Jesus Fully Satisfies the Thirsty Soul

Transcript

GR 360
5/18/1980
Jesus Fully Satisfies the Thirsty Soul
JOHN 7:25-39
Gil Rugh

John chapter 7 in your Bibles. John’s Gospel and the 7th chapter. We've looked through the opening verses of this chapter, down through verse 24; and the occasion is the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. It’s called The Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths because on this occasion they built temporary leaf dwelling places, little huts, booths, to live in for the week to commemorate the provision or care of God for Israel during their wilderness wanderings. It is a key section in the Gospel of John because events in connection with this feast will occupy chapter 7,8,9, and 10. Things will be happening at this feast and as a result of Jesus’ ministry at the feast.

Now Jesus comes up in the middle of this feast. The feast is half way along. That will help explain some of the things we will be looking at again this morning—where the multitudes are not sure who He is. He has not come up with any open display or recognition, but after the events of the feast are well underway, He simply walks in. So He would be unnoticed and He begins to teach in the temple. Now Jesus has noted something of the opposition that is present to Himself. And it's interesting in John 7 and 8, there is more of the words of those who hear Christ and are opposed to Him recorded than any other place in the Gospel. So we get something of the feel and flavor for how people are responding and reacting to the life and testimony of Christ.

He has spoken, in verse 7, to His own family. "The world cannot hate you; it hates Me because I testify to it that its deeds are evil." We noted the very fact that Jesus stood against the world and spoke against the world, the world system, the sin of the people of the world, caused Him to be the opponent, hated by the world and those who were pursuing those activities.

He did note down in verse 17 that "if any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself." And we noted a certain subjectivity here, there is objective evidence present—the teaching of Christ, the miracles that Christ has done, could all be evaluated in light of what the Old Testament said about the Messiah. When it comes right down to the bottom line, a person who will not believe will not recognize that indeed this is a message from God. It takes the ministry of the Spirit in the life of a person to give them perception and understanding concerning the things that pertain to God. So Jesus' emphasis, in effect, is that since you do not believe, you are unwilling to do the will of God, you do not perceive and understand the significance and importance of what I am saying. Now much of the opposition goes back to the healing of the lame man in John chapter 5, and again it is important to note that no one questions the validity of the miracles that Jesus does. No one questioned whether He really healed a lame man on that occasion. What caused the real tension was that He did it on the Sabbath thus violating a tradition of the Jewish leaders; and in effect, they are not looking to Him to evaluate whether what He does and says is true, they are looking to try to find some reason to oppose Him and ultimately to execute Him.

He encouraged them in verse 24 'Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.' This is a continuing problem. People are rejecting Christ on the basis of a superficial observation. Jesus said 'Judge righteous judgment. Judge Me in light of what God has revealed in His Word. Judge Me in light of the Old Testament Scriptures.' If they had done that, they would have indeed recognized that this One is the Messiah, the Savior sent from God.

Now with verse 25, we're going to pick up with some different groups of people. The first will be the Jerusalemites—the people of Jerusalem. They would have been the people who lived in Jerusalem or the surrounding area. For the Feast of Tabernacles, there were people in Jerusalem from all over the world but the Jews who lived in the region of Jerusalem were much more aware of what was going on. Much more aware of the feelings and attitudes of the Jewish leaders, so they had some insight into what was all transpiring and going on behind the scenes.
Down a little further, we’ll see the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and a person of the Sanhedrin, etc. come in to play as well. Verse 25, the attitude of these people of Jerusalem: "Therefore some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ’Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?”’ Now you'll note how widespread this recognition is, that the Sanhedrin (the religious leaders) have set their mind to have Jesus executed. That even the people, who we would call the common people, are talking about it. That’s interesting because down in verse 19 and verse 20, Jesus asked 'Why do you seek to kill Me?’ And they said 'You have a demon. Who seeks to kill you?' But you note up in verse 25, the people are asking ’Is this the man they are seeking to kill?' So they recognized the truth of what Jesus said, even though there is an external denial of what He says.

But the people of Jerusalem have a problem. Now they ask 'Is this not the man they are seeking to kill?’ because they don't necessarily recognize Him by His appearance. Again, He has come up to the feast in the middle of the feast without any special recognition. He is simply there now in the middle of the temple teaching, and not all these people would recognize Him on sight, obviously. But they are sensitive to the fact that this may well be the man they have been talking about. But they have a problem.

