Scripture: John 4 v 10 - 14; John 7 v 37 - 39.
We sing a lovely chorus:
"There's a river of life flowing out from me; it
makes the lame to walk and the blind to see; it opens prison doors and sets the
captives free; there's a river of life flowing out through me."
Jesus told the Samaritan woman He met at Jacob's Well
that He could give her living water so she would never thirst again. What do we
thirst for?
Firstly, Righteousness. Sin dries us up inside our
hearts. We become like wrinkled prunes in our soul and spirit. Dried and
shrivelled and unhappy. A thirst for right standing with God begins to move
into our conscious minds. The thirst grows more insistent and we look for many
thirst quenchers to try to slake that demanding drought within. Nothing helps
until we admit our guilt of sin towards our Father and receive Jesus as our
Saviour.
As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman when you receive the
living water you will not thirst again. Once you have Jesus within your heart
you are completely satisfied. His righteousness with the Father is extended to
us.
Secondly, we thirst for truth. Our lives are so bombarded
by lies, false promises, infidelity, scams, identity theft etc that we have
forgotten what real truth is. When we actually hear the truth our mind rejects
it as false. It is so alien it cannot be right. I am talking about the truth
concerning Jesus.
When the truth about Him is received and believed the
living water bursts forth in a joyous stream within us. In John 7 Jesus says it
will flow out of your innermost belly to touch others who are searching for
truth.
Thirdly, we thirst for knowledge and go to great lengths
and expense to expand our minds with learning. When we know Jesus who is the
sum of all knowledge, the Alpha and Omega, the well-spring of living water
refreshes our thirsting soul.
The living water in John 7 v 39 is the Holy Spirit which
could only be given after Jesus death, resurrection and ascension to Heaven
where He was glorified. Ten days later on the feast of Pentecost, the Holy
Spirit came down and the Church was born as the Disciples of Jesus burst forth
in tongues, prophecy and cloven tongues resembling fire on their heads. Acts 2.
In John 3 v 3 - 5 Jesus says we cannot even perceive
Heaven until we are born again through water and the Spirit. We must be born again, baptized in water and
in the Holy Spirit to receive the full blessing of salvation. I cannot stress
this truth enough.
This morning a small group of us were praying in tongues
and directing it towards those in need of healing. One of us saw the River of
Living Water; another saw people struggling in a sea of pain and problems. They
were fighting off sharks and leviathan and sea serpents.
We were helping them out of the stormy dangerous sea and
leading them to the River of living water. Not everyone listened or came out of
that sea. Those that did were rewarded with peace. I heard an old hymn in my
mind "Tell us the old, old story of Jesus and His love."
The Holy Spirit said to me - speak it forth and I will
bring them near to hear it. A strong anointing came upon me to share the true
and life changing Gospel of who Jesus is and what He did to rescue us. Perhaps
you heard it in your heart today, maybe it will be there tomorrow. Whenever the
Holy Spirit senses you have come to the place of maximum thirst it will be
given to you.
As soon as I had finished speaking a long breath came
forth from within me and then the anointing lifted and went wherever the Holy
Spirit wants it to go. So do not put Him in a box labelled "Not for today"
because He desires to quench your thirst and use you to meet the thirst of
others going forward.
Prayer: Heavenly Father I could not live one minute
without the flow of the Living Water, the Holy Spirit, in my life. Father let
that Old Old Story of Jesus and His Love reach every heart and mind on every
continent to quench every thirst. In Jesus' name. Amen.