Living Water: From the Garden to the Throne

Introduction (3:00)

Now raise your hand if you remember the last time you heard Ezekiel in a sermon. However, I wanted to go back to this passage because it gives important imagery that Jesus wants us to think about when He offers us living water. This living water is an essential theme of the Gospel of John.

Slide 2 - Now a central theme of John's gospel, is when Jesus offers us living water. That if we drink of His living water then we will thirst no more. That's an exciting idea and a comforting prospect. But what does that really mean? Where does it come from? And what does that entail for us today?

This isn’t a disjointed phrase that Jesus just came up with. It's rooted deep within scripture as this idea that God is the source of all life, all goodness, and all blessing. And so we see in this picture of living water a tapestry of meaning that stretches from Genesis to Revelation. Now, because I know none of you came prepared to sit here as we go through Genesis to Revelation, I've broken apart this theme throughout scripture into five scenes that I think encapsulate the image of living water rather neatly. And so, as we look across these five scenes, I want us to take some time to look over what Jesus really meant to reveal to us, from the scriptures, regarding living water.

Scene 1: The River in the Garden (3:00) - Genesis 2:8-10

Slide 3 - And so to break this down, let's first look at scene one, the river in the garden. Scene one begins here in Genesis 2:8-10.

Slide 4 - 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.

In this passage, God has taken a dry desert ground with nothing growing, no plants and no life. And in this place, he creates a garden. First he waters the ground with a mist. His water comes through and it cultivates life. Life is then brought into the world. And as with everything in the garden, it was good, right? It was perfect.

Slide 5 - And in this foundational place of beauty and tranquility that God had designed for humanity to live in, God sets up paradise. It is in this spot that humanity is meant to live and to enjoy. We were created to enjoy this presence with God in the garden. And in the midst of this paradise, there is a river. And this river waters the whole garden, but not just the whole garden. Cause if you look at the text, Eden is a confined garden with boundaries and yet there's a river, this great river, that waters the whole garden and extends and branches out into four more rivers that water the rest of the world. These four rivers that are mentioned are all associated with wealth, fruitfulness, blessing, abundance, gold. These good things at these rivers are an extension of the blessings that God had created in the Garden Of Eden.

And you have to remember that this was written to a people in an ancient Middle Eastern context. Rivers are not just decorations or where you go on a hot summer day to with your family. They're epicenters of life. Cities, towns, roads, everything was built around rivers, around streams because you had to have water. This river then is set up as the lifeblood of humanity and the first example of a living water.

Slide 6 - A place where God does not hoard his goodness and blessing. He doesn't shore it up in the garden of Eden. Instead He pours it out amongst the world. He brings life to everyone. From here though, as we know, humanity rebels against God's plan and leaves the garden behind, cast out from God's presence because of their rebellion.

And yet God does not give up on humanity. Humanity does not immediately die but is clothed and helped along. And God still reveals himself to people such as Abraham, Moses, and David. He's still working amongst humanity. And steps in to bless and work with humanity despite their continued rebellion.

Scene 2: The River in the Temple (6:00) - Ezekiel 47:1-12

Slide 7 - And so then after the Garden, we have this second scene, where God chooses to bring His blessings through the Israelite nation. However, the Israelites, just like Adam and Eve, rejected that promise in constant rebellion. And that brings us to our next scene. Ezekiel 47:1-12

Slide 8 - Now the temple was where God dwelt among His people, the Israelites, much as He did in the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve. The temple was a beautiful, massive building that became the central of Israelite worship and the dwelling place of God. And in Ezekiel’s vision here, the temple, the place where God dwells, is the source of a trickle of water streaming from the altar of God. But this trickle of water doesn't pool somewhere as you would expect or just trickle off into the mud like a leaking drainpipe. Instead, the spring turns into a creek with water ankle deep. Then, the creek becomes knee deep, then waist deep. Soon, it is a massive rushing river.

And now notice that there are no enjoining streams. This water is not ordinary water. This water is replenishing itself and supernaturally growing in depth and volume as it cascades towards the Dead Sea. And so as it says, this little trickle of water from the altar of God supernaturally grows into a rushing river that is so big and so pure that it turns even the Dead Sea into a haven of life.

Slide 9 - Now I don't know how much you know about the Dead Sea, but the Dead Sea is anything but a haven of life. The salt concentration in the Dead Sea doesn't allow for any life besides fungus and bacteria. There's very little wildlife even in the ground around it. The region around is a desert with harsh conditions.

