Living Water
Hi everybody, it’s Pastor Dave Shepardson from wordbymail.com. We’d love for you to go to the website at wordbymail.com and check out the Bible teaching ministry there. Over a thousand verse-by-verse Bible teaching messages there, and our daily devotion ministry that we call Alone With God. We are all about helping you get Alone With God, with his Living Word lit alive by the power of the Holy Spirit, where you can meet with God individually, personally, and intimately and allow God to transform you by renewing your mind through his Word and by his Spirit. That’s what we’re about.
So, if you have an Alone With God journal, grab it. If you don’t have one, you might want to check it out at wordbymail.com. If you have one, open yours to a “Daily Journal” page. In the journals, we teach you how to do three things. Here they are – here are the steps. It’s Meditate, Apply, and Respond. And so we’re going to help you meditate on God’s Word, and then apply it personally and specifically to your life, and then respond to it. And then we’re going to encourage you to Pray, to write your prayer out to God to finish. I promise that doing this over an extended period of time, making this a daily routine, it will transform your life by renewing your mind through God’s Word and by his Spirit.
So, grab your Bible for sure, even if you don’t have a journal. Grab your Bible. Turn it to John Chapter 7 today. We’ve been going through the life of Jesus, and this is an awesome couple of verses in John Chapter 7. We’re going to start in verse 37.
This occurs on the last day, that great day of the Feast of Tabernacles where all of the male Jews, but really Jerusalem, would just explode with Jewish families celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, which reminded them of God’s care for them during the forty years in the Wilderness. And in that there’s a really special ceremony that they call The Water Libation. And what they would do is they would go down to the Pool of Siloam (that’s the Gihon Springs), And the priests would gather water into pitchers, and the people would sing and dance on their way back up to the Temple from the Pool of Siloam. And then the water would be poured out on a rock at the altar, the Altar of Burnt Offering there. And this whole ceremony symbolized the water coming from the rock in the Wilderness. And so, that’s how God provided them life in the Wilderness. And so, it’s a great celebration, a great ceremony.
And so, with that background, we pick up in John 7:37. Here’s what it says. I’m reading from the NLT (the New Living Translation). You follow me in what Bible you have.
37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Guys, listen, this Water Libation ceremony that they’ve been doing every day during the Feast of Tabernacles, this ceremony was this great celebration of God providing Living Water – water from the Rock in the Wilderness. And, Jesus says, on the last day, the climax day of the festival, he stands up in the Temple, and he shouts to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! And Jesus is clearly trying to get across to the people that the Rock in the Wilderness that was struck once, and then God told Moses to speak to it the second time, and that didn’t work out well for Moses. But that Rock that was struck in the Wilderness was Christ. He was the Stone that would be struck and that Living Water would come out of.
And so, Jesus is saying, Listen. If you’re thirsty (this is the meditate part, guys, really focus on this word), if you are thirsty – anyone who’s thirsty – This refers to spiritual thirst. Do you have a hunger? Do you have a hunger? Do you have a spiritual hunger? Do you desire new spiritual life? “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!
And notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “Hey, you should come to my church. We’ve got an awesome coffee cart and super cool concert-level worship.” Or “You should go to this church or go to that church.” Or “You have to become part of this church or part of that church.” Listen, forget all that. It’s not in the Bible. It just isn’t, I’m sorry. Sorry to offend anybody. In the Bible, Jesus says, if you’re thirsty, if you have a spiritual thirst, come to me. Come to Jesus personally. One on one. Relationally. “Come to me if you’re thirsty,” Jesus says.
And then verse 38 says, 38 Anyone who believes in me . . . The word believes means to put your full trust and faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who puts their full trust and faith in me, Jesus says, may come and drink! Drink. Drink. Drink. Drink. Not come to church. Not hear about Jesus. Not check off a religious box. But come to Jesus and drink. Remember, he IS the Living Water. And so, coming to him, being thirsty is that picture of you needing him, recognizing your need when you drink. When you drink him in – it’s taking Jesus in. It’s receiving him into your life. It’s receiving the life of who Jesus Christ is into your life. Anyone who puts their faith and trust, anyone who believes may come and drink.
And then the end of verse 38 says, For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” That’s Jesus speaking still. Guys, when we recognize our thirst, and we come to Jesus as the deer pants for the water, we come to Jesus and drink him in, Jesus promises us that rivers of Living Water will flow from our heart.
