA RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD, AND TEEMING WITH LIFE!

What a change!

What a difference!

The entire sequence of thought from Romans 6 into Romans 8 is speaking about our baptism into Jesus Christ's death so that we can understand it counts as OUR DEATHS.

This understanding will help us realize that we are not supposed to look to our flesh and do our best for the Lord, but rather live in resurrection power like Jesus did, since we died with Him and by the same token resurrected with Him.
When Jesus resurrected, He was so fully led of the Spirit in victory.
And just like Jesus, we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive unto God and present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead.

Rom 6:11-13 KJV Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

It has always been true, but we never realized we were resurrected from the dead with Jesus when He saved us.

Crossing the Jordan with the ark represents the time we come into this realization.

40 years earlier they could have crossed Jordan, but were full of doubt.

This is just like Christians who are defeated.
They have the goods to conquer their unbelief and the enemy, but THEY DO NOT HAVE THE REVELATION OF WHO THEY ARE YET.
They have these qualities, but do not know it!
And you cannot have confidence due to what is true about you if you do not know what is true about you.
Holding up the ark that was used in atonement sacrifice that counted as the deaths of the people represents finally having the revelation of our deaths and resurrections with Jesus and holding it up as our basis for being able to cross into the Kingdom power and destroy enemies.
40 years earlier they did not do that.
They never knew about the LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE.
So they never upheld it.

The ark was still with them!

But we read nothing of them holding it up as they did in Joshua's day.

Numbers 13 showed the people spying out the land, but spreading doubt throughout the people until they disbelieved God.
Numbers 14 shows them being told they will suffer 40 years in the wilderness due to their unbelief and die there.
Only the children below 20 and Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who did not doubt, would enter.
So they change their minds and try to enter anyway.

Num 14:34 KJV After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

Num 14:40-44 KJV And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. (41) And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. (42) Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. (43) For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you. (44) But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Num 14:45 KJV Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.

THE ARK WAS THERE!

The FACT is that we did die with Jesus and are alive from the dead.
It's there with us!
BUT WE DO NOT KNOW IT UNTIL THE REVELATION OF IT COMES TO US through teaching.
We have to learn what to DO WITH THAT TRUTH.
And the answer as to what to do is to STOP RELYING ON THE POWER OF THE FLESH, stop simply doing OUR best, but rely on the Spirit of God BY FAITH to intervene and EMPOWER US!
And as the Israelites tried going into the land without the ark, and were defeated, people cannot enter victory UNTIL THEY LEARN THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT, and how to deal with this.
Going without the ark is fighting with your flesh, and it cannot work.

When someone gets the revelation and presents themselves to God as one who is alive from the dead, that is a far cry from simply trying to work for God and defeat the enemy by trying our best.

Presenting ourselves to God as alive from the dead has behind that the understanding that as Christ died and rose again and had total power of God, we died and resurrected to have total power of God.
And THAT GIVES US CONFIDENCE!
And GOD NEEDS CONFIDENCE TO WORK with us.
He cannot work when we are weak in faith.
He needs our faith.
The stronger our faith, the more God can work!

But Israel went in to fight with out faith in God, but through fear of having to die in the wilderness.

They were as much in the flesh as they were when they feared to enter Canaan.
They did everything out of fear!
they feared the giants so they refused to enter.
Then they feared dying in the wilderness, so they set forth to fight the enemy anyway.
AND THEY MESSED UP BOTH TIMES.
They compounded their trouble of seclusion to the wilderness with trying to fight Canaan and being smitten by them.

The ark, which was used in atonement sacrifice, was also representative of God being with the people, because the atonement sacrifice reconciled them with God.

Joshua and Caleb had the attitude -- GOD IS WITH US!

Num 14:9 KJV Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

We must have confidence that GOD IS WITH US!

This is faith!
We are alive from the dead and risen with Jesus, and GOD IS WITH US!
That attitude is the attitude of CONFIDENCE.
And God needs that in us to work with us and work for us.

Heb 11:6 KJV But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Walking after the flesh knows none of this confidence and this death with Christ that gives this confidence.

And Romans -- where we read about the walking after the flesh and Spirit -- talks detailingly about SIN NOT HAVING DOMINION OVER US because we are dead to sin.

If you do not have a revelation of this, even though it is true, you will FEAR and you will DOUBT.
When it comes to sin, you will have doubt and fear.
But this revelation explains this to you so much so that HAVE CONFIDENCE in the truth of it all.
And that is what God needs to help you and empower you.
God taught us these things in Romans because understanding and reasoning through them will actually give us confidence.
And God needs confidence in us in order to bless us and empower us.

Christians still walk in the fleshly way that Adam started.

It flowed down from Adam and it continues to exist in people who actually left Adam's race and were saved as part of the new creation race.
We need to understand this truth so we can stop walking after the flesh as sinners do, and start walking LIKE WE SHOULD WALK NOW, and have faith in our deaths with Christ as our CLAIM and OUR RIGHT to dominion over sin and satan!

It takes believers years to come to this.

Like Israel 40 years after they left Egypt finally learning how to cross Jordan.
This time it was not just two men who had confidence, but the NATION had confidence!

And as Psalm 1 mentioned there are three areas of sinfulness that the wicked are involved with, and they are associated with walking, standing and sitting, Ezekiel shows us how to MORTIFY THE DEEDS OF THE FLESH by the river of the Spirit touching his ankles, knees and loins.
Romans 8 teaches that knowing this law of the Spirit of life MORTIFIES THE DEEDS OF THE BODY.

Psalm 1 says the wicked who do not experience this, but remain walking in the Spirit shall not stand in the judgment.

Rev 20:12-15 KJV And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 22:1-2 KJV 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.

We do not see anyone walking in the river Like Ezekiel BEFORE seeing these trees, because that represents learning to walk in the Spirit, and this has to be done before the judgment day occurs.

Ezekiel walked in the river and THEN SAW these trees.
This is because walking in the river refers to learning to walk in the Spirit.
And this must be done before judgment day.
Those who learned to walk in the Spirit will remain as trees planted by the waters.
That is why you only read of seeing the trees after judgment.
This is the people who learned to walk in the Spirit and moritified the deeds of the body.
They are all that are left!

If you do not learn to walk in the Spirit, your fleshly walk may one day destroy you.

You will not know how to defeat your fleshly acts, and they will defeat you.

Let us learn this LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE!

TWO RIVERS: FLESH AND SPIRIT