Slide 10 - So what God's saying here is now this this river coming from the temple is flowing with so much life and goodness that the very ground around it is transformed. That the very desert becomes an oasis of life, of trees, of fruit. And that the very Dead Sea becomes a harbor for fishermen. Its the new place where everyone wants to fish. All because it is poured out by God. So notice this theme here, this is important. God dwells with his people and his blessings extend to the world. That its fruit would serve for food and its leaves for healing.

Again, God dwells with his people and his blessings given to them are extending to the world. This is the prophecy that the Israelites had been looking for for hundreds of years. That God would bring the blessing and life of the Garden Of Eden back. That he would bring that blessing to them in Jerusalem and specifically in the temple. That just as in the garden, God would be the source of blessing, goodness and life.

Scene 3: The River Offered by Jesus (5:30) - John 7:37-39, & John 19:34

Slide 11 - And that expectation then, brings us to our next and central scene with Jesus. In John 7:37-39.

Slide 12 - On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. By this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Now John’s giving a bit of a spoiler here at the end, but first let’s focus on what Jesus says, because

Slide 13 - Jesus delivers this teaching on the last and greatest day of the Feast of the Tabernacles. On each day of this feast, the priests would pour water over the altar commemorating this prophecy and demonstrating a reliance on God’s providence. It is against this backdrop that Jesus proclaims these words. And so He fulfills the practice as the True Living Water amidst their temple, and He extends this invitation: whoever is thirsty, come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.

This is an exciting promise of healing and new life. Notice the shift. Jesus is not just bringing the water to come from the altar of the temple, but instead Jesus is the alter where this living water is offered. And Jesus is the temple where this living water is sourced. Jesus is also not just offering water for people to drink, he's offering water for people that would flow out from within them. That the living water that Jesus gives to the believer would be so much that as it says, there will be rivers of living water that will flow out from within them. And this living water then is given in fulfillment of the Jewish prophecies.

Now this water, though, was not given from a lofty place of abundance. Instead, Jesus gave us living water by emptying Himself in humility upon the cross. As John 19:34 says,

Slide 14 - Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

Slide 15 - At this moment, we see Jesus on the Hill of Golgotha, stretched out on a cross, bringing blessing to the world in the only way it could be brought, through His death. And at the stabbing of a spear out from His side, out flows the blood and water for our atonement and new life. A trickle of water from Jesus’ side would spread and bring God's love to the whole world, just as Ezekiel foretold. That the dry and thirsty world would experience true and eternal life through Jesus. And so this is the promise that Jesus brings. That any who believe in him can take part in this water. That this water that began on the Hill Of Golgotha and flowed out through Jerusalem to the Roman Empire and to all of the world could also be yours if you just believe.

That God's blessing, that that first edenic state that humanity shared with God, That blessed existence that God has designed us to enjoy. Everything that we were created to want can be found in Jesus. And we look at this moment as Jesus in his incarnation, again God brought down to earth, dwelling with humanity. And from this dwelling place, flowing out living water. And we should understand two things.

One, that Jesus is everything we need. He gives meaning to our lives. But then the second part is what are we supposed to do about it. Because Jesus does not just promise that he would be the source of all living water. He also promises that the living water He gives would pour out from those who believe that they would be conduits of His living water. Right? That rivers of living water would flow from within them as well. That just as Jesus poured out his life for his people. That we would do the same. And that promise then is fulfilled in the church.

Scene 4: The River in the Christian (5:00) - Ephesians 2:19-22

Slide 16 - In scene four, the river in the church.

Slide 17 - We read in Ephesians 2:19-22 consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but now fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household. Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.

Remember that spoiler that John gave us in chapter 7, Right? That when Jesus talks about living water, he's talking about the Holy Spirit inside of us. And here we see the Holy Spirit then has fused us together as the capital-c Church. More than any one building or denomination.

Slide 18 - That in Christ we have been unified. And in that unified state, we would collectively exude blessing to the world. We see that Jesus's blessing is the source of all goodness. And any blessing that we could hope to give to the world has to come from him. And more so, not only does it have to come from him, but it has to be through the Spirit's work. It is in the Spirit that we become channels of blessing for the world. Because the Spirit is the one who provides that living water that we bless people with. And so think about what water does? if you want to grow crops, you need water. If you want to live a healthy life, you need water. If you want to survive an intense youth group game, you're going to need some water. Without water, everything withers. In the same way, without the Holy Spirit, churches dry up. Any work that's going to be meaningful and life giving has to be derived from the Spirit.

