Shadows to Substance: Water in the Old & New Testament - DJ Dickerson

This morning we are continuing in our

series of lessons entitled Shadows to

Substance. Now, as mentioned, this

series I was thinking about at the end

of last year, closing it out, but we are

continuing with some encouragement from

others. And uh I do have at least one

more lesson that I'm going to uh also

share with you in this series, and

that'll be Lord's will next Sunday

morning. Um may maybe two more. We'll

see. Yeah, still thinking. uh but uh as

we have certainly noted and I have

enjoyed doing this particular series and

I I appreciate so much those who have

shared uh with me uh as well how much we

have learned together in endeavoring in

this study about how from the beginning

that God has been teaching us through

shadows and again that's temporary

pictures that that are pointing forward

to something greater. Uh I want us to

note that God has always been a God who

teaches his people patiently.

Uh he does not overwhelm us all at once

with the fullness of his plan. I think

that's what's really just amazing to me.

uh because what we have found in this

series is that he has revealed his will,

his plan progressively

and I would even call it layer by layer

using real events, real people, real

elements to prepare our hearts for

spiritual truth. And and these are what

scripture refers to again types and

shadows realities that are genuine in

their own time yet intentionally they

are designed to point forward to again

something far greater. Now from the

opening verses of the Bible to the final

pages of Revelation something we're

talking about this morning

is that of water.

water in the Old as well as the New

Testament that again

flows through God's redemptive plan. It

appears again and again and again. And I

submit to you, it's not random.

It's intentional.

Because when we start getting down to

it, water sustains life. cleanses

impurity, refreshes the weary, and also

it separates the living from the dead.

And because of this, God repeatedly uses

water as a teaching instrument. And

again, that's what we're going to be

going through is a shadow pointing

forward to spiritual realities that

would be fulfilled in Christ. Now, and

and we will find that water in the Bible

is never just water. Okay? Uh, in this

lesson, we're we're following the the

flow of scripture to see how God used

water as a shadow of cleansing, of

salvation, of of new life that's

fulfilled in Christ. As God repeatedly

uses water to teach us about his work in

salvation.

And when we trace water through the

Bible, we discover that again, notice

it's not random.

It always appears at moments of

transition. If there's anything I could

say, keep that in mind. Moments of

transition. That's going to play a huge

role in what we're talking about this

morning. Where moments where God is

moving his people from one state to

another.

So to understand what God is teaching us

through water, we must begin where the

Bible begins and that is at creation.

life brought from chaos. You know, when

you go back and right there in Genesis

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, it's familiar, right? In the

beginning, God created the heavens and

the earth, right? Genesis 1 and verse

one tells us that. But then, of course,

when you think about before there is

light, before there's land, before

there's life, what what is what what's

what is the spirit of God doing?

Hovering. Look at this. Look at verse

two, Genesis 1. The earth was without

form and void and darkness was on the

face of the deep and the spirit of God

was hovering over the face of what? The

waters.

Now what you see is you get a scene of

disorder. You get a you get a scene of

of emptiness. Again it's what's being

said. It's without form. It's void.

But the waters are present

but nothing yet is formed.

So then as you go through the passage,

God speaks

and order comes from chaos. Life emerges

where there was none.

But there was water, wasn't there? Now

this teaches us something obviously

about found that's foundational. And I

would say that life originates with God.

Obviously, not with the waters

themselves. The water is the setting.

But again, remember who's the source?

God's the source from the very

beginning. God shows that transformation

happens when he moves.

That water itself became the environment

in which God's creative power was being

revealed.

Now, this is not a mere historical

detail. All right? Um, what you're

finding when you start here is you're

you're you're seeing basically

established spiritual pattern that's

going to appear again and again and

again. When God begins something new,

don't don't forget this part either,

okay? When God begins something new, he

often does so in connection with water.

Creation itself

prepares us to see water as a place

where God brings life out of disorder,

out of something without form and void.

But creation is only the beginning

because as you go through and we know as

we've talked about Adam and Eve and such

that that as Shini falls

sin of course

water takes on an even deeper role

doesn't it?

Now we're going to fast forward a

moment. We're going to fast forward to

Genesis chapter 6 and you're going to

Genesis 6 · chapter mention

take us through chapter 9. Again, for

our time this morning, we're not going

to read all Genesis 6 through9, but if

you're following along and you're doing

the scripture reading for the Bible for

the year, uh, as our our our plan that

we have here for the year, read your

Bible in a year, then you've read

Genesis 6 through9 as well already. And

that has to do with the flood, right?

