John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, nad drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)
The above Scripture took place during the
Feast of Pentecost. It was considered the great feast day, the Feast
of First fruits. This is the very day of the feast on which the Holy
Spirit would be given to the world a bit later.
Jesus made an announcement about
the Holy Spirit. Jesus was the talk of the town. He made a great and
profound statement about the Holy Spirit. Let's look at some
reactions to Jesus some of the folks who attended this feast had.
John
7:15 ...How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
John
7:31 ...When Christ cometh, will He do more miracles?
John
7:46 ...Never man spake like this
John
7:48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?
If
any man thirst... What
an invitation to whosoever will! Notice
to whom this invitation was given. Not to those who have prayed and
fasted long enough. Not to those who have prayed through
– or prayed loud
enough. Not to those who have repeated phrases of praises enough.
Not even to those who have recently participated in the Lord's Supper
or been baptized. This invitation was given
to those who are thirsty!
How
wonderful it was for Jesus to express it in this manner. Some
reading this blog might not know how to get religious
enough. Some might not be able to reform
enough. Some here might not understand theology
enough. But everyone
knows how it feels to be thirsty.
Do
you thirst
to know that the guilt
is gone? Do you thirst
to know that the record is clean?
Do
you thirst
for fellowship
with God? Do you thirst
for a closer walk with Jesus?
The
instructions Jesus gave for receiving the Holy Spirit were not
complicated. Quite the opposite it true, in fact. Jesus said, Let
Him come unto Me, and drink. It
can't get much simpler than that! Jesus didn't say, “Let Him come
unto me and shout, pray, sing, sweat or even praise.” He said,
“Come
and drink” To
receive this refreshing water, come to Jesus
and drink.
Consider
the call by Isaiah,
Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath
no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money and without price (Isaiah 55:1). Consider
the last
invitation in the Bible. It's found in Revelation
22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely
What
is meant by “come
unto Me and drink”?
To
come to Him is to believe
on Him. To come to Him is to trust
Him. To come to Him is to receive
Him. Note that the requirement for receiving the Holy
Spirit is
the same as that for receiving Jesus.
Upon
receiving Jesus as our personal Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into
the life of the believer.
There's
an inner fountain that flows when the Holy Spirit indwells us. Look
at these words of Jesus, Out
of his belly (innermost being; spirit man) shall flow rivers of
Living Water. You
see, we are not to be cisterns,
but rather rivers.
A
cistern is an artificial receptacle for water. Cisterns
don't
flow...rivers
do.
Wrap your mind around this, if you will. As believers, we are not
like the Dead
Sea...but
a great
river. We
are not like a swamp...but
a refreshing stream.
The
figure of rivers
contrasts with that of a fountain
(John
4:14)
illustrating the difference between one's new
birth
and one's experience of the overflowing fullness
of the Spirit-led life
What
will flow in these rivers? The fruit
of the Spirit
will flow in these rivers (Galatians 5:22). The compassion
of Christ
will flow in these rivers. The
power of the Holy Spirit
will flow in these rivers. He leads
us and guides
us into all truth. He comforts us. He empowers us to live a
victorious Christian life. He gives us power to be effective
witnesses to others. Faith
will flow in these rivers
Those
who are satisfied by Jesus
will themselves
become channels of spiritual refreshment for others.
How deep do you want to go with God? There's no shortage of His
Spirit. The real question is How
thirsty are you? Are
you thirsty? Come to Jesus and drink! The Holy Spirit is yours!
Until
next time...enjoy the journey!
Ray
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