July 14, 2019 - Rivers of Living Water
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Last week we saw how Jesus, fully committed to doing the Will of the Father...
…and therefore being on His own timetable...
had waited to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths).
If you recall, Jesus’ own brothers didn’t truly believe in Him...
…and so they told Jesus to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles…in order to allow His disciples to see the miracles that He was performing...
here’s what they said...
4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
Jesus replied to them by saying - My time has not yet come…therefore I will not go up to the feast...
“You go up to the feast” - Jesus told them...
So they did.
But after they did...
Jesus ends up going…not publicly, but privately...
And His intent was to go teach in the temple...
NOW - let’s learn more about this feast…before we get to our text today...
33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord.
35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.
39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths,
43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
So something to remember is that this Feast occurs after the harvest is completed...
…and before the beginning of a new agricultural year...
And so part of the celebration included a reflection on how God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness...
After freeing them from Egypt...
Remember - they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, and God PROVIDED for them!
And that’s why God COMMANDED them to leave their permanent residence...
And to live in the temporary BOOTHS for the duration of the Feast!
…One of the main points being - that God’s provision isn’t something that ended once the Promised Land was reached...
And so for US - Even today!… We need to remind ourselves - especially in the good times...
…when things are flowing smoothly...
We MUST remember the TEMPORAL nature of this life...
..AND how must ultimately rely on God to provide for us!! AND NOT JUST PHYSICALLY!!!
During the Feast, every day of the feast...
…there were Sacrifices that were made - to temporarily atonement for the sin of the people...
And it REMINDED the people that God not ONLY provided physically....but Spiritually as well!!
So what was going on during this Feast:
Rest
Celebration of Freedom
Joy
Sacrifices - for sin
This Feast had all of these things...
But in addition to these things - the Feast also had 3 main RITES performed during it’s duration...
The first had to do with the RISING of the SUN...
Just before dawn each day, they proceeded to the east gate out of the Temple area. As the sun appeared they turned away from it and faced to the west, toward the Temple. Then they announced this:
“Our fathers when they were in this place turned their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east; but as for us, our eyes are turned toward the LORD.”
The 2nd Rite was performed at night:
The second rite was performed at night. Four huge menorahs were set up to illuminate the entire Temple area. In actuality they were so large that each of the stems formed a torch. The wicks were made from the worn out linen garments of the priests. As smaller torches were carried to light the procession, the people danced and played harps, lyres, cymbals and lutes. The Levites chanted the Psalms of Ascent (120-134); one psalm on each of the fifteen steps leading from the court of the Israelites to the court of the women.
The 3rd Rite had to do with water libation (the pouring out of a liquid as an offering to a deity)
On the first morning of Sukkot a procession of priests went down to the pool of Siloam to bring up to the Temple a golden container of water sufficient to last throughout the seven days of the feast.
Now the pool of Siloam was spring fed, so it was full of LIVING water…rain water
The water was brought up with a great ceremony. The shofar was blown and the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the feast waved their lulavs as the priests carried the water around the altar. Psalms (Psalms 113-118) were recited. Then the priest on duty poured out the contents of two silver bowls: one held water and the other held wine. This was an act of prayer and an expression of dependence upon God to pour out his blessing of rain upon the earth.
Now THIS occurred on the 1st morning of the Feast...
On the LAST or “Great” day of the Feast...
the water libation rite reached its climax. The priests circled the altar seven times and then poured out the water with great pomp and ceremony. This was called the Hoshana Rabbah, the great “HOSHIANA,” (which translated means - “save now”).
Now - HAVE this in your mind -
These rites taking place throughout this celebration....
The Hoshana Rabbah taking place on the “GREAT” last day...
The priest POURING out this water onto the altar...
On the one hand the people were joyous…God had provided in the Wilderness...
He had provided that prior agricultural year...
And YET - on the other hand PROBABLY NERVOUS...
Why?
Water would have been a hot commodity at the time...
The agricultural year had just ended - and now preparing for the next...
Water would have been coveted…and yet - the Priest, in the Great Last day ceremony...
is POURING out water onto the altar...
They would have prayed that God would now PROVIDE for them - more rain…more LIVING WATER...
…to help them SURVIVE!
And so - Understand the scene...
It’s the last Great day of the Feast...
This water ritual is very likely - taking place....and in that moment...
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.’ ”
Jesus stood up and - CRIED OUT...
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’
Is this a coincidence?
Of course not!
This story parallels the story of the woman at the well!
She went to the WELL seeking water… (The people came to PRAY for WATER)
And while there - finds Jesus telling her that He would give her LIVING WATER if she believed...
Here we have the people of Israel at this Feast...
Watching this Water Ceremony play out...
They begin singing Isaiah 12:3
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
They’re PRAYING for more LIVING WATER (rain)....PRAYING for God to SUSTAIN them...
AND....
what do we see....
We see Jesus Christ as....
SLIDE:
Jesus Christ: The Greater Provision
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
And in looking at what Jesus said again, we see there’s 2 parts to this SALVATION...
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.
So in this SALVATION…we see 2 RESULTS that come...
We see the ‘Believer’...
Being Blessed
Becoming a Blessing
Regarding the Believer in Jesus Christ BEING BLESSED:
We know what Jesus said...
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
So we see here the BELIEVER in Jesus Christ - being ETERNALLY satisfied!
“Shall NEVER hunger”
“Shall NEVER thirst”
Spiritual REALITIES now true of the Believer in Jesus Christ!
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
We will be WITHOUT WANT!
Fully Satisfied in Jesus Christ!
But it doesn’t end there!!
Remember the Abrahamic covenant?
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
We as Christians are blessed - SO THAT we might become a BLESSING!
And we go back now to what Christ said at the Feast of Tabernacles...
