TWO RIVERS: FLESH AND SPIRIT
MF Blume
May 31, 2015
Joshua 3:11-17 KJV Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of
all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. (12) Now
therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every
tribe a man. (13) And it shall come to pass, as soon as the
soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the
Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the
waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from
above; and they shall stand upon an heap. (14) And it came
to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan,
and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the
people; (15) And as they that bare the ark were come unto
Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in
the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the
time of harvest,) (16) That the waters which came down from
above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that
is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the
plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people
passed over right against Jericho. (17) And the priests
that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground
in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry
ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
Ezekiel 47:3-12 KJV And when the man that had the line in his
hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought
me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. (4)
Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the
waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me
through; the waters were to the loins. (5) Afterward he
measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for
the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be
passed over. (6) And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou
seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of
the river. (7) Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank
of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the
other. (8) Then said he unto me, These waters issue out
toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the
sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be
healed. (9) And it shall come to pass, that every thing
that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall
live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these
waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing
shall live whither the river cometh. (10) And it shall come
to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto
Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall
be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding
many. (11) But the miry places thereof and the marishes
thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
(12) And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on
that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade,
neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new
fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of
the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf
thereof for medicine.
The Jordan river was passed over in Joshua 5.
But the river from the temple could not be passed over.
The first river had to be cut off and passed over.
- The dying flow of humanity.
- If God can cut that river off, then we get out of Adam and get into Christ.
- But the living waters of the Spirit will not be cut off.
- We will go on for eternity.
In the Jordan they went on dry land, Ezekiel went on something totally opposite.
- He was floating in waters that could not be passed over.
- So opposite to what happened the Jordan.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
- Ezekiel had to walk 1000 cubits at a time.
- Walking after the Spirit is typified by Ezekiel walking after the Spirit.
- Ezekiel showed that symbolically by walking in the river.
- If we thirst we come to Him and out of our bellies flow rivers of living water.
- John said this spoke of the Spirit.
- Jesus had not gone to the throne yet and prophesied.
- He foretold the spiritual river of the Holy Ghost.
- John 7:37-39.
An unsatisfied human is shown in the woman at the well who had 6 men and the seventh comes along, Jesus.
- And Jesus gave water that would never make us thirst.
- The Spirit is the river.
- Ezekiel walks in that river.
Ezekiel 47 shows the river going to the Dead Sea just like the Jordan.
John was in the Spirit and saw things he never saw before.
- Ezekiel was in the River and then LATER saw trees he never saw before.
And then he reads about the river going to the Dead Sea.
- God cuts one river off and they walk on dry land through it, from the City Adam.
- But God doesn’t cut this one off from the temple, and Ezekiel swims in it.
You will either be in the river from Adam which is the fleshly river, or the river of the Spirit that God wants us to swim in.
When this second river hits the Sea, this river HEALS IT.
- The River of Jordan leaves it dead.
- The Spirit RESURRECTS the Dead Sea, though!
People in the Spirit will bring life to sinners.
- We become fishers of men and that means people are saved, like fishermen fished and found may they caught.
- And Ezekiel is told it occurs because of the waters that reach that Sea.
Romans 12 teaches us to not be conformed to the world.
- The renewing of the mind must take place.
- And then we read every person ought to THINK of ourselves more highly than we ought.
- Think soberly.
- No one is a superman of faith, since God gave everyone a measure of faith.
- If we really thought like a sacrifice, then we would never think highly of ourselves.
- When we’re humble and we know we need God, God anoints and empowers.
- Always having the concept Paul begged and beseeched us to have, to be ONE living sacrifice.
- ONE sacrifice, from “ourselves”, plural.
- God wants to exalt us, but not in individual self manners.
- AS A BODY.
We you have a conscious NEED for the Spirit, knowing you can do nothing without him, the anointing and power comes.
- You’re getting deeper in the river.
- The ark opened up the Jordan, not the rod that opened the Red Sea.
- The rod in the NIGHT opened up the Red Sea.
- And Israel stood still as God fought the battle and removed the wheels from the chariots.
- But at the Jordan Israel had warriors and slew enemies.
- SIN is at the Red Sea, but the enemies at Jericho are devils.
- The ark was held up at the Jordan and had been splattered for 40 times by that point.
- Sacrifices made all that blood.
- They upheld that sacrifice soaked ark.
- When we have a sacrifice saturated faith that we uphold, having DIED WITH JESUS, knowing we can do nothing on our own.
- ATONEMENT means AT ONE.
- We know the sacrifice is united to us.
- WE DIED WITH HIM.
- We uphold that faith.
- We buried our self exaltation.
- And I uphold the blood that says I am nothing and had to die, and I needed union to Jesus.
- That will never allow us to become exalted.
Salvation by works would be the furthest thing from our minds.
Doing good cannot get us to heaven.
God’s eyes look for someone to show HIMSELF STRONG for them.
- That catches his eyes.
- Uphold the ark!
- It catches his eye.
- God will cut off the JORDAN and remove you from that into the SPIRITUAL RIVER.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This is spoken to believers.
- We have to get out of bondage to flesh, like sinners get out of bondage to sin.
- Depending on HIM for HIS SPIRIT TO WORK is what it is to walk after the Spirit.
- Believers need to know this.
Lambs blood got them out of Egypt, and blood still got them out of the wilderness since it was on the ark.
- In the midst of the day while it was night at the Red Sea.
While the parents of those who entered Canaan were afraid of the
Canaanites, the spies heard Rahab say Jericho was afraid of the
Israelites.
You are one with Jesus since you have the atonement.
