Transcript

Flood Alert

It is mentioned almost 500 times in the Bible. It constitutes 72 percent of the body's weight. It constitutes 65 percent of the world's weight. It covers 70 percent of the earth's surface. Each American on the average of 123 gallons per day uses it. It is necessary to sustain life; without it we would die in only a few days. Obviously, I am speaking about the indispensable, priceless commodity of water.

The remainder of the service this morning will revolve around the theme of water. Soon, three candidates will enter the waters of baptism. The water is essential to understand the symbolism of the event (death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus Christ…washing away our sins). Even our text this morning centers around water as well. Jesus was at the Feast of the Tabernacles when He uttered the Words we are about to study. Water played a significant part in that particular festival. Furthermore, the words Christ spoke at the Feast are "hydrated" as well. Jesus said in John 7, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink" and "from his innermost being will flow rivers of life."

Just as material water holds an essential element for a healthy physical life, the symbolic water spoken by Jesus Christ holds an essential element for a healthy spiritual life. The Words of Christ are a necessity. We must understand them and deeply drink them in.

Possibly the best way to begin to understand Christ's words are to examine them in the context of the setting. As I mentioned earlier, these words were spoken on the "last day" (Jn. 7:37) of the 8-day Feast of the Tabernacles (c.f. Lev. 23:36). The ultimate purpose of the festival was to praise God for the harvest, so part of the ceremony included thanksgiving for God's faithfulness and the rain He provided. For each of the first 7 days, a processional led by a priest, went to the pool of Siloam. A golden pitcher was filled with water and brought to the temple as the morning sacrifices were being offered. The water was then poured over the altar. In addition to God's current faithfulness, the water also reminded Israel of God's past faithfulness, as He provided water for their wandering forefathers for 40 years in the desert. Certainly, they would recall their great leader, Moses, who provided at God's command water from the rock. So the water flowed for 7 days. However, on the 8^th day, the last day of the festival, no such ceremony was conducted.

It was during this time, during this "great day of the Feast" (Jn. 7:37), that "Jesus stood (posture-normally a teacher sat down during instruction) and cried out (voice-stresses emphasis and emotion) saying, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink'" (Jn. 7:37). What did He mean by this?

1. TAKE IT IN!

First, let us examine how Jesus exhorted His listeners to drink in His water.

As we have already witnessed in our study of the gospel of John, Jesus Christ presented Himself as the fulfillment of the Old Testament people and symbols and ceremonies. They were a shadow that pointed to Him as the substance. In other words, He is the true temple of God (Jn. 2:21). He is the true Passover lamb (Jn. 1:29). He is the true Sabbath rest (Jn. 5:9ff). He is the true manna that has come down from heaven (Jn. 6:35). The future has now arrived in Him who has summed up the past. Jesus also spoke of how the Feast of Tabernacles pointed to Him.

When this ceremony involving water ceased on the 8^th day, Jesus on that day cried, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink" (Jn. 7:37). In other words, Jesus said, "I am more promising than the rain which watered your crops. I am more complete than Moses who shepherded your people. I am more satisfying than your treasured rock in the desert (see 1 Cor. 10:4). All these things pointed to Me and I exceed them all! Don't leave the Feast empty handed! Cease slurping from the stagnant waters of fame, pleasure and money. These unfulfilling lies never quench your thirst. 'Everyone who drinks of (that) water will thirst again' (Jn. 14:13). Rather, come unto Me! Satisfy the thirst that I created when I formed your spiritual taste buds in Me. I don't need your morality! I don't need your money! I just need your willingness to drink! Come unto Me! Do you have guilt, fear and weakness? Do you lack fulfillment, peace and hope? Come unto Me! Follow the drive of your thirst. Forget about yourself and follow Me! Make Me your own. Appropriate Me! Drink deeply from My refreshing water, a water that wells up to eternal life (Jn. 4:14). Find in Me rest for your weary soul!"

Jesus made His comments on the last day of the festival. When the crowd was being dismissed, Christ gave an invitation. When the people were leaving, Christ said "Come." When the people were celebrating "religion," Christ proclaimed true spirituality. Christ invited the people to drink from Him. Drinking Christ is simply a graphic metaphor for believing in Christ. It's surrendering to Him all that you are (forsaking the stagnant waters of sin and self-determination) in exchange for all that He has to offer (gulping from the refreshing fountain of satisfaction). And when we consider the excellencies and promises of Jesus Christ, what fool would not make that exchange? The Psalmist gave evidence of that exchange when he said, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God" (Psm 42:1; 119:131).

