The Spirit Gives Life
John 7:37-39
June 30, 2013
As you know we are studying the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
• We have seen the PROMISE of the Spirit
• We have seen the PERSON of the Spirit
• Presently we are looking at the PURPOSE of the Spirit
Most recently we have looked at sort of “the box” that the Spirit works in.
We called it His fingerprints.
Found in John 16, we learned that the basic overview of what the Holy Spirit does:
1) He Convicts of Sin
2) He Guides into the Truth
3) He Glorifies Jesus
And we even saw an illustration of that last week as we listened to His message to the Colossians who were being led away from the belief
That Jesus was enough and all sufficient.
And so we are learning who the Spirit is, as we learn what He does.
And I want to continue that this morning.
A few weeks ago as we studied the person of the Spirit
We took a brief look at some of the analogies that are used to describe Him.
In Scripture He is represented by various things:
Dove, Fire, Oil, etc.
And this morning I want us to look at one of those analogies,
Namely that the Holy Spirit is represented by “WATER”
That is clearly seen in our text this morning:
“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
This “rivers of living water” that Jesus referred to was the Holy Spirit.
And it is not hard to understand the analogy.
Water is a picture of life.
You can’t have life without it.
And because of this water has always been a picture of physical life.
You may remember in John 3 as Jesus talked to Nicodemus:
John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
Of course with Nicodemus Jesus spoke of two types of birth.
• The first birth and the second birth.
• Being born and then being born again.
• The first was “of water”
• The second was “of the Spirit”
But that water was always a picture of birth.
And what I want you to understand this morning about the Spirit
Is that He is the giver of life.
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
To begin let me make sure you understand that
There is a difference between physical life and spiritual life.
Every human being has physical life.
Plants have physical life
Animals have physical life
Physical life is common to all living things.
And physical life carries some common aspects among all living things.
• There is a beginning & an end
• Growth occurs during life
• Life requires nourishment to grow
And among physical things, nothing is more important than
The endurance and quality of that life.
A living thing wants to live as good as it can for as long as it can.
That is pretty much common with all physical life.
YET FOR MANY, THAT LIFE IS ALL THERE IS.
And that is a terribly depressing thought.
Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 “For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.”
Ecclesiastes 9:3-6 “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”
Those are in reality very depressing thoughts,
But the futility of life has created that sentiment in more than one person.
Physical life is a good thing, but if that is all there is,
Then in reality it is merely a cruel trick.
Well, the good news is that it is not all there is.
God has also made available Spiritual Life
It is not universal, it is not given automatically to all men.
Spiritual life is exclusive
Matthew 7:14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Not everyone gets it, but it is available to those who want it.
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Now the reason it is available and yet some still don’t want it is because
In order to achieve it, you have to forsake the physical life.
The natural man seeks to live as good as he can for as long as he can.
To obtain the spiritual life you must be willing to forsake that ambition.
Matthew 10:39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
And the reality is that it shouldn’t even be a difficult decision.
In fact, Jesus readily taught that you and I should
Eagerly forsake the physical life for the sake of the spiritual one.
Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
In other words, don’t try to gain life through this world,
Forsake this world and pursue the true life.
And you see what I am talking about.
And the reality is that this is a great decision to make,
For the physical life may seem to be all fulfilling,
But in reality it falls far short of all that God has for you.
The constant search for material or natural things
Is obviously a futile ambition.
Jesus actually asked:
Matthew 6:25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
And He is right isn’t He?
Is the search for food or clothing or money or stuff…is that really all there is?
There must be something more.
There must be more to this life.
Well the reality is that there is not more to this physical life,
But there is another life (a spiritual one) available if you want it.
And that is precisely what we hear Jesus saying here in John 7.
You will notice in verse 37 that Jesus is speaking at a very climactic time.
“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out…”
And just to help you understand the climax here.
This was their 7th month (October)
• On the 1st of the month they celebrated THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS
• On the 10th of the month they celebrated THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
• And then on the 15th of the month THE FEAST OF BOOTHS
This feast was a week long and culminated all the crops having been gathered in, and all Israel would come to Jerusalem for “THE” celebration of the year.
During this feast a ritual had begun (not prescribed)
And that ritual was for each day of the feast, the priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam, and carry it in procession back to the temple.
The people would quote Isaiah 12:3
Isaiah 12:3 “Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.”