Genesis 6 through9 covers talking about

the flood. And and how water is used in

this is not only as judgment, but it's

also salvation, right? So I want us to

note Genesis 6 and look at verses 5-8.

Genesis 6 5-8 as as we find that the

world has become filled with corruption

and violence. Notice it with me. Then

the Lord saw that the wickedness of man

was great in the earth and that every

intent of the thoughts of his heart was

only evil continually. And the Lord was

sorry that he had made man on the earth.

And he was grieved in his heart. So the

Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I

have created from the face of the earth,

both man and beast, creeping thing and

birds of the air. For I am sorry that I

have made them, but Noah found grace in

the eyes of the Lord." Now obviously as

we know with with that of the wickedness

that God determines to make judgment on

that sinfulness, on that wickedness of

humanity, and he does so through the

flood. Now the waters rise and the world

that existed before is destroyed.

But at the time the very waters that

bring judgment also did something else.

It lifted the ark

wherein Noah and his family were safely

inside. Right? We remember that. And of

course the animals that God had told

instructed Noah to to prepare to

preserve.

Now what I want us to understand is when

we look at this and we think about some

sometimes you know our focus can really

get kind of uh zoomed in on the

wickedness being destroyed and you know

and and the and such destruction from

that. But understand that the dual role

here of water is quite critical

because the water itself is not

selective. Right?

It's God's plan that determines its

effect.

To those outside the ark, the water

meant destruction.

But to those inside the ark, it meant

salvation.

Now, when the flood subsides, Noah

emerges into a world that has been

cleansed,

a world that had been renewed,

and a fresh beginning.

That's the kind of imagery you get when

you read all of Genesis 6-9.

You know, the Apostle Peter explained

later this event. This is not, you know,

as again, it's not just mere historical

information.

It was instructional.

And Peter explains really there's a

deeper meaning of of this event. Go to 1

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

Peter chapter 3. In 1 Peter chapter 3

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

and look at verses 20 and 21. These

might be familiar verses uh to most if

not all of us. It says, "Who formerly

were disobedient when once the divine

longsuffering waited in the days of Noah

while the ark was being prepared in

which a few that is eight souls were

saved through water. There is also an

anti-ype which now saves us. baptism,

not through removal of the filth of the

flesh, but the answer of a good

conscience toward God through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ. See, he

tells us that eight souls were saved

through water.

And then he says that baptism that

baptism corresponds to this. Now saving

us again, not the removal of the filth

of the flesh, not not the dirt from the

body, but he's saying it's an appeal to

God for a good conscience.

You got to see what's being emphasized,

right? The same water that judged the

world saved the faithful.

Water marked the separation between the

old world and the new.

Salvation came through water, not around

it.

So the flood, that's not random

destruction.

It's a shadow of God's redemptive work.

Death to the old and life in the new. So

here's the lesson even in this. God uses

water to mark the end of an old life and

the beginning of a new one.

And salvation has always involved

leaving something behind.

The flood shows us that God's

deliverance is not accidental.

It is entered by faith and obedience.

Now, this same truth that we're talking

about in this point, actually, we see

this again

when God redeems his people from Egypt.

Let's fast forward to that of the Red

Sea because what we find with the Red

Sea in Exodus has to do with water being

as deliverance and separation. Okay? So,

go to Exodus chapter 14. I want us to

Exodus 14 · chapter mention

read verses 13- 16 again for for time

sake I'm I'm kind of giving you just

again a portion here of uh to make the

points but again make sure to read all

of that uh regarding uh their very

deliverance and and all it's it's it's

very powerful again but Exodus 14 13- 16

notice what's stated

and Moses said to the people do not be

afraid stand still and see the salvation

of the Lord

which he will accomplish for you today.

For the Egyptians whom you see today,

you shall see again no more forever. The

Lord will fight for you and you shall

hold your peace. And the Lord said to

Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the

children of Israel to go forward, but

lift up your rod and stretch out your

hand over the sea and divide it, and the

children of Israel shall go on dry

ground through the midst of the sea."

Now remember that in Exodus chapter 14,

Exodus 14 · chapter mention

Israel stands trapped between Pharaoh's

army and the Red Sea. Now there's no

escape by human strength. So God

intervenes and parting the waters so

that Israel may pass through on dry

ground. Now again, there's some

instructions that are given to to Moses

to lift up his rod, stretch out his hand

over the sea, and divide it. and and

there of course the children of Israel

will be able to go on dry ground through

the midst of the sea.

