God's H2O

God’s H20

INTRO: 

(Rom 1:20)  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (NIV).

(Rom 1:21)  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

There are so many amazing things that God has created, and sometimes I think we take them a bit for granted.  There are many things God created, both known and unknown, that are essential to life on earth.

 

One of God’s creations is mentioned 396x in the Bible in the 363 verses.  We all know how important love is – without it, even faith and hope are meaningless. The word love occurs 310x in 280 verses.  What is this word that is one of God’s most fantastic creations and mentioned so often in the Bible?

 

The very first time it occurs is in Genesis 1:2, and the last time it occurs is in Revelation 22:17.

 

You probably guessed by now that I am talking about WATER.

 

In a recent article written by Mario Seiglie, titled The Universe, A Cradle for Life” and published in the July – August issue of Beyond Today, Seiglie quotes the biochemist Michael Denton as follows: “Water forms the fluid in which occur all the vital chemical and physical activities upon which life on earth depends.”

Seiglie points out the uncanny characteristics of water.  Drinking, washing, cleaning, sustaining crops, having our blood flowing and many other bodily processes – all of these have in common the multiple ways water is essential for all of us.

Seiglie brings to light how unique and miraculous H2O is with a few examples.  Just before water freezes it does an about face at 39 degrees Fahrenheit and, unlike other solidifying liquids, begins to expand instead of contract – thus becoming less dense as it converts to ice.

Why is this a big deal?  If this were not so, when a lake or river froze over, the ice formed at the top would keep sinking to the bottom, and eventually the lake or river would freeze solid, killing fish and other life, and preventing thawing in the spring.  It would prove fatal to the chain of life on earth.

Water has another surprising quality when it turns to gas.  Even though water is 800 times heavier than air, when it evaporates it mixes with other gases in the atmosphere.  The suspended water droplets form clouds that cover more than half the earth’s atmosphere.  This makes the miracle of life-sustaining rain possible.

Another incredible property of water is how gently but effectively it acts as a solvent.  While easily dissolving an enormous variety of substances, it is not, unless propelled into fast motion, strong enough to wear down rocky cliffs by the seashore – otherwise all the continents would have crumbled long ago into the sea.

Denton remarks that “Most organisms are made up of more than 50 percent water and in the case of man, makes up more than 70 percent of our body weight.” He goes on to say that “…water would appear to be uniquely, and in many ways, ideally adapted for life on earth.

Seiglie comments that “Scientists still puzzle over the origin of the enormous quantity of water on earth, covering 70 percent of its surface.  They also wonder where all the salt came from to produce the precise ratio found in saltwater that acts as an antiseptic and sustainer of life in the sea (Genesis 1:7).

 

SPS: Today we will learn how God shows us His eternal power and divine nature with water.

(Rom 1:20)  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

A great way to connect with God, to build your relationship with Him into a close relationship is to get to know Him.  As we see in Romans 1:20 one way to get to know and understand Him is to take a close look at His creation.

We will look at just a few of the 386 occurrences of the word “water” in the Bible.  Some scriptures that reference water take us to incredible stories in the Bible, and the great miracles God performed.  Other scriptures show us God’s awesome power and divine nature, and praises of God.  And yet others, and not least, show us the symbolism of water in the Bible, and how vital it is for us to remember the meaning of that symbolism.

 

Perhaps we should continue in our journey of discovery today in the book of Ephesians:

(Eph 5:25)  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

(Eph 5:26)  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

(Eph 5:27)  that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

“Washing”

G3067 λουτρόν loutron loo-tron'

From G3068; a bath, that is, (figuratively) baptism: - washing.

Total KJV occurrences: 2

[Story of the fountain on the deck – birds enjoying bathing in the fountain, ridding themselves of annoying pests and built up dirt]

Think about how refreshing it is when you shower or bathe daily, (hopefully), and you feel clean and energized.  That’s how we feel when we wash ourselves with the water of the word, God’s word!

We should immerse ourselves in His word, and His word gives us such relief from this world!  He also reminds us of where we came from and where we’re going.  Let’s look at the very beginning of His word.

Creation of:

(Gen 1:6)  Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.”

(Gen 1:7)  And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.

(Psa 148:4)  Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!

(Psa 148:5)  Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.

(Psa 148:6)  He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.

 

We sing six hymns praising God that contain lyrics from Psalm 148.  We are reminded of God’s greatness, His eternal power when we are washed with the water of the word and remember His amazing creation of water, and how He commands where it is, and is not!

 

Water of Purification: (Num 19:9)  Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. (Num 19:10)  And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them. [Sanitation – see verses 11-16]

Cautionary tale: (Num 20:10)  And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?"

(Num 20:11)  Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

(Num 20:12)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."

(Num 20:13)  This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them. [We are reminded to give glory to God, to hallow Him and honor Him in what we do].

