Christ Supplies the Spirit for the Church

Read

John 7:37–52 (ESV)

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Opening Prayer

Setting the Stage

Jesus has just used the Water Pouring ceremony that takes place within the Feast of Booths.

The Feast of Booths is a celebration of God’s provision in the salvation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.

What is primarily celebrated is His provision for them in the Wilderness Wanderings.

And, this Feast was also a looking forward to the outpouring of the Spirit of God in the Messianic age.

So, Jesus rightly cries out, as the Messiah and as the source of all of God’s provision in the past and the future…

John 7:37 (ESV)

37 …“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

Jesus is announcing Himself as the source of God’s provision.

Now listen to how Paul attributes the rock of Meribah and the provision that God gave the Jews during the wilderness wanderings as being Christ…

1 Corinthians 10:4 (ESV)

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

Paul points back to Israel and says that all the people placed themselves under the leadership of Moses.

All the people ate the manna.

All the people drank the water from the rock.

This was physical food, but it was also spiritual.

But most did not see it as spiritual food.

Most did not see it as confirmation that God is to be believed and trusted.

Most of them died in the wilderness as unbelievers.

Paul is saying the Rock was Christ…

—> The source of their provision in the Wilderness is Christ.

And, here Jesus cries out…

37 …“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

He’s raising the awareness to the truth that He is the source of God’s provision for His people.

He goes on to say…

John 7:38 (ESV)

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

I don’t think Jesus only stood up and said these two phrases of v.37-38.

I’m sure as in most places in the gospels, there was much more said.

But, John is recording what Jesus said that points to Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the Living God…

In order that you may believe upon Him for eternal life.

This sermon of Jesus had a great mixture of responses.

And, I want to handle the response of the sermon…

And then come back and dig into v.38-39.

The Varying Responses

John 7:40–44 (ESV)

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

Some of the crowd responded with an expression of belief that Jesus was truly the prophet that Moses spoke about, in Deut. 18:15, that when that Prophet came everyone should listen to Him over all others.

Others from the crowd responded with an expression of belief that Jesus was truly the Messiah…

They saw the miracles and heard the words of Christ expounding the Scriptures with authority…

And believed Him to actually be the Christ.

Yet some of the crowd, and in contrast with the statements of the crowd so far, responded with voices of opposition…

John 7:41–42 (ESV)

41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

This an interesting stumbling block and one that we’ve seen already.

Based on Christ and His earthly family residing in Galilee the people assumed His birthplace was Galilee.

Had they investigated, they would have found out that He was actually born in Bethlehem.

The reason they landed in Nazareth of Galilee was out of fear for Herod’s son after Jesus was born.

We also see the response of the Temple Officers (Police)…

John 7:45–46 (ESV)

45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

They’d been sent by the Sanhedrin to apprehend Jesus.

Which we see later is more of a Kangaroo Court.

But the response of the Temple Police is such a beautiful statement here.

Their reason for not arresting Jesus was…

“No one ever spoke like this man!”

This is not something whispered in the crowd.

This is not something spoken under their breath to a family member or friend.

This is spoken in the presence of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin.

Imagine the greatest preacher you’ve ever heard.

Imagine the greatest and most memorable sermon you’ve ever heard preached.

Now, imagine that preacher and that sermon made to sound like a Preschool Lesson…

—> In comparison to the authority, wisdom, passion, exposition of the Son of God preaching.

This is the greatest sermon they’ve ever heard by the greatest preacher that’s ever walked the earth.

And, they are so taken back by it that they have been derelict in their very duty to arrest Jesus.

Can you imagine their dismay as they walk up to arrest Him…

And, leave with no desire to arrest Him at all?

But, rather they walk away from Christ being dumfounded by the wisdom and majesty of what they just heard.

Well, the Religious Leaders would have nothing to do with such praise.

John 7:47–49 (ESV)

47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

Here we see true colors.

“The only people who can discern the things of God are the religious leaders.”

They state a rhetorical question for emphasis…

Have we believed in Him?!

And, then the revealing of their arrogance…

This crowd, these people, the non-priestly people…

They are accursed by their ignorance of the Scriptures.

This was much the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church before and at the dawn of the Reformation.

They did not want the Bible in the people’s hands because they didn’t think that God could illuminate the hearts and minds of the “Common People.”