And they were looking toward that great day of Israel’s resurgence
And the Messiah’s deliverance.
The last day was the “great day” for it was the grand finale.
And at this point Jesus stood and made His great offer to Israel.
• He is offering the water they are picturing.
• He is making a claim to be Messiah.
• And offering the life they so desperately want.
And you will notice what He said:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”
“If you want something more, if you want something better, then come to Me!”
Don’t go to religion…
Don’t go to some old well…
Come to Me!
Now you’ve seen that before.
We all remember the woman at the well,
Who just wanted an easier way to get water.
She had a futile and miserable physical life
And she just wanted something to make it easier.
To her Jesus said:
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
Jesus offered her spiritual life, BUT SHE HAD TO WANT IT.
Not all people do.
• Some people are quite happy with their sin.
• Some people are quite happy with their luxurious lifestyle.
(That is why the poor always came quicker than the rich)
(that is why it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven)
People who own the world aren’t as desperate
For something more as those who do not.
But the first key to getting this life Jesus is referring to
Is that you actually thirst for it.
Isaiah 55:1-3 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.”
Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
You have to want something better, you have to want something more.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
And then, if you thirst, you have to act on that thirst.
“let him come to Me and drink”
The first thing people were going to have to do is recognize that
Jesus was the One who could give what they wanted.
And then they would have to take it on His terms.
That is what it means to “drink”
And this seemed to be a tough one for Israel.
John 5:40 “and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
You may remember the Rich Young Ruler.
• Who wanted life…
• Who came to Jesus to get it…
• But when Jesus offered it, he wasn’t willing to drink.
He didn’t want the cost associated with the life he pursued.
He instead chose to keep his old life.
He valued the physical life as worth more than the spiritual life.
But Jesus said, if you want life, then come to Me
And take what I have for you.
(38) “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
Now please notice the peculiarity of that statement.
Jesus just told them to come to Him if you were thirst and drink.
Wouldn’t you expect Him to say, “For from Me will flow rivers of living water to you”?
But that isn’t what He said.
He said, if you believe in Me,
Living water will flow from your innermost being.
Jesus was saying, “I’ll put life inside of you!”
WHAT IS THIS LIFE?
(39) “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
All of this life…
All of these rivers of living water…
It all referenced the Spirit whom Jesus would send
To dwell inside His followers.
And we understand that the Holy Spirit then
Is the One who makes us alive.
He isn’t coming to give physical life – you already have that.
He is coming to give spiritual life.
Now let me tell you first a little about this spiritual life,
And why it is better than physical life.
1) IT IS ETERNAL
The biggest grief we face with the physical life is that it always ends.
In fact, Paul taught us that
“flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”
This body will die.
But spiritual life is different, it never ends.
Remember what Jesus told Martha when Lazarus died?
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
What kind of statement is that?
If you believe in Me, you will live even if you die?
If you live you will never die?
How can that be?
Everyone dies.
Jesus obviously wasn’t referring to physical life, but spiritual life.
He was saying that the life I can put it in you
Can even survive physical death.
Nothing will put an end to this life I will put in you.
It is eternal.
That, by the way, is also why it is incorrect for a Christian to say that “Someday I will get eternal life.”
If you are a Christian, you already have eternal life.
The life you have been given will never die nor leave.
The body may die, but your life will remain.
Let me tell you another great attribute about this spiritual life.
2) IT IS ABUNDANT
We all remember the statement of Jesus:
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
That is one of the most misunderstood
And misapplied verses in the whole Bible.
It has become the number one gimmick verse
For trying to seduce people to follow Jesus.
And people use it to say that if you come to Jesus, your life will be filled with abundance and plenty and prosperity and health and happiness…
To apply the verse likes that misses the point.
The concept would be Jesus making this life better.
No, Jesus is not talking about renovating your physical life
Or enhancing your physical life.
Jesus is talking about the spiritual life He gives.
And the spiritual life He gives is abundant.
In other words, there is tons of it.
There is an unending supply.
It is the same thing He said to the woman at the well.
John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
It is the same thing He said in John 7 about the Holy Spirit.
John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”
The life He gives is sufficient, is abundant; there is plenty of it.
This physical life is often characterized by need or by lack
We even face sickness and illness
And people literally fight to keep this life going.
NOT SO WITH THE SPIRITUAL LIFE – IT IS ABUNDANT!