And then John comments on it in verse 39. He explains it. And he says 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit [that’s the Holy Spirit], who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
Listen, guys, please spend a minute. Meditate. The first step in your journal is to meditate on these words. You can even pause this guide and meditate on this. Jesus stood with this incredible ceremony and says if you are thirsty, if you have a genuine spiritual thirst, come to him personally. Come to him personally. What does that mean for you? Set all that religious cultural stuff aside and come to Jesus. That’s what the Bible says. Anyone who believes in him – if you put your full faith and trust in him. Anyone who believes in him may come and drink him in. Drink in the waters of life – his life. And then rivers of Living Water (speaking of the Holy Spirit) will pour out of you. Oh! Man! That’s good!! So, that’s your meditation. Write down in your journal. In the Alone With God journal, it says, “What is God’s Word saying? What are the spiritual principles here?” And I just kind of helped you grasp some of those, hopefully.
And then the second step is Apply. And so, in the journal, it says, “How does this apply to my life today, personally and specifically?” How does this apply to your life? Write it down. Spend some time wrestling with God.
And then, finally, Respond. “What action will I take today in response to this truth?” That’s what the journal asks. There’s got to be a response. There’s got to be a response. Maybe yours today would be, “Lord, I come to you today. I am thirsty. I need more than what I’ve been trying to get from this life. I need more than what I’ve been trying to get from religion. I need you. I need you personally. I need to take in your life and be filled with your Living Water.” (You know, something like that might be good for you.)
And then Pray. Write down your prayer in your journal.
And listen, if you have a blank journal, you can do the same thing. That’s why I went through the steps. So, let me pray for you and then send you off to do that.
Lord, Jesus, we are thirsty, Lord. Our hearts are thirsty for you. Lord, we need to come to you for the Living Water that you offer us freely, Lord. And so, we put our faith and our trust in YOU today. You, personally, Lord. And we drink in the life of your life that Living Water. Lord, we drink it in. We receive you today, Lord, and we pray, Lord, that you would draw us closer, and closer, and closer that we continue to drink of your Living Water so that Living Water would flow from our hearts. Show us, Lord, Holy Spirit, convict us. Show us what we need to do this. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you that you are our Life. Thank you, Lord. Thank you that you are our Living Water. In your name, we pray, Jesus, amen.
Alright, guys. Man – go to your journal if you’re a journaler (and I hope you are). Write these things down. Maybe even listen through this again.
And then, go to wordbymail.com. See what we’ve got for you there. It’s just a ton of stuff. Better yet, download the Word By Mail app on your phone. Just go to your app store. Search Word By Mail. Download the Word By Mail app and everything is there. It’s good. It’s good. Wordbymail.com or text us at (877) 790-WORD (877) 790-9673.
God bless your day. Drink in the Living Water of Jesus Christ today. And I will see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
So, if you have an Alone With God journal, grab it. If you don’t have one, you might want to check it out at wordbymail.com. If you have one, open yours to a “Daily Journal” page. In the journals, we teach you how to do three things. Here they are – here are the steps. It’s Meditate, Apply, and Respond. And so we’re going to help you meditate on God’s Word, and then apply it personally and specifically to your life, and then respond to it. And then we’re going to encourage you to Pray, to write your prayer out to God to finish. I promise that doing this over an extended period of time, making this a daily routine, it will transform your life by renewing your mind through God’s Word and by his Spirit.
So, grab your Bible for sure, even if you don’t have a journal. Grab your Bible. Turn it to John Chapter 7 today. We’ve been going through the life of Jesus, and this is an awesome couple of verses in John Chapter 7. We’re going to start in verse 37.
This occurs on the last day, that great day of the Feast of Tabernacles where all of the male Jews, but really Jerusalem, would just explode with Jewish families celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, which reminded them of God’s care for them during the forty years in the Wilderness. And in that there’s a really special ceremony that they call The Water Libation. And what they would do is they would go down to the Pool of Siloam (that’s the Gihon Springs), And the priests would gather water into pitchers, and the people would sing and dance on their way back up to the Temple from the Pool of Siloam. And then the water would be poured out on a rock at the altar, the Altar of Burnt Offering there. And this whole ceremony symbolized the water coming from the rock in the Wilderness. And so, that’s how God provided them life in the Wilderness. And so, it’s a great celebration, a great ceremony.
And so, with that background, we pick up in John 7:37. Here’s what it says. I’m reading from the NLT (the New Living Translation). You follow me in what Bible you have.
37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Guys, listen, this Water Libation ceremony that they’ve been doing every day during the Feast of Tabernacles, this ceremony was this great celebration of God providing Living Water – water from the Rock in the Wilderness. And, Jesus says, on the last day, the climax day of the festival, he stands up in the Temple, and he shouts to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! And Jesus is clearly trying to get across to the people that the Rock in the Wilderness that was struck once, and then God told Moses to speak to it the second time, and that didn’t work out well for Moses. But that Rock that was struck in the Wilderness was Christ. He was the Stone that would be struck and that Living Water would come out of.
