Sermon Central
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Relocating The Head Waters Series
Contributed by Mike Fogerson on Aug 9, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: God talks a lot about water in His Word (Genesis to Revelation): He compares Himself to it, walks on it, a river actually flows from His throne.
All Who Are Thirsty: How To Drink from God’s River Series
Relocating the Head Waters
(Inspired by The River of God by Dutch Sheets)
4/10/16 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
A God talks a lot about water in His Word (Genesis to Revelation): He compares Himself to it, walks on it, a river actually flows from His throne.
1 There is something special, calming, refreshing, memorizing about water.
a He compares the life in Him as a well, a fountain, stream, river, rain.
aa Ps. 23.2, Water is a picture of rest He wants to give us.
bb Ps. 46.4, River of delights and makes glad.
cc Eph. 5.26, He compares His Word to water.
dd We love to label things/movements: (First/Second Great Awakening, Welsh Revival, Azusa Revival, Laymen Prayer Revival, Brownsville Revival, Toronto Outpouring, etc.,); the current move of the Holy Spirit is refereed by many as “the river.”
b Life cannot exist without water, our bodies are 65% water . . . what’s the fascination that God has with water?
2 The river of God in Scripture represents His life & power.
a At times the water flows from Christ . . . sometimes the flow is attributed to the Holy Ghost.
aa I believe it’s safe to say that the flow starts with Jesus and the Holy Ghost causes it to flow, or distributes it.
bb The important thing to know is that the river represents spiritual life/power . . . God’s life living in you.
b In Missouri there is a power plant named, Taum Sauk: the water is pumped up hill through pipes every day and released over turbines to create power every night.
aa Christ is building the Church to be a place where the power of His kingdom is distributed, Power of His Holy Spirit flows from.
bb When the power of God is released, there will be a prophetic reality that comes to the church (Hab. 2.14, NKJV, “For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
B How the water/river gets to us is not the issue (flood, river, brook, creek, trickle or a gully washer) . . . the issue is on the water itself . . .the source of the water is Jesus on the cross.
1 Some us got saved at church, VBS, in front of a radio/TV, Pizza Hut . . . but we all got saved by the same blood/Gospel.
a John 19:34 (NASB) 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
aa It probably appeared as a trickle dripping to the ground, but it has satisfied every one who is thirsty for 2,000 years now. Truly, the fountain of life!
bb In the OT, every drink offering was poured out on the ground (Gen. 35.14; Exod. 29.40,41).
cc The drink offerings were symbolic of the water of life that would be poured out from the Cross.
b 1 Chron. 11.15-19: David was fighting the Philistines & got homesick, longed for the sweet waters of Bethlehem.
aa Three of his mighty men snuck past the enemy and went to Bethlehem, drew water . . took it back to David.
bb David took the water and poured it out on the ground . . . an act pointing to calvary, when mankind’s thirst would be satisfied.
2 Just as David’s own homesickness led him to the wells of home, our homesickness will lead us the Cross.
a IL. (Get Pic) Charing Cross in London, geographical center of London. Little boy was lost and approached a policemen: the boy didn’t know his address, phone number, where he lived. “What do you know?” I know the cross! Take me to the cross, I can find my home from there!.
b The cross has been leading us home for 2,000 years!
C Another picture of combining the cross with water is found in Ex. 17.1-7; Israel was thirsty in the wilderness and God supplied water from a rock (Exodus 17:5-6 (NASB) “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”
1 The Psalmist describes the water gushing from the rock (Ps. 78.15,16 NASB 15 He split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths. 16 He brought forth streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers.