Now the part is that when Egypt follows

and in fresh pursuit if you will the

waters return and the oppressors the

Egyptians are destroyed.

How does Paul connect this? Well, in our

scripture reading this morning, brother

Daniel read for us there in 1

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 10. You see that in

verses 1 and two. Moreover, brethren, I

do not want you to be unaware that all

our fathers were under the cloud. All

passed through the sea. All were

baptized into Moses in the cloud and in

the sea.

Tell me that's not interesting. Right?

Because that language is intentional.

Again, water marked Israel's transition

from slavery to freedom, from bondage to

covenant relationship. Egypt did not

survive the crossing. What's that tell

us? The old life could not pass through

the water and remain.

I think that's a powerful spiritual

lesson.

You cannot leave Egypt while still

clinging to Egypt.

And God uses water to draw a decisive

line between who his people were and who

they are now.

The Red Sea, that was not just a

miracle. It was a boundary.

Egypt did not survive the water.

Israel did.

And God's water separates the saved from

the enslaved, the old life from the new.

Yet I will say this as well.

Freedom

alone does not sustain life.

After deliverance comes, they escape

Egyptian captivity bondage. Again, they

have went from slavery to being free.

But again, freedom alone was not going

to sustain their life.

After deliverance comes dependence.

And that leads us to chapter 17 of

Exodus where we find water from the rock

sustaining life in the wilderness.

Again, they have been delivered. But

with that deliverance comes dependence.

Now, Exodus chapter 17, I want us to

Exodus 17 · chapter mention

read verses 3-6.

3-6.

And the people thirsted there for water.

And the people complained against Moses

and said, "Why is it you

have brought us up out of Egypt to kill

us and our children and our livestock

with thirst?" So Moses cried out to the

Lord, saying, "What shall I do with this

people? They are almost ready to stone

me. And the Lord said to Moses, "Go on

before the people and take with you some

of the elders of Israel. Also take in

your hand your rod with which you struck

the river and go. Behold, I will stand

before you there on the rock of Orb, and

you shall strike the rock, and water

will come out of it that the people may

drink." And Moses did so in the sight of

the elders of Israel.

Now once Israel enters the wilderness,

thirst quickly becomes a serious threat.

The land is dry. The people complain.

God commands Moses to strike the rock

and water flows out in abundance.

Where does this fit in?

Well, back to our scripture reading this

morning. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. What

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

do you find in verse four

referencing back to what we're talking

about from Exodus? And all drank the

same spiritual drink for they drank of

that spiritual rock that followed them.

And that rock was Christ. Now

the water was more than physical

hydration.

It was a shadow of the spiritual life

Christ would provide. Friends, Israel

did not survive because they were

resourceful.

I think we know that, don't we? They

survived because God supplied what they

could not produce themselves.

So, this teaches us that salvation is

not merely about being freed from sin.

It's about being sustained by God

afterward.

Make that application. I've said that

many of times. We'll talk more about

baptism here in a moment. But this right

here is not the end all. This is the

separation of my old life,

becoming a new creation in Christ,

right?

And afterwards being raised in newness

in of life as Romans 6 3 and 4 says that

means that what happens after that

dependence upon God,

right? We have given our lives to him.

Without Christ, the wilderness defeats

us. Without his provision, the journey

cannot continue.

And as scripture continues, God begins

to speak even more clearly

about what this water has always

symbolized.

I want you to think for a for a moment

as well about the prophetic promises.

how water was used as cleansing and and

renewal. That's another picture that we

get from from the Old Testament that you

go through the prophets. Uh God uses uh

water uh imagery to promise spiritual

renewal. Now, one of those passages we

see in Isaiah 55 and verse one, I even

highlighted it says, "Oh, everyone who

thirsts, come to the waters." Right.

Right. Right. R right off there. The

prophet Isaiah is inviting the thirsty

to come to the waters.

The prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36:2, he

Ezekiel 36:2

says, "I will sprinkle clean water on

you and you shall be clean. I will

cleanse you from all your filthiness and

from all your idols."

God's promise. Talk, look at the look at

the words connected. Clean, cleanse

from all their impurities.

Now, understanding that these promises

are are not about ceremonial washing

alone. Uh they point to a time when God

would forgive sin fully, when he would

cleanse hearts completely and restore

broken relationships.

Again, the water is the picture.

God's grace is the reality that's being

promised.

