City of the Lost River

September 15, 2013

Lamentations 1:1-2 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

Revelation 17:1-5 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Revelation 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.


The book of Lamentations speaks about a CITY which lost all of its people.

Such a great loss was comparable to a woman losing her husband.
A widow.


The aspect of a great loss is what is noted by the description of the city as a widow.

Revelation shows another city which exclaimed she was not a widow, and a city which glorified herself.
She uttered that she was a Queen.
Comparing this with Lamentations, we see that this City in Revelation truly suffered a great loss, but would not admit it.
This City spiritually called Babylon uttered that she not only was anything but a widow but also that she was a Queen.
This indicates that her loss was her husband.
She lost her husband, but insisted she was not a widow in such a loss but rather a Queen.
No KING.
Independent.
Such a proud self-glorifying spirit in this entity called a city, while proclaiming she is a Queen, indicates that she sought to rule by herself without her "Husband".
Rule without her husband KING.



She is called BABYLON the GREAT.

Jerusalem was the city who shed the blood of prophets and all slain on earth.

Rev 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Jerusalem was like mankind who once, as the church now is, were espoused to Christ, but who lost that relationship with Him. Mankind lost something which mankind originally had with God.


I. GOD'S INITIAL PLAN

Genesis 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

Genesis 2:15-17 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.


Let us note here that the same words used to describe Adam's role in the Garden - KEEP THE GARDEN - are used to describe our role as believers.

Instead of a Garden, we are told to KEEP OUR HEARTS.

THIS is what the Garden symbolized.
The human heart or spirit of mankind united with the Spirit of God.


God placed mankind in the Garden to keep the Garden where a river came and was divided to go forth to the rest of the world.

The Garden was a crucial place.
River came in and went out.
Reliance on something coming in.


God instructed Adam to eat of the fruit of Life.

If you eat of these fruit, you will live forever!
Eternal Life was an everlasting union of God with mankind, and this is what was originally intended.
But another Tree stood in the Garden vying for man's attention, also.
Like a competitor, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil let out its appeal to mankind.
Make mankind independent of God.


The tree of life is linked with the love of God.

Gifts of God cannot save us, for they are only temporary.



II. THE RELATIONSHIP ILLUSTRATION

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.


In that Garden was the tree of life and A RIVER OF LIFE flowed or issued out from it.

WE MUST KEEP OUR HEARTS, FOR OUT OF THEM ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE.
The river of Life.
We see a main reason Adam was put in the Garden was to protect it due to the fact that the River of Life flowed from Eden into it to go to all the world.
Our hearts must be kept, for the River of Life flows through the Believer's heart to the world.
Our hearts can be set upon two things.


Eat the fruit of life - LOVE - INWARD THING.

Or eat the knowledge of good and evil - OUTWARD THING.

Genesis 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

1Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

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.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.


The river is pure and the heart must be pure for the river to flow from it.

A pure heart is one not contaminated.

We can only see the River of Life flow - God's Love - if we have a pure heart which has been kept as Adam was to keep the Garden.
A heart that relies upon the Spirit and Jesus as KING!


As Adam failed, we, too, can fail.

The RIVER OF LIFE and the TREE OF LIFE are linked.
If we devour the fruit of LIFE, and remain filled with God's LIFE in knowing Him, we will see that the RIVER OF LIFE continues to flow through our "Gardens" uninhibited.


Religious Law (Knowledge of good and evil) was judgmental.

The RIVER of LIFE must flow.
Our duty is to PROTECT our hearts so that nothing creeps in and defiles our intentions with another desire for SELF.
Protect it to always glorify God.
When WE do the good without a relationship with God as our KING, the RIVER FLOW STOPS.
CHRISTIANS CAN DWELL IN LAW - FIGHTING PREVAILS - JEALOUSIES RULE - DIVISIONS - CARNALITY - as in the case of the Corinthians.

1John 3:15-16 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.


ETERNAL LIFE IS NOT IN ONE WHO HATES HIS BROTHER.

THEY MAY HAVE MANY GOOD DEEDS, BUT THEY ARE DRY.
THEY MAY HAVE MIRACLES, LIKE CORINTHIANS, BUT NO LOVE.


"NOT MY WILL BE DONE, BUT THY WILL".

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
WHEN JESUS PRAYED THIS, HE WAS THINKING ABOUT DYING FOR THE WORLD.
TO DO GOD'S WILL WAS TO LOVE THE WORLD.
LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS.
SO, DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER IS LOVING THE WORLD.
LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE.
TO BE ANGRY AND HATE SOMEONE FOR WHAT THEY DID IS NOT LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE.
DOING GOOD DEEDS WITH NO LOVE IS A GARDEN WITH NO RIVER.
IT DRIES UP.
BUT DOING GOD'S WILL IS A RIVER OF LIFE.
GOD'S LOVE IS :--" GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE..."
THIS LOVE IN US WILL DO THE SAME....