Nicodemus seems to be the only one that wants to follow God’s Word in their dealing with Jesus.

He says…

John 7:50–51 (ESV)

50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

Nicodemus is wanting to heed the wisdom of Scripture, such as…

Proverbs 18:17 (ESV)

17 The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.

Even more specifically…

Deuteronomy 17:6 (ESV)

6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

Nicodemus wants to approach this in the way that God has commanded.

He’s opposed to the Kangaroo Court that the other religious leaders desire.

However, they seek to intimidate Nicodemus with ridicule and speak a veiled threat at his unwillingness to go along with them.

John 7:52 (ESV)

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

IOW, are you one His followers, as well.

You’re wrong. So be careful.

Now, I want to close our time by investigating what Jesus states regarding the Holy Spirit.

What Caused the Response of the Crowds?

—> We’ve seen that Jesus is proclaiming that He is the Rock of Salvation.

—> We’ve already seen that we drink of Christ…

—> We take in the salvation He offers by believing upon Him.

In addition to all of this, are the eye witnesses and the circulating reports throughout the Nation of all the miracles that Jesus had been producing for over two years now.

And Jesus says something additional…

John 7:38 (ESV)

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

And, John adds this…

John 7:39 (ESV)

39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

So, first let’s answer this question?

What does Christ mean by out of his heart will flow rivers of living water?

We cannot forget what Jesus has already taught.

John 4:14 (ESV)

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

So, those who believe upon the Lord Jesus will have in them rivers of living water flowing out of them.

So, Jesus is saying that within believers and coming out of believers will be rivers of living water.

In the OT, God speaks of the salvation that He will bring through the Messiah…

And, there is an offer to come and drink…

Isaiah 55:1 (ESV)

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

The Holy Spirit is associated with purifying, refreshing, and revitalizing water.

Isaiah 44:3 (ESV)

3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

In Ezekiel 47 we are told of the living water flowing from the Temple…

And, everywhere the water went there was abundant life.

So, the work of the HS is the work of working in and through the people of God in an extraordinary way…

—> Not yet experienced…

This special outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Messianic age…

—> For the glory of the Son…

—> through the calling out of His elect…

—> from among the Nations.

Now look again at…

John 7:39 (ESV)

39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

What does Christ mean by the Spirit had not yet been given?

What Jesus did not mean?

He did not mean the Spirit did not exist yet.

—> This is easily seen in the OT.

—> The HS is the eternal 3rd person of the Trinity.

He did not mean the HS was inactive up until now.

—> This too is easily seen in the OT.

He does not mean that the regenerating work of the HS had not begun yet.

Old Testament saints were saved in the same way that we are today: through saving faith produced by the regenerating power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

They were united to Christ and were therefore part of his mystical body.

But, it is important to note that the Nation of Israel was not the church, the “assembly” of Christ.

The Nation of Israel was an assembly, but not the assembly of Christ (Heb. 12:23).

Regenerate Old Testament saints were part of the body of Christ.

They were a remnant within the broader body of the assembly of Israel, which was governed by the Old Covenant.

Listen to how Paul puts it…

Romans 11:2–5 (ESV)

2 …Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

There was always a remnant of God’s elect people within the Nation of Israel.

However, it was not until Pentecost that the invisible church assembled together as the visible assembly of Christ, the church.

The visible church was instituted at Pentecost and given ordinances of worship and its own government.

And, then we have the Book of Acts.

Sometimes named the Acts of the Apostles.

But, best named the Acts of the Holy Spirit in Building the Church of Christ.

The assembly of Christ which had been promised in an oath.

At pentecost, is revealed having been was established and confirmed in a covenant by the blood of Christ.

But, as we will see in the upcoming chapters of John…

The Spirit would not be given until the new covenant was sealed, ratified, and confirmed by the death and resurrection of Christ.

So what Jesus does mean is that the Spirit had not yet been given for the building of the Church and the gifting of the Church as it’s built.

Let’s think about this...

Dear Christians, behind our efforts is the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

We are on a mission that is ordained by the power of a sovereign and omnipotent God to succeed.

Let us engage in the work of the Kingdom with confidence.

For we have a Savior that has made us more than conquerors in Him.

Closing Prayer