INCESSANT - Ezekiel 47

Ezekiel 47 is easily one of my favorite books of the Bible.   Every time I read it I shout, almost out loud, but really deep within my innermost being: I want to preach this sermon!!  While the chapters preceding 47 seem to be just a litany of facts and measurements from which I needed an interpretive word from God to understand the take-away that should impact how I live my life, this one did not pose such a challenge.   A word came quickly to my mind as I read:  INCESSANT 

I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple 

I looked up that word to see what context it might have the joy of previous readings of Ezekiel 47 was taken to new heights.    

Continuing without pause or interruption - ceaseless, unceasing, constant, continual, unabating, interminable, endless, unending, never-ending, everlasting, eternal, perpetual, continuous, nonstop, uninterrupted, unbroken, unremitting, persistent, relentless, unrelenting, unrelieved, sustained

As Ezekiel is taken back to the entrance of the temple by his spirit guide (remember, he is in the midst of a vision while simultaneously an exile in Babylon – 25 years into what would be a 70 year exile for Israel), he begins a journey into the waters flowing from the throne.  First the water was trickling from the south side of the temple, then he was led into ankle deep waters, then knee deep, then waist deep and then 

⁵ He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 

Now he is taken back to shore and given a bird’s eye view of what I believe is the incessant, eternal Glory of God. . . 

Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  When I arrived I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.  He said to me:  “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea.  When it empties into the sea the salty water there becomes fresh.  Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 

THE GLORY OF GOD!  Out of the throne comes Living Waters that get deeper and deeper and deeper as we enter those waters of life, and soon these waters empty into what was once a dead sea that could not sustain life in any form.  Now, everywhere the river flows there is life! 

We are the representatives who take the depths of God’s redeeming, life-giving, life-sustaining waters to a dead, chronically thirsty, broken world and when we go with the flow of His glory and grace, everywhere we go, life springs forth.   It is nothing we do.   The waters flow from His Throne transforming our lives so that we simply get to be the bearers of His Living Waters through whom He brings the dead to life.  John’s gospel tells us:

Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37-38 

Out of our innermost being will flow rivers of living waters! 

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that His Spirit dwells in your midst?!”  1 Corinthians 3:16 

We are His temple.  Out of us flows living waters!  Oh it might be just a trickle at first but as we allow Him to lead us we soon find ourselves in over our heads in the depths of His glory and grace, and EVERYWHERE WE GO THERE IS LIFE! 

Ezekiel then sees fishermen on the shores -  

 ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds 

Jesus says - “I will make you fishers of men if you follow me!”  Matthew 4:19 

Ezekiel sees the fruit trees offering both sustenance and healing -

 

¹² Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” 

Galatians 5 reminds us we are God’s fruit bearers and in Matthew 10 Jesus’ tells us: 

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.  Matthew 10:8 

The fruit of our lives, lived for the Glory of God, will fill others up with His love.  We will be His ambassadors who bring healing to broken lives.    

Insanely, incessantly, incredibly we get to be vessels of God’s glory.  That’s why my spirit shouts every time I read Ezekiel 47.   It isn’t just a cute story of a man wading in the waters who sees a sea come to life.  It is depictive of how my world can be transformed from rivers of living waters flowing out of the Throne of my living, loving Savior and Lord.   I get to be His emissary.   I get to deliver living water, food for the hungry, healing for the broken because out of my innermost being, His holy temple, flows rivers of His life-giving, life-sustaining waters. 

May the Glory of His presence fill the world around me today as I go with His flow. AMEN!

suemccarysargis

9/19/2014

CONSISTENT - Ezekiel 42-43

Ezekiel is still in the vision and one again I ask God for the take away this morning:

 Ezekiel 42

16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits. 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod.

 

Ezekiel 43

10.  Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.

Consistent.   Constant, steady, regular, stable, unchanging, undeviating, in agreement with

That is the word that comes to mind as I read these few chapters in Ezekiel.

In Ezekiel 43:10-11 God says "tell them ....to consider its perfection."  "its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design ....so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations."

God has designed me with perfection, and God has ordained that I follow Him fully, faithfully, consistently.  Who I am in the midst of His people and who I am in the world should not vary from who I am in His presence.  It is all too easy to go about my day and, though not an intentional mindset, be quite inconsistent with respect to His perfect design of me and of His plans to transform a world consistently, through this life He has designed with perfection.  And though once lost, I have been found by Him and He has transformed by His grace, through His forgiveness.  Therefore, I must and I long to consistently consider His perfection and be faithful to His design.  These verses come to mind:

Psalm 139  - You formed my inward parts, You knitted me together in my mother’s womb, I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works; I know this in the depths of my soul  

1 Peter 2:9  - You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His very own to show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Amen, may it be so this day Lord Jesus.

suemccarysargis

9/17/2014

 

PRECISE - Ezekiel 40

Ezekiel 40: 2 In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. 3 He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4 The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”

Israel was exiled to Babylon. Twenty-five years into what would be a 70 year captivity God escorts  Ezekiel back to his homeland in a vision.  He is shown with precise detail the walls, the rooms, the gates, the inner court and the Holy of Holies and every single measurements is given.   

As I read these chapters in Ezekiel I asked God what my lesson was from a slew of measurements.  Why could it possibly be important for us to read, ad infinitum, such details  and the word that came immediately to my mind and heart was "precise".  

 
·       Look closely
·       Listen carefully
·       Pay close attention 

When God speaks to us, either through His word or through the teaching of His Word, or if He should give a vision or dream we are to look closely, listen carefully, and pay close attention because when we then tell the people what we have seen and heard we need tell exactly, precisely what we have been shown.   

