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The Curse of Sin and the Course of God
Ezekiel 47:1-12
October 13, 1996
Scripture: Psalm 14 and 15
Prayer:
Introduction:
Ever since I was a young boy I have been fascinated by rivers.
We lived in Sioux City, IA, about three blocks from the Big Sioux River when I was in the 3rd through the 7th grade, appropriately enough in an area called Riverside.
I spent all my summer days on the river fishing and exploring and swimming.
The river held wonderful surprises around every bend and in every hole.
It was ever changing and ever new, never the same in the same spot twice.
When we moved to the farm I spent many days fishing and exploring the west branch of the Little Sioux River.
Where did it come from and where did it go and why?
In the Navy in Cuba I explored the Guantanamo River as far as I could take it before it hit communist Cuba, and in college at Ames, IA, I always unwound from studies along the banks of the Skunk River that flowed nearby.
My first job after college was in west central Iowa where I managed the county park system.
It was there that the Boyer River held fascination with its rich history of Indian lore and I searched out old settlements along the bank.
Moving to Des Moines it was the Des Moines River that drew my attention.
Later in north central Iowa the Boone River became my favorite as I searched out productive fishing holes, clam beds and swimming places.
I brought home buckets and buckets of catfish.
They seemed to come from nowhere in the clear, ice cold water.
Later in south central Iowa the Chariton River captured all the time I could give it.
One summer I walked down the center of the river in a relatively low stage just to check out the deep spots for fishing.
It regularly went from ankle deep to neck deep in the most unexpected places.
I would swim under the brush piles to feel for catfish.
There were super huge catfish in those holes, turtles the size of washtubs, heron rookeries in the tops of the huge Chariton River hickory trees, turkeys, deer, Canadian geese, ducks and life in abundance.
I had a row boat and went for miles up and down the river just to see what was there.
I was never disappointed.
It was forever new and abundant.
The river was life.
And it imparted a certain measure of life to me.
I always came away with a new respect and wonder of God (Rom 1:20).
In God’s economy there is a River of Life that flows through the pages of the Bible with unerring purpose and wonder.
It begins in the Book of Genesis, then goes underground (so to speak) even through the present day, but emerges later on in the millennial kingdom with a power of life and healing that will amaze the nations.
Stop, look and listen to the power of this mighty river and the God who established its course.
*I.
The River of Life in the Beginning*
*Gen.
2:8 ¶ Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.*
*9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.
In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.*
*10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.*
*11 The name of the first is the Pishon (Gusher); it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.*
*12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.)*
*13 The name of the second river is the Gihon (Spurter); it winds through the entire land of Cush.*
*14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur.
And the fourth river is the Euphrates.*
*II.
The Curse of Sin*
*Gen.
3:22 ¶ And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.
He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."*
*23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.*
*24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.*
Adam and Eve had the option to eat from the tree of life rather that from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they did not choose it.
So mankind was banned from the Garden and the River of Life dried up.
*Rom.
5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--*
*Rom.
3:23 There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,*
*Rom.
6:23 For the wages of sin is death,*
*Heb.
9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,*
*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.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools*
*Ps.
14:1 ¶ The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.*
*2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.*
*3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.*
*Is.
64:6 ¶ All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.*
*7 No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.*
*Jer.
17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?*
*10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."*
*Jer.
2:12 Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror," declares the LORD.*
*13 "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.*
*Jer.
17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.*
These verses explain a major doctrinal position of the Bible to us.
And that is that man is totally depraved, totally lost, and totally separated from God because of sin.
Have we stopped lately to examine the true condition of our hearts and our heartcry need for the holiness of God?
“How many Christians have you heard recently confess to being wicked?
How many even believe they are wicked?
Most Christians do not perceive themselves as wicked.
Is this a problem?
When asked if they are sinners, their answers change dramatically.
Christians know they are sinners and readily confess it.
Such willing acknowledgment raises new questions.
If I am not a wicked sinner, does that mean I’m basically a nice sinner?
Does it mean I’m a cultured sinner, and educated sinner, a refined sinner, a good sinner, an average sinner, a B+ sinner?
Has God changed His stand on sin?
Is the condition of sin no longer wicked in the eyes of a holy God? Deep down in the inner recesses of our heart, we know better.
All sin is wicked in His eyes.”
(Jim Russell in Awakening the Giant, Zondervan, 1996, p. 81)
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