Verse 26, "Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?" In other words, if He is not the Christ, why do the religious leaders allow Him to continue to teach like He does? If He is really a false teacher leading people astray, why haven't they put a stop to it? Have they come to recognize that He really is the Messiah? Now the way they ask the question implies they think not. They think probably they haven't, but the question has come up. Why do they allow Him to teach? There must be something to it. Maybe He is the Messiah. Maybe they've changed their minds. Verse 27, a problem. "However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from." There was a certain attitude prevalent among the Jews that the background of the Messiah would have a mystic to it, would be somewhat mysterious. Now the Jews that He would come out of Bethlehem—Old Testament told them that. Herod had no problem finding out when He inquired of the Jewish scholars where will the Messiah be born. He would be born in Bethlehem.
But they have still an idea that there would be some mysterious background for the Messiah. You wouldn't be able to pinpoint who His father or His mother was, who His family is. Yet they say they know all about this man, so He couldn't be the Messiah. We know about His background.

"However, we know where this man is from." They knew Mary and Joseph. They knew His brothers and sisters as we saw in the Gospel of Matthew earlier in our study. What's so special about Him, what's special about coming from Nazareth? There's just something that brings a person down to reality. You know their family, you know their parents, you know their brothers and sisters, you know where they come from. Well, there's nothing special about that. So they look at Christ with the same kind of attitude. There's nothing mysterious about Him.

Jesus picks up on that comment inverse 28, "Jesus therefore cried out in the temple..." and that expression 'cry out' is used by John to draw attention again to the importance of what is to be said. It denotes something of an emotional appeal and what is being said as well. John uses it always to draw attention to something significant and important. "Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, 'You both know Me, and know where I am from..." You know My parents, you know My brothers and sisters, you know that I have come from Nazareth. But, "...and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. I know Him; because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”' In other words, you know where I’m from, but you really don’t know. You think you know all about Me, but I have not come from Myself. He who sent Me is true and it is Him you do not know. In effect, you don’t know God. You don’t know My Father. Now, there’s an important principle operating here and that is that they are rejecting Jesus Christ on the basis of a superficial attitude. We know all about Him and therefore He doesn’t qualify to be the Messiah. But they really knew very little about Him of true importance and significance, and it’s no different today. People reject Jesus Christ on the basis of a superficial amount of knowledge or insight. You ask a person if they believe in Jesus Christ or if they believe what the Bible says and they say ’No, the Bible is full of contradiction.' Oh, you must have studied it greatly, will you show me some? Oh, they're there, I know it. I couldn’t point to them offhand. What are they saying? The average person who says that has never bothered to study it. But they have a superficial acquaintance and they have heard some place that the Bible is full of contradiction and you can’t believe a book that is full of contradiction, therefore, I don’t believe it. That same kind of superficial attitude. They know all about Jesus Christ, and He’s a good man, etc., but you don’t really have to believe in Him to be saved. It’s just a passing acquaintance, and it’s amazing. For a matter or issue of such importance, people are satisfied to reject with so little knowledge to base it on. We think people reject Christianity or reject Christ because of the overwhelming evidence against Him. Well all the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of Him, and He is rejected because of lack of knowledge and a lack of understanding which is all based on a lack of faith and an unwillingness to believe. And there is nothing but nothing that can change that attitude except the work of the Spirit in the life of those being confronted.

”1 have not come from Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.” Now this statement and claim of Christ, ”1 know Him because I am from Him, and He sent Me" is made repeatedly. In other words, since I come from God, I can speak authoritatively to you about God. He uses this back in John chapter 3. In John 3, verse 13, He talks about heavenly things—"No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man." In other words, I am the One who can tell you about heavenly things because I am the only One who has been sent from Heaven. I am dwelled in the presence of God. I am sent from God, so I can be God’s spokesman.

Over in verse 31 of John 3, "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all." You note that. That means that the final, absolute authority for heavenly things is Jesus Christ. He is the One who has come from heaven. He is the One who can tell us in reality what God is like and what God expects. That’s a strong claim. He claims to supersede every other authority.

