The River of Life

Q: What does the Bible say about the river of life?

The river of life, found in Revelation 22:1, symbolizes Christ and the spiritual nourishment He provides to believers. In Revelation 22:1, John describes a 'pure river of water of life' that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. This river represents Jesus Christ, who is the source of life and sustenance for His people. It signifies the abundance of grace and mercy that flows from God, providing joy and fulfillment to the believer. The river's clarity and purity affirm the righteousness of Christ, who is described as the source of every spiritual blessing and nourishment to His people. This imagery resonates throughout Scripture, symbolizing the life-giving and refreshing attributes of Christ that sustain the church, His bride.

Q: How do we know the river of life is important for Christians?

The river of life is crucial as it symbolizes the continuous flow of Christ's grace and the sustenance believers receive through Him. The river of life is vital for Christians because it embodies the overarching theme of God's mercy and grace towards His people. As indicated in Psalm 46:4, the streams from this river 'make glad the city of God,' which reveals that the joy and satisfaction of God's people are rooted in their relationship with Christ. The rivers flowing from Christ emphasize that true spiritual life and nourishment come from Him alone. By partaking in this river, believers are continually reminded of their dependence on God's grace, and they experience the transformation that flows from knowing Jesus as the source of life. Furthermore, as believers, they are called to be conduits of this living water, sharing the joy and hope found in Christ with others.

Q: Why is Christ described as the source of living water?

Christ is the source of living water because He quenches the spiritual thirst of believers and offers everlasting life. Christ is referred to as the source of living water due to His unique ability to satisfy the deepest spiritual thirst of humanity. In John 4:14, Jesus declares, 'Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst,' showcasing that He offers a relationship that fulfills every need and longing of the soul. This language signifies the transformative power of the gospel—when individuals are regenerated and repurpose their lives in Christ, they experience a profound sense of peace, joy, and purpose. Moreover, as believers accept this gift of living water, they are empowered to share it with others, resulting in ministry and community building born out of the overflow of what Christ provides. This illustrates the essence of Christian life—being eternally connected to Jesus, the wellspring of all life and joy.

Q: What does the river symbolize in relation to God's mercy?

The river symbolizes God's mercy as it represents the continuous flow of grace and compassion from Him to His people. The river symbolizes God's mercy by illustrating the unending flow of grace that sustains and nourishes His people. In Revelation 22:1, the river is described as proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb, indicating that the grace bestowed upon believers is not only abundant but also divinely sourced. This connection emphasizes that God's mercy is inherent to His character, and the river serves as a tangible reminder of His faithfulness. As believers engage with this river, they find strength, healing, and rejuvenation, akin to the streams in Psalm 36:8, which offer satisfaction and joy. God's mercy through this river ultimately reveals His desire for intimacy with His people and a restoration of the broken relationship caused by sin.