- You are going in HIS NAME.
- This renews your mind from fearful thinking to bold and faithful thinking.
- It takes time to renew your mind.
- Carnality must be gone by our minds being renewed.
We learn the death of Jesus that took everything the devil could throw at Him, and kill Him, was followed by resurrection!
- And THAT is the power to usward since we’re in union with Him!
- We cross JORDAN when we learn that!
- We go in and take down kingdoms!
- That never happened in leaving Egypt into the wilderness.
- These strongholds must come down in our minds so we can LATER bring them down around us.
We die to self so much that our feelings aren’t touchy and easily offended.
- Satan cannot handle that kind of believer.
The ark stopped the Jordan, and it represented the throne of God.
- The throne in the CITY issued forth the river.
- What the ark represented is what STARTED the river of Life, whereas the Ark stopped the fleshly river of Jordan.
When Jesus was GLORIFIED the river would flow.
- GLORIFIED is when Jesus sat on the throne.
- THAT issued forth the river.
- Jordan was where Jesus was baptized.
- DEATH.
- Get rid of SINS.
- Then Jesus started FASTING in denying flesh.
- 40 days!
- What a difference of 40 days when Israel doubted at the JORDAN!
On the day of Atonement, the High Priest sprinkled the sacrificial
blood on the mercyseat of the ark, and the death of the sacrifice
counted in God's eyes as the death of the people of Israel.
- A substitutionary death was what the ark of the covenant was all about.
- When we think of OURSELVES as sacrifices, though we still live, it transforms us.
- When we renew our minds and start thinking a NEW WAY, instead of thinking HIGHLY of ourselves, it transforms us.
Now, this is not written to sinners, but believers.
- Because salvation does not automatically change your style of thinking into spiritual mindedness.
- This shows us that believers -- not sinners-- need to stop walking after the flesh and begin walking after the Spirit.
- And the way to do this is to realize the SACRIFICE OF JESUS is our atonement.
- His death was substitutionary for our own.
- So we must consider ourselves to HAVE DIED in the death of Jesus.
Now, the death of the lamb freed Israel 40 years earlier when they were in Egypt.
- But when they crossed the Red Sea, they crossed at night, fleeing from the Egyptians.
- But at Jordan they then had an ark of the covenant, which they never had in Egypt.
- And they
upheld that and crossed in the daytime in bold defiance of the
Canaanites, for they were crossing to conquer the land and begin with
Jericho!
- What a difference from fleeing at night from Egyptians, and crossing in daytime to conquer kingdoms!
That is the difference between someone first saved, and someone saved
for some time who has matured in the Spirit and FULLY UNDERSTANDS their
deaths with Christ.
They had the sacrifice in Egypt that freed them from Egypt.
- The death of Jesus frees us from sin.
- But it is
not until we learn and mature in the Spirit for some time afterwards
that we come to a revelation of OUR DEATHS WITH JESUS.
- That same sacrifice that freed us from sin means so much more for us now.
- And we later realize that WE DIED WITH JESUS.
- We are sacrifices who LIVE -- living sacrifices -- and not just people saved by a sacrifice.
- And when we fully come to UPHOLD our faith in OUR SACRIFICE with Christ, we cease to walk after the flesh.
You see, Egypt was defeated by the death of the Lamb.
- The
passover brought on the destruction of the Kingdom when the death angel
slew all the firstborn of Egypt, but the Israelites were saved by the
death of the lamb.
- But now we
see our own FLESHLINESS and FLESHLY WALK DEFEATED by the same sacrifice
when we mature and learn the law of the Spirit Of Life.
The thing that stopped the River of Jordan is the same thing that STARTED the river of Life.
Rev 22:1 KJV 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.
Notice that the River of Life flowed from the throne of God and the Lamb.
- This throne of God is represented by the ark of the covenant.
- The ark had a mercyseat with cherubims and the wings overshadowing the seat.
- This is symbolic of the throne of God in Isaiah 6 with seraphims above the throne.
- And this connects the ark of the covenant that stopped the flow of the water of life with the beginning of the River of Life.
The revelation that helps us to stop walking after the flesh is the revelation that teaches us how to walk after the Spirit.
- It is the revelation that Christ's death counted as our deaths.
- And the destination is now become the DEAD SEA RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD, AND TEEMING WITH LIFE!
What a change!
What a difference!
The entire sequence of thought from Romans 6 into Romans 8 is speaking
about our baptism into Jesus Christ's death so that we can understand
it counts as OUR DEATHS.
- This
understanding will help us realize that we are not supposed to look to
our flesh and do our best for the Lord, but rather live in resurrection
power like Jesus did, since we died with Him and by the same token
resurrected with Him.
- When Jesus resurrected, He was so fully led of the Spirit in victory.
- And just
like Jesus, we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive unto God and
present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead.
Rom 6:11-13 KJV Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,
that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but
yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
It has always been true, but we never realized we were resurrected from the dead with Jesus when He saved us.
- Crossing the Jordan with the ark represents the time we come into this realization.
40 years earlier they could have crossed Jordan, but were full of doubt.
- This is just like Christians who are defeated.
- They have the goods to conquer their unbelief and the enemy, but THEY DO NOT HAVE THE REVELATION OF WHO THEY ARE YET.
- They have these qualities, but do not know it!
- And you cannot have confidence due to what is true about you if you do not know what is true about you.
- Holding up
the ark that was used in atonement sacrifice that counted as the deaths
of the people represents finally having the revelation of our deaths
and resurrections with Jesus and holding it up as our basis for being
able to cross into the Kingdom power and destroy enemies.