Look over in chapter 6, verse 32, "Jesus therefore said to them, ’Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who has given you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”’ So here Christ claims again to have come down out of heaven. Since He comes from God who is the source of life, He has the ability to give life from God. Now you come over to chapter 7 and you have the same claim being made, except people who know nothing of God will know nothing of the origin of Christ and the One who sent Him. So what happens is that people are ignorant of God, they are evaluating Christ in light of some image they have conjured up in their mind about God, and they reject Him on the basis of their own imagination and not on the basis of reality and the facts as they are presented in the Word of God.

Now you note the response to this in verse 30. "They were seeking therefore to seize Him..." They recognized what He is saying to this point. They are saying You think I'm from Nazareth. You think you know my origin, but let Me tell you, I come from God and you don't know anything about Him. And any time the unbeliever is confronted with the facts of the Gospel, with the message from God, it is either used of the Spirit to soften them or they are hardened by it. Remember in II Cor. chapter 2 Paul says we are either a savor of life to life or death to death. The Word of God always accomplishes something in a life. It either softens or it hardens. And here you have in verse 30, "They were seeking therefore to seize Him" for the purpose of killing Him. This is how the leaders respond. This is how the religious people respond. They can't stand His claim, so we must get rid of Him. "However, no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come." Note how totally sovereign God is. He is in absolute control. When is the mob finally going to get out of hand? When are the Pharisees finally going to be able to take control and accomplish their purposes with Christ? Exactly on God's timetable. And His time had not come, so no one laid hands on Him. Even though they wanted to, they couldn't. Reminds me a little bit of the Book of Job where Satan wanted to get after Job but he says to God, 'Look I can't get in, you've got a hedge around Job.' That's a comforting passage. Know what God does? God says, 'Alright, I'll let you in. Take a little of the hedge down, this far, no further.' This far, no further. Who’s in control here? Satan or God? God. 'I'll tell you exactly how far you can go and exactly what you can do.' Well, here in the life and ministry of Christ, it's six months until the crucifixion of Christ. Six months until that Passover when the Jews will finally get their way and execute Him. Because that's in the timetable and plan of God.

Note the contrast in verse 31, "But the multitude believed in Him..." I think it's important to see the contrast between those who were seeking to seize Him and the multitude who believed in Him. "And the multitude believed in Him, and they were saying 'When the Christ shall come, He will not perform more signs than this man has, will he?'" In other words, the evidence is overwhelming. Could you expect the Messiah to do more than this man is doing? When the Christ comes, could He do more than this man has done? And isn't that what the miracles and the signs were to attest? That He is the Messiah? Didn't John write in John chapter 20 that Jesus did many other signs but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in His name?

Now the multitudes evaluate the evidence and find it overwhelming. It's sufficient. It fits exactly what the Old Testament promised concerning our Messiah. Now the thing that interests me is that the religious leaders miss it and the multitudes get it! That has not changed. The hardest people to reach are the religious people, and the hardest religious people to reach are the religious leaders. And isn't it so striking that here from the multitudes, the common people, are those who perceive and recognize that this man is the Messiah. That those who prided themselves in such great theological insights fail to perceive and recognize that Christ is the Messiah. How important to recognize the point. Because you know what happens? Every person who allowed Himself to be led by the religious leaders is being led astray. Ananais, Caiphas, high priests, the chief spiritual leaders, religious leaders in Israel are unregenerate men who fail to recognize the Messiah. And that's evident. Many of you have come out of religious groups, churches, where the so-called religious leaders, the pastor of that church, is himself an unbeliever; and yet you have perceived that Jesus Christ is One who has died for your sins, was raised from the dead, you believed in Him. Yet those who pride themselves in being the great theologians have yet to recognize that point. There is no one harder to talk to about spiritual truth than religious leaders, and so many of them are just like the Pharisees and Sadducees—they have rejected Jesus Christ. They have rejected the truth of the Word on the basis of a superficial acquaintance which is all the unbeliever can have.

I've shared with one of these men in town that I visited with and we talked about the Scriptures, and I shared the Scriptures with Him and kept saying 'That's just what some man wrote.' I finally said 'What do you believe?' He said he believed some of what Christ said, but I wasn't able to pin down anything that Christ said that He did believe. Yet there are people in his congregation that have come to perceive that Jesus Christ is the Savior. And it's amazing. Yet they are hard to reach because they have settled that they know. You know what the Pharisees and the religious leaders are going to say later on in the Gospel of John? The multitudes there are cursed, they don't know anything. They are ignorant. You know what the attitude of religious leaders today is? Well, those people believe that but they don't really understand. They've never really studied. They don't know. Isn't it amazing how the grace of God works? Just like Jesus said, you know, the sinners, the harlots, etc. going into the kingdom and yet those who should have been are not. Because the little bit of knowledge they have causes them to be turned aside.