Our Father, we thank You for
another day, another day to be able to come together and meet,
to look into Your Word, to worship, to bow in our heart before You. We ask that You teach us this
morning by Your Spirit through Your Scriptures. Reveal to us
again afresh today, Christ who is the source of our hope, peace,
comfort, joy. We thank you for the privilege
to be able to pray. For Christ's sake, teach us,
we ask. Amen. Well, we begin the last chapter. of the book of Revelation. This has been a wonderful study,
hasn't it? Scripture says that is what it
is, the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. John had seen last
time we looked, God had shown him the holy city in Revelation
22. 1, verse 23, it said, "...the
city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine
in, for the glory of God did lighten it. And the Lamb is the light thereof,
and the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light
of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor
into it. Any glory and honor they have
has been imputed, charged to them. And the gates of it shall
not be shut at all by day. Why? Because there is no night
there. And they shall bring the glory
and honor of the nations into it, and there shall in no wise
enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination
or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book
of life." Well, this morning we continue
with the vision that was given to John of New Jerusalem. And he showed me, verse 1, a
pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding
out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Turn with me to
Psalm 46. Psalm 46, verse 4. I want us to look at a few Scriptures
in this first message this morning concerning the river of life. Psalm 46, verse 4, There is a
river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the
holy place of the tabernacles of the Hi. This river, and we'll
just stay here for just a minute in Psalm 46. This river whose
streams make glad the city of God. Now, the city of God is
the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Eden, the garden The city of
God is the church. She is the city. It's not that
she lives in the city. She is the city. That's hard
for us to imagine. We can understand the concept
of there's a city. There's Fairmont. We go in there
and we can kind of go around. The city is the bride. She is
the holy Jerusalem. And the stream There is a river,
the streams whereof make glad the city of God." The streams
or the channels of irrigation are actually the revelations
of God's mercies, His attributes, His character that are made or
given to the different places of comfort. Now, the Lord in
His infinite mercy and grace has allowed us the privilege
to be able to be here this morning. And here we are. We are an established
place of worship. But we are not the complete Bride
of Christ. The Bride of Christ universal. There are places where God has
allowed the privilege to also hear. Places where He makes manifest
Himself. We collectively, all the places,
from the beginning, when God actually called out His own from
the beginning until the Lord comes back, He has one church,
one bride, and the river The river of God, the river of life
flows and the streams or the channels of that river, that
river that makes glad, joyful. We hear the streams of God's
mercy and grace. Isaiah 41, 18 says, I will open
rivers in high places, in fountains, in the midst of the valleys.
I'll make glad the wilderness. A pool of water in the dry land,
springs of water. God has graciously taken out
of the dung heap of this world and has established an oasis
in nowhere, just dead, dry, empty, Lifeless nothing. And right here,
here's an oasis of life that God established fifty-something
years ago and has allowed the privilege for it to stay here. And the river of life that flows
from the very throne of God makes glad this city and every place
that God has been pleased to send forth the hearing of His
Son. These streams that flow from
the river of God's eternal purpose of mercy and compassion and love,
it settles the believer. being found in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ, there is not a believer this morning
that is not made glad to hear of the river of life, the river
of God's purpose. Psalm 1-3 says, And he shall
be like a tree. Now, this He right here is the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and all that are found in him,
to this it can be said. But this is said of Christ. Now
listen to this. He shall be like a tree, planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in due
season. His leaf shall not wither, and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." We're going to see, Lord willing,
in the next message, in just a few minutes, we're going to
look at the tree of life. This is the river of life. The
tree of life. That just said something about
His leaves right there. We'll look at that in a little
bit. This is the river. This is Christ
Himself. Everything that can be said of
the river of life is said of Him, for He is. the river of
life. All that God has done for us,
He has done for us in Him. This river is the river by which
the thirst of all of God's people is filled. Psalm 36, verse 8,
ìThey shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house,
and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasure."
Who is the pleasure of the Father? It's Christ. This is my beloved
Son. He's my pleasure. In Him I'm
well pleased. He is the river. This is the
river of the Spirit of God's revelation that just emanates
from the very being. Turn to John 7. It emanates from
the very being of a believer. John 7. John 7, verse 37. John 7, 37. In the last day,
that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
ìIf any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth
on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly, out of his
heart. That's what that means. That's
his heart. That new heart, that new man, that new understanding,
that new creation, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water. But this he spake of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy
Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. is not like a sponge that just
takes in, never gives out. He's a spring giving forth, speaking
of His Lord and praising and confessing Him, being thankful
in His heart for what Almighty God has done for Him. A believer
is not silent. Somebody says, well, I believe
that, but I just don't like to talk about it. Well, that's not
the scriptural revelation of a believer. Out of his heart,
out of his belly flows rivers. You get two people together that
are believers, and you listen. Like I've said before, they may
talk about the weather for a few minutes, but you give them just
a second, and you know what they're going to be talking about? Him.
Him. Him who is their life. This old belly that we possess,
this old heart, is the shame of an unbeliever. The Scripture
says in Philippians 3, 18 and 19, For many walk, of whom I
have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they
are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction,
whose God is their belly. and whose glory is their shame,
who mine earthly things. An unbeliever's God is his own
