During
the course of a year each of us receives many invitations. Some of them are
gladly received:
A)Wedding
/ Nice Dinner / Vacation / Ball game / A concert. Depending upon the
event and who is inviting We can get really excited.
B) Other invitations are not
so exciting: Obligation or little interest Sales
pitch Or someone is promoting something! I get those all the time.
1)
Be my special guest - They dont even
know me all they want is my support
Pastors a
larger Church good exposure.
C) Well in our text today: We will see where Jesus gives a Great invitation { One that we dont
want to miss!
1)
For accompanied with that invitation is a great Promise- to anyone and everyone
who responds.
RD
V.37-39
D)Now
there are 3 things I want us to focus on today as we consider this
passage.
#1 The Setting/ #2 The Invitation / #3 The Promise.
#1 The Setting
A)The
events of Chapter 7 take place at the feast of Tabernacles which happens in
October
B)
Ch 6 events centered around Passover April which tells us that there is a
six month gap between Chapter 6 and Chapter 7
C) During that six month period of time Jesus has been
ministering exclusively in the area of
1)But now it was time for the Feast of
Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles One of three major festivals
celebrated in
A)the Feast of Tabernacles
was the happiest and most joyful of the three!
B) National
camp out people lived for a week in these little huts they sort of
like a pup tent
1) It was a time for
remembering the wanderings in the wilderness - parents would tell their
children how God miraculously provided for their fathers for forty years in the
wilderness.
C)They would tell of a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day; of bread from the sky, and water
from a rock.
To
commemorate the miraculous provision of water, each day a procession of priests
would draw water from the pool of Siloam in a golden pitcher.
A)The Priest would then take
the pitcher full of water and hike back up to the
B)
It was there that the pitcher would be poured out on the base of the altar. And
one of the Priest would read from
Therefore with
joy you will draw water, from the wells of salvation.
Then they would break
forth into the Hallel songs of praise and the Levites
would play thru flutes
A)That was the procedure for
7 days families camping talking with their kids about the things of the Lord
B) Talking about the Lords faithful Provision in the Wilderness.
C) But on the last day of
the feast it was different Much more Solemn.
D)The Priest would still
gather on the
1)But
he wouldnt fill it up instead he would hike back up to the
E)
The empty Pitcher was symbolic of the fact that
Interesting
to note that the Pool of Siloam was also called the Pool of the sent one and
the Kings Pool { Pointing to
Messiah
A)As the priest poured out
the empty pitcher that day a Priest would read from
For I will pour water on him who is
thirsty, And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your
descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
B)We will see in our study
on wed night that Jesus went up to the feast in Secret because it wasnt his
time to be put to death.
1)
So he is going to keep sort of a low profile a few teachings in the temple
accept on the last day of the feast he does something that surprises everyone.
C)
See it was at that point in that Solemn
moment when everyone was quiet that Jesus Breaks the silence by
yelling out
"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and
drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
D) Imagine how Startling that must have been to suddenly have
the silence broken up in that way.
At this point
lets consider the Lords great invitation!
A)The first thing we want to
note is that Jesus was clearly declaring Himself to be the Messiah
B) He was in affect saying
I am the answer to
The
Second thing Jesus does here is He hits
on the Universal craving inside of every human being
If
anyone thirst
A)Thirst is the 2nd strongest drive in the Human body
2nd only to the drive for air the drive to breath.
B) The Drive for physical
thirst is even stronger than the drive for Hunger.
1)
You can go much longer without food than you can without liquid.
C) The people Jesus was
talking to lived in a hot desert region
they understood very clearly the importance of water for:
1) Their own physical health -
/ as well as for the survival of their
crops.
But
Jesus wasnt talking about Physical thirst He was speaking about a much
greater thirst Spiritual thirst.
A)See
everyone experiences thirst Most just dont realize what it is they are
really searching for. For example
B) Some would
say they are thirsting for Security: A survey was done a few yrs back where
1,000 millionaires living in the
1) Are you
Secure? 90% said no when asked how much money would it take to make
you secure the average was 5 million
C) That is the
way life is you thirst for a million and you get it thirst still is not
quenched thirst for more 2 million - still not quenched
1) Reason it is not quenched is you arent searching for a million
dollars you are searching for something deeper
D) Man is
searching for a security that goes way beyond anything that money can bring.