So the multitude recognizes that the evidence is there. Again, the evidence is sufficient. The problem is that some don't want to believe it. It's not that they need more evidence. They've made up their minds not to believe, and it doesn't matter how many miracles Jesus does. It doesn't matter what teaching He gives, they don't believe. And it's just like many people today. It doesn't matter what you say, it doesn't matter what you show them from the Scriptures. They are not going to believe. They've made up their minds. Don't bring the facts in, but the evidence supports the claim.

Now there's a problem arising. You know what happens when religious leaders start to lose their followers? That creates tension. Now many in the multitude are believing Jesus. The religious leaders do not like that. So, verse 32 "The Pharisees heard the multitude muttering these things about Him; Again the muttering, talking about these things amongst themselves as they pass through the multitudes. They were aware of what people were saying. They were aware that many were saying ’He must be the Messiah. What He does would give indication that He is the Messiah.’ So they say ’We've got to do something.’

"The Pharisees heard the multitude muttering these things about Him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him." Interesting about the spiritual condition of Israel. It’s ’chief priests’ - plural. The Old Testament only made provision for one chief priest. This has become such a political plumb that the Romans deposed the chief priest when it suited them in order to put someone else in, and some of the former chief priests still carried the title. Just like we would do with a president, you call a former president still the president. So you have several chief priests, although the chief priest should not have been replaced until he died. Tells you something about the decadent spiritual condition.

Nonetheless, the Pharisees and the chief priests send officers to seize Christ. Note, they've got to put an end to it. Amazing how the unregenerate man, religious as he is, is driven to try to stop the truth. We've got to stop it. There's an antagonism. And the more people that respond to Christ, the greater the antagonism among the religious leaders. There’s nothing worse for a religious leader than to have his people get converted. Isn't it amazing how much tension there is today among certain groups because people are being converted to Jesus Christ? And that's a terrible thing that you would try to convert people from their religion? And the point of tension is always Jesus Christ. And so you ought not to be trying to convert people to Jesus Christ. They are part of this group, this system, and they ought to stay there. And the tension hasn't really changed. The issues haven't really changed.

Jesus speaks up, and what He says in these next verses is going to be important because in our next time together we'll see that these who are sent to seize Him are so impressed by what He says, they couldn’t get up enough nerve to lay hands on Him. Now we see the sovereign work of God here, but it’s also interesting you see the pointedness of the teaching. Almost everybody is feeling the impact of it but the religious leaders. And they are so set against trying to get rid of Him that they’re not open to what He has to say at all.

"Jesus therefore said, 'For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.’" That's an awesome statement. It has to do with the destiny of Jesus Christ. Important section because it tells us that those who were the religious people were ignorant not only of His origin but also of His destiny, so they had no comprehension of His purpose while here. They didn't know He came from God, they didn't know He was going back to God, so they misevaluated all that He was doing here. Just like people today. They reject the Deity of Jesus Christ, they reject the virgin birth of Christ, they don’t understand that He came from God, they don't understand that He is now back in the presence of God, so they totally misevaluate His whole life and ministry because they don't really know who He is. Not knowing where He came from, not knowing where He's gone, they don't even understand why He was here. And so Jesus says, 'I am going to be with you a little while longer and then I am going back to the One who sent Me. You'll seek Me but you won't find Me, and where I am you cannot come.’ And I think that's a statement of judgment on these who were seeking Him for the purpose of killing Him. Where He's going they could not come because He's going into the presence of the Father. And the only ones who could come into the presence of the Father were those who believed in Him, so it's an awesome statement. A tragic statement. You cannot come where I am going because you are unwilling to believe in Me. Only those who believe in Me can come into the presence of My Father.

