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Planted By The Waters
July 27, 2014
For several studies now, I have examined the fact that if we reject God, and cast Him away, by rejecting His teachings and commandments, then He will cast us away. How do we avoid that? By being planted by the waters of life. Where is the source of these waters? The word of God, presented by Jesus Christ, is the artesian fountain of the waters of life. Being planted in Him, and being there rooted and grounded, will sustain us in this life and in the world to come.- Bernie Parsons
Planted By The Waters
by Bernie Parsons
Presented to Globe church of Christ on 07-27-2014
Presented to Load church of Christ on 08-31-2014
I have been discussing with you the fact that those who make themselves
useless to God will be discarded by God. There is a way to be useful to God
by trusting in, and following the teachings of, Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:14 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and
grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be
filled with all the fulness of God."
A tree planted by water does better than one in a desert. When we trust God,
we are planted by spiritual waters – the waters of life.
Jeremiah 17:5 "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man,
and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good
cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt
land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out
her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf
shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither
shall cease from yielding fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it?
10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man
according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."
Psalms 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate
day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth
away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly
shall perish."
John 4:13 "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this
water shall thirst again:
14 But 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."
Jesus is the wellspring of the waters of life.
John 7:37 "In the last day,
that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man
thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he 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.)"
Isaiah 35:4 "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:
behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he
will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing:
for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs
of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with
reeds and rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way
of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those:
the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it
shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs
and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
The coming of Jesus as King of the righteous quenches their spiritual
thirst.
Revelation 7:13 "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are
these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night
in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun
light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes."
We have read that the Savior would be the source of the waters of life.
Revelation 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And
he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water
of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he
shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death."
In this new world under Jesus Christ, we are planted by the waters of life,
and our spiritual thirst is quenched, and we can receive eternal life. God
wipes away all of our tears. He is our God, and we are His people.
Verse 8 above summarizes what happens to the rest. They are castaways.
