610 likes | 707 Views
Let Him Take the. Water of Life Freely. Rev 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely”. Water is one of God’s most fascinating and practical creations.
E N D
Let Him Take the Water of Life Freely
Rev 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely”
Water is one of God’s most fascinating and practical creations.
Total water on earth amounts to 326 million cubic miles. More fresh water is stored underground than on the surface.
Drinking Water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the human body. 2 After waking up helps activate internal organs. 1 30 minuets before a meal helps with digestion. 1 Before taking a bath lowers blood pressure. 1 Before going to bed helps prevent stroke and heart attack.
The same water that existed on earth at creation is present today. Of all the water on earth, humans use only about three tenths of one percent. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day, nearly 80 percent of it for irrigation and thermoelectric power. The average person in the United States uses from 80–100 gallons of water a day. Flushing the toilet takes up the largest amount of this water.1 Water is just as prominent in Scripture as it is in nature. The word water in various forms is found 702 times in the Bible. Many of the great Bible events involved water: Noah’s Flood; Israel’s crossing the Red Sea; Jonah and the Great Fish; Jesus turning water into wine; Jesus walking on the water; Jesus stilling stormy Galilee; the Samaritan woman at the well; Pilate washing his hands at Jesus’ trial; Paul’s missionary journeys and subsequent shipwreck. Many of the Bible’s favorite doctrines involve water: heaven is pictured as having a river, clear as crystal (Revelation 22:1); we are invited to “take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17); when Jesus’ side was pierced for us there came out blood and water (John 19:34). Have you considered that water is the only natural element God chose to use in our salvation process? Perhaps this is because water is necessary for life, and thus is found wherever people are. Population centers are almost always built near an ocean, lake, river, creek, or spring. Once a person becomes a penitent believer in Christ, the last requirement in the salvation process is to “just add water.” Let’s consider three pertinent questions related to the element of baptism. Holy Spirit or Water? The word baptism refers to the action of immersion. The element of the immersion is not found in the word. The Bible mentions several kinds of baptisms: John’s baptism (Acts 18:25; cf. Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:4, 15; Luke 3:3; Acts 19:4). This was a water baptism preceded by instruction from John the Baptist, or one of his followers. Baptism of suffering (Luke 12:50; Matthew 20:22–29; Mark 10:38–45). Baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16). Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16). Baptism in water (Matthew 28: 18–20; Mark 16:15–16; Acts 8:36–38; 10:47–48). Ephesians 4:5 states that there is only one baptism. How can there be only one baptism when the Bible lists at least five? The solution to this dilemma is that there is only one valid baptism now in effect. The natural question then is: “Which baptism saves men today?” It is not the baptism of suffering, since this baptism was never designed for salvation. This simply referred to being overwhelmed (baptized) in difficult circumstances. In the immediate context of Luke 12:50, the baptism of suffering referred to Jesus’ death and the persecution of His disciples (1 Peter 2:21; Revelation 1:9). All of us go through periods of suffering, and while they may cause us to turn to God, these “baptisms” do not save us. It is not the baptism of fire, since this is yet to come (Revelation 20:15; 19:20). This refers to the lost being cast into the lake of fire after the judgment (Matthew 3:12; Luke 16:24). It is not John’s baptism. When Paul found some in Ephesus who had been baptized with John’s baptism after the cross, he commanded them to be baptized again in compliance with Great Commission baptism (Acts 19:1–7). The teaching that preceded the immersion had to be the updated doctrine of Christ, not the outdated doctrine of John. This narrows the one baptism down to either Holy Spirit baptism or water baptism. Which is it?2 The baptism that saves was an act which men could perform. Jesus said, “Go,” “teach,” “baptize” (Matthew 28:19). Men could go, teach, and baptize with water; but men cannot baptize with the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus administered Holy Spirit baptism (Matthew 3:11–12). The baptism that saves was a command; the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a promise (Acts 1:4). Peter “commanded them to be baptized” (Acts 10:48). This would be a foolish and impossible order if men have no say in it and have to wait for Jesus to do it. The baptism of the Spirit was promised for “all flesh” (Joel 2:28–32), that is, it would be administered to both Jews and Gentiles. It was promised specifically to the apostles, who were all Jews (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). It was later fulfilled—to the Jewish apostles on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4) and to the Gentile Cornelius ten years later (Acts 10:44–48).3 Jesus promised to “baptize” (overwhelm, immerse) His apostles in the Holy Spirit, but there is no evidence that He ever intended for all disciples to receive Holy Spirit baptism. No one other than the apostles and the household of Cornelius (Acts 11:16–17), in the New Testament received Holy Spirit baptism.
Water is just as prominent in Scripture as it is in nature. The word water in various forms is found 702 times in the Bible.
Many of the great Bible events involved water: Israel’s crossing the Red Sea
Many of the great Bible events involved water: Jonah and the Great Fish
Many of the great Bible events involved water: Jesus walking on the water
Many of the great Bible events involved water: Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee
Many of the great Bible events involved water: The Samaritan woman at the well
Many of the great Bible events involved water: Pilate washing his hands at Jesus’ trial
Many of the great Bible events involved water: Paul’s shipwreck during his missionary journey.
Rev 22:1 “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb”
John 19:34 “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water”
Have you considered that water is the only natural element God chose to use in our salvation process?
Perhaps this is because water is necessary for life, and thus is found wherever people are.
Matt 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing…
Matt 28:18-20 …them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…
Matt 28:18-20 …and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen”
Mark 16:15-16 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”
Acts 10:48 “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days”
Acts 1:5 “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence”
Once a person becomes a penitent believer in Christ, the last requirement in the salvation process is to “just add water.”
Matt 13:42 “And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth”
2 Pet 3:6-7 “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept…
2 Pet 3:6-7 …in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men”
Rev 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”
2 Thes 1:7-9 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on…
2 Thes 1:7-9 …them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the…
2 Thes 1:7-9 …presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power”
We generally ask those who had a house fire, “Did you lose everything?”
When this earth burns, many will lose everything for which they have worked and lived.
Luke 12:16-21 “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within…
Luke 12:16-21 …himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns…
Luke 12:16-21 …and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many…
Luke 12:16-21 …years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things…
Luke 12:16-21 …be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God”
Rev 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”