Now the Jews misunderstand Him again. There is nothing that the unregenerate man really perceives in a true sense. "The Jews therefore said to one another, 'Where does this man intend to go that we shall not find Him? He is not intending to go the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? What is this statement that He said 'You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come?'" 'They thought He might be talking about going to the Dispersion, a Greek word that means to sow or to scatter. It was used of the Jews who had been scattered throughout the Roman Empire, and they wondered if He was going to go out to where these Jews had been scattered throughout the Roman Empire and teach Greeks? In other words, those Gentiles, those Greeks who had been converted to Judaism, called proselytes. Would He go out and minister to these and perhaps find a hearing among them because the Jews are rejecting Him. Maybe the Gentile converts to Judaism will accept Him. It's interesting. That's exactly where Christianity gets its foothold in the Book of Acts, among the Gentile converts to Judaism. A man like Cornelius in Acts chapter 10.

So they don't understand at all. And there's no further explanation given because they reject the truth of it. When they are confronted with the reality that He is sent from God, He is authoritative from God, they want to seize Him to kill Him. So there's no point in Jesus trying to belabor the point that He is going to the Father. He zeroes in on what the issue is—the issue is that life is found in Me and no place else. That's verses 37-39.

"Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.''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." The Feast of Tabernacles had an interesting ceremony connected with it. Not only did people live in these little leafy booths through the week, but each day of the week the priest would take a golden pitcher and go to the pool of Siloam and fill that pitcher with water, carry it back up to the temple and pour it in a bowl alongside the altar and that water would then be carried in a tube down to the base of the altar. That was a reminder of the provision that God had made for them to sustain them through the wilderness. The provision of the water for nourishment. Now Jesus is drawing on that. As He had provided the water and the nourishment, then it came to be connected to the coming rains that would nourish the nation Israel. As God was the provider of the water, now spiritually, He had provided water. So when Jesus stands on the last day of the feast, the great day of the feast, the day when that ceremony was not carried on, the eighth day, there was no water drawn. There was no water poured. Jesus stands and says 'Now I am the provision of water. If any man is thirsty let him come to Me and drink.' The thirsty here referring to the longing of the inner man, that desire for fulfillment and satisfaction. You note, if any man is thirsty, he can come. Provision for any and all; any man that is thirsty let him come to Me and drink. In other words, touching to those who have that recognition of a longing. There's something I need in my life.

You know, the Jewish leaders didn't recognize they were thirsty. They were dying of thirst but they didn't know it. They didn't know it. So there was nothing that could be done. They had no sense of need. The hardest person to reach is a righteous person, a person who thinks he's alright the way he is. Then they don't hear that there's water available. Thank you, I'm not thirsty. They haven't considered the fact they are dying for lack of water. They don't recognize the need. Without a recognition of the need, what can you do? A person who doesn't recognize that they're lost and have that sense of need, what do you do? Offer them a Savior that they're not interested in, that they don't think is for them but for someone else. But for any who are thirsty, who recognize they have a longing. Something on the inside. And I think it goes back to creation and the purpose God made us. He made us for a personal relationship with Himself, and because of sin that relationship is broken. So the very purpose for our existence is being frustrated. Thus, man on the inside has a void, a longing, a desire that he tries to satisfy with various pursuits and various things. The only thing that can satisfy in a permanent, lasting way is a personal relationship with God Himself through faith in Jesus Christ.

"Any man who is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." What does it mean to drink? Well, verse 39. "He who believes in Me as the Scripture said, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." Those who drink of Christ are those who believe in Him. Those who partake of Him. This analogy of water and drinking has already been used in John back in chapter 4 with the woman at the well. Verse 10, "Jesus answered and said to her, ’If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ’Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."' Verse 14, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." That was used in John 6:35 also, to come and drink of Christ, to believe in Him. He is the only One who can satisfy on a permanent basis the inner longing of a person, meet the innermost needs. And you note, "from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." God doesn’t just give you a little drink to keep you going. He doesn't say ’Here, just take half a glass now and maybe later I'll give you another glass.' What happens? The one who believes in Me has a river flowing through Him. Important verse. I have strong conflict with many today who teach such things as something subsequent to my salvation, like a second blessing or a second work that the Spirit does. Jesus tells me that when I believe in Him, I will have the Spirit like a river of living water. Now you tell me I need something else? I have people praying for my ministry here that when I get the Spirit things are really going to happen. If I get any more of the Spirit, I’ll probably drown! I already have a river of living water! And there’s something more or something else? What a tragedy that we as Christians run around pursuing other things, additional things. We don't realize what we got when we believed in Jesus Christ. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said...” this will happen. We say, Well it didn't happen to me when I believed, it happened later. Well, I believe the Scriptures, I don’t believe you! The Scripture says the one who believes in Him has a river of living water. What that’s saying is that you have Him in overflow abundance. I don’t need anything else. I don’t need anything more. It’s all there in an overflowing provision of God.

