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Book: John
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John 7:37 Quenching Your Thirst
I. The last day, the great day of the feast. Vs. 2 lets us know that it
was the feast of tabernacles.
A. It was one of the three important feasts in the year where
attendance was mandatory.
1. As Passover, it was a memorial feast.
a. The passover feast had many symbolisms to
remind them of the hardships their fathers
endured during the days of slavery in Egypt.
1. The salty water to remind them of the
tears.
2. The pasty dish to remind them of the
mortar between the bricks.
2. The feast of tabernacles reminded them of the hardships
their fathers endured during the 40 years of wandering
in the wilderness.
a. They would build little thatched sheds beside
their homes and during the 8 days of the feast
the family would live in these little sheds.
b. At the temple mount the priests would daily
make a solemn procession down to the pool of
Siloam with water jugs on their shoulders.
c. They would come up the many steps to the
temple mount and pour the water on the pavement
to symbolize the water that God provided out of
the rock.
d. On the last day, the great day of the feast
because it was a special sabbath, they did not
make the procession to the pool of Siloam with
the water ceremony. This too was significant
for it acknowledged that God had kept His
promise, and had brought them into the land
that was well watered, and flowed with milk and
honey.
e. It was on this day, that Jesus stood and cried
to the multitude.
3. An interesting note. Paul tells us in 1Cor. 10 that
they all drank of the same spiritual Rock that
followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
a. Here is Jesus the Rock from which the water of
life flowed to their fathers in the wilderness,
standing before them and crying, "If any man
thirst, let Him come unto Me and drink."
II. The thirst that Jesus was referring to was a spiritual thirst.
A. Man is a threefold being, sort of an inferior trinity. Made up
of body, soul, and spirit. Man is a spirit, dwelling in a body,
possessing a consciousness.
1. We are so integrated that it is next to impossible to
separate the three parts.
a. Whatever effects me physically effects me
emotionally and effects me spiritually.
b. Whatever effects me emotionally effects me
physically and spiritually.
c. Whatever effects me spiritually will effect me
emotionally and physically.
d. The Bible tells us that the word of God is able
to discern between the soul and the spirit.
Many people have had great emotional
experiences that they interpreted as spiritual
experiences.
e. Sometimes a person will have a great spiritual
experience that others will interpret as only
an emotional experience.
2. On the other hand they are such distinct entities that
the Greek language had words that recognized the
distinct differences.
a. Love on the physical level. Eros
b. Love on the emotional level. Phileo
c. Love on the spiritual level. Agape
B. When Jesus said, "If any man thirst" He was speaking of that
universal spiritual thirst that man has for God.
1. We all understand the physical thirst. In as much as
the body is made up of 70% moisture, it must maintain a
high moisture content. God has designed a monitoring
mechanism that lets the brain know when the moisture
level is getting low, and the brain responds with
thirst.
2. Man has a thirst on the emotional level. The thirst for
love, security, attention, to be needed.
3. There is also a thirst on the spiritual level for a
meaningful relationship with God.
PSA 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul
after thee, O God.
PSA 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I
come and appear before God?
4. In Romans 8 Paul tells us,
ROM 8:20 For the creature was made subject to emptiness not willingly,
but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope,
C. We see here the gospel in the simplest form. Jesus is calling
to those whose spirit is thirsting after a relationship with
God, and saying, "Come unto Me and drink." I can satisfy your
thirst for God.
III. The result of coming to Jesus and drinking. "He that believeth on Me,
as the scripture said, "Out of His belly shall flow rivers of living
water."
A. Perhaps Jesus is referring to the scripture in,
ISA 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods
upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and
my blessing upon thine offspring: or possibly,
ISA 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy
soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be
like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose
waters fail not. or maybe a combination of both.
B. The Greek language here is intense. Out of his innermost being
will gush torrents of living water. The picture is not just a
gentle flowing stream, but a flood, a torrent gushing and
cascading down the mountain canyon.
C. John here adds his own commentary as he is writing years later
with that wonderful advantage of hindsight. "This spake He of
the Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive."
1. What did He say of the Spirit? If would gush forth out
of your life like a torrent of living water.
2. I want you to look at your life today, and honestly
consider, if the Spirit is gushing forth out of your
life like a torrent of living water?
3. Is your life so filled with the Spirit that there is an
overflow?
4. Is the Spirit trickling out of your life, or gushing
like a torrent of living water?
D. If you do not have this mighty overflow of the Spirit from your
life then I would like to suggest to you that God has something
more for you, that I would encourage you to seek.
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