JUST NEEDS A LITTLE WATER

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.””

Message Title: “Just Needs a little water”

ReCap of where we have come in this series “PLANTED AND FLOURISHING” - from Ps 92

week 1: All you need is a seed: The world wants the finished product, The kingdom only needs the seed. Dont despise the day of small beginnings. God rejoices for the seed!

week 2: embrace the dirt (soil, how being planted means being occasionbally uncofmrtable - weeds show up. Life happens. People are people and offense will come… but if offense is pulled out by the ROOT - it only leads yo bitterness, resentment.... and eventually gives birth to unforgiveness

Week 3: Just Needs a little water

***i grew up with a total infatuation with water - I grew up in the water, on the water and always wanting to be BY THE WATER. In fact i loved it so much that i would take the public bus with my surfboard on a Saturday morning in the dark from my house and switch and get a second bus which would go down to North Narrabeen beach and i would spend the entire day with nothing but a backack enough money for a meat pie, and the bus ride home and i would surf all day. Thats how much i loved the ocean and water. Nothing has changed today. i have a semi obession with water. I want to be in it, on and it and by it.

The prophet Jeremiah likens the people of GOD restored to their land and their promises as being like TREES that are planted by WATER.

WATER IS A CRITICAL THING FOR A HUMAN. ITS THE SECOND LARGEST HUMAN NEED THAT EXISTS - NATURALLY SPEAKING

You can survive 3 minutes without AIR… 3 Days without WATER… and 3 Weeks without FOOD.

But WATER has significance naturally - but also spiritually. Have you ever thought about the WATERING of your OWN SPIRITUAL LIFE. perhaps you never have. But you can intentionally be a person who is CONSISTENTLY WATERED BY GOD

and the best WAY TO GET CONSISTENT WATER - IS TO BE PLANTED!

Water is used in the spiritual life of what it looks like to grow and be increased and blessed. Rain Water is used in the OLD T as a SIGN of blessing from HEAVEN - From GOD> that he would send RAIN.. to WATER CROPS.. THAT WOULD BRING HARVESTSn that would CREATE ABUNDANCE… Wealth, Prosperity etc.

Its the same thing today - only its a spiritual application.

Where there is a NATURAL example, there is SO OFTEN a spiritual parallel

WATER is symbolic of things: Renewal, Nutrition, Cleansing

THE 5 WELLS OF WATER / 5 sources of WATER FOR A CHRISTIAN.

PRAYER - BIBLE READING - WORSHIP - CHURCH - GROUPS

these are the five WATER WELLS:

PRAYER (The First part of our faith, our childlike PRAYER, Abba Father, our father - when we say YES to JEsus we begin in prayer & we contiunue in prayer)

BIBLE READING (The living word is opened and READ - it is brought inside of us, we are watered by it. It does something to us)

WORSHIP (Ascribing of the highest VALUE in our lives - Lifting High the name of JESUS & worshiping in spirit and truth as sons and daughters)

CHURCH (Temple Corporate gathering of the saints)

GROUPS (Community Fellowship)

Now i want you to think about this for a moment - you get all of these things inside of the HOUSE of God.

You may not ENGAGE in these or DRAW from these WELLS. but they are here.

This is water - This is how you get the water that helps you become planted

So three points today: I want to convince you of why you need the water - why you need to be obsessed spiritually with getting the water that MAKES YOU PLANTED IN THE HOUSE

Why you need the water in the process of becoming PLANTED in church life:

1.WATER WASHES YOU

Water is something that is needed for CLEANING

If you wanna wash, you need water - its that simple!

In biblical terms - Water is significant For purification - This was an Old Testament thing but you needed to be CLEAN before a CLEAN, HOLY GOD

Water makes things CLEAN.

And GOD DOESNT JUST WANT TO WASH YOU A LITTLE BIT

Water immersion is the method God would use to illustrate on a natural level what HE DOES on a spiritual level.

WATER WASHES, IT DELIVERS FROM AN UNCLEAN STATE TO A CLEAN STATE

water is what delivered the OLD TESTAMENT People of God

**theology time*** ----Water is ALSO the symbol for what the HOLY SPIRIT does at the Point of SALVATION for you and me when we put our faith in JESUS Christ.

The holy Spirit - BAPTIZES us / fully immerses us / Washes us clean/ into the Body of Christ:

1 Corinthians 12:13 “13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

Saved into the BODY of CHRIST through a BAPTISM by the SPIRIT INTO CHRIST - a total miracle

And its through this, through this miracle that we are made clean & through no other means: FULLY IMMERSED (BAPTIZED)into the Body of CHRIST and becoming the church

1 Peter 3:21 “21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”

Galatians 3:27 “27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (clothed yourself with CHRIST).