Background for this is the Old Testament and we’ve touched on this in earlier studies. Just go to the Book of Isaiah and we’ll pick up a couple of references in Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 12, verses 2 and 3. ’’’Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.’ Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation." In that analogy of the water and the salvation and drawing of its abundance.

Over in Isaiah 44, verse 3 connects this water with the Spirit. "For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants."
Note. Pour out water on the thirsty land, pour out My Spirit on your offspring. It’s the people who are spiritually parched and dry, and God pours out this refreshing rain, the refreshing waters of the Spirit of God to nourish and provide for all of his spiritual needs.

Over in Isaiah 55:1. "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." Again, the free provision. Come to the water to sustain you spiritually.

One other passage in Isaiah. Isaiah 58:11, "And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." Note. Basically the same thing Jesus said. 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' Talking about a spring of water whose water do not fail. That provision of the Spirit in those who believe is continuous and unending. It doesn't sustain and satisfy me for the next week or month or year, it satisfies permanently. That's the distinction Jesus drew in John chapter 4 when He said to the woman at the well, "If any man drinks of this water he'll thirst again. But anyone who partakes of the water that I give him shall never thirst again." In other words, the provision of the Spirit of God is God's provision to satisfy and sustain me forever. A permanent final complete provision. Other verses in the Old Testament we won't take time. In Joel 3, Ezekiel 47, Zechariah 13, Zechariah 14 speak of the provision of waters as an analogy of the spiritual provision of the Spirit. Seen too as provided in the millennium in the earthly kingdom. Read Ezekiel 47 of God's provision during the kingdom over which Christ will rule.