2. GIVE IT OUT!

In point 1 we learned to take Jesus in. Now in point two we will learn to give Jesus out.

Just as we humans are called to drink in Jesus Christ, there is another that body drinks, yet it drinks in the Jordan River. That body of water is the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is located on the eastern border of Israel. The surface of the Dead Sea is 1,340 feet (1996) below sea level making it the lowest water surface on the earth. Though the Dead Sea is primarily fed from the Jordan River, the lake has no outlet. However, the lake does not overflow. The fresh water is carried off by evaporation leaving a large density of solids remaining in the water. Therefore, the lake is unable to sustain life of any sort due to its high mineral content (except a few kinds of microbes), hence the name, "Dead Sea."

The difference between Christians and the Dead Sea is two-fold. First, Christians give out while the Dead Sea only takes in. The Dead Sea is a selfish leech. It drinks in the refreshing waters of the Jordan and keeps all of the blessings to itself. On the contrary, we as Christians are expected to forever drink from the wellspring of Jesus, fill up with Him, and then allow Him to overflow through us in blessings to others. Second, Christians are alive while the Dead Sea is dead. As in the Dead Sea, reception without productivity leads to deadness. Healthy spirituality maintains a healthy stream of Christ flowing in and Christ flowing out. Any believer who is committed to sucking up spiritual knowledge and the ministry of others without any personal output of service is heading down the path to spiritual sabotage. Like the Dead Sea, spiritual barrenness will occur when one's aim in life is only to receive. Furthermore, the output of our ministry to others gives evidence to the reality of our faith. Christ said we will be known by our fruit (Lk. 6:44). True biblical faith is alive and active, while "faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:26).

All of this is why Jesus said in verse 38, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers (plural!) of living water.'"

Christ doesn't want us to believe in Him only for eternal life. Christ doesn't want us to believe in Him only for satisfaction. These are true, but in and of themselves, they make for a very introverted, experience-centered, shallow and selfish religion. Jesus didn't bleed on a cross to make us a sponge. He died to make us a spring. Christ wants us to believe in Him so He can satisfy all of our needs. He then can use us to be a blessing to others. As we fill up with Jesus, we fulfill the greatest command to "love the Lord your God with all of our heart" (Mt. 22:37) and when we serve others we fulfill the second to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt. 22:39). The purpose of every sermon is to have you drink in Christ and then allow Him to overflow (and be mediated by you) in your service to others.

Christ does not want to make us a factory whereby we "crank out" obedience to His commandments. He wants to make us a fountain whereby His life naturally flows through us. And He does this, as verse 39 indicates through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. "But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." God the Holy Spirit makes us thirsty for Jesus. He then flows in us through faith (Gal. 3:2, 5) and out through love (Gal. 5:22). John clarifies for us in verse 39 that the Living Water that Christ promised was the Holy Spirit, a gift that would be imparted once Christ was glorified.

We know that the Holy Spirit played an active role in the Old Testament and even in the gospels. However, once Christ finished His work of redemption through crucifixion, resurrection and ascension He would begin the church age by pouring out the Holy Spirit on all believers at Pentecost. The Scriptures boldly declare that all Christians are now indwelt with the Holy Spirit, whereby God has taken up full residence within us (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16).

So as we prepare to transition to the water baptisms, allow me to make a few remarks. If you don't know Jesus Christ, I extend His invitation to come to Him for eternal life (Jn. 4:10). Only He died for sin and only He can quench the yearning for satisfaction that your heart longs for. The only prerequisite is a thirst for Him. If you do profess to know Jesus, are you making it an ongoing practice to drink from Him? Are you allowing Him to meet all of your needs? Are you first seeking to be filled up with Him before you minister to others or is your service done on your own strength for your own glory? Are you being filled up with Him, but failing to minister His love to others? Or are you being filled up with Him and then allowing Him to overflow through you to others in the community, others in the family, and others in the church? Are you mediating the blessings of Christ? Do your works give evidence of your faith? Do your works give evidence from which source you have been drinking?

May we all as a church drink deeply from Jesus Christ. May His waters quench every longing, every need and every desire in our hearts. May Jesus overflow from our innermost being to others. And may we enjoy the ultimate blessing that arrives from Christlike love and service to others. For Lord Jesus Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Ac. 20:35)