Sunday 24th March 2013 - RIVERS OF LIVING WATER - Martin Kedian

Martin Kedian Sunday 24th March 2013 RIVERS OF LIVING WATER. JOHN 7:37-39. DEUTERONOMY 31:9-13 TABERNACLES WAS A POPULAR FESTIVAL RICH IN SYMBOLISM AS PART OF THE FEAST EVERY DAY INCLUDED A WATER CEREMONY IN WHICH A PROCESSION OF PRIESTS DESCENDED TO THE SOUTH BOARDER OF THE CITY TO A SPRING THERE A PRIEST FILLED A LARGE GOLDEN PITCHER AS THE CHOIR CHANTED ISAIAH 12:3 WITH JOY YOU WILL DRAW WATER FROM THE WELLS OF SALVATION THE WATER WAS THEN CARRIED UP THE HILL TO THE WATER GATE FOLLOWED BY CROWDS CARRYING BRANCHES AND SINGING PSALMS 113::118 SHAKING THE BRANCHES AS THEY PROCESSED WHEN THEY ARIVED AT THE TEMPLE THE PRIEST WOULD POOR THE WATER INTO A LARGE BASIN AND IN ANOTHER BASIN THEY WOULD POUR WINE NOW WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE WATER AND WINE REPRESENTS IN GODS WORD THE HOLY SPIRIT AT THE RIGHT TIME THE PRIEST WOULD RAISE THE BASINS AND POUR OUT THE WATER AND WINE WHICH WOULD POUR DOWN THE STEPS OF THE TEMPLE WHICH LOOKED LIKE A RIVER THE CROWD CIRCLING HIM CONTINUED SINGING ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF THE FESTIVAL THEY DID THIS SEVEN TIMES FOR THE JEWS THIS WAS A CEREMONY SPOKE OF MANY THINGS IT WAS A PLEA TO GOD FOR RAIN SINCE THE AUTUMN IS A TIME WHEN DROUGHT OFTEN DREW NEAR IT WAS ALSO SYMBOLIC IT WAS A REMIND OF GODS PROVISION OF WATER FROM THE ROCK IN THE WILDERNESS IT FULFILLED EZEKIEL,S VISION OF OF A RIVER FLOWING FROM THE TEMPLE IN A MIRACULOUS DISPLAY OF GODS BLESSING IT WAS A SPECTACULAR VISION OF LIFE GIVING WATER FLOWING FROM GODS LIFE GIVING TEMPLE JESUS DRAMATIC ENTRANCE ON TO THIS STAGE AND HIS ASTOUNDING WORDS ARE TO BE UNDERSTOOD IN THIS CONTEXT ON THE FINAL DAY OF CELEBRATION JESUS STEPS INTO PUBLIC VIEW AND MAKES HIS MOST STUNNING PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE FEAST AS THE SEVENTH WATER PROCESSION CLIMED UP THE STEEP HILL OF SOUTH JERUSALEM JESUS STANDS UP AND CRIES OUT (LOUD) IF ANYONE IS THIRSTY LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK 1/ THE INVITATION THIS WAS JESUS UP HE STANDS IN THE MIDST OF THIS JEWISH FESTIVAL AN UNINVITED PREACHER AND SHOUTED LOUDLY AND EMPHATICALLY SO THAT ALL MIGHT HEAR AND HEED WHAT JESUS SO LOUDLY AND PUBLICLY OFFERS IS AN INVITATION AND A PROMISE IF YOUR THIRSTY THEN COME TO ME THE CONDITION FOR THE INVITATION IS AN AWARENESS OF THIRST TO RECOGNISE THAT INER THIRST THERE IS NO LASTING EARTHLY SATISFACTION THER IS NO LASTING EARTHLY SATISFACTION MARRIAGE FAMILY MONEY FAME ENLIGHTENMENT TRAVEL ETC ETC NOTHING COMPLETELY SATISFIES THERE MAY BE HAPPY EVENTS ALONG THE WAY BUT THESE MOMENTS ARE FLEETING AND WE CAN NEVER GO BACK IN TIME AND RECAPTURE THEM OUR LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO SATISFY IS BECAUSE WE ARE THIRSTY PEOPLE WE LONG FOR DEEP SATISFACTION A RIVER ON THE INSIDE WE THIRST DEEP IN OUR SOULS DOWN AT THE CORE OUR SOULS ARE THIRSTING FOR GOD EVERY DESIRE EVERY ASPIRATION EVERY LONGING OF OUR NATURE IS NOTHING LESS THAN A YEARNING FOR GOD WE WERE BORN FOR HIS LOVE AND CANNOT FULLY LIVE WITHOUT IT HIS IS THE JOY WE HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR EVERYTHING WE DESIRE IS FOUND IN HIM AND INFINITELY MORE JESUS IS THE ANSWER FOR THIS DEEP THIRST BUT IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AND OPPORTUNITY TO DRINK DEEPLY 2 THE PROMISE LITTLE DID THEY KNOW IT BUT THE ROCK THAT HAD GIVEN THEIR FATHERS WATER TO DRINK HAD NOW COME IN THE FLESH TO