Alan Bennett
Slide 1 Isaiah 12 and John 7:37-39 Sunday Oct 3 2010
Introduction… last week we looked at history and future of the church. Today is the all important “secret” to any church having a future i.e. engine room, power, Holy Spirit and prayer.
Slide 2 Feast (Festival) of Tabernacles. On each of the 7 days one major part of the celebrations was when the Priest drew water from the Pool of Siloam and paraded it through the streets back to the Temple to the crowds singing along the way from Is.12:3 “With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation”. At the temple it was poured over the alter (via a tube, as not the days when priest could enter)
Lots of explanations for this, thanks for rain, good crops etc.
(The Jerusalem Talmud c200 AD lets the cat out of the bag on this by recording, “Why is the name of it (this ceremony) called, the drawing out of water? Because of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, according to what is said, “With joy you shall draw waters out of the wells of salvation”.)
But on the “Great Day” Lev 23:36 day 8, this was not done. Hence the powerful significance of Jesus words about thirst, “If anyone is thirsty let them come to me”. Until now Jesus had not taught openly outside of the synagogue, nor is anything recorded of that teaching. He had only been answering questions and false statements. But now Jesus goes on the offensive. Now, at the culmination of the greatest feast of the Jewish calendar year He interprets the song of Isaiah in terms of the life He came to bring into his people and into his church.
Jesus takes the water symbolism and speaks of the living water he will pour out. V39 “By this he meant the Spirit.” The people are thinking of rain and their bodily needs past and future. He turns their attention to the deep needs of the soul and the way he would supply that need. In John 4 Jesus referred to the living water. But now, here we have His meaning, that living water is the Holy Spirit, the third all important person of the trinity
Slide 3 Now for some comments on the text of John 7:37-39…
“stood” as against normal practice of sitting when teaching. Recognize and remember. Emphasis importance of what is being said. (Perhaps especially for the out-of-town crowds they only had this one opportunity to hear Jesus and He knew it.)
“Loud voice” also v 28 “cried out” (no 500w amp and speakers) to be heard and with emotion. Jesus was passionate about what he said. (If it’s not worth saying don’t say it.)
“Come to me” and “believe in me” emphasis there is no other way to meet those needs. John 14:6 “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life”. For 7 days water has been poured out and nothing has happened, nothing has changed, either in their lives or in the life of the temple where all that water has gone.
“Streams of living water will flow from within” continuous supply from God flowing into and out of the heart and life of every believer who is in touch with Jesus.
Through the first believers and the Holy Spirit empowered disciples, this then carries over into the growing church, as in Acts where we recognise the life and work of the Holy Spirit is best seen and has the greatest impact on the world. The Holy Spirit is to flow through us. As individuals this may be a small brook, creek or stream, but what Jesus intends is for RIVERS to flow. Rivers are formed by (first bogs and swamps!) brooks, creeks and streams coming together as a church river and flowing in the same direction down through the dry valleys and across the vast parched plains of a struggling, lost, “God-is-irrelevant” society such as NZ.
Slide 4 We can see this and take heart from many references in Acts e.g.
Acts 4:7-12. Here is the first Apostle of the early church, telling it as it is.. and forever should be….. (read) “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit….”
Acts 6:2-5 a necessary standard for ministry in the church for any age surely… (read) “known to be full of HS” i.e. already seen, already involved.
Acts 8 the Holy Spirit is given for power evangelism, both collective and personal evangelism. Also in directing the church’s outreach.
Acts 13 the Holy Spirit leads the church into missions, more power evangelism, with confrontation with sorcery and evil spirits.
Slide 5 We can see the power and influence of the Holy Spirit upon the church through the references in the letters to the early churches…e.g.
1 Cor. 2:9-11 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
Gal. 5:22-25 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. …. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Eph. 3:14-16 “I pray he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being…..and I pray that you have power together with all the saints to grasp all the love of Christ”
Phil. 2:1-2 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
1 Thess. 1:4-6 “the Gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction…..you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”
Revelation Letters to all 7 churches ends with...”He who has an ear, let him hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches.”
Slide 6 Conclusion…
So where does all this lead us to? How is the Holy Spirit at work here at Calvin? What is the Holy Spirit saying to us? Us members, leaders, the many programmes of Calvin, internal and external.
Our combined power in ministry and service can only be the sum total of the spiritual temperature of us as individuals.
Are we hearing, listening and acting on what the Spirit is saying?
Are we experiencing the joy given by the Spirit?
Are we fellowshipping in the Spirit?
Do we know the power of the Spirit in our lives?
Are the fruit of the Spirit evident?
I pray that all of us experience the Water of Life washing over us and through us in the week ahead.
BTW how are you going with your first words in the morning? Perhaps a good thermometer of all the above!
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