The visi\u00adon Eze\u00adkiel recei\u00adved testi\u00adfies that living water that brings sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon will flow from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry of the temp\u00adle. Jesus took this pro\u00adphe\u00adtic word and pro\u00admi\u00adsed that streams of living water will gush forth from the belie\u00advers. The water, a sym\u00adbol of the Holy Spi\u00adrit, will fill and over\u00adflow his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers. We as Chris\u00adti\u00adans are cho\u00adsen to bring life and heal\u00ading to this world.<\/p>\n
This year we have alre\u00ada\u00addy lear\u00adned a lot about the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God through the various ser\u00admons. From Moses and the bur\u00adning bush, or also about the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God in the taber\u00adna\u00adcle. Later, the taber\u00adna\u00adcle was repla\u00adced by the temp\u00adle so that God could resi\u00adde in a digni\u00adfied buil\u00adding. The holi\u00adne\u00adss of God is dan\u00adge\u00adrous for the unclean and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre the temp\u00adle was divi\u00added into dif\u00adfe\u00adrent sec\u00adtions. Each sec\u00adtion had dif\u00adfe\u00adrent access pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adges. Only the high priest was allo\u00adwed into the Holy of Holies, and only once a year, after the stric\u00adtest cle\u00adan\u00adsing and obser\u00advan\u00adce of the sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal regu\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons. If the priest had done some\u00adthing wrong or had been unclean, he would have died in the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God. I recall Pas\u00adtor C\u00e9dric\u2019s ser\u00admon on the peri\u00adlous sanctity. \tDo you find it dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to inter\u00adpret some\u00adthing sym\u00adbo\u00adli\u00adcal\u00adly, or do you think ever\u00ady\u00adthing in the Bible has a lite\u00adral interpretation? The visi\u00adon that Eze\u00adkiel recei\u00adved testi\u00adfies that living, heal\u00ading water will flow from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry of the temp\u00adle. Jesus took this pro\u00adphe\u00adtic word and pro\u00admi\u00adsed that rivers of living water would gush forth from the belie\u00advers. The water, a sym\u00adbol of the Holy Spi\u00adrit, will fill and flood his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers. We as Chris\u00adti\u00adans are cal\u00adled to\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[73],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-daniel-bieri","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7223","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nGod cho\u00adse the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes to be His holy peo\u00adp\u00adle. Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, they negle\u00adc\u00adted to live god\u00adly lives. The Lord tried to bring them back to Hims\u00adelf and in His gene\u00adro\u00adsi\u00adty He war\u00adned them seve\u00adral times of the con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces. They pro\u00adved to be a stub\u00adborn peo\u00adp\u00adle and did not turn back. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, a tur\u00adbu\u00adlent time began for the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes, during which they had to lea\u00adve the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land. In this epoch, God ent\u00adrus\u00adted the pro\u00adphet Eze\u00adkiel with a spe\u00adcial task. He had to explain to the peo\u00adp\u00adle with gra\u00adphic examp\u00adles why they were exi\u00adled. The pro\u00adphet explai\u00adned why Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem lay in ruins and why only a heap of rub\u00adble remain\u00aded of the temp\u00adle. In the book of Eze\u00adkiel we get a grim pic\u00adtu\u00adre of the beha\u00adviour of God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle. Page after page we learn how bad\u00adly the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes behave and what punish\u00adment they recei\u00adve for it. Eze\u00adkiel men\u00adti\u00adons seve\u00adral times that God only does this so that they will rep\u00adent and return to Him.
\nEze\u00adkiel: Streams of living water
\nAfter end\u00adless pages of des\u00adtruc\u00adtion, dark\u00adness and punish\u00adment, the pro\u00adphet sud\u00adden\u00adly men\u00adti\u00adons a high\u00adly inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading visi\u00adon. He saw the temp\u00adle and water flowing down from the altar to the south, forming a river so deep that no man could stand in it. The per\u00adson in the visi\u00adon explai\u00adned to him that many fish live in the water and that ever\u00ady\u00adthing the river tou\u00adch\u00ades brings life and heal\u00ading. We read \u00abAll kinds of fruit trees grow on both banks of the river. Their lea\u00adves never wither, and they always bear abun\u00addant fruit. For the river that gives water to their roots comes from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. Month after month they bring forth new, deli\u00adcious fruit, and their lea\u00adves ser\u00adve as a reme\u00addy for the peo\u00adp\u00adle\u00bb (Eze\u00adkiel 47:12 HFA<\/span>). Life-giving water, what an oasis in a bar\u00adren regi\u00adon. We, who live in abun\u00addance, do not real\u00adly rea\u00adli\u00adse the importance of water. If we had lived in this arid regi\u00adon at this time, we would under\u00adstand the signi\u00adfi\u00adcan\u00adce of this visi\u00adon much more easi\u00adly. Water is the ulti\u00adma\u00adte life-giver of the desert. Eze\u00adkiel, who has been given a glim\u00adpse into the future, sees water flowing out of the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. And ever\u00ady\u00adthing that tou\u00adch\u00ades the water beco\u00admes ali\u00adve and whole.
