The Holy Spirit and Us (3)

Jesus was a unique human. There are many times in the day when I do things I don’t even understand why I do them. I constantly shake my leg, I sit when I’m supposed to stand and vise versa. I say and do stupid and sometimes meaningless things, but not Jesus. It seems that every time Jesus moved it was on purpose.

We are still in the sermon series of the Holy Spirit, but we need context to understand this mornings Scripture.

John 7:37–39 ESV

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

Jesus is giving an invitation-Specifically he is announcing one of the main purposes of the Holy Spirit and we are going to dive into that in a bit, but I want you to notice something.

Jesus Stood Up

Now if this was me it wouldn’t much matter. I am not as thoughtful your purposeful in my actions the way Jesus was.

In those time teachers sat. Unlike today where the preacher stands and everyone else sits (probably to keep the preacher from teaching forever as his legs get tired) In Jesus’ day the teacher sat. The fact that Jesus is teaching something, but stands up to do so is culturally wrong. So why does he stand:

The reason is tied to the idea that he cried out. Those who stood and cried out were specifically Heralds who represented a King or Caesar. They were giving a rural announcement or an imperial invitation. They came, not with their own words, or even of their own Authority, but rather they came with the power and position of the throne.

Jesus is giving such an announcement. He isn’t coming in the power of man, but rather in the Authority of God and with the power and position of God’s throne. Jesus was declaring a direct word of God to those who submit to God’s authority.

Jesus is announcing the cure to an endless condition;

If anyone Thirsts

It’s interesting that a person can do weeks and months without food, but only days without water. We can store food. Hence why I am heft. I am not fat I am just creating a food pantry inside my body.

Thirst will kill you quickly, but it also announces itself loudly. Thirst is hard to ignore. When you are thirsty it affects your entire body. Your lips dry, you feel weaker, you get a headache. Muscle Ache, and your mind begins to focus on finding a source of water. Thirst isn’t easily ignored.

God asks:

Are any of you in spiritual need? Spiritual need is like physical thirst-even those who don’t know they need it seek it out in one form or another. Cries for positive thoughts. Cries for filling a void-which people use drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, etc. Everyone thirsts for something more, but for those who thirst for God Stuart Briscoe made this statement:

God will meet man on the level of his desire, man can have as much or as little as he wants

Jesus is making an invitation that states: He will fill the void in our life to the depth in which you desire Him.

Which is why Jesus gives the invitation:

Let Him come to Me and Drink

Now as we find out later in this verse: Jesus isn’t talking about himself, but rather he is talking about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

What is the promise:

Rivers of living water

Interesting factoid.

The Amazon river finds its origin above the freeze line of the Andes Mountains in South America. There, Little trickles of water emerge from the frozen ground and flow down the mountain creating little streams. As these little streams come together a majestic river is formed. As the river flows it picks up speed and power. From the tops of the mountain to its destination it travels 3,600 miles where it finds its home in the Atlantic Ocean.

but here’s the interesting part. As the river flows it hits the Ocean at the rate of 1.4 million gallons of water per second. With such great force fresh water pushes back the Oceanic salt water 60 miles out.

Imagine such a force coming against you, such a power flowing through you that the the very thirst—the very pain you are expereicing the very trouble you are having a hard time getting over is whipped out with the flowing force of living water.

Living water

What’s that mean

Entering the temple (the presence of God) required ritual purification in a special bath called a “mikveh.” What made these baths special was a natural source of water that flowed into each one creating a small pool of “living water.” Living water was any source of naturally flowing water that was directed to a place of collection for ritual use. Once the water was drawn or stored, it ceased to be living water. Each visitor to the temple bathed in a mikveh filled with living water to become ritually pure before entering the temple of God.

They took these baths to cleanse themselves of sin. Remember in the Old Testament people were killed by the presence of God if there were sin in their life when they came to His presence. They would cleanse in these pools and this satisfied God.

Interestingly if you stored this water it would no longer be living. Meaning it had not cleansing power. Jesus is offering the HOly Spirit, Which will continually cleanse us and make us pure so that we can continually walk in the presence of God.If we try to stop the movement of the Holy Spirit in our life the cleansing stops.

Meaning that if we try to stop the Spirit from convicting us of sin, if we try to stop theSpirit from making more like Christ then we are putting s stop to the cleansing of God which removes us from the presence of God.

As American Christians today we tend to focus on the thirst-The desire for more, but in that day the Jews would have focused on the ritual bath. No longer did they have to travel to cleanse themselves. No longer were the wealthy the only ones who had these pools in their homes and could cleanse themselves and experience the presence of God. Jesus was giving the Jews an open offer to a nonstop source of purity in a person’s heart.

The Jews would have understood, not how this would be accomplished, but rather that they were granted unlimited accessibility to God. That which we take advantage of every day.

The Holy Spirit gives un unfeathered access to God. Not only is he going to fill us, but he wants to be apart of our every day life.

No longer did God want to be confined to a space, but wanted to roam freely with us as we roam freely. He not only want us to be filled with his power and authority, but he wants it flow through us. He wants us to be a source of power and authority. Imagine if every Christ was like the ice on the Andes Mountain…dripping into a collective pool—the world. What force could we have on our lives and the lives of those around us? What pushing momentum could we have if we drank from that river everyday. This is the promise of God.

Access to Him at any given moment. All we have to do is desire it. Not just for a minute, or a time, or when we think we are worthy, but every second of every day!