This past Sunday I once again had the privilege of delivering the Sunday morning sermon, as a stand-in for our pastor. My theme this time was heaven, and the rest we can look forward to after our experience as strangers and pilgrims on this earth. Revelation contains a special blessing for those who read this book (Rev. 1:3), and I certainly felt blessed as I studied the book and especially my text, which was from chapter 7. I trust this message will be a blessing to you all.
If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (46 minutes), please do look over my notes.
“In the Box” posts highlight new books I’ve received in the mail.
In this post, I want to showcase two of the new titles that at arrived at my doorstep in the last few weeks. I’m truly blessed to be able to read so many great books, and Christian publishers seem to never let up in their race to get high quality materials out the door. We are truly blessed with an abundance of Christian resources to help us in our walk with Christ.
The Love of Loves in the Song of Songs by Philip Ryken
This book is a meditation on Song of Solomon, and helpfully includes the entire biblical text (ESV) of that book. Ryken’s style is easy to read and he shares a wealth of insight from others on this fascinating (and often troubling) book. I appreciate that from the start he does not shy away from appreciating the parallels between Christ and the Church that have historically dominated the interpretation of this book, even as he rejects outright allegoricalism. He also does not eagerly proclaim the book as a manifesto on sexual liberation either, finding its instruction on marital love appropriately muted by the poetic nature of the book, and not as graphic or explicit as quite a few modern writers envision.
Parenting with Loving Correction: Practical Help for Raising Young Children by Sam Crabtree
The next Crossway title I received is by Pastor Sam Crabtree of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis (where I was a member for several years). Knowing Pastor Crabtree personally, I am eager to dig into this work. Like the title of his other book Practicing Affirmation, Pastor Sam is warm and encouraging, and I expect his parental advice to be refreshing and uplifting – while also insightful.
I was blessed to be able to fill the pulpit this last Sunday. I took 1 Peter 2:4-10 as my text and did my best to cover some of the wonderful truths contained in that passage. I focused on how the Church is both a Temple, made up of living stones, and a company of Holy Priests to the Lord. This passage has long been one of my favorite in the New Testament, and I hope my message will be a blessing for all who hear it.
I’m sharing the sermon here, and you can find all my recent sermons from The Heights Church, St. Paul, here.
If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (53 minutes), please do look over my notes.
In my most recent opportunity to preach, I enjoyed tracing out a biblical theology of living water. My text was Ezekiel 47:1-12, and the focus was on Ezekiel’s vision of a river of life flowing from the end-times Temple sanctuary (you can see my notes and download the audio here). In one part of the message, I traced out a biblical “history of living waters” in a journey through the Bible. I want to share that outline here. The message was received well, and I hope I gave people a taste of the richness that biblical theology has to offer.
Eden’s Four-fold River
Gen. 2:10 “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.” » Gold, onyx are mentioned in Gen. 2, and they are central to the Temple. There is a tree of life in the garden too, like Ezek. 47, and Rev. 22.
SIDENOTE: 3 points illustrating why Ezekiel is looking back on Eden with his prophecy in Ezek. 47.
Ezek. 36:35 “land shall be like a garden of Eden.”
Eden called the Mountain of God in Ezek. 28:14 and the temple vision starts with the Temple on a high mountain (Ezek. 40:2).
Outside of Eden was wilderness – similar to the Dead Sea region being a wilderness (prior to the coming of the river in Ezek. 47).
Water from the Rock (Exodus) – preserved life
Ps. 78:16 “He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.”
Exod. 17:6 “you shall strike the rock and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.”
The Joyful River of God
Ps. 46:4 “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” » There is no river in Jerusalem.
Ps. 36:8-9 “and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life…”
Ps. 63:1 “…my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Is. 12:3 “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
The LORD is the Fountain
Jer. 2:13 “they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters.”
Jer. 17:13 “they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.”
Streams in the Desert (New Exodus) – renewed life
Is. 35:6 “waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.”
Is. 43:19 “For I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Is. 48:21 “they did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out.”
Is. 49:10 “He who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.”
SIDENOTE: the NT draws on this, with John the Baptist using the same cry given in Is. 40:3 – another New Exodus passage.
Cleansing with Water and the Outpouring of the Spirit
Is. 44:3 “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
Ezek. 36:25-27 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean… I will put my Spirit within you…”
Renewed Israel and a fountain in Jerusalem
Is. 58:11 “you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
Zech. 14:8 “on that day living waters shall flow from Jerusalem.”
Joel 3:18 “in that day… a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Shittim.”
Zech. 13:1 “on that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” » To cleanse sin.
New Jerusalem (ultimate fulfillment)
Rev. 22:1-2 “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” » Clearly draws from Ezekiel.
Rev. 7:17 “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd and he will guide them to springs of living water.” » ultimate New Exodus.
CONCLUSION from this Biblical History
Water is connected with spiritual joy and life in God’s presence.
Water is sourced in God – the True Fountain of Life.
Water is associated with the Temple: » Eden itself was a paradise – “Garden of God” – depicted in Ezek. 28 as a mountain. » Eden is the template to which the Tabernacle and Temple imagery point back to. » Ezekiel’s temple looks back to Eden with the “trees of life” on its banks (Ezek. 47).
Water is associated with the Holy Spirit who will be outpoured and cleanse the renewed Israelites (and believers in Christ) of their sins.
This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at our church again. My text was Ezekiel 47:1-12 and the theme was living water. I had so much fun exploring the biblical theological theme of life-giving water. My sermon borrowed from the ideas I gleaned from G.K. Beale on how Jesus in both John 4 and John 7, alludes to Ezekiel’s eschatological temple and specifically chapter 47, where the river of life flows from the center of the temple. See an earlier post with relevant excerpts from Beale.
Ezekiel is not often the focus of a sermon, so I took time to introduce the book and situate the hearers to the context of chapter 47, particularly. John 7:37-39 provided the application and somehow I managed to get this all done in about 50 minutes! I am thankful for the opportunity and for how the Lord helped my scattered thoughts make sense. There was a good reception of the message and I pray it continues to bless those who hear it. Grasping the beauty of biblical theology has the potential to be truly transformative (it has been for me).
I’m sharing the sermon here, and you can find all my recent sermons from The Heights Church, St. Paul, here.
If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (52 minutes), please do look over my notes.
This past Sunday I once again had the privilege of delivering the Sunday morning sermon, as a stand-in for our pastor. My theme this time was heaven, and the rest we can look forward to after our experience as strangers and pilgrims on this earth. Revelation contains a special blessing for those who read this book (Rev. 1:3), and I certainly felt blessed as I studied the book and especially my text, which was from chapter 7. I trust this message will be a blessing to you all.
In my most recent opportunity to preach, I enjoyed tracing out a biblical theology of living water. My text was Ezekiel 47:1-12, and the focus was on Ezekiel’s vision of a river of life flowing from the end-times Temple sanctuary (you can see my notes and download the audio