05.29.2022 | LET THE RIVER FLOW
LET THE RIVER FLOW
Ezekiel 47:1-2 (NLT) – “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. 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.”
Ezekiel 47:3-4 (NLT) – “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. 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.”
Ezekiel 47:5-6 (NLT) – “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. He asked me, ‘Have you been watching, son of man?’ Then he led me back along the riverbank.”
1. Get in the Flow
1 Corinthians 4:2 – “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
Romans 5:8 (NIV) – “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Isaiah 59:19 (ESV) – “So they shall fear the Name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; for He will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.”
2. Control Stops the Flow
James 5:16a – “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
Genesis 3:10 – “So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’”
Shame: “I was naked.”
Fear: “I was afraid.”
Control: “So I hid myself.”
Shame: “I was naked.”
I am a mistake.
I am defective.
I am shameful/ashamed.
Fear: “I was afraid.”
What if they find out?
They will not like me!
They will reject me.
I’ll be laughed at!
Control: “So I hid myself.”
I’ll control everything so that they won’t find out what I’m really like and I won’t get hurt or suffer more pain.
2 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV) – “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
Isaiah 61:6-7 – “But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore, in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.”
Hebrews 2:11 (NLT) – “So now Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters.”
Steps to Freedom:
A. Forgive – Matthew 6:12, 14-15
B. Repent of any sin – Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9
C. Forgive yourself
D. Renounce the stronghold – 2 Corinthians 4:2
Ezekiel 47:7-8 (NLT) – “When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. 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.
Ezekiel 47:9-10 (NLT) – “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. 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.”
Ezekiel 47:11-12 (NLT) – “But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. 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.”
3. Release the Flow
John 7:38-39 (NLT) – “Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ (When He said “living water,” He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into His glory.)”
John 10:10b – “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Discussion Questions:
1. Share of an experience you’ve had with a body of water (lake, stream, etc.)
2. What is the relationship between faithfulness and consistency in your thinking?
3. Is it scary to yield to the river of God? Why?
4. How could your life be like the Dead Sea (good things flowing in, but the hope of salvation failing to be released)?
5. Share of a time in your life when you experienced shame, fear, and control.
. What are some places that you need to release the river of life against the spirit of death?
7. What can you do in your home and daily life, to increase the free flow of the river of life?