The Rivers of God — Ralph Mahoney

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God's Promise to Do a New Thing

We do believe the Lord is going to and is doing a work tonight. Amen. Isaiah 43 and verse 18,. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old? Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth.

Shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

To give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise. Well, glory. Remember ye not the former things. How many of you will ever forget that? We've been speaking on it now every night this week and the Lord has been talking to us about opening our hearts for the fresh and new thing that God is doing today in the earth.

How many are in tonight for the first service of this conference? Could we see your hands? Well, God bless you. Quite a number here for the first time tonight. Just to give you a very brief review, we have been trying to show in the early part of this week the hindrances to the new thing God is doing.

Every time God moves afresh, there's always on the incoming wave a resistance. As the wave comes in, what does it run into always? It runs into the former wave. Is that right? The former wave is always receding of God's visitation and the incoming wave of His visitation encounters that receding wave.

We drew the analogy that often this is the way it is when God begins moving afresh in the earth, a fresh revival visitation breaks out. Why often that revival wave as it comes in encounters the last wave that's going out and there's always some turmoil and difficulty that comes.

And we see this happening in the historic churches as Brother Ben Franklin mentioned tonight, that there comes that. But Brother Wayne Bouchart pointed out to us that much of the old wave gets caught in the new and comes back in with it.

Praise the Lord. So if you've been part of a past visitation, there's hope for me and for you. And we can come in with the new thing God is doing today and enjoy the refreshing that He's bringing. Brother Spencer also mentioned to me tonight before the service, he said, Brother Ralph, there's a difference between the new thing and the old foundations.

And that's true. God does not destroy the foundations in what He's building on today. When you are building a house, you lay the foundations first, then you put the walls on that, and then the roof on those walls, and the thing goes up in order.

And it's a new thing when the walls start going on the foundation, isn't it? But you don't destroy the foundation to build the walls. When the roof starts going on the walls, that's a new thing, but you don't destroy the walls to put on the roof.

And we don't want anyone to get the idea that we're wiping out all that God has been doing down through the centuries. All we are saying is He's doing a new thing, a completing work in this day of that which He began probably even back before the Garden of Eden.

We believe that God's purposes, if we want to really go back, we were in Christ from before the foundation of the world. And that's how old the plan is we're involved in. And yet the revelation and unfolding of that plan as it comes forth in the earth has been spread across six prophetic days.

Six thousand years we've seen the unfolding of God's plan. We believe that this six day period now is climaxing with a great revival move of the Spirit of God. A new thing greater than any generation at any time, anywhere, in any part of the world has ever seen.

So we're trying to show you first of all there are hindrances to becoming involved in what God is doing today. And as we said the early part of the week, those things are twofold. Former things and things of old.

Former things are the greatest hindrance to God's present dealings. Some of you may misunderstand this statement, so go back and get the tape so that you'll get a little more of a detailed explanation of it.

But I believe that it is true that the greatest hindrance to hearing what God is saying is what He said. We don't live by what He said in that sense. We live by what He's saying. Man lives by every word that what?

Proceedeth, present tense, out of the mouth of God. We actually move into life and into revival by hearing what God is saying. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit sayeth, present tense, unto the churches.

And if we want to be involved in what He's saying, we must open our hearts to God afresh and our ears to Him to hear what He's saying. The greatest hindrance to what He's wanting to do is what He did in some age past.

And our great tendency is to cling to the past and reject God's dealings in the present. Now last night we tried to carry you a step further and show you that once we have been willing to turn loose former things, turn loose things of old to embrace what God is doing in our day, in our time, then we find that the thing He's doing is pouring resurrection life into the church.

We took you to the Valley of Dry Bones and tried to show you the analogy that the vision Ezekiel saw is very relevant to what God is doing today. God is breathing into the bones representing the various churches and groups all over the world that have had life in years past.

Revival Manifestations and Spiritual Freedom

Now let me just say one word about what happened last night. How many were here last night? Can I see your hands? Alright. Every revival move always comes with great outward manifestations in the physical realms.

I don't know if you've been a student of revival, but if you're a Methodist, you ain't seen nothing yet. If you read some of Wesley's journals, some of the reports of the visitation of God in the old time Methodist camp meetings, this was mild last night if that disturbs you.

If you are of other denominational groups we could mention and you go back in the history of your fellowship, you will find that in its beginnings it began in a great wave of God's glory and blessing.

Many sovereign things happened that obviously were a great effrontery to those who were moving only in the concepts of the natural mind. But how many of you know the weapons of God's warfare are not carnal?

