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INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: Are you a sipper or a gulper? Do you carry a bottle of water or pop, coffee or tea that you sip through out the day? Or do
you just pause and go get a big drink. At home I am a gulper. In the office I am a sipper - make a can of pop last several hours.
Are you a sipper or a gulper?
We need water to live. Doctors say we need 8 glasses of water a day. To be without water is a terrible thing, to be thirsty and not
having anything to drink can be extremely painful, without water people die.
Jesus used water to illustrate spiritual truths often. Our text is one. All of chapter 7 is about the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem
that Jesus attended. Verses 37-39 occur on the last day of the week long feast.
Tradition says that each day during this Feast, the Priests would go to the Fountain at the Pool of Siloam and draw water and carry
the pitchers in parade to the Temple, a parade of trumpets sounding, the crowd chanting Psalms, then pour out the water on the
altar. The ritual reminded the Jews of God’s provision of water for their thirsty forefathers in the wilderness by bring
water from a rock. This reminded them of God’s divine provisions for their needs.
In the midst of this event, Jesus speaks our text. What is Jesus talking about? What spiritual truths is the water illustrating?
1. Jesus seeks to Fill us with Himself. v. 37
- Thirst is a terrible thing, quenching thirst is a terrific thing.
ILLUS: Remember those hot summer days, thirsty. A tall glass of cold water refreshes you, or an ice cold glass of real
lemonade.
- Just as the body needs refreshing drink to satisfy it’s thrist, our souls need something to satisfy our deepest
spiritual needs. Our need for meaning and purpose, our need to deal with guilt, our need to understand pain and suffering,
our need to know if there is a God, our need to know what is on the other side of death...
- People look in many places: alcohol, drugs, immorality // work, money, science, education, art, sports - but none can give
lasting satisfaction. They give just enough to hook us and bind us, but they are short lived.
SONG: Hymn: “Satisfied” - “Hallelujah, I have found Him, whom my soul so long has craved, Jesus
satisfies my longings - thru His blood I now am saved.”
Gospel song by Lanny Wolf: “Only Jesus can satisfy my soul, And only He can change your heart, And make you
whole, He’ll give you peace you never knew, Sweet love and joy and heaven too, For only Jesus can satisfy your
soul”
- At that Harvest Festival long ago, the Priests were just reminding the people what God had done, Jesus was now offering
what He can do now. The people were watching a ritual, Jesus was offering a reality.
- Jesus meets our greatest needs: forgiveness of our sins, meaning and purpose in life, eternal life now and forever, and
everything in between.
- Jesus said “If anyone is thirsty” - anyone, everyone, universal appeal, a full and free invitation
that stretches across time and cultures.
- “come to Me and drink” = take Him into our lives as take glass of water
- John 4:14. Phil. 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.”
- “let him come to Me and drink” - simply go to Jesus receive from Him
- Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good, how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”
- Have you gone to Christ, and invited Him into your life? Has Jesus filled you with Himself? Do you have your sins forgiven?
Do you have eternal life now? Do you experience His peace, joy, love?
2. Jesus seeks to Overflow us with Himself. v. 38
- Not only can Jesus fill us with Himself, we can overflow with Him. Not only can our life be changed for good, we can change
the world.
- Psalm 23:5 “My cup overflows.” Verse may refer to Isaiah 58:11
- One of our great needs in life is to make a difference. The only way we can make a lasting difference is Jesus overflowing
our life with Himself, He blessing others through us. Being a channel for blessing
SONG: “Channels only, blessed Master, But with all Thy wondrous power flowing through us, Thou can’t use us
every day and every hour.”
- “flow rivers of living water” = we are like a spring of water with Jesus in us, the water is life
giving, running water, a constant flow, overflow.
- Overflow by using our spiritual gifts and displaying spiritual fruit as we evangelize the lost, and edify the saints.
ILLUS: Winslow, IL. Artesian Well, behind our church. The well provided water for the city water tower, but it
overflowed into Pec River. Never ending. Best water we have ever had too.
- Out of us can flow Jesus - we can be a life giving agent of Christ to a thirsty world around us.
ILLUS: Historically, it has been the Christians who started and operated humanitarian organizations: food relief,
orphanages, disaster aid (Southern Baptists in Iowa last summer), medical care, etc. Franklin Graham Samaritans Purse.
Salvation Army. Thousands of mission organizations.
QUOTE: A Christian is: “A mind through which Christ thinks, A heart through which Christ lives. A voice through
which Christ speaks, A hand through which Christ helps.” (Speakers Sourcebook, 54)
- Is FBC a church of compassion? Do we overflow love for each other?
ILLUS: A sign of a healthy church is a church that helps meets people’s spiritual and material needs - new
Ordinary Men Ministry - to help others.
- A church is more than a Sunday morning event - week long ministry into each other lives. We are to be the Good Samaritan,
overflowing into our neighbors lives. Who is our neighbor? Anyone to show compassion.
3. Jesus seeks to Give us the Holy Spirit. v. 39
- John adds some commentary to Jesus’ statement. It is the Spirit who accomplishes Jesus’ work in our life.
- After the cross and resurrection = the glorification of Jesus - on the Day of Pentecost, another feast of the Jews, the
Holy Spirit will come in full power. All believers are to receive the Spirit, what a great gift!
- The Spirit is often illustrated by water. The Spirit is our “Helper” (14:16), who discloses Jesus to
us (16:14,15).
- It is the Spirit gives gifts 1 Cor 12-14, and fruit Gal. 5:22-23.
- All believers have the presence of the Holy Spirit. But not all have the filling of the Holy Spirit - Eph. 5:18
“be filled with the Spirit”
- The Spirit filled Christian is the one who overflows into the world.
- 3 different types of Christians:
- “Name Only Christians” who sit comfortably in the pews, look nice, do religious works - but are not
saved, do not have the power of Holy Spirit
- “Nominal or carnal Christian” = live status quo, not seeking deeper or higher spiritual life. Defeated
by problems, live under circumstances.
Without the Holy Spirit their works have little wonder, their words have little meaning, rituals have little
reality, their activity has no power.
- “Normal” which really is the “Spirit-filled.” Spiritual life writers call this: The
Surrendered Life. The Dedicated Life. The Dynamic Life.
ILLUS: John Wesley. Was a Name only Christian. Ordianed age 22, became a preacher, even evangelist and
missionary. At age 35 was saved. For 13 years he had religion but no Jesus, religious works but no Holy Spirit.
Once he was truly saved and filled with the Spirit - changed the world.
- Notice, the filling by Jesus comes before the overflowing of Jesus. G. Campbell Morgan: “There can be no overflowing
life, until the life is filled and satisfied” (141). Then world watch out.
- Let me remind you again, that historically the people who make the greatest difference in the world are people of God.
People who were thirsty and found satisfaction in Jesus, who were filled with the Holy Spirit and seek ways to spread the
message and compassion of Christ.
ILLUS: This week we inaugurate a new president. Peaceful transfer of power. People have lots of hope for this new
leader. We should pray God’s blessing on him. I hope Pastor Rick Warren will give a great prayer in Jesus name to
open the ceremony. But the hope of the world will never be found in politics, government, in Washington or Moscow or
Bejing. Our world is thirsty, “Jesus is the answer for the world today...”
- Only Jesus can satisfy our soul. He is the Savior, Sanctifier, Satisfier
CONCLUSION
Theme of John: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the very Living Word of God, who brings us light, love and life.”
Yes, Jesus fills and overflows my life.
What type of Christian are you? Name Only, Nominal, or a Normal Christian?
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