Y'all notice how the shadows,

we have walked through just a few of

these this morning already. And you see

the shadows are growing sharper. It, you

know, it's kind of a it's kind of like

you, you know, you see something as in

the distance. It's kind of blurry, but

then it starts getting more and more

into focus. That's what we're seeing in

the shadows of substance here again

because the fulfillment is drawing near.

And here we are about Jesus and the

living water. This is when the substance

is revealed. When you flip over at the

New Testament, Jesus arrives.

And what's interesting is Jesus does not

discard the water imagery.

He doesn't discard it. He claims it.

Look at John chapter 4 and verses 13 and

John 4 · chapter mention

14. Look at it. I love it. He said Jesus

answered and said to her, remember this

is the woman at the well. He answered

and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this

water will thirst again." He's talking

about the well water there, physical

water where they're at. Verse 14 says,

"But whoever drinks of the water that I

shall give him will never thirst, but

the water that I shall that I shall give

him will become in him a fountain of

water springing up into everlasting

life."

See, he tells a Samaritan woman at the

well that he offers living water that

permanently satisfies.

Go to John chapter 7. John chapter 7.

John 7 · chapter mention John 7 · chapter mention

Look at verses 37-39. It's all through

here. John 7:37-39.

John 7:37–39

Read with me. On the last day, that

great day of the feast, Jesus stood and

cried out, saying, "If anyone thirst,

let him come to me and drink. He who

believes in me, as the scripture has

said, out of his heart will flow rivers

of living water.

But this he spoke concerning the Spirit

whom those believing in him would

receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet

given because Jesus was not yet

glorified. Jesus is crying out publicly

that anyone who thirsts may come to him

and drink. Kind of reminds me of what

the prophets were prophesying of.

You see, John explains that Jesus was

speaking about the spirit and what Jesus

does. And I I want us to just take a

moment and appreciate this

because I certainly did.

Jesus gathers every Old Testament water

image into himself.

Did y'all ever notice that

Jesus is revealing that everything water

represented

life, cleansing, renewal, salvation

finds its fulfillment in him.

I got a chill thinking about that.

all the way from the Old Testament

pointing all the way to today.

Christ shows us this

that water was never the end goal. Okay?

Christ was always the destination here.

But God does more than explain this

truth.

He actually appoints a moment when

individuals personally enter into it.

And that leads us to baptism, water as

obedient response.

Now, I mentioned Romans 6 3 and 4. Now,

y'all know that I I use this one at the

end of every lesson, Don. Romans 6 3 and

4. Y'all probably can quote this one.

Or do you not know that as many of us

were baptized into Christ were baptized

into his death? Therefore, we are buried

with him through baptism and death that

just as Christ was raised from the dead

by the glory of the father, even so we

also should walk in newness of life.

Paul is explaining that in baptism we

are united with Christ's death, his

burial, and his resurrection.

Peter says, "Baptism saves." Remember

that? We saw that in 1 Peter chapter 3

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

20-21. Not as again putting away the

filth of flesh. That's not what it's

for. It's as an appeal to God for a

clean conscience. I use this chart every

time when I'm talking about baptism in

such a way from Romans 6 3 and 4. Or

again, you can connect that to 1

Corinthians 15:es 3 and 4. Even you'll

see about how the gospel is enacted with

the death of Jesus, his burial, his

resurrection, and then the gospel

reenacted that has to do with baptism,

right? That we're talking about is one

dies to sin, they're buried in water,

and resurrected to a new life. Is that

not what Romans 6:es 3 and 4 is talking

about? That's as plain and simple. And I

love the imagery that the chart gives

us.

Because just as water marked salvation

in the flood, it marked deliverance in

the Red Sea and sustained in the

wilderness. We just talked about all

three of those. It now marks salvation

in Christ.

Baptism is where faith responds,

obedience is expressed, and God applies

the saving work of Christ to the

believer.

Friends, it's quite clear from old to

new testament, God has always chosen

water. What I tell you to remember at

the very beginning, the moment of

transition

from old to new,

powerful lessons,

very powerful lessons we find

and that of water.

But I want to share with you something

else in the final fulfillment that has

to do with water in eternity. Now, we

had our Revelation class a while back uh

in our adult Bible class and we we

talked about this some and how the Bible

ends where it began. Think about that.

The Bible ends where it began with

water.

Revelations 22 and verse one says, "And

he showed me a pure river of water of

life, clear as crystal proceeding from

the throne of God, another lamb."

the descriptions that we find

of this river of a water of life flowing

from the throne of God and of the lamb.

You know what that shows us in what we

talked about sustaining

life, salvation, deliverance, all of

those things.