They're mighty through God. They're spiritual weapons. And the things of the Spirit oftentimes are very, very upsetting to we who can only understand by perhaps our natural or fleshly understanding. So don't get upset when God begins to move and people begin to respond.

It's only natural to respond to something when God is beginning to break afresh upon us. And we want you to be free to respond to God. Someone made the analogy this morning. I believe it was Brother Jim Hammond in the morning service.

He went to the Washington, Oregon football game last year with a group of doctors. And here are these dignified, sophisticated men. But when it got right down to the last three minutes of the game, it became a touch-and-go situation.

And in the last 30 seconds, Washington made the touchdown that put them into victory. And all those doctors were standing and jumping and shouting and waving their hands and their arms. How many of you think that's undignified?

At a football game, that's doing all things decently and in order. How many of you know that? Is that right? Now when God is beginning to move and we get a little excited about the victories we begin seeing wrought in the heavenlies, how many of you think it's alright to shout and jump and wave your arms and dance and praise the Lord?

Hallelujah. When it gets to our religious experience or our experience with God, our spiritual experience would be a better phrase. We want to cap all the emotions, you know. And of course the reason that the emotions have been capped in all, or I shouldn't say all, but in many of our churches is because we have died and they've put the grave clothes on us and they've wrapped us up and we've become, you know, sanctified, petrified, mortified.

And there we are, in spiritual death, all bound up like a mummy in grave clothes. But when the Lord speaks to us, as we showed you last night, and says, Lazarus, come forth. He came forth, but he came forth bound, hand and foot and face and everything else.

And he turned to his disciples and said, Where did Castadar go? That's his favorite verse. Loose them and let them go. Amen. We traveled together for three and a half months a few years ago in 30 some nations in ministry, Castadar and I.

And every morning he'd get up and he'd lay hands on me and say, Loose them and let them go. I'm sure I needed that ministry. Get the grave clothes off. Amen. That's what the Lord is doing in these conferences.

This is a place to get rid of the grave clothes. God may have breathed new life into you. You may have heard His voice and come forth out of the grave into the new resurrection life that God's pouring into the church.

But then you need to get the grave clothes off of those former things and those things of old and move on out into the full flow in response to what God is doing today. It is not decently and in order to keep that which is alive wrapped in grave clothes.

Amen? Amen. Hallelujah. So as the Scripture says, let all things be done. Amen? Amen. Hallelujah. Alright. Now tonight we want to move on in looking at Isaiah 43 to verse 19. Behold, I will do a new thing.

Now it shall spring forth. Shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. And then on down in the middle of verse 20. I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to My people, My chosen.

I want to lay emphasis on the last half of verse 19 and 20. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to My people, My chosen.

The Church in a Spiritual Wilderness

Now I want you to see two or three things here tonight in understanding the analogy the prophet uses. First of all, the wilderness that is spoken of here, to make a way in the wilderness, to give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, again becomes to us in the metaphor of this Scripture a type of what we see the church in today.

Now let me explain the metaphor for a moment. When I speak of the church now, I'm not speaking of some small segment of the church that happens to be moving in the life and visitation and glory of God.

But I'm thinking of the church worldwide. I'm thinking of every person in the world tonight who calls themselves Christian. And in that sense, I'm talking about the church universal. Talking about in the vicinity of 400 million people.

Now if you could just go off, you know, like the astronauts out in space, and you could look down and see the church all around the world in its varied expressions, you would find that in most of those who call themselves Christian, they are in a spiritual wilderness.

They are in a spiritual desert. They do not know the life and blessing and glory of God that we've been experiencing these days here together in this camp meeting. Now what God is saying is this. Don't remember the former things.

Don't consider the things of old. I will do a new thing. I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Now listen to this.

To give drink to whom? My people. You see, God's vision here is of His own people who are in a wilderness. Who are in a desert place. And in my application and understanding of this, this represents the great mass of people around the world tonight who call themselves Christian, but spiritually it's been a wilderness and a desert for them.

They do not know the life and blessing and flow of God. And only a small remnant of that company tonight do. But what does God say? He says, I'm going to put some waters in that wilderness. I'm going to release some rivers in that desert.

So I want to speak to you tonight about the rivers of God. This is again another metaphor in which we get a revelation of the new thing God says I'm going to do in these last glorious days. Now if you will turn with me for a moment tonight to some Scriptures, I want to read with you Psalm 46 and verse 4 to begin with.

And I want to take you through some Scriptures on the rivers of God. The rivers of God. We were praying over in the chapel or rather the dining hall just before the service tonight. A group of the ministers, and by the way all the ministers, missionaries are welcome to join us there at 7 o 'clock for prayer.