BLOOD POURED FROM HIS PORES AS HE PRAYED THIS - A RIVER OF LIFE.

Blood is the life of the flesh. And a river of LIFE poured from Jesus.
WATER AND BLOOD CAME FROM HIS SIDE on the cross - A RIVER OF LIFE.
BLOOD IS LIFE OF THE FLESH, AND WATER WITH BLOOD IN IT IS LIVING WATER.
A HEART UNITED TO GOD IS A GARDEN OF EDEN.
JESUS IS IN THE GARDEN, and we need to join Him there.
DENYING SELF.


The throne of GOD AND THE LAMB issued froth a river of life.

Notice before the Lamb went to the throne after having died and resurrected in Rev 5, there was a SEA before the throne.

But a RIVER flowed from the throne to the world for healing after the LAMB WAS ON IT.


A lamb is sacrificial.
Laid down his life for us.

John 7:37 -39 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. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (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.)


Jesus, the one who died for others, was glorified to shed forth the Spirit.

Not one who served Himself and glorified himself.
God puts people on the throne with THE LAMB when they give their lives for others.
They do not live for themselves and do what they want to do.
They live for what JESUS wants them to do.


When you do not dare do anything without seeking the will of God in it, you glorify Him.

You glorify self when you do your own will.
People see how great God must be when you do all things in life according to his will and not your own.

James 4:13-15 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.


They do not seek the world's approval.

They're HID.
Self is out of the way.

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:


Today we're hid with Christ.

The world does not know our identity.
Only God Knows.
But one day when The Lord is made to APPEAR, we shall appear with Him.
The world will know then.
But now we stay hidden.
We do not glorify ourselves.
The serpent got man to glorify himself.


Watch the comparisons.

Gen 11:2-4 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Gen 12:1-2 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.


New Jerusalem is the city Abraham looked for.

THE CHURCH according to Heb 12:22.

If we do our ow thing and not the will of The Lord, we are like Jerusalem, and Eve.

NO RIVER OF LIFE.

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [FOR HER], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [OF HERSELF], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [MAKE HERSELF WISE], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.


Tree of religious law.

Judgmental.
Condemn others and look down at them due to what they are not doing because it is serving SELF and SELF will not let others attack self, and self glorifies self.
It has to put others down to glorify self.
Law condemns.
THEY HAVE love for the truth, but no love for brethren.

Jeremiah 2:11-13 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.


Israel forsook God, THE RIVER, just as Adam and Eve forsook God for self-advancement in the self-production of good as inspired by the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

Those who dwell on God in love are filled with a SOURCE of LIFE.
A RIVER flows from them - LOVE.

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.


Contrast dry Babylon in the wilderness with the following:

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Revelation 22:1-3 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. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:



"TRIBUTARY" -means OF TRIBUTE, ENFORCED PAYMENT, FORCED SERVICE.

It indicates that the woman lost her means of support when she lost her husband.
LOST SOMETHING THAT CAME WITHOUT LABOUR.
She lost all, like a woman loses her husband.
LOST THE RIVER.
A widow was compared to one who lost something.
She says she lost nothing.
Said she is no widow.
She is like a widow - she lost God.
She glorified herself and lost God.
She says she is a well, but she is a cistern.
A cistern looks like a well, but you must put the water in yourself and hold it there.
There is no source to bring it out.
It requires water from outside itself.
Babylon was in the wilderness - Babylon required water from outside itself to be carried in.
Broken cistern - saints who get filled up and leak it all out.
No real love of God.
No SOURCE IN THEMSELVES.
Holy Ghost is a WELL INSIDE YOU.
The river of life flows only from the garden. And the only ones in there are people who are eating fruit of life - GOD'S LOVE.
Do you have a source?
To forsake the Holy Ghost is to resort to human works of goodness to carry on an APPEARANCE of godliness.


God does want a CITY.

Abraham indeed did look for a CITY, but its maker was GOD, not mankind.
When Adam was placed in the Garden, he was intended to remain there and have his children grow up in there.
It would eventually grow into a large CITY.
In Revelation 22 we see THIS CITY.
All will return to as God originally planned.
But until then, it is being RESTORED NOW.
God's people are a CITY.

Hebrews 12:22-23 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,


When Adam was thrust out of the Garden, his children were born outside the Garden.

Cain was eventually cast away and built a City.
Mankind built his own city.
Mankind was the maker and Builder of this city.
When Nimrod first built Babel (Babylon) the people cried a self-glorifying cry.


Nebuchadnezzar boasted over the City he built.

Daniel 4:30-31 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.


Babylon the Great is proud of herself.

She is a Garden without a River.
A City without a River.
A Church without the Holy Ghost.
A tree without fruit of Life.
City of the Lost River.
God is trying to tell us to remain united to Him and ever desire to KNOW HIM above all things, even above doing good in this world.
Babylon is a City whose maker is mankind, and she has no river, and has no fountain, but is a cistern.

SERMONS