\nJohn: Streams of living water
\nWhat is abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly fasci\u00adna\u00adting is the fact that the Apost\u00adle John had an almost iden\u00adti\u00adcal visi\u00adon. It is best to compa\u00adre the two visi\u00adons brief\u00adly. First that of the pro\u00adphet Eze\u00adkiel, fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by John:
\n\u00abFor the river that gives water to their roots comes from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. Month after month they bring forth new and deli\u00adcious fruit, and their lea\u00adves ser\u00adve as a reme\u00addy for the peo\u00adp\u00adle\u00bb (Eze\u00adkiel 47:12 HFA<\/span>).
\n\u00abEvery month they bear fresh fruit, for the water of the river comes from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. The fruit will ser\u00adve as food and the lea\u00adves as a reme\u00addy\u00bb (Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 22:1\u20133 HFA<\/span>).
\nIn both visi\u00adons it is expli\u00adcit\u00adly men\u00adtio\u00adned that the heal\u00ading water comes from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. It is important to know that God is the source of sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon and life.
\nPro\u00adphe\u00adcy is a very inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading sub\u00adject that rai\u00adses many ques\u00adti\u00adons. Are the\u00adse two visi\u00adons meant for the same era? Are they lite\u00adral or sym\u00adbo\u00adlic? Or are they both at the same time? The Bible con\u00adta\u00adins a wealth of lite\u00adral and sym\u00adbo\u00adlic actions and sto\u00adries invol\u00adving water. Water bap\u00adtism can be expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced and belongs to the cate\u00adgo\u00adry of sym\u00adbo\u00adlic actions. It also still has effects in the invi\u00adsi\u00adble world. The sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon of the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes, who were lite\u00adral\u00adly saved through water, is also sym\u00adbo\u00adlic. Water, sym\u00adbo\u00adlic or mate\u00adri\u00adal, is of gre\u00adat importance in the Bible. It occurs in the first chap\u00adter as well as in the last chap\u00adter of the Bible. In bet\u00adween, Jesus also has some\u00adthing to say on this sub\u00adject and this is what we want to look at.
\nJesus: Streams of Living Water
\nIn the Gos\u00adpel of John we read: \u00abOn the last day, the cli\u00admax of the feast, Jesus stood and shou\u00adted to the crowd\u00bb (John 7:37 NLB<\/span>). The feast of Sukoth, which is also men\u00adtio\u00adned under other names, las\u00adted a week. Every day, for seven days, a priest drew water from the pool (pond) of Siloam and car\u00adri\u00aded the gol\u00adden jar to the temp\u00adle. This was fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by a pro\u00adces\u00adsi\u00adon around the altar, during which the peo\u00adp\u00adle sang the Hal\u00adlel (Psalms 113\u2013118). At the end, they pou\u00adred the water over the altar. The inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading thing about this water ritu\u00adal is that many belie\u00adved that the future Mes\u00adsiah would pro\u00advi\u00adde this water.
\nIn this con\u00adtext, Jesus stood befo\u00adre the crowd and said: \u00abIf anyo\u00adne is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! If anyo\u00adne belie\u00adves in me, rivers of living water will flow from within him, as the Scrip\u00adtures say\u00bb (John 7:38 NLB<\/span>). What a state\u00adment! He, the Mes\u00adsiah, who not only brings water, but also makes water givers out of all who belie\u00adve in him. Through Jesus, who dwells in our hearts, our inner being beco\u00admes a sanc\u00adtua\u00adry and from this sanc\u00adtua\u00adry, as in the temp\u00adle, rivers of living water will flow, brin\u00adging heal\u00ading to this world. What good news.
\nIn the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment, the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes had to go to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem to the Temp\u00adle to get clo\u00adse to God. Only one per\u00adson was allo\u00adwed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year. And now Jesus pro\u00admi\u00adses that God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss dwells within us and will flow from within us into the world and make the world ali\u00adve. We Chris\u00adti\u00adans live in a pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adged time. Many Israe\u00adli\u00adtes wai\u00adted eager\u00adly for such an era and never expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced it and now it is pos\u00adsi\u00adble for us. A tre\u00admen\u00addous pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adge to have the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry within us also brings a responsibility.