And we were over there praying tonight just before the service. And one of the brethren began leading out in prayer. And he said, Lord, release the rivers tonight. Let them gush forth in mighty torrents among us.

Well, he didn't know I was going to speak on the rivers of God, but he was praying a prophetic prayer. But this is what the Lord wants to do. Now let's look at Psalm 46 and verse 4. Psalm 46 and verse 4.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. There is a river. Alright, let's read a little more about this river over in the book of Revelation now if you will.

Turn with me to Revelation chapter 21 and I want you to take another look at the river God says He's going to bring forth in the desert and in the wilderness. Revelation chapter 21 and 22. I want to share a few verses with you from this passage tonight.

Looking at verse 9 now with me if you will. There came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues and talked with me saying, Come hither I will show thee the Bride, the Lamb's Wife.

Now how many of you know who the Bride, the Lamb's Wife is? What's another name for the Bride? The Church. Alright? Now what are we seeing a vision of here? We're seeing the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, the Church.

Alright? Verse 10. He carried me away in the Spirit. This is a spiritual vision. He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

Now what is John seeing? He's seeing the Bride, the Lamb's Wife. And the Bride, the Lamb's Wife is called that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Verse 11, having the glory of God and her light was like unto a stone, most precious, etc.

Now come on over to chapter 22 and verse 1. I don't have time to give you the vision of the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, but coming over to chapter 22 and verse 1. And He showed me a what? A pure river. A pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

And in the midst of the street of it and on either side of the river was there what? The tree of life. Now let me just say something to you tonight. The Bible begins with the tree of what? Life. Right in the very first chapters, God creates man and puts him in the Garden of Eden with what?

The tree of life. Alright? The Bible ends with the tree of life. And everything between that beginning and ending is the story of God setting the tree of life, man turning away from it to the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and then God ultimately bringing back man again to the tree of life.

And if you understand that this plan of God has been stretching now over thousands of years, you understand that these things don't just happen in a night or in a day. Now here's what we are seeing God do today.

The church for all these centuries now has been eating at the tree of knowledge. But what is God doing now? He's turning our focus. We realize that the tree of knowledge of good and evil is only an empty cistern that can hold no water.

We've hewn us out cisterns, Jeremiah chapter 2, but these cisterns can hold no water. Water is a symbol of life. So what's happening today? All over the world, men are realizing that the tree of knowledge of good and evil is not the answer.

And so they're turning again to what? The tree of life. And so here the river is flowing out from God, and there was the tree of life. And we come on over to verse 17 of Revelation 22, and the Spirit and the bride say, Come.

Come to where? Come to this river, to this tree of life. 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. Now let me ask you a question tonight.

How many of you believe the invitation of verse 17 is for us tonight? Let's read that invitation again. The Spirit and the bride say, Come. Let him that heareth say, Come. Let him that is athirst come.

And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Now, the point I make is this. Almost everyone that preaches the Gospel will use Revelation 22 -17 to get up and preach a good, fiery, evangelistic sermon.

And they will invite the people to come because the Spirit and the bride are saying, Come. And if you hear, Come. If you're thirsty, Come. Whosoever will, Come. Take the water of life freely. We all believe that, don't we?

But you see, when we take other parts of Revelation 21 and 22, we've got that convenient wastebasket, the millennium, and we dump it over in there. Is that right? Now, tonight I'm not saying that some of this may not have some future fulfillment.

I'm not taking away that possibility at all. I know there's room in the concepts of breaking the bread of life to take things that are past, take the same thing for the present, take the same thing for the future.

And God often works in these dimensions of speaking something that is for now and it also has a later fulfillment. So I'm not here tonight to tread on your eschatological toes. I'm only here to say that I believe that this vision that John saw of the bride, the Lamb's wife, is a vision of what God wants the church to be in this day.

As this age comes to a conclusion, He is going to present the church unto Himself a glorious church. How many of you believe that? Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

And when John saw this vision of the bride, the Lamb's wife, the church, he saw it with the glory of God. He saw flowing out the river of life as clear as crystal. A pure river. One of the great tragedies of some of the visitations of the past I would not begin to imply all.

Some of the visitations of the past have had a mixture within the river. There have been unclean elements that have accompanied the visitation and the revival. But one of the great hopes that we have today and one of our expectations and one of the things I'm seeing today is that that which God is doing today has a purity and a beauty and a holiness about it that encourages me that this is that which was spoken by the prophets.

Hallelujah. That the river we're seeing flowing today is coming as a pure river of water of life. Oh, hallelujah. And all over the world that river is finding its stream, spreading abroad. There is a city, the streams, whereof make glad the city of our God.