Stories of Deliverance: (Jdg 15:16)  Then Samson said: "With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!"

(Jdg 15:17)  And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi.

(Jdg 15:18)  Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the LORD and said, "You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?"

(Jdg 15:19)  So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, [Spring of the Caller], which is in Lehi to this day.

(Jdg 15:20)  And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

 

God also provided food by Raven drones to Elijah, and water from the brook Cherith (2 Kings 17:2-4).  God provides us with His personal care.  He is that deeply interested in each of us.

 

God cares for the earth and His creation as so eloquently stated in

(Psa 104:10)  He sends the springs into the valleys; They flow among the hills.

(Psa 104:11)  They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

(Psa 104:12)  By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches.

(Psa 104:13)  He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

 

Red Sea Divided: (Exo 14:20)  So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

(Exo 14:21)  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

(Exo 14:22)  So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

 

Israel crosses the Jordan: (Jos 3:14)  So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,

(Jos 3:15)  and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest),

(Jos 3:16)  that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

(Jos 3:17)  Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan. [Perhaps these stories will remind you that God will help you cross what might seem to be an impossible obstacle to you, something that you feel you cannot overcome…you can overcome that obstacle by looking to God part the waters for you.]

 

God quenches our thirst physically and spiritually:

Sometimes we are like sheep [(1Pe 2:25)  For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.]

In a book written by Phillip W. Keller titled “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23,” he writes about his observations from his personal experience as a shepherd of sheep, and how he relates to the Shepherd in Psalm 23.

In his chapter titled “He Leadeth Me Beside the Still Waters” he remarks that

“…just as the physical body has a capacity and need for water, so Scripture points out to us clearly that the human personality, the human soul has a capacity and need for the water of the Spirit of the eternal God.

When sheep become thirsty they become restless and set out in search of water to satisfy their thirst.  If not led to the good water supplies of clean, pure water, the will often end up drinking from the polluted pot holes where they pick up such internal parasites as nematodes, liver flukes or other disease germs.” [Expand on this – are you washing in the water of the word, or the water of the world?]

 

The water of the word is fresh and pure.

(Jas 3:11)  Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

(Jas 3:12)  Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

 

 

The Holy Spirit described as water.

Rivers of Living Water

(Joh 7:37)  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

(Joh 7:38)  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

(Joh 7:39)  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

God will pour His Spirit on Israel the Lord’s Chosen

(Isa 44:1)  "Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen.

(Isa 44:2)  Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

(Isa 44:3)  For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;

(Isa 44:4)  They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.'

(Isa 44:5)  One will say, 'I am the LORD's'; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, 'The LORD's,' And name himself by the name of Israel.

Living Water

(Joh 4:10)  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

(Joh 4:13)  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

(Joh 4:14)  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

We’ve been made to drink of one Spirit

(1Co 12:13)  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

Conclusion:

 

We are being transformed by living water, God’s Holy Spirit that leads us to everlasting life.

(Joh 2:1)  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

(Joh 2:2)  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

(Joh 2:3)  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."

(Joh 2:4)  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."

(Joh 2:5)  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

(Joh 2:6)  Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.

(Joh 2:7)  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.

(Joh 2:8)  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.

(Joh 2:9)  When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.

(Joh 2:10)  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"

[Compare ourselves to the waterpots – full of water used to wash away dirt, and then miraculously transformed by God’s living water, the Holy Spirit, into the finest vintage ever made, made by Jesus Christ and God the Father!]

 

Brethren, as God sustains physical life on earth with water, He sustains us with living water, His Holy Spirit.  We need to wash ourselves in the water of His word daily – otherwise we become dangerously dehydrated.

 

According to the Mayo Clinic on Mayoclinic.org, dehydration can occur among any age group if you don’t drink enough water, especially in hot weather or during vigorous exercise.  Symptoms can include extreme thirst, fatigue, dizziness and confusion.  Extreme dehydration can lead to death if not medically treated.  Extreme symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, excessive sweating and urination.

 

The point here is if we do not wash ourselves with the water of the word, we are susceptible to spiritual dehydration, and if we continue to go unwashed in the word we will end up with extreme symptoms of confusion, dizziness, and other spiritual illnesses.

 

The wonderful news is that when we seek God through His word, when we wash with the water of the word, He leads us beside still waters.  He restores us with the living water of His Holy Spirit!

 

We started looking into God’s amazing creation in Genesis 1, and now we conclude in Revelation to see God’s mind-boggling plan of salvation fulfilled!

 

(Rev 22:1)  And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

(Rev 22:2)  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

(Rev 22:3)  And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

(Rev 22:4)  They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

(Rev 22:5)  There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

(Rev 22:6)  Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

(Rev 22:9)  Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

(Rev 22:12)  "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

(Rev 22:17)  And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Wash and immerse yourself in the water of the word brethren!