3) IT IS FREEDOM
This physical life is all about dependency.
You need food…
You need water…
You need exercise…
And there are those carnal vices that we think we need,
Which often times captivate us and conquer us.
And before long this body actually controls us.
Well the spiritual life is not enslaved to anything, it is free.
Romans 6:4-7 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”
When we trade the old life for the new, we gain a life that is free from sin.
We gain a life that is not dependant on carnal things.
4) IT IS INTIMATE
The spiritual life enjoys and intimacy with God
That the physical life never did.
Remember what Paul said about the old life?
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
When the physical life is all you have, you are completely ignorant of the things of God and have no intimacy with Him.
In fact, Scripture teaches that without the spiritual life,
Not only are we on the wrong path, but are actually at enmity with God.
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
However, when we were made alive, we were brought near to God,
We were granted fellowship with God, and we came to know God.
It is a spiritual life far greater and far superior
To any life we have ever previously known.
And hopefully as we talk a little about this life, you can today remember
What it felt like when you finally came alive.
I will never forget it.
I can tell you the exact moment I was born.
(And incidentally, if you moved from death to life,
Don’t you think you ought to be able to tell the difference?)
In an instant I had emotions, passions, convictions,
And understanding like I had never had before.
In an instant I was being led by God in a way that was really foreign to me.
I wanted new things, and I could understand the value o
F walking in obedience to the word of God.
And hopefully you can recognize that in your life.
Paul explained it like this:
Philippians 3:5-11 “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Paul had physical life,
But when he received spiritual life, everything changed.
He was no longer in pursuit of worldly ambitions,
But he was now in pursuit of the righteousness that is found in Christ.
It is really a miraculous thing.
That God could take a person engrossed in worldly pursuits
And completely change their desires and ultimately their direction.
But what I really want you to understand this morning,
Is where that came from.
• Do not assume that you just reached a place in your life where you decided to do things differently.
• Do not assume that you just reached a level of intellect beyond that of the world, and since you were smarter than them, you had the where with all to choose the higher road.
That is not what happened.
What happened is exactly what Jesus said would happen back in John 7.
John 7:38-39 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive…”
• The thing that happened to you…
• The thing that made you change…
• The thing that caused your desires to be different…
• The thing that caused you to understand the things of God…
• The thing that transformed your goals and ambitions…
THAT WAS THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVING INSIDE OF YOU
HE MOVED IN AND MADE YOU ALIVE
TURN TO: EZEKIEL 37:1-14
Now let me help you make a very important distinction here.
Obviously we know what a pile of old bones represents,
Those are dead people.
Here they represent spiritually dead people.
But you will notice that God organized them
And actually put them back together.
And by the time we get to verse 8,
They look like every other living army, but there is one problem.
THERE IS NO LIFE IN THEM
UNTIL WHAT?
Until the Holy Spirit moved in and made them alive.
Listen, this a reality we face even today in so many religious circles.
TURN TO: REVELATION 3:1-6
They were the church with a rich history
And one that lived on it’s past accomplishments.
They were like a lot of people I talk to today who say things like,
“My grandpa was a preacher” or “My great-grandpa was a deacon in that church”
Do they suppose that the spiritual life of their ancestors is somehow compensating for their lack of spiritual life today?
That is what the church at Sardis thought.
They looked alive…
They acted alive…
They had all the programs…
BUT THEY DID NOT HAVE LIFE
And that is one of the main reasons
We are studying about the Holy Spirit.
• We don’t need to be an army of flesh with no Spirit…
• We don’t need to be a church with programs but no Spirit…
The Holy Spirit gives life!
Picture it like a water hose
(all sorts of attachments, but it must have water)
WE NEED THE WATER, WE NEED THE BREATH, WE NEED LIFE
Eternal Life
Abundant Life
Free Life
Intimate Life
And if you recognize that difference in your life, then by all means, give Him the glory and allow Him to continue to do in you all that He desires.
If you don’t recognize that difference, then do what the Scripture says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”
Because everyone who is thirsty for more,
And who comes to Jesus,
Willing to accept the life He offers,
Believing in Him,
They receive that eternal, abundant, free, intimate life!
And if you will deny yourself and trust in Jesus,
Then this endless rivers of living water will flow through you as well.
He gives life.
John 7:38-39 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