Rivers of Living Water Through Believers

Now what am I trying to say to you tonight? I'm trying to say to you that God promised waters in the desert. Rivers in the desert. Waters in the wilderness. And that desert and wilderness is the church and we are seeing today that vision beginning to come to pass.

As God is pouring out His Spirit on Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Episcopalian. You get into it and you can't name them all. But right across the board, here He is causing the water to begin to flow. Now we rejoice in what we're seeing.

But I want to make a statement to you now. Again, you forgive my English, but you ain't seen nothing yet. Because what we're seeing is only the raindrops before the monsoon. Hallelujah. All we're seeing are just the foretaste of glory divine in the increase of what God is promising.

Now I want to take you to another Scripture that deals with the rivers of God. John chapter 7. And I want to show you that it is the purpose of God that through the believers, the church, the vision that we just saw in Revelation be fulfilled.

It is through the church and through the believers that God's rivers are coming into expression and manifestation all over the world. We think of the rivers of God and sometimes we think of something abstract.

But you see, these rivers are flowing out through human vessels. How many of you know that? That God is using you to pour His water out to this thirsty wilderness and to these desert places. Please turn the tape over for the remainder of the message.

Now in John chapter 7, I want you to notice in verse 37. Now you remember last night we told you that many of the things that happened in the book of John were great prophetic pageants being acted out by Jesus, pointing to future events and future things that would take place in the last days.

And we again see in John 7, 37, 8, and 9 again a prophetic aspect that I want to share with you. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, let him what?

Come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his innermost being or out of his belly or his spirit, shall flow rivers of what? Living water or life-giving water.

Now what is the difference between what God is doing today and what He did under the Old Testament? Well, the Scripture says that God made Adam and breathed into him the breath of life and Adam was made a living soul.

But how many of you know the New Testament teaches us that the last Adam is a what? Life-giving spirit. The first Adam was made a living soul, but the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. Now what the Lord is wanting to do today is not just give you life, not just make you live, but what does He want to do?

He wants to put that same spirit in you that was in Him so that out from you flows rivers of what? Life-giving water. And that's what this word means. Out of your innermost being shall flow life-giving water.

Not just receive life, but coming to the place where you can share and impart life. Now when I say to you tonight, you're the hope of this world. You're the light of this world. I mean that and God means that.

Because it is through you that the rivers will increase throughout all the world. It is as you realize your potential in God as a vehicle through which His life can flow, that the rivers will increase until all the world knows of the life of God as it flows out.

So I'm not preaching an abstract theology tonight. I'm preaching something that I want to begin to work in your life. Now it's a wonderful thing when we're saved to pass from death unto life. It's wonderful to be made alive.

But it's more wonderful when you pass on in your Christian development to a place where you not only have life, but you can begin to share and impart life. And you see, there's a definite step forward that we have to make in our maturity before we move from just having life to imparting life.

And oh, it's wonderful as a little child to rejoice in the life. But oh, it's more wonderful to grow unto maturity and realize that through you, you can begin to share and impart the life of God. Now this is what Jesus Christ promised.

He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of His innermost being shall flow rivers of life-giving water. What was He talking about? This spake He of what? Of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Spiritual Outflow

For the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified. Alright, then what is the source? Where is the potential for you to become one who has the ability to impart life? Well, if I were to take you through a concept common to our evangelical doctrine, it would be simply this.

When you were born again of the Spirit of God, you might call that salvation. You might call it justification. You might call it being born again. Call it what you want. You received the life of God. You passed from death unto life.

You were translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. But Jesus said, there's more than just that. I don't want to just give you life. I want to make you a source of life. And so He says, I'm going to cause you to do something or something to happen.

If you thirst and will come unto Me and drink, I'm going to cause from your innermost being rivers of life-giving water to begin to flow. And that's going to happen when you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Hallelujah. Now listen to me tonight. It's very necessary that you have received the Holy Ghost since you believed if you're to become a life-giving source of blessing to others. Very necessary. This spake He of the Spirit.

See, some of us think that the Holy Spirit is an option like a radio in a car. You know, we could get along without it. But I want to tell you the Holy Spirit in your experience is like the motor. You won't go anywhere without it.

Castadere pointed out to us one day in a seminar overseas that the Holy Spirit was not an option. If you will turn to the book of Acts, the first chapter, you will find in verse 4, being assembled together with them, Acts 1, verse 4, Jesus commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem.

Receiving the Holy Spirit was a commandment of Jesus. It was not an optional thing. He said, well, here it is, a nice little trinket, a little toy. If you want it, you can have it. If you don't, it's alright, you'll make out without it.