 

A young man I fellowship with told me of a dream he had that was very troubling to his soul and he wondered why he remembered this dream when he didn't usually dream, or remember them at least.  I think the tendency is to discount all or parts of our visions (and sadly even what we read in God’s Word) because it seems nonsensical.  I wonder if that is how Ezekiel felt. Why all the fuss about stats - thickness of walls, distance between, number of steps etc?  But Ezekiel was a seasoned prophet and it was second nature for him to look closely, listen carefully, pay close attention and then to tell the people precisely what he saw.  We are not so seasoned, so it is even more imperative we understand that whatever God speaks to us to share with others must be precisely what He tells us, completely what He tells, only what He tells us. 

A funny saying just crossed my mind - "the devil is in the details." I looked that up and basically it means that the details are crucial.  For instance in a medical lab where tests are being done, one tiny thing missed will cause the results to be faulty, and, it comes to my mind, then hell's to pay.  Here is the online wiseGEEK.com’s explanation:   

"The slang term “the devil is in the details” . . . .one might say “the devil's in the details” to refer to very small but ultimately important components of a larger task. For example, performing a scientific experiment in a laboratory is a hugely involved task which can sometimes be highly dangerous. A small error at the beginning can translate into a useless experiment at the end, so experimenters are reminded that the devil's in the details. This reminder is intended to encourage the scientists to check their work, and to be thorough and careful in the lab." 

I think this is so appropriate because if we do not pay close attention to all God speaks to our hearts and then follow through as He directs, precisely as He directs then satan gets to confuse and wreak havoc all too easily.  

Look closely, listen carefully, and pay close attention

It is a valuable take-away.

suemccarysargis

9/16/2014

READY, or not?

Daniel 3

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

I wonder, would I be ready and bold enough to state, “even if He does not I will not serve your gods or worship your images!”   I marvel at the stalwart stance of these three men and I think my faith is as strong and bold, but when faced with the fiery furnace would I bend my knee?

This causes me to reflect on normal, everyday life and the opportunities facing us all the time to bend our knees.  Jokes told around the water cooler that are off-color, taking that small token of appreciation from a vendor when company rules state we should not, or how about taking home office supplies or printing something personal on the company color printer – whose god am I serving then?  What about speeding, just a little, or my sudden burst of vocabulary choices, or taking advantage of a friend’s senior discount.  Oh, but no fiery furnace is attached to those minor infractions, right?  Maybe not today, but what about eternity’s choices?  The gods I serve in the here and now tell much about my relationship to the One True God whom I say has saved my soul.  Either I operate in this world without bending my knee to social norms and I serve the God who set me free from slavery, from sin and death or I don’t.  There’s really no middle ground.

Well that’s a lot to chew on today!  I wonder if we just get use to the temperature of today’s temptations, to the cultural norms that assuage our conscience and make us comfortable bending our knee.  After all, the music is usually quite lovely at the foot of golden idols, isn’t it?  mmmmm
suemccarysargis

I KNOW THE PLANS: JEREMIAH 29:10-11

I KNOW THE PLANS
Jeremiah 29:10-14

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.

How often have I have heard and quoted Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you - plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” but has anyone ever put this verse in context in a sermon or teaching?   I don’t remember ever hearing verse 10 conjoined to 11 and yet how crucial it to understand the environment in which this promise from God was set. 

² (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)

It also follows God’s instruction to these exiles to build houses, settle down, have children, pray for peace of their captors because if it went well with them it went well with the Israelites.  In exile they were told it would be 70 years before they would go back to their homeland.   That means if they were 20 when taken into captivity they would be 90 when they returned home.   If born in captivity they would not even have a reference point for home other than the stories their families told them.   If one was 50 then most likely they would die in captivity.  In such circumstances I imagine most of us would question the validity of a promise from God, “I know the plans. . . .to give you a hope and a future” and yet it is, today, a coveted life-verse many hold on to.  

In those 70 years of hardship and toil would anyone have the resolve to live in such a way that, although held captive, they prospered and were at peace with their circumstances?  Would the plan God told them He had for them take place 70 years hence, or was there a deeper meaning we all too often miss? 

I believe we have missed the depth of this promise.  It is not a promise that God’s plans will fit neatly into our parameters for prosperity and peace and wealth.  It is not a promise that we will necessarily like the plans unfolding before our eyes.  It is a promise that right in the midst of the mess of life, the mess we ourselves often make of life God knows us, loves us, and God’s plan is to prosper us in every circumstance – even captivity.

These captives got themselves in this situation.  God promised safety in their own land if He remained their one and only God and they chose instead to meld into surrounding societal norms, adopting the worship of inanimate gods carved of wood and stone.  We are no different today.   In our own country, founded upon the knowledge of the One True God there is a culture invading hearth and home not at all unlike what the Israelites faced.  If we were taken into captivity because of our apostasy would we understand if God spoke such a promise as Jeremiah 29:11?  Would we humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways, seek His face so that He could one day restore us to our homeland and in the meantime live IN his hope and peace, or would we live in rebellion because His promise didn’t seem to fit our parameters of prosperity and hope?

“Fixing your eyes on Jesus” comes to mind just now.   “In every circumstance I have learned to be content” also arises in my heart and mind.  That is what God told those held captive in Babylon who would be there for 70 years – keep your eyes on ME.  As I live with the eyes of my heart fixed solidly on Him, living each day knowing THIS DAY He fulfills His promise then the reality of Jeremiah 29:11 will be a life verse that carries me IN the good times and IN the bad and I will dwell IN the hope of His good plans.  IN them, in the midst of life’s mess – that’s the environment of such a great promise from God. For today, for tomorrow, for every day after than He knows the plans He has for me even when I make a mess of things.   Every day I can take this promise to the bank, and every day I can dwell in His promised hope.

suemccarysargis
8/22/2014