Come back to John chapter 7. Now this water is identified for us in verse 39. "This He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive..." Now why were they to receive Him? Future thing. They were to receive Him because the Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Now you note the connection. After Jesus is glorified, everyone who believes in Him will receive the Spirit. Is that clear? He was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. But after He is glorified, He is given to all those who believe. Now when is Jesus glorified? Final step in that process is Acts chapter 1 when He ascends to the Father. Interesting. John uses the word glorified 2^ times more than any other single writer in the New Testament, and he's always referring to the crucifixion of Christ and those events as glorifying. Glorifying. When he talks about being glorified, he’s talking about the death and resurrection and subsequent ascension of Christ. That's when He is glorified. Interesting, he takes an event as awful as the crucifixion and yet in God's plan, it's all meant for glory for His Son, Jesus Christ. Now it's after that, Acts chapter 1 where you have Christ's ascension to the Father and His glorification. Acts chapter 2 you have the giving of the Spirit of God. So you find then that people received the Spirit when they believed. You say What about Acts chapter 8 and Acts chapter 10 and Acts chapter 19? I'm aware that in this transition period that to keep the leadership of the Apostles central, anytime there was a new group the Spirit was given through the ministry of an apostle—whether it's Samaritans, Gentiles or disciples of John. And that unifies the Church under the leadership of the apostles, but the principle is still established of the Spirit being given to those who believe. So by the time Paul writes to the Corinthians, he says we were all baptized by the Spirit of God. Important to recognize what we have as believers. We've got Christians today running around looking for something more or something else. We've got Christians today being drawn into groups that offer them something else when Jesus said you get the Spirit like a river. You say, Well I don't feel like I've got a river. That's not the issue. The issue is what you've got and are you living in light of it? That's no wonder. It's like some of us basking next to a water fountain and dying of thirst. We're not allowing the Spirit to accomplish His purposes perhaps, but it's all there. The provision is there, everything I need for satisfaction is there. The work of God is accomplished and now it's just a process of allowing that stream to flow. I think it's also interesting, He says "..from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." Something of a provision from us. You know what happens? It's like when you sit in your backyard or you mow your lawn (praise the Lord, my son is old enough to mow the lawn this year and I enjoy my lawn more than I ever did. Somehow I just look out and say, 'Marilyn, it's nice to have a lawn.) But you know you got out and mow the lawn and your next door neighbor is sitting out on his lounge chair drinking ice tea and you're mowing, and pretty soon you say 'Boy, could I go for a nice cold glass of water or ice tea.’ That's the idea. You know what ought to happen when the unbeliever who is so parched spiritual is around us, Oh boy, wouldn't I like to have what they have? Now when you present it they may act against it. But there ought to be a drawing there. We ought to be a river of living water amongst a parched people. People who are spiritually parched, who are dying of thirst. And here we are, rivers of living water. I take it that points to the channel that we are. It doesn't mean I become the source. Christ Himself is the source to those who believe Him. But it's through us that He has chosen to minister and work, and this river of living water ought to characterize us in every aspect of our being. You know there's something awfully secure about knowing that the provision God has made for me is an inner provision. It doesn't matter about externals. I can read the news or watch the news or hear what's happening and know I’m secure in Jesus Christ. Because that can't upset the provision that He has made for my peace and sustenance because that's internal not external. He has provided the Spirit of God within me as the river of living water. And no matter what people take away from me, no matter what happens around me, I have the Spirit as an inner provision of living water. What else do I need to sustain and keep me? If everything I have is taken away from me, I still have God's provision. You know, nothing but nothing can touch that because the worst they can do is kill the body and then what happens? I go right into the presence of the Lord. I'm destined to be a winner! Can't lose. What a tragedy, though, that I sometimes live as though I had a canteen that had to last a long time. So take careful sips. I've got the Spirit of God overflowing like a river. There's no limit to His provision. There's no limit to what God has done and is doing and will do in my life as I submit to the Spirit and allow Him to flow forth in my life and sustain and satisfy. Interesting. The last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation—and we'll close on this note—Revelation chapter 22 closes with an invitation. John, the Apostle, is the writer of the Book of Revelation under the inspiration of the Spirit just as he wrote the Gospel of John. And he records an invitation given by Jesus Christ as He closes His revelation to man. Last book of the Bible and the closing statements. Jesus will have nothing else directly to say to man until He returns to earth again to set up His kingdom, and that last thing is an invitation just like He gave at the Feast of Tabernacles six months before His crucifixion. Revelation 22:17, "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who is hears say come.." You'll note, it ties with us. The Spirit takes up residence in our lives, becomes a river of living water. We become part of those giving forth the same message as God the Son and God the Spirit. God the Son says 'Come,' and God the Spirit says 'Come.' And what do we say? 'Come.' We're part of that same work now, offering that same invitation. Let the one who hears say come, and let the one who is thirsty come. "Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. “What an invitation. Here is something that will sustain and provide for you not only for this life but for eternity. It's the water of life. It brings life for eternity. You know the amazing thing? There's no cost, there's no charge. Jesus doesn't say, 'If you'll do these four things or these seven things or these two things.' All He says is Come to Me. Drink of Me. Partake of Me. Believe in Me. No cost, no charge. You know what? Some of those who heard Him were so set on crucifying Him that they rejected the invitation. We have the same kind of group here. All have heard the message, all have heard the invitation; yet some for some unexplainable reason, and unexplainable yet explainable because it shows how sinful we are, will hear it. That it's no cost, no charge. Just believe Jesus Christ died for you. He was raised because He accomplished
salvation for you. Will you trust Him? And can you imagine that people say No. Here's water, partake of it. It will satisfy your inner longings for this life and for eternity. You say, No thanks. Only we don't usually say it quite that way. We usually say, I've got my own religion. I've got my own church. I've got my own beliefs. The problem is that only Jesus Christ satisfies. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for the greatness of the salvation that Jesus Christ has secured. And Father, how amazing it is that it is secured at no cost to us. Father, that's only what we would expect since the cost was so great that only You could make the provision. Thank you for the death and resurrection of your Son, the fact that He has been glorified in your presence even now. Lord that we have the Spirit as a provision from Him, that every person who has believed in Him has that possession of the Spirit and the river of life.

Lord, we pray for those who are here this morning who have yet to believe in Him, have yet to have the inner needs of their soul met, we pray Lord, that they might even see the need that they have. That the Spirit might open the eyes of their understanding to make them aware of how thirsty they really are, that they might believe in the Savior who loved them and died for them.

For those of us who have believed, Father, pray that everywhere we are in all of our activities we might be that flowing river of life. Lord that the Spirit might be working in and through us that others might be drawn to drink of Jesus Christ and find fulfillment and satisfaction in Him and Him alone, for we pray in His name