Well, you'll have life. You can be born again. You can be saved. But you will lack the ability to impart and share the life of God in the dimension that God wants it shared if you do not have the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

So He comes to us and baptizes us in the Holy Ghost, not just to pour a lot of water in us. See, some Christians have the idea that they are just to open their mouth wide and God just pours it in, and pours it in, and pours it in, and pours it in, and it goes nowhere.

Now, if it just pours in, and pours in, and pours in, one of two things will happen. Either you'll eventually blow up, or you'll eventually stagnate and dry up. Is that right? See, if water has no outlet, it stagnates and dries up.

The difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is the Sea of Galilee has it pouring in one end and pouring out the other, and it's full of life. Right? The Dead Sea has it pouring in one end, and that's all, and it's a dead sea.

And many Christians are like that. All that's happening is the life of God's pouring in, and there's no outlet, and they become a dead sea and wonder why. That's why it's necessary that out of these conferences, the revival life we're experiencing goes around the world.

If we only have it for ourselves here, this thing will stagnate and dry up. If it doesn't flow out to the ends of the earth, we won't have it. The only way you keep things in the Kingdom of God is to give them away.

Amen. Amen. That's the law of the Kingdom. To keep it, you give it away. To go up, you come down. See, everything is topsy-turvy to natural reasoning in the Kingdom. And so God comes to us, He baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, not just to start pouring a lot of water in, but in that, He wants to release some channels, some rivers that start flowing out.

Now tonight, if I were to ask how many are baptized in the Holy Spirit, I'm sure most of you would raise your hand. But if I were to ask you tonight how many of you are imparting life, I'm sure there would be many that would have some trepidations and doubts about that.

But you see, it must come on to this dimension to where the river of life is not only flowing in, but it's flowing out. God not only wants to establish an inflow, but He wants to establish an outflow in your life.

I need a couple of hours to preach on the way God establishes the outflow. How many of you know how God establishes the outflow? Well, I'll tell you a little secret. He squeezes the life out of you. How many of you found that out?

That, in a nutshell, is the truth. That needs a couple of hours of explanation. But you see, He puts the life in and His purpose is that the life not only come in, but the life flow out. Now, I want you to look at this 7th chapter of John for a moment with me in light of something.

This was the last day of that great day of the feast. What feast is it talking about? Well, if you look back in the 2nd verse of John 2, you'll find it was the Feast of Tabernacles. This was observed in harvest time every year.

So the timing of this is quite relevant. How many of you know we're living in harvest time as far as the church age is concerned? Jesus said the harvest is what? The end of the age. And that's where we're living today in harvest time.

The Feast of Tabernacles and the Prophetic River

So what happened here at the Feast of Tabernacles, which was observed every year in Israel at harvest time, is very significant to what's happening today. The priests of Israel went down on this last day, this great day of the feast, the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, to the Pool of Siloam there in the city of Jerusalem.

Some of you possibly have been there as we have and seen the spot where this scene took place in the temple courtyard. But they would go down to the Pool of Siloam and they would draw out water. They would bring that water up and they would begin to pour.

Better not wreck this guy's rug. But they would begin to pour that water on the altar. And as they would pour that water on the altar in the outer court, it would run down through the altar and out in little rivulets of water through the outer court.

It would go out through the gate of the temple into the street and out down the street through the gate, beautiful, and flow out into the Vale of Kidron and on down toward the Dead Sea. Now you'd have to know a little of the geography there to understand this.

But if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. And as the water was poured on this altar and as the priest made trip after trip to the Pool of Siloam to bring the water and pour it on the altar, these little rivers would begin to form and begin flowing out from this altar across the outer court, out into the street, outside the city wall, down toward the Red Sea.

Now it was on this scene that Jesus came. This last day, that great day of the feast. And when He saw this happening, He stood up there in the midst of this pageant and He cried and said, if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink and I'll make you like this altar.

I'll start water pouring in and water will start pouring out. Now if you see that this is prophetic of what God was to do in harvest time in the end of this age, you'll begin to understand that it is God's purposes in these days to cause the rivers to flow as they've never flowed before.

The prophet Ezekiel caught a vision of this and I want to share it with you tonight in closing. Over in the 47th chapter of Ezekiel. I want you to see that Ezekiel the prophet saw just exactly what Jesus saw.

Jesus saw the waters flowing out on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. And He said, I'm going to do this for every person that will come to Me and drink. I'm going to release My rivers through them.

And Ezekiel saw a vision of this. 47th chapter of Ezekiel now. Let's look at it. And here is the prophetic vision of what Jesus was talking about. In the last days or afterward, He brought Me again unto the door of the house.