And so it's in this place that we see ourselves today. That we see ourselves completely redeemed and blessed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And that because we have taken drink from his living water, that we will live forever. And that we can participate in this calling.

Slide 19 - That as the church we would be like the garden of Eden. That within our walls ,we would be a place of blessing and joy and life and goodness, and God's presence would be felt here in amazing ways. But that also, that those blessings, that we don't just hoard them for ourselves, that we just don't seek our own comfort and our own identity and our own legalistic checklist. But that we would then turn to the world and let the blessings that God has given us be poured out on them as well.

For the living water of Christ is not a limited resource. It's not something that you have to hold on to. Rather, just like the river in Ezekiel, it flows out as a trickle and supernaturally can become a raging river. But we have to let it flow out. We cannot just hold on to it. We have to let the Spirit work. We have to turn our doors outward and be mission minded. We have to love our neighbor. We have to seek the good and the well-being of our community. All of our community. We must do the good work of evangelism. We must spread the gospel. We must tell other people about Jesus's living water. That they would accept it. That they would have eternal life based on Jesus's promise. This is an exciting and fulfilling promise that Jesus has given us. It's not something that we can just turn back from or walk away.

This is essential to the gospel message. As we've been talking about, it’s the other half of the gospel. The first half is we must drink of this water. And the second half is we must then pour this water out for the world. That they would then find the blessing of God.

It is in this way that we ourselves can be the temple of Christ as it says here in this passage. Not only does that mean that the water flows out from us, but it also means that God's presence is in us. We as the Church collectively have the presence of God amongst us. We have the presence of God dwelling in us. And so, we should look like a miniature Eden amongst the world.

Scene 5: The River of the Holy City (2:30) - Revelation 22:1-4

Slide 20 - Lastly, scene five. The rive from the throne. In Revelation 22:1-4

Slide 21 - Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 

Slide 22 - No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Slide 23 - The culmination of all of this, that was found in Jesus' death and resurrection is now made manifest to the world at his return. That the holy stream of blood and water that came down from his side for the healing of the world is now made known. That upon the resurrection, the great city of the New Jerusalem comes down.

The dead in Christ are bodily resurrected. And we get to enjoy that edenic state forever. We call this the reconciliation of humanity. We're brought back. We’re brought back to where we were in the Garden of Eden. But notice—it is no longer a garden, but a garden-city. There are trees. There's still the beauty and bountiful life. There's still the presence of God. And yet it's a city now also paved with gold. The image is of fulfillment of everything good that you could find in the river in the beginning made whole now. And this river is flowing directly from the throne of God and extending into this city.

God's presence. God's blessing. God's healing. Given to the world. As we all get to experience life as God created us to enjoy dwelling with Him forever.

And it's in that hope that we place our trust in Jesus. It's in that hope that we see the redemption of Jesus' message. The manifestation of that living water that he brought. For now we know in part, but then we will know fully even as we are fully known.

Conclusion

Slide 23 - And so everyone I implore you to see yourself in this new Edenic state that God is bringing into fulfillment. That you would look to Jesus and drink from the living water that He has offered to you. That you would see that there is no other water that can satisfy. That the things of this earth are trivial. They will leave you thirsty and empty. That they offer no redemption. That is comparative to the surpassing love of Jesus.

I would also implore those of you who have already tasted and seen that God is good. That you would then lean into that. That you would continue to be filled up as Psalms 1 says in the word, as a tree planted by the water. That you would continue to be filled up in the living water through the bread and wine at Christ's table. That you would continue to be filled up in all goodness by the communion of us as believers in the church. That you would come to the temple that God has created here in this world, and continue to be filled up by living water so much so that it would pour out of you. For you can't pour anything into somebody else that hasn't been poured into you already. That will just lead you into burnout and exhaustion. Rather, we must drink deeply from the gifts that Christ has given us. So that we can turn and give freely to the world. And it's in this way that Christ will be truly glorified. And it's in this way that we will show in part that the river of God is the source of all goodness and blessing in life. And one day, those who believe will drink from it fully at Christ Jesus’ return.

Amen.