And so, Jesus is saying, Listen. If you’re thirsty (this is the meditate part, guys, really focus on this word), if you are thirsty – anyone who’s thirsty – This refers to spiritual thirst. Do you have a hunger? Do you have a hunger? Do you have a spiritual hunger? Do you desire new spiritual life? “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!
And notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “Hey, you should come to my church. We’ve got an awesome coffee cart and super cool concert-level worship.” Or “You should go to this church or go to that church.” Or “You have to become part of this church or part of that church.” Listen, forget all that. It’s not in the Bible. It just isn’t, I’m sorry. Sorry to offend anybody. In the Bible, Jesus says, if you’re thirsty, if you have a spiritual thirst, come to me. Come to Jesus personally. One on one. Relationally. “Come to me if you’re thirsty,” Jesus says.
And then verse 38 says, 38 Anyone who believes in me . . . The word believes means to put your full trust and faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who puts their full trust and faith in me, Jesus says, may come and drink! Drink. Drink. Drink. Drink. Not come to church. Not hear about Jesus. Not check off a religious box. But come to Jesus and drink. Remember, he IS the Living Water. And so, coming to him, being thirsty is that picture of you needing him, recognizing your need when you drink. When you drink him in – it’s taking Jesus in. It’s receiving him into your life. It’s receiving the life of who Jesus Christ is into your life. Anyone who puts their faith and trust, anyone who believes may come and drink.
And then the end of verse 38 says, For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” That’s Jesus speaking still. Guys, when we recognize our thirst, and we come to Jesus as the deer pants for the water, we come to Jesus and drink him in, Jesus promises us that rivers of Living Water will flow from our heart.
And then John comments on it in verse 39. He explains it. And he says 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit [that’s the Holy Spirit], who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
Listen, guys, please spend a minute. Meditate. The first step in your journal is to meditate on these words. You can even pause this guide and meditate on this. Jesus stood with this incredible ceremony and says if you are thirsty, if you have a genuine spiritual thirst, come to him personally. Come to him personally. What does that mean for you? Set all that religious cultural stuff aside and come to Jesus. That’s what the Bible says. Anyone who believes in him – if you put your full faith and trust in him. Anyone who believes in him may come and drink him in. Drink in the waters of life – his life. And then rivers of Living Water (speaking of the Holy Spirit) will pour out of you. Oh! Man! That’s good!! So, that’s your meditation. Write down in your journal. In the Alone With God journal, it says, “What is God’s Word saying? What are the spiritual principles here?” And I just kind of helped you grasp some of those, hopefully.
And then the second step is Apply. And so, in the journal, it says, “How does this apply to my life today, personally and specifically?” How does this apply to your life? Write it down. Spend some time wrestling with God.
And then, finally, Respond. “What action will I take today in response to this truth?” That’s what the journal asks. There’s got to be a response. There’s got to be a response. Maybe yours today would be, “Lord, I come to you today. I am thirsty. I need more than what I’ve been trying to get from this life. I need more than what I’ve been trying to get from religion. I need you. I need you personally. I need to take in your life and be filled with your Living Water.” (You know, something like that might be good for you.)
And then Pray. Write down your prayer in your journal.
And listen, if you have a blank journal, you can do the same thing. That’s why I went through the steps. So, let me pray for you and then send you off to do that.
Lord, Jesus, we are thirsty, Lord. Our hearts are thirsty for you. Lord, we need to come to you for the Living Water that you offer us freely, Lord. And so, we put our faith and our trust in YOU today. You, personally, Lord. And we drink in the life of your life that Living Water. Lord, we drink it in. We receive you today, Lord, and we pray, Lord, that you would draw us closer, and closer, and closer that we continue to drink of your Living Water so that Living Water would flow from our hearts. Show us, Lord, Holy Spirit, convict us. Show us what we need to do this. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you that you are our Life. Thank you, Lord. Thank you that you are our Living Water. In your name, we pray, Jesus, amen.
Alright, guys. Man – go to your journal if you’re a journaler (and I hope you are). Write these things down. Maybe even listen through this again.
And then, go to wordbymail.com. See what we’ve got for you there. It’s just a ton of stuff. Better yet, download the Word By Mail app on your phone. Just go to your app store. Search Word By Mail. Download the Word By Mail app and everything is there. It’s good. It’s good. Wordbymail.com or text us at (877) 790-WORD (877) 790-9673.
God bless your day. Drink in the Living Water of Jesus Christ today. And I will see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
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