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
Out of the heart of the Believer will flow - Rivers of Living Water...
The Holy Spirit’s work OVERFLOWS in the heart of the believer - overflowing in LOVE to those around us!
And we become a BLESSING to those around us!
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
When God works through us to accomplish His will - we end up BLESSING those around us!!
BUT - do you know how GOD works through us?
God works through those who LAY THEMSELVES DOWN!
Thinking back to God’s call of Abraham...
What did God’s call require of Abraham??
God said to him - Go from your country, and your kindred, and your Father’s house to a land I will show you...”
What does this call require of Abraham?
• Possessions - lay them down
• Security - lay it down
• Familiarity - lay it down
• Comfort - lay it down
• His own future plans - lay them down
• His time - lay it down
• Everything that we hold so tightly...required of Abraham.
And this is what it will take to BE A BLESSING!!
Just thinking through the different ministries we have here - Night to Shine comes to mind...
Think of ALL the time spent planning that event...
ALL the time spent up here getting things set up
ALL the time spent coordinating
ALL the time THAT night pointing people where to go, helping people have a great time...
ALL of that time - LAID down for the sake of others...
It will take us LAYING down our lives to then BE A BLESSING to others!!
This is what JESUS was calling mankind to - at the Feast of Tabernacles!
Jesus was declaring Himself to be - THE FULFILLMENT of the WATER RITUAL
He was the ANSWER to their PRAYER…but He was a better provision
He was the ANSWER to their thirst… but He was TRUE living water
the ANSWER to their SONG… They sang Isaiah 12:3 - but His SUPPLY was everlasting
He was the ANSWER to their NEED…and yet...
MANY did not believe...
SLIDE:
Mankind Will Celebrate God: In The Worship of Self
Celebrating God
Celebrating God
What was the point of the Feast of Tabernacles?
It was a feast - to celebrate God’s provision!
God is BEING Celebrated!! - And yet - as we know - Christ would be nailed to the cross not long after!
The people REJECTED Christ!
Celebrating God - yet REJECTING Christ!
Of course they CELEBRATED the water in the pool of Siloam....why?
Because it helped to - SUSTAIN their physical lives!
SLIDE:
When your physical life is your highest priority, you’ll celebrate whatever and whoever helps you sustain your physical life!
We LOVE to PROMOTE the things that help us stay healthy…don’t we?
Organic food
Newest exercise trend
Newest diet trend
Newest healthy drink
Right - BUT - remember what Solomon taught us?
Let’s say you find a new food…a new berry...
And this berry actually removes all bad cholesterol that has built up in your arteries...
That would be amazing....no?
But how amazing?
You’re still going to - DIE!
And as Solomon would say - THEN WHAT?
When physical life is the HIGHEST priority…it’s inevitable that our praise of God will become man-centered!
We’ve seen this in scripture...
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
Celebrating God in the Worship of Self!
God - I thank you - that I am amazing!!
TODAY - it might sound like this:
I don’t like that kind of music in church, therefore, I won’t go anymore
I think we should only sing hymns, so I rarely go to service anymore
I don’t like that...
I PREFER this!
I HATE that!! I …I …I
OR it might sound like this:
I do so much for that church
I don’t need to engage the fellowship, I know everything I need to know (thank you God)
In these cases we see a Heart that is SELF-EXALTING...
you ever know someone for whom you get the impression that they believe church is about everyone WORSHIPPING THEM?
May we never BE THIS WAY...
And it’s HARD - because we live in a CONSUMERISTIC Society!
And more importantly - our hearts are BENT on - SELF / Pride
Some questions we can ask ourselves to examine ourselves!!
SLIDE:
Do I view church in terms of what it can do for me…or do I view church in terms of what I can bring to the table?
Does my praise of God depend on the circumstances of my life?
Do I feel loved by God when suffering comes?
We ask these questions because we need to understand it’s possible to Celebrate God - in the worship of SELF!
And the bad part about worshipping self is this:
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
If you worship SELF - you are not worshipping God!
And for MANY in the temple that day - witnessing the water ritual on the last day of the Feast...
PRAYING to God for His provision...
They end up REJECTING Jesus Christ!
They WORSHIPPED the RAIN - but rejected the maker of it!
They worshipped that which would TEMPORARILY sustain them...
but REJECTED He who would ETERNALLY sustain them!
Do you see how the WORLD - is too easily satisfied?
The world seeks earthly treasure…while Christ offers ETERNAL treasures (peace with God, unending love)
The world seeks earthly peace with man…while Christ offers ETERNAL peace with God
The world seeks temporary earthly pleasure…while Christ offers ETERNAL joy
The world tries to avoid the grave....while Christ offers ETERNAL life to those who lay down their lives
The world tries to EARN heaven…while Christ offered Himself as the only acceptable sacrifice to bring us to God
Pride keeps us from turning to Christ...
Pride will always refuse to embrace humility
And so when it comes to God offering mankind a GREATER PROVISION…in Christ
Pride will pursue to KILL that which tries to kill it.
SUMMARY:
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Mankind Will Celebrate God
Mankind Will Celebrate God
SO is your worship a SELF-CENTERED worship…or have you laid yourself down?
If you’ve never submitted to Jesus Christ and His work for you…the Bible says - if you hear His voice today, do not harden your heart...
Jesus Christ LIVED a sinless life…the righteousness required to get to God...
Jesus DIED for your sins…taking God’s wrath upon Himself...
Jesus ROSE again…confirming that His sacrifice was SUFFICIENT to conquer death...
Do you believe?
Will you trust in Him?
We pursue many things in this world…He is the GREATEST provision!
Take time now to go before Him..call out to Him!
Let’s pray
Have a Great Week
Have a Great Week