\nThe apost\u00adle Paul addres\u00adses this holi\u00adne\u00adss in us. After serious mis\u00adbe\u00adha\u00adviour by some Chris\u00adti\u00adans, he admo\u00adnis\u00adhes the church com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty of Corinth. \u00abDo you not know that your body is a temp\u00adle of the Holy Spi\u00adrit who lives in you and has been given to you by God?\u00bb (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 6:19 NLB<\/span>). Obvious\u00adly a rhe\u00adto\u00adri\u00adcal ques\u00adti\u00adon. The apost\u00adle reminds the belie\u00advers that they are the temp\u00adle of God. What is the holy temp\u00adle of God? I can\u00adnot empha\u00adsise enough how ground\u00adbrea\u00adking this rea\u00adli\u00adty is. Befo\u00adre this time, belie\u00advers made a pil\u00adgrimage to a place to go to the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. They did not even have access to the Holy of Holies. Now this Holy of Holies dwells in the bodies of Chris\u00adti\u00adans. An unbe\u00adlie\u00adva\u00adble rea\u00adli\u00adty for the for\u00admer Israe\u00adli\u00adtes. Paul does not under\u00adstand their beha\u00adviour: now they have the incre\u00addi\u00adble pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adge of having the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry and they behave as if it were not there.
\nTo sum\u00adma\u00adri\u00adse, the visi\u00adon that Eze\u00adkiel recei\u00adved testi\u00adfies that living, heal\u00ading water will flow from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry of the temp\u00adle. Jesus took this pro\u00adphe\u00adtic word and pro\u00admi\u00adsed that rivers of living water would gush forth from the belie\u00advers. The water, a sym\u00adbol of the Holy Spi\u00adrit, will fill and flood his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers. We as Chris\u00adti\u00adans are cho\u00adsen to bring life and heal\u00ading into this world. Jesus inter\u00adpre\u00adted the pro\u00adphe\u00adcy sym\u00adbo\u00adli\u00adcal\u00adly, but we do not rule out that it will also mani\u00adfest its\u00adelf mate\u00adri\u00adal\u00adly. A mate\u00adri\u00adal and sym\u00adbo\u00adlic ful\u00adfilm\u00adent of the visi\u00adon can coexist. I think that in eter\u00adni\u00adty we will see this stream of living, heal\u00ading water flowing, and I am alre\u00ada\u00addy loo\u00adking for\u00adward to it today. But until then, I belie\u00adve in Jesus and that He will let rivers of living water flow from us.
\n\u00abWhen Jesus got out of the boat and saw the many peo\u00adp\u00adle, he was moved with com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon and he hea\u00adled the sick\u00bb (Matthew 14:14 NLB<\/span>). It is in God\u2019s natu\u00adre that we all find heal\u00ading. Jesus had a deep com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon for the sick and he gave his all that we might be rai\u00adsed to right living. From this new life, the fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus are to bring life into the world. It was God\u2019s plan for us to con\u00adti\u00adnue his mis\u00adsi\u00adon. Jesus said: \u00abBut belie\u00adve me, it is good for you that I am going away. For if I do not go away from you, the Hel\u00adper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you\u00bb (John 16:7 NKJV<\/span>). Jesus speaks of the Holy Spi\u00adrit, who is to flow out of us. We, the ves\u00adsels of the over\u00adflowing water that brings heal\u00ading and life. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing we say brings heal\u00ading, our hands save lives, ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre we go, the dead come ali\u00adve and are raised.
\n\u00abThen he said to me: \u00abThis water flows east\u00adwards into the Ara\u00adba and the\u00adre it flows into the Dead Sea. When it flows in, it heals the waters of the Dead Sea. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing that stirs and moves whe\u00adre the water goes will live. The\u00adre will be a lot of fish, becau\u00adse this water comes the\u00adre and makes the salt water healt\u00adhy. Whe\u00adre\u00adver this water flows, ever\u00ady\u00adthing will live\u00bb (Eze\u00adkiel 47:8\u20139 NLB<\/span>).
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups<\/p>\n
\n\tCould Ezekiel\u2019s visi\u00adon still be lite\u00adral\u00adly ful\u00adfil\u00adled for the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes? In other words, could it be that the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes build a 3rd temp\u00adle and from the\u00adre rivers of living water flow?
\n\tDo you think Jesus could have inter\u00adpre\u00adted Ezekiel\u2019s visi\u00adon symbolically?
\n\tRead John 7:37 \u2013 39, what do you think about the\u00adse verses?
\n\tCan you ima\u00adgi\u00adne streams of living water flowing from you?
\n\tWhe\u00adre does God want this cur\u00adrent to flow even more? What might that look like?
\n\tDo you see a con\u00adnec\u00adtion bet\u00adween God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss and the streams of living water that bring salvation?
\n\tWhat types of healings are there? <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"