We
live in this consumer Society where so much stuff is pushed in front of our
faces to appeal to our thirst
A)Glance thru
any magazine and find adds for everything under the sun things that are
supposed to quench the thirst.
B)
People want to be emotionally secure well liked
1) Everyone is running from this guy until he eats the breathe
mint and the mist comes out of his mouth everyone now wants to be his friend
C) If I just had
those breath mints people would love me and accept me
Then
there is the one where the guy meets the girl and he thinks she is really
cute she seems to like him as well.
A)Then she see
it its the dandruff on his shoulder - she
is grossed out
B) But hey if he
can get rid of the dandruff -
C)People will
gorge themselves on these things hoping to satisfy the thirst in side But in reality nothing is like what it
seems
Like
ordering a Hamburger at a fast food place. You look at the picture and it looks
amazing.
A)Meat is nice
and brown cooked just
right lettuce is clean and crisp
the due still on it Tomato is nice and red - / Cheese melted just right
1) Bun is all
fluffy
B)
But so often that is not what you get from the drive up window smashed thing
the meat is brownish grey lettuce looks a week old
1) Tomato is a pinkish white and cheese is barely melted
C) You bought
that because you saw the picture but it wasnt like that and it leaves you
disappointed
That
is how life is People in this nation will try and gorge themselves
materialistically Bigger house / nicer car / Higher wage
A)And when they
get those things not satisfied still thirsty still looking for something else something more something better.
B) Other people
try to satisfy their thirst in relationships Lord if you really loved me you
would give me that man to be my husband
1)And then after a year its Lord you really love me and you
gave me this man to be my Husband?
C) Dont get me
wrong marriage is wonderful- a great thing I love my wife.
1) Marriage is a great instrument that the Lord uses to teach us
to love like Christ and be more like Christ
D)
But marriage is not the end all if you think it is You are going to be
disappointed when you discover I
am still thirsty.
E)
You see you are searching for something deeper than all of those things
something way beyond the physical the emotional
1) It is
spiritual that is what Jesus is referring to here. That internal Gnawing
that cuts deep
This
is where Psychology falters Psychology deals with man as a duality they are
focused on the Physical and the mental or emotional plain
A)There focus is
on the past and the present but they can deal with that part of a man that
the Bible promises a Future and a hope to
B) They cant
deal with that part of a man where the Bible declares that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the
evidence of things not seen
C)Psychology
doesnt deal with that part of a man that is thirsty for those things
Much
of the modern day Church fails in this area as well.
A)Too focused on
the temporal felt needs Happy home / family / marriage
B)To hear most Christians talk you would think that the sole
purpose of Christs coming was to save them and to satisfy them.
C) That is one purpose, of
course. But that the Christian life I find described in my Bible.
D)That
kind of Christianitywhen not balanced by the truth produces a shallow,
experience-centered, introverted, and eventually selfish approach to life.
E)That is the calling card of the me
generation that thinks purely in selfish terms of how they can get their needs
met.
But
there is more to this life than that. There is more to what Jesus has for
us. Which
leads us to consider the Promise.
38 He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water." 39 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.
A)Now what Jesus
says here in some ways should surprise us We would expect him to say He will be satisfied his thirst quenched.
B) But Jesus
wants us to see He has something greater in mind.
C) Filled and Satisfied is definitely implied because for a glass to be overflowing it first has to be
filled.
D) But here is
the point that Jesus wants them and us to see Those who partake of Him are
not just satisfied { That is true {
that happens Secure
E) But they ALSO
become the means thru which others are Satisfied.
The
Christian is not a sponge that soaks in the Lord but He is to be a conduit
that brings Jesus to the World.
A)Jesus is
defining here that the mark of the Spirit filled believer is that he/she refreshes others.