Here you have this very picture,

this very portrayal.

No thirst,

no death, no curse.

That's what Revelation is teaching us

here. What began as a shadow in Genesis

Genesis is fully realized in eternity.

God's people will be completely

satisfied forever. Is that not what

Jesus was talking about in John chapter

John 4 · chapter mention

4

with the woman at the well?

I'm pretty sure of it.

Friends,

water

that we've talked about and again as I

I've told you every lesson now I don't

want y'all to get spoiled by this

because

you get another chart today.

You're like, I want every sermon to have

some kind of chart, right? Make one, DJ.

Uh, if you want it, I'll make it. You

know, I don't I don't say no. I'll make

it. Uh, but everyone grab make sure to

grab a chart if you want the PDF copy in

your emails or what have you. I'll send

that to you if you'd like to have it

that way. But again, the chart that

that's before you even I know you can't

see it here. Um, but the one that's out

there in the for you, grab a copy that

what we've talked about has a lot of

information still there. has scripture

references of what we talked about. Go

and read, go and look at it. Go and

continue to dwell on this because

friends, again, that's what we've been

talking about, right? What we've been

talking about is real quickly. I'll put

these up here. Just

the shadow of physical water and

temporary cleansing and life sustained

temporarily salvation. That's pictured.

Well, that's the substance that's found

in Christ. Spiritual reality,

eternal cleansing, eternal life offered,

and salvation filled. That's what we've

seen throughout this lesson. I summarize

it real quickly. But think about it.

Water is essential to life on this

earth. I've been talking so much about

water. I bet y'all want some. Okay? I'm

sure y'all do. Without it, humanity

cannot survive. We know that, don't we?

We are mostly made up of water. You

know, think about it. We have a lot of

water in us.

In the same way, the living and eternal

water offered by Christ is indispensable

for eternal life beyond this world.

From creation to the flood, from the Red

Cross, from the Red Sea to the cross,

from baptism to eternity, water tells

one unified story.

God brings life, God cleanses, God

delivers, God sustains, and God saves.

That's it.

Water was the shadow and Christ is the

substance.

And you know what's interesting is Jesus

still calls the thirsty to come

still today.

And I submit to you

this shadows to substance lesson about

water and all that we've talked about

briefly in this lesson. If you're ready

to leave the old life behind, that

transition point that we talked about

throughout the lesson and you want to be

cleansed, you'll be renewed and

sustained by God's grace, the gospel

invites you to first, you got to believe

that Jesus Christ is living God. Faith

comes by hearing and hearing by the word

of God. Romans 10:1 17. If you believe

Romans 10:1

that Jesus Christ is the son of living

God, that he is the water, the spiritual

water, right?

you can respond.

Confessing him, repenting of your sins,

being baptized to rise and walk in

newness of life. That's a transition

point. Not the putting away of filth

flesh, but the answer for good

conscience toward God. 1 Peter 3 21.

Friends, that's baptism that now saves

us.

You can be baptized for the remission of

your sins. You can become from that old

to a new creation in Christ.

I appreciate so much

how beautiful the Bible has portrayed

and put this all together for us.

And you have seen it for yourselves.

You looked at the scriptures. I'm not

making this up. It's all right here. And

there's more from where that came from.

It's the pieces of the puzzle that's all

before us. We just have to put them

together.

And we have done that yet again this

morning in this other shadows to

substance lesson.

So friends, I invite you to be baptized

for the mission of your sins.

If you'd like to study more about God's

plan of salvation, I say this many

times, don't leave here without saying,

"I want to talk to you more about it."

I would love to speak with you about it.

It's the most important decision you'll

make that carries on in daytoday life.

And again, the water of life that

sustains us, that Jesus is. Or as a

disciple of Christ, it may be that

you're weary.

Think about the wilderness. Again, the

water still flows from the throne of God

and of the lamb still. And he still

invites you to partake

freely. As we sang before the lesson,

there's a fountain free for you and me.

And friends, that water

that we are washed, it's in the blood

and washed us from our sins in his

blood. Friends, there's more lessons on

the blood next Sunday morning, Lord's

willing. So, look forward to that as

well. But for this this lesson, the

invitation is being given. And I

appreciate your kind attention for you

being here this morning, the

encouragement that you all are to me and

my family. This time that we know spend

and worship to God and to be able to

study his holy divine word as we have

yet again today. look at your life,

examine whether you in the faith prove

your own selves, and if we can help you

and assist you with any spiritual need

that you may have, won't you come as we

stand and sing the song that's been

selected for us?