heart, his own will, his own gratification. That's what an unbeliever is.
He is a self-worshipper. with himself and said, God, I
thank you that I'm not like everybody else, especially this publican
right here. This river doesn't flow naturally. It doesn't flow at all in the
unregenerate. But it's the gift of the Lord
Jesus Christ who were called out of darkness. the privilege
to be able to drink of this river, the privilege to be able to behold
the river, who is Christ Himself. It's a gift. John 4.14, Whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst,
but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life. Men are told that they
all possess the ability to be able to act on their own free
will. That's a lie. They don't have
that. All men have not faith. Faith
is the gift of God. It's given unto you to believe.
This river of life is a gift. God gives of Christ Himself a
new heart, new life. And out of that believer flows
rivers of living water, Christ Himself. And the Scripture says
back in Revelation 22.1, He showed me a pure river. It was a pure
river, clean, chaste, being the river of life Himself. We behold
the Lord Jesus, who is life to His people. He is life. John
14.6, what does He say? I'm the way. I'm the street of
gold. I am the way. I'm the truth and
the life. Hebrews 7, 26, For such an high
priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. The pure river
of life is the obedient Son revealed. He is revealed in John 8, 29.
He said, I do always those things that please Him. He is the river. And this river is clear as crystal. This word clear, it actually
means bright, radiant, magnificent, gorgeous, and white. Here is the river The pure river,
the river of the water of life, pure as crystal, it's the Word
that sets forth the righteousness of Him who is the pure river. Revelation 19, verse 8, And to
her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white. This river, what is this river? This river that flows out of
the throne of God is clear as crystal. Arrayed in this river. Washed in this river. Clothed
with this river. You're clean and white. You're
precious. And look where it comes from.
Proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. You know I read that and I thought,
Well, when I first read it, I'll be honest with you, I just read
right past it. Proceeding out of the throne of God and the
Lamb. What is it saying? Well, number
one, it's saying that the everlasting and ever-flowing river of God's
mercy and compassion proceeds from God Himself. God. The Father, the Son, and the
Spirit. God the Father. Just turn to
Ephesians 1, 3. Ephesians 1, 3. This river is
from the throne of God Himself, Jehovah, capital L-O-R-D, the
Lord. God Himself. Ephesians 1, 3 and
4. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He, the
Father, has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love. This river flows from the throne
of the Father. It flows, secondly, from the
throne of the Son. Look at John chapter 1. John
1. John 1. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. Look at verse 14. And the Word,
that is, the Son Himself. God the Son. The Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. In 1 Peter 3, 1 Peter 3.18, this flows from the
throne of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. 1 Peter 3.18, For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. God's Spirit. This is from the
throne of God. It's where this river proceeds
from. But it proceeds from the throne
of the Lamb. Ephesians 1, verse 5 to 7. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 5 to 7. having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to
the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in
whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of His grace." Now listen. Here's
what that Scripture has said. This river flows from the very
throne of God. The Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. God. It flows from the throne
of God and the throne of the Lamb. God was made flesh. A body was prepared for God. A human body. A body hath thou
prepared me, a body that God Himself united Himself in human
flesh and as a man. God Himself walked before His
own law. God Himself was obedient as a
man, the God-man, the obedience of this man, God-man, the Lamb
himself, the Messiah himself. God great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh. And John said, And we beheld
his glory. We saw him. as the only begotten
Son of God. This river of the indescribable
mercy and grace of God flows from the throne of God and the
Lamb. How is God going to be merciful
to me? God Himself was going to have
to satisfy Himself and come into this world and satisfy the demands
of his own law. Justice was going to have to
be done. John said, ìHe showed me a pure
river of water of life. When man fell in the garden,
he had nothing but death. If left there, staring him in
the face, hereís a river of life.î God Himself the ever-flowing
streams of justification before God. How could I ever be declared
just before God? God Himself in the person of
His Son is going to have to come and take what I am. Take what I am. Be made what
I am and put it away. God Almighty must charge me with
His righteousness and declare me no evidence, no sin justified. Justified before God. No record. Can you imagine that? Pardon, adoption, regeneration,
and divine preservation. For God's elect has secretly
proceeded from the throne of God and the Lamb. Secretly. Eternally. This divine blessing
of God's eternal counsel surfaces in time. It's as if it appears. It's always been there. God's
never changed. God's purpose never changed.
God's wills never changed. But it surfaces, and we're able
to behold the indescribable evidence of the river of life. And you
know how you know it? God calls a sinner out of darkness,
and you see him. And you say, God's merciful. He's been merciful to me. The
river of life. But its origin, its surety, its
eternality is founded, established, and preserved by the God who
cannot change. John said, I saw a river of life,
a river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God and
the Lamb. And I'm convinced that I have
witnessed in this place this morning, son, of those that God
has shown mercy to and kept and taught. And you know what they're
doing this morning? They're drinking again. If any
man thirsts, I believe there are some thirsty folks here,
and they drink. Let them come unto Me. They come.
How do they come? Had to get it. He gave it to
them. Let them drink. What will happen? Out of their
belly, out of their heart, is going to flow rivers of living
water.

The River of Life

What does the Bible say about the river of life?

How do we know the river of life is important for Christians?

Why is Christ described as the source of living water?

What does the river symbolize in relation to God's mercy?

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About Marvin Stalnaker

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The River of Life

What does the Bible say about the river of life?

How do we know the river of life is important for Christians?

Why is Christ described as the source of living water?

What does the river symbolize in relation to God's mercy?

Sermon Transcript

About Marvin Stalnaker

Comments

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