YOU DONT GET A LITTLE BIT BAPTIZED - RIGHT>? You GET DUNKED. You Get FULLY IN. ITS ALL HAPPENING. WHY?

((well think about the deliverance of Gods Think about the deliverance of NOAH and his family in the ark

people from Egypt,

Joshua entering the promised land - The water was in a sense a symbol of WHAT GOD WAS DOING - CHANGING THINGS, MAKING THEM FULLY DIFFEENT

- There are no half measures in the kingdom of God. You are ALL IN or you are NOT IN AT ALL.))

When the PEOPLE of GOD were brought out of EGPYT they DID so VIA WATER

Water is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT thank you think!

another example is when paul writes the church in EPHESUS and talks to them about the picture of MARRIAGE and the CHURCH - HE uses this cleanings, washing language as well:

Ephesians 5:24-26 “24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

When you ARE PLANTED - The water thats needed, KEEPS the PLANT… the TREE HEALTHY. Could you miagine what happens to a PLANT if you water it with COKE? or SWEET TEA? Its going to GROW in an unhealthy way. Its the same with our FAITH.

The PURE WATER OF THE WORD WASHES US, IT BAPTIZES US CONTINUALLY

WHEN YOU COME TO CHURCH YOU TAKE A BIG OLD BATH - did you know that?

We read the WORD here - why? because its ALL WEVE GOT!

but here is the best part - ITS ALL WE NEED

YOU GOT PROBLEMS TODAY? WE GOT SOLUTIONS TODAY

You GOT DIRT TO DEAL WITH TODAY - IVE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS FOR YOU! we have the ULTIMATE CLEANING SOLUTION FOR THAT STUBBORN STAIN - its the WORD OF GOD!

2.WATER MAKES YOU GROW

Just like a plant - Water is needed for GROWTH

This is what i like to call the SPIRITUAL IRRIGATION OF OUR LIVES

When we get the water - The Growth happens - What growth? Nutritional growth.

Study about life change from reading the bible (getting water)

Center for Biblical Engagement - Did a study challenge which has become well known NOW as the POWER of 4 Study.

This is what they found: As people engaged in the word of God vs Unhealthy and risky behaviours such as Gambling, Pornography, Getting Drunk, and Sex outside of Marriage - Check this out:

One day per week - No change / The risk wa sthe same

two days per week - no change

three days per week - some change

4 days per week - material change

A lack of scriptural engagement produces several consequences. Disengagement from God’s word has left American believers ignorant of basic Bible facts and truths, vulnerable to false teachings, and, in many cases, spiritually immature. As our research has demonstrated, those who read the Bible at least four times a week are less likely to engage in behaviors such as gambling, pornography, getting drunk, and sex outside marriage.

There are definite signs that Christians are struggling in the battle against such temptations. Studies by several different organizations suggest that about half of men attending church are involved in pornography (Genung, 2005). A significant minority of self-identified born-again Christians, particularly those under 35, has cohabited, and divorce rates are just as high among born-again Christians as among other groups (Barna Research Group, 2001). An estimated 8 out of 10 youth from evangelical Christian homes walk away from their faith by age 23 (Brown 2006).

All of these disturbing trends stem from one common source. Many Christians are losing the day spiritually because they are not connecting with God through His Word regularly.

Water is what makes you grow!

for the roots to dig down - you need the water!

Come to church to get the water!

Come to worship nights to get the water!

Come to the house of God and Groups to get the water!

3.WATER HELPS YOU BEAR FRUIT

so the water goes over us (cleansing)

It goes (in us - thats the growth)

but it also is meant to be through us and bearing OUTWARD fruit

Jeremiah 17:8 ESV

8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Trees waters

Roots planted

Leaves that are GREEN

and a LIFE That DOES NOT FAIL to PRODUCE FRUIT!

Water is needed for the next part of the process

to bear fruit

and to produce seed for the continuous process.

WE NEED YOU TO BEAR GOOD FRUIT and YOU NEED US TO THE SAME

When you get the WATER you need spiritually - you begin to be able to DISCERN things and thats a massive deal,.

You begin to see the need for the fruit to become available not just in your life - but the life of others!

Where does WATER come from When it comes to being planted - Three ways and why its vital you are planed in GODS HOUSE:

WERE GOING TO GET A BIT CULTURAL HERE - things from a Colonial perspective