STIR UP THE WATER!

LORD, STIR UP THE WATER! John 5:3 “In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters;” John 5:4 “for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.”

WATER is sometimes used as a symbol and or metaphor for Divine Presence and Supernatural Power to Heal. In our text of Scripture an angel of the Lord would come to an area outside of the Temple and stir up the water to announce the Divine Presence of God!

Water is also used as a symbol for things like: Life, Creation, Judgment and Chaos (Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters and Genesis 6-9 the Great Flood serves as divine judgment upon a sinful world.

Similarly, the Red Sea’s parting and subsequent closing in Exodus 14 demonstrate God’s power to both save and judge, as the waters deliver Israel and destroy the Egyptian army)!

Water is also a symbol of spiritual thirst and satisfaction as we will see in Jesus’ invitation in John 7:37-38 to come to Him and drink and out of your innermost being, streams of living water will flow from within the follower of Christ!

Often times when we are in need of Renewal and Transformation we need to give God permission to Stir Up The Living Water from our innermost being. To that end, the title of our message today is Lord, Stir Up The Water!

I. The MEANING of being Stirred Up: To energize the people of God—through the voice of God — by the Spirit of God —to do the will of God! John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” John 7:39 “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

II. The EXAMPLES of being Stirred Up: 2 Chronicles 36:22 “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia . . . Judges 14:6 “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.” Acts 17:16 “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.” 1 Samuel 26:19 “Now therefore, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is men, cursed are they before the Lord,”

III. The REASONS for being Stirred Up: A. God will stir up your spirit so that His Words will be fulfilled! 2 Chronicles 36:22 “. . . in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus Ezra 4:24 “Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped ”

B. God will stir up your spirit in order to help you defeat the spirit of Fear! 2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh (stir up) the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of FEAR, but of power and love and sound mind.”

C. God will stir up your spirit so that you will not be ashamed of the Testimony of the Lord and the power of God! 2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”

IV. The ACTIVATION for being Stirred Up: A. There are things we HEAR that will stir up our spirit! Ezra 5:1 “When the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah . . . prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them,” B. There are things we DO that will stir up our spirit! Haggai 1:12 “Then Zerubbabel . . . and Joshua the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the Lord.” Haggai 1:14 “So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel . . . and the spirit of Joshua the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,” C. There are things we SPEAK that will stir up our spirit! 2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” D. There are things we BELIEVE that will stir up our spirit! 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

IV. The DEMONSTRATION of being Stirred Up: 1 Corinthians 2:4 “and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” WHY do we need demonstrations of the Spirit and of power in our gathering together? 1 Corinthians 2:5 “so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”