DEEPER-moving past the shallows
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Deeper: extending far down from the top or surface.
1 In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. 2 The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.
3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
6 He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. 8 Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. 9 There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean. 11 But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”
There is a river that flows out of the presents of God. A river starts as a small stream but it becomes a mighty river.
When we first start our journey with Christ we start in the shallows. It’s not His plan for us to remain in the shallows.
Sometimes we get satisfied splashing in the shallows of salvation
But God’s plan is to move us out of shallow living into the deep of His presents.
For this to happen we have to be willing to let go of our shallow living and understand that God has a deeper life that He is calling us to live.
No matter where you are in your journey there is a deeper life that God wants us to move into.
Always Deeper
3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
God desire us to go deeper with Him!
As we grow in our relationship with Christ we leave shallow living behind us.
Let’s take a look at what Paul had to say about shallow living.
Leaving the shallows
3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.
Philippians 3:8–11 (NLT)
8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
When we come to a place that all we want is to go deeper in our relationship with Christ, that’s when we start to leave the shallows.
Paul made a decision to move out of the shallows
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
To move out of the shallows we have to be willing to forget those things that are in the past and look forward to the things that are ahead.
Remember what Paul said, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ…
God is inviting us to come out into the deep.
He won’t force us to come out into the deep we have to be willing to move out of the shallows and discover what He has in store for us.
It was the same as when Jesus told Simon to go out into the deep and let down your nets in Luke 5:4.
Simon had to make a choice to stay or to go deeper.
It’s same for us today. We have to choose will we stay in the shallows or will we go deeper?
It’s time to leave the shallows and move into the deep!
First Steps
3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
Remember the Children of Israel, when they came to the Red sea. When the waters rolled back they had to make the first step.
God open up the sea but they had to make the move to move to into the promise land.
Thought out the Word of God, we see where God invites His people to go deeper. But they always had to make the first step.
No matter what depth you are moving into, you have to take a first step to get there
To move out of the shallows we have to take the first.
So what is the first step?
The first step is letting go and Trusting God!
Of our past hurts
Of our past accomplishments
Of our past failures
Stay Open To Move
1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
God may want to use your resources
You may be tired and feel like doing anything
Be Willing Push Past Your Traditions
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”
God may ask you to do something that breaks your traditions.
We have to careful that we don’t hold on to our tradition and make the Word of God void.
8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
9 Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10 For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’
11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 12 In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
Be open to try something different
Moving Deeper Produces Fruit
6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”
As they moved into the deep God provided for them
As they moved into the deep it brought about change
When We Move Into The Deep We Discover Our True Purpose
9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
You will discover your purpose when let go and move out of the shallows into the deep.
God has more in the deeper, we can’t see if we are not willing go deeper
Are You Willing To leave It All
11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Are you willing to walk away from everything to fulfill Gods plan for your life?
God Will Reward
29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.
When we are willing to give it all up for His kingdom, God sees and He will reward.