GIVE THEM RIVERS OF LIVING WATER LIKE THE PRIEST THAT POURED OUT WATER AND WINE JESUS CAME TO BE OUR BAPTISER IN THE HOLY SPIRIT HOW AWSOME IS THIS RIVER MIGHTIER THAN EVERY NATURAL CREATED RIVER THIS IS THE RIVER OF LIFE CHANNELLING LIVING WATER HOW FAR DOES THE RIVER GO IN YOU HOW WIDE ARE THE BANKS 1/. WHERE THERE'S RIVERS THERE'S LIFE BRING A RIVER TO A DESERT AND IT PRODUCES AN OASIS THE AMAZON BASIN WITH IT MILES OF RIVERS HOLDS MORE SPECIES OF PLANT AND ANIMAL AND PRODUCES MORE OF OUR OXYGEN. THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN THE WORLD AN ABUNDANCE OF RIVERS MEANS AN ABUNDANCE OF LIFE THERE IS AN EXPLOSION OF HOLY SPIRIT LIFE IN THE RIVER 2/. RIVERS OF PURE LIFE LIFE IS NOT JUST PRODUCED IN US BUT PURE LIFE. LIVING WATER. FLOWS THROUGH US THIS LIFE IS NOT DILUTED BY THE WATER OF THIS WORLD OR MIXED BUT 100% LIFE FLOWING FROM. THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE YOU CAN'T BE ANY MORE ALIVE THAN WHEN THE SPIRIT IS FREE TO FLOW FREELY THROUGH BUT BE WARNED WE CAN QUENCH OR DAM UP THAT FREE FLOWING OF HIS SPIRIT WITH DOUBT FEAR DISCOURAGEMENT. UNFORGIVENESS BITTERNESS AND SIN 3/. RIVERS PRODUCE LIFE WHEREVER THE RIVER FLOWS IT PRODUCES LIFE LET THOSE RENEWING RESTORING HEALING CLEANSING PURIFYING POWERFUL LIVING WATERS TOUCH THOSE DRY DEAD AREAS OF OUR INNER MAN. WOW WE ARE A WALKING OASIS IN A DRY AND THIRSTY WORLD A DESERT WASTELAND FILLED WITH LIFELESS MEN LET THE RIVERS FLOW. LET IT REVIVE THOSE THAT WORK AND LIVE AROUND US 4/. RIVERS ATTRACT LIFE ANIMALS OF ALL KINDS ARE DRAWN TO WATER DRAWING LIFE FROM IT ATTRACTED BY ITS LIFE GIVING FLOW THE ANIMALS ARE COMING GET READY 5/ WHEREVER THERS RIVERS THERE,S CONSTANT CHANGE BY ITS VERY NATURE THE RIVER UNDERGOES CONSTANT CHANGE IF WE ARE WILLING TO BE A CHANNEL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WE TO MUST BE WILLING TO UNDERGO SOMETIMES RADICAL CHANGE IN OUR LIVES AND BE WILLING TO LIVE OUR LIFE IN A FLUX OF TRANSFORMING POWER 6/. CONSTANT CLEANING RIVERS ARE CLEANER THAT PONDS BECAUSE THEY CLEAN THEMSELVES THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A CONSTANT SANCTIFYING OF ALL THE DROSS AND CANKER LET THE HOLY SPIRIT DO HIS WORK IT EASY IN HIS POWERFUL FLOW ALL IT TAKES IS TO LET GO 7/ CONSTANT CHANGING COURSE A RIVER MAKES ITS OWN CHANNEL OFTEN TAKING UNEXPECTED TURNS WHEN WE GET COMFORTABLE DOING WHAT WE ARE DOING HEADING WHERE WE ARE HEADING THE HOLY SPIRIT OFTEN BEGINS CUTTING NEW CHANNELS AND WATER COURSES LETS GO WITH THE FLOW 8/ CONSTANT CHANGE OF DEPTH THE FIRST MOVE OF A RIVER IS NOT TO WIDEN BUT TO GO DEEPER COME HOLY SPIRIT GO DEEP IN US FORMING A SERVANT HEART. A HOLY HEART TO PRODUCE DEPTH IN US. LETS NOT STAY IN THE SHALLOWS THIS CUTTING CAN BE PAINFUL AND HUMBLING ARE WE PROTECTIVE OF OUR LIFE OR ARE WE FLOWING IN HIM 9/. CONSTANT OVERFLOWING RIVERS NATURALLY OVERFLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT JUST A REVIVING SPIRIT HE IS ALSO AN EVANGELISTIC SPIRIT THIS RIVER IS PROGRESSIVE POWERFUL LETS NOT SWIM AGAINST THE FLOW WHEN I AM IMMERSED IN THE RIVER I AM CENTRAL TO GODS PROPHETIC PURPOSE FOR MYSELF THE CHURCH AND THE NATION TODAY BEFORE US IS THE RIVER OF GOD THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME MUST BE SEIZED IN THE LIFETIME OF THE OPPORTUNITY OUR DESTINY HAS A SELL BUY DATE EVERY MOMENT GOD BRINGS WE EITHER SIEZE OR WE LET IT PASS BUY QUESTION. HOW FAR DOES THE RIVER FLOW OUT OF US ARE WE GOING WITH THE FLOW OR SWIMMING AGAINT THE STREAM