B) I find it
interesting the things that Jesus identifies as defining marks of his followers
1)
C) I think that most
people would not expect him to say that { Point
to something else
1) Many Christians approach their Christianity you would think
Jesus would say
2) They will
know you are my disciples by your great Knowledge of the Scriptures
D)
They are connoisseurs of Bible study and Bible teaching Pick apart messages
1) They pursue Knowledge
They are students of the word they love to argue points and doctrine
Paul
in
A)Knowledge for
knowledge sake what it does it makes one prideful.{
B)
But love edifies Love builds up!
1)With some
Christians there is a plethora of Knowledge but they are severely lacking in
Love.
C)Others might have
expected Jesus to say They will know you are my disciples by the causes you champion
1) The things
that you stand against !
There
are some believers who that is what they espouse they are critical &
Judgmental of so many things
A)Always
campaigning against this and that.
B) But so often
when that mentality is present there is a lack of love.
C) Well the same
thing is true here Jesus is describing what the person filled w/ the spirit
looks like
Not
what we think- I think our tendency is to immediately think Power & Boldness
A)Acts 2 Day of Pentecost
When the believers were baptized in the Spirit
B) I do believe
that is what Jesus is referring to here
1) See the
Disciples received the Spirit in
C) After Rez upper room Breathed on them and said Receive
/
That is when Born again.
But
I ask you this question were they empowered?
A)Were they like rivers of water? No.
They were hiding in an upper room.
B)Yes,
they were Christians. Yes, they were born again. 1) But they were still timid
& unsure of what they should do.
C)Then,
forty days later, After Jesus told them to go to
1)
They would be immersed in the Spirit the
HS getting all of them purpose Jesus said was to empower you to be my witnesses
D) That took
place on the Day of Pentecost,
1)
It was at that moment they became like rivers of living water - and 3,000 were
saved (Acts 2).
It
was then that their lives began to have an impact upon the others
A)But here is what I want you
to see For the disciples personally it
was evidenced in Power
B) There was a boldness to
stand for Jesus that they lacked prior to this
C) For them personally it translated into boldness but
for those they came in contact with it became a refreshment
D)
Their lives had a refreshing affect upon those they came in contact with.
1) Like
cool water on a Hot day!
E) Ultimate compliment
they could tell that they had been with Jesus
The
HS coming upon their lives had a contagious affect on those they encountered { lions Roman col.
A)I believe that is one of
the main marks of the person who is filled with the spirit
B) Jesus said to His
disciples My spirit shall come upon you and empower you to be my witnesses
1) Not
go witnessing
C) But to be my witnesses
Living testimonies / living lighthouses of the grace and goodness of God
D) Your life is going to
become a conduit for those around you to be refreshed by the Lord
I
ask you is that a picture of Your life?
A)What would happen if each
of us here were to get our focus off of ourselves ask Jesus to fill us w/ HS
B) What
would happen in NC ? Where you work!
1) How attractive would
Jesus become to the world around us. { NC would
never be the same
C)
Jesus says the one who comes & drinks of me continually
1) The ones who realize that
they cant get by without me
D) I am going to Baptize
them in my spirit and their lives are going to be like rivers of refreshment to a thirsty dying world
The
Longer I live on this planet the more that I see of the hurt and pain in the
world
A)The more aware I become of
the need for the Spirit of God to flow from my life
B) The more I realize that
Rob has to get out of the way.
1) See
I can be so prideful / so self absorbed / so critical and judgmental of
others
C) But when I detect those
things I get so tired of that
1)
I realize I need more of Jesus I need His spirit to have more of me
D) Lord I want to refresh
those around me
E) Have you
entered into this promise?
1)Are
others experiencing abundance of blessing through you?
Spurgeon
spoke of it back in the nineteenth century, comparing this idea to the incoming
tides on the
When
the tide was out nothing could move those barges as they lay in the mud of the
rivers bottom.
A
team of men could not move them. Machinery could never get them moved out to
the sea.
But
then the tide would come, and soon they would be floating.
When
the tide returned, even a child could move them by his hand.
Oh, for a floodtide of Gods
grace!
The Criteria :
Come and drink
A)Not beg not
grovel not simply come Come = you recognize the need
B)
Drink It is in the continual sense Keep on Drinking - Partake of Jesus
assimilated into your life.