Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

[Illus] One one of those outdoor survival shows, wilderness expert Bear Grills taught me that a river means survival.

He said that if you find your self lost in the wilderness and want to find civilization, follow the flow of the river.

Almost certainly, people live somewhere along that river.

The river means life.

That same principle is at work in .

[Context] Recall where we’ve been in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel and many other of his people have been taken by the Babylonians into exile.

God was disciplining his people because they had filled their hearts with the worship of idols.

God’s Spirit departed the Temple and it, Jerusalem, and all of Judah was toppled as a result.

Even so, God did not abandon his people.

He fought for them when other nations celebrated Judah’s fall.

He promised to change their hearts and put his Spirit within them.

He gave them this picture of pure worship in a new Temple in .

This new Temple was first described in detail, it’s holy-readiness plain for Ezekiel to see.

Offerings are described, the roles of the priests, Levites, prince, and people are explained.

But perhaps most significant is ...

God’s glory (i.e., God’s very presence, the perfect radiance of his being) came to reside in the Temple!

The gate by which God had left the Temple was sealed up, which was a way of saying that God’s Spirit would always dwell with his people.

Then we come to and we see this river, which begins as a trickle in Temple, strengthens to a great river, and transforms everything it touches.

[inter] How are we to understand this river?

flowing out of the south side of the outer east gate.

Fortunately, we are helped in our understanding by our Lord Jesus.

In , Jesus asked the Samaritan woman at the well for a drink of water.

She was surprised that Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, would dare speak to her so publically.

She asked, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (v. 9)

Jesus responded with these words in ...

Then a moment later he followed up with ...

That language is intentionally reminiscent of …

So is the language of ...

And then John helps us understand what exactly these rivers of living water refers to in ...

[cit] The river of life in , which began as a trickle flowing from the very presence of God, is the flow of the Holy Spirit in and through every believer in Jesus Christ.

[prop] The river means life in the Spirit, and life in the Spirit is only found through faith in Jesus Christ—and a greater experience of life in the Spirit requires keeping in step with the Spirit.

[ts] Tonight we want to see the source of the river, the increase of the river, and the effects of the river...

…i.e., we want to see the source of the Spirit, the increase of the Spirit, and the effects of the Spirit.

Major Ideas

#1: The Source of the Spirit ().

[exp] The water that Ezekiel sees springing from below the platform of the temple comes toward the east before flowing south.

Here, as it first comes up out of the ground, it is just a trickle.

Soon it will be an impassible river sustaining tress on both banks and transforming the Dead Sea into a place teeming with life.

In Genesis, the Garden of Eden was the center of life with a life-giving river flowing from it.

We read in …

The flow of the water described here in is similar to that of the Gihon Spring mentioned in Genesis 2:13, which was the primary source of water for Jerusalem.

It emerged east of the city and flowed south by way of two aqueducts to a rock-cut pool called the Pool of Siloam.

Just as the Gihon Spring flowed from the center of God’s old dwelling place with man, Eden, so the spring in flows from the center of God’s new dwelling place with man— this new Temple in — the Temple of God’s very presence.

[app] Of course you know that I believe this new Temple in is Jesus who is Emmanuel, God with us.

He is the meeting place between God and man, and from him flows living water—i.e., from him flows the Holy Spirit of God.

All those who are reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ receive the Holy Spirit the moment they first believe.

As says...

Sometimes people will ask, “Who sent the Holy Spirit?

Was it God the Father or was it God the Son?”

And the answer is “YES!”

The living water, the Holy Spirit of God, lives within us because we’ve believed the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.

It was both God the Father and God the Son who sent the Holy Spirit

We’ve believed that God exists;

that he is holy;

that we’ve sinned against him;

that the price for our sin is death;

that Jesus, his Son, paid that price for us on the cross;

that he raised him from the dead;

took him up in glory,

seated him at his right...

...from where he poured out the Holy Spirit on all those who believe!

The Spirit comes to us no other way.

This living water only comes from the source.

The Spirit only flows down to us from the place of God’s presence—and that place is faith in Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected, ascended, and sending.

[ts] #1: The Source of the Spirit.

#2: The Increase of the Spirit ().

[exp] The man who has been guiding Ezekiel on this tour of the Temple in Ezekiel’s Temple vision now begins to measure the depth of the water flowing from the Temple, which began just as a trickle.

He measured a thousand cubits or a third of a mile and led Ezekiel through the water.

It was ankle-deep.

He measured the same distance and led Ezekiel through the water again.

It was knee-deep.

He did the same thing a third time and this time...

…Ezekiel couldn’t pass through it.

The water had risen deep enough to swim in.

Now it was overwhelming in its power.

Then Ezekiel’s tour guide asked him, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Which is to says, “There’s more than meets the eye here.

Do you understand what you are being shown?”

Do we?

[app] When we first trust Jesus as Lord and Savior and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we might not notice very much change.

[app] When we first trust Jesus as Lord and Savior and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we might not notice very much change.

The Spirit may be just a trickle in our hearts in that moment...

…but as we keep in step with the Spirit, soon we feel that trickle begin to increase—up to our ankles, knees, and soon over our heads!

The Spirit, that Living Water that Jesus gave to us when we trusted him, is having its way with us!

[illus] I have been white water rafting and I’ve also been on a lazy river.

White water rafting is a little scary depending on the class of rapid you’re encountering, but its way more fun than a lazy river.

A lazy river is that little stream you see at water parks filled with inner-tubes stuffed with people who just drift along with the easy flowing current.

Nothing dangerous happens.

But nothing much exciting happens either.

The kind of river that Ezekiel sees is more white water rapid than lazy river.

It may start as a trickle but as we keep in step with Spirit, we find its influence ever more powerful and soon we are swept away to the glory of God.

The Apostle Paul says it like this in ...

Galatians 5:16-

Ezekiel 47:6-12

[ts] #2: The Increase of the Spirit

#3: The effects of the Spirit ().

[exp] This river of living water creates life on both its banks; it creates life wherever it goes.

It flows toward the east and goes down toward the Arabah, which probably refers to the plains of Jericho, as the water is en route to the Dead Sea.