Catch The Wave!

 

Ezekiel 47:1-5, 9  1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. 2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. 3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. 5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over …   9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

We know two things for certain about this prophecy …

The final fulfillment will definitely occur in the future. Like other prophecies, it contains a spiritual parallel

1.     Waters To The Ankles  –  My WALK

·        WALK is often used in Scripture for conduct in life, general demeanor, and deportment.  Thus it is said that Enoch and Noah “walked with God,” i.e., they maintained a course of action conformed to God’s will and acceptable in His sight.  In the OT and NT we find God promising to walk with His people, and His people, on the other hand, desiring the influence of the Holy Spirit that they may walk in His statutes.  (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, page 1358)

·        REPENTANCE is part of my walk with God

Ephesians 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

·        BAPTISM is part of my walk with God

Romans 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

·        The HOLY GHOST is part of my walk with God

Galatians 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

·        HOLINESS is part of my walk with God

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

·        The local CHURCH is part of my walk with God

Philippians 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

·        Of all the times the word “church” is used in the Bible, only FOUR TIMES does Scripture refer to the “universal church.”  EVERY OTHER TIME, the Bible is referring to the local church.

·        There are over 30 commands in the New Testament alone that you CANNOT OBEY unless you are committed to a local church.

·        There are 58 “one anothers” in the Bible, such as:

·        Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)

·        Accept one another (Romans 15:7)

·        Forgive one another (Colossians 3:13)

·        Greet one another (Romans 16:16)

·        Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)

·        Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)

·        Honor one another (Romans 12:10)

·        Teach one another (Romans 15:14)

·        Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

·        Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

2.     Waters To The Knees  –  My WORSHIP

·        KNEE:  To “bow” the knee is to perform an act of worship … Kneeling in prayer was a practice of great antiquity, and references are made to it in both the OT and NT … Knees are used symbolically for persons (Job 4:4, Hebrews 12:12).  (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, page 746)

Psalm 95:6  O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

 

Philippians 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

·        The “knee” represents a LIFESTYLE of WORSHIP.

3.     Waters To The Loins  –  My WITNESS

·        WITNESS:  In the NT the original notion of a witness is exhibited in the special form of one who attests his belief in the gospel by personal suffering.  Hence it is that the use of the ecclesiastical term “martyr” has arisen.  (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, page 1369)

·        The word “witness” comes from the Greek word “martureo” which means to “testify.”

Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

Revelation 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

·        To be a “witness” is to GIVE YOUR LIFE to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ.

4.     Waters To Swim In  –  God’s WAVE

·        When we finally enter “waters to swim in,” we will have walked with God through the shallow parts, and we will know for sure that WE ARE IN OVER OUR HEADS!

·        If you take a class on SURFING, you are taught everything you need to know about surfing:  how to choose the right equipment, how to use your equipment properly, how to recognize a surfable wave, how to catch the wave, how to ride the wave as long as possible, and how to get off the wave without wiping out.

·        But you’ll never find a surfing course that teaches HOW TO CREATE A WAVE!

·        God makes the waves; surfers just ride them.  No surfer tries to create waves, but they do make the most of them when they happen!

·        “Spiritual Surfing” is the art of CATCHING THE WAVES THAT GOD MAKES!

 

·        Ezekiel 47:9  And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

·        When the glory of God so engulfs US that we are in “over our heads,” the WORLD will be unable to ignore God’s visitation!

·        EVERYTHING that God’s river touches will be changed, and there will be a HARVEST beyond anything we could imagine!  Our tiny buildings and programs will not hold what God wants to do!

 

·        Habakkuk 1:5  Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

·        Are YOU ready for the “next wave”?  CATCH THE WAVE!

·        If you’re not WALKING with the Lord, get in the river!

·        If you’re already WALKING with Him, move into WORSHIP!

·        If you’re already a WORSHIPPER, move into WITNESSING!

·        If you’re already a WITNESS, get ready to swim!