Helps for Daily Life 6

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BIBLE STUDY 2: HELPS FOR DAILY LIFE

 

A SERIES:  THERE IS HOPE

LESSON 6: John 7:37-39 THE GLORY OF AN OVERFLOWING LIFE

 

John 7:37-39 (KJV)

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  39 (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.)"

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The time is the feast of the tabernacles.  The feast of the tabernacles had a climatic ceremony.  The High Priest would go to the pool of Siloam and fill a golden pitcher of water, carry that pitcher of water back to the temple and pour that water out at the altar.  There would be a procession of people following him, and there would be music, dancing, and praising.  There would be a time of joy and religious fervor.  This was the highlight and the climax of the feast.

 

The Bible tells us that Jesus was there that day and everything going on really pictured Him.  Jesus is that well of salvation, Jesus is the water of life, and all that was going on was going on was a symbol of Jesus.  However, the people did not realize that nor did they understand that.  These people were going through the ceremony, the routine, and the ritual, but they did not really understand that it was all about the Lord Jesus.

 

Jesus knew that this same crowd that was leaping and dancing, shouting and praising, would the next day go back to their same old fears, failures, faults and frustrations.  Jesus knew that these people had religion but they did not have reality.  Jesus knew these people had form but they did not have God.  Jesus knew that these people had ceremony but they did not have Christ.

 

Something welled up in the heart of Jesus and the Bible says that right in the midst of all that was going on, "Jesus stood and cried"  which means, "Jesus stood and shouted”.  I can picture in my mind Jesus in the midst of all that was going on among all of these misdirected, misinformed people, standing with His hands cupped over His mouth and shouting, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink".  Because everything they were doing was all about the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

However, it was also more than about the Lord Jesus Christ -   it was also about the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says, "But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive..."  Now Jesus was not talking about Salvation alone, but Jesus was talking about the spirit-filled life, which is an overflowing life.  

 

I believe that point us to what this lesson is all about for all of us, whether we have received Jesus as our personal Savior or whether that is the next most important step in your life to be taken.  Therefore that is what I want to look at in this Bible Study THE GLORY OF AN OVERFLOWING LIFE.  

 

It seems that many if not most people today have a joy that is only temporary, all depending on that with which they are involved.  The world had so geared us to momentary pleasures that we have a tendency to go from one thing to another looking for something to give us a thrill and an excitement for the moment but it is never lasting.  We have bought into that mentality and entertainment and self-gratification has become the commonplace with most people, Christians, and non-Christians alike.  However, when all is said and done, the next day people go back to their same old fears, failures, faults, and frustrations.  We must come to understand there is more to life than the moment and what we can get.  There is also that which we can receive and give away to others who are THIRSTY and do not know where to find the water source.

 

INTERPRETATION AND EXPLANATION

 

I see 4 basic steps in the formula that Jesus gives in having AN OVERFLOWING LIFE in verses 36 and 37.  “…Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

 

I.     THE FIRST STEP IN THE FORMULA THAT JESUS GIVES IS IN UNDERSTANDING THE SUBJECTS OF AN OVERFLOWING LIFE.  The subjects are “any man” or “any person”   They are the people to whom Jesus is speaking, which is all of us who will hear but he adds something else.  Notice how everything hinges on the little word, "IF".  Verse 37 says, "...[IF] any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink."

 

The reason that some people don't have any satisfaction          is because they don't have any thirst.  It seems that most folks are not thirsty today for the things pertaining to God.  Many who believe there is a God only use that belief as a convenience.  Many of those who believe in God are also guilty of the same because they have bought a bill of goods from the world and they are content to stay just as they are until they are absolutely desperate and there is nowhere else to turn.

 

It seems that in most hearts today there is no divine discontentment; there is no holy heartburn, there is no deep spiritual thirst for Godly life or living.  I am convinced of this one thing, I do not know how much of God you have, but I am persuaded that you have just about all of God you want.  The reason people do not have any more of God in their life than they do is because they do not want any more of God in their life than they have.  Nevertheless, Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." 

 

We wonder why it seems like everything around us is falling apart and we are seeing so many terrible things happen and everything is looking so depressing across the world stage.  We analyze our surroundings, we study our statistics, we scrutinize our enemies, we evaluate our leaders, we review our policies, we practice our politics, and we look at our poles, trying to figure out what our greatest problem is today.  The greatest problem facing our so-called Christian nation and the churches across our land today is that we are just not hungry and thirsty for spiritual things!  We have dethroned Jesus in every way possible and enthroned man, thus putting us on a downward spiral to nothingness.  Jesus said “Without Me you can do nothing.”  A shallow hunger and a shallow thirst will bring a shallow satisfaction.  Whereas, a deep hunger and a deep thirst will bring a deep satisfaction.  Jesus hinges everything on a "thirst", "If any man thirst..." 

 

It is not our job to try and persuade God to fill us with the Holy Spirit.  It is our job to permit God to fill us with the Holy Spirit by coming to Him with A THIRST – A DESIRE!  The only people, churches, and Christians that Jesus turns away  are those who are disobedient and unrepentant who are determined to be filled with the stagnant waters of self-reliance and self-love. 

 

People in general, along with Churches, and Christians individually, today have been drinking at every other fountain and feeding upon everything under the sun         and they are not thirsty for the Lord Jesus.  There are people who are looking for some kind of excitement, or for some kind of momentary emotional high, or for some kind of entertainment, or for some kind of religious exercise.  The question of the day is this:  Where are the people who will say, "O God, I must have you and I thirst for you”?

 

Thirst is a powerful force, isn't it?  Have you ever been thirsty – really thirsty?  Have you ever been cut off from water for a while? 

 

I heard about a little girl who asked her mother in the middle of the night for a drink of water.  The mother got up and gave that little girl a drink of water.  About half an hour later she said, "Mother, can I have another drink of water?"  The mother wearily got up and gave her another drink of water.  About 20 minutes later, she said, "Mother, can I have another drink of water?"  The mother said, "I'm going to get you one more drink of water, but if I hear from you again tonight, I am going to spank you.  Do you understand?"  Thirty minutes later the little girl said, “Mother, when you get up to spank me, would you bring me a drink of water?"

 

Thirst is a power force!  How much would you pay for a glass of water if you were really thirsty?  You can turn on the water and get plenty of water free and you would probably say you wouldn't pay anything for a glass of water.  However, today people are buying water in bottles all of the time.  Nevertheless, suppose you were in the middle of the desert, with a dehydrated body, you have parched skin, you have a dry tongue sticking to the roof of your mouth, and you have cracked lips.  You knew that without water you were going to perish, and if someone comes to you with a glass of water, (ice cold, clear, pure water), how much would you pay for it?  [$1.00, $5.00, $10.00, $100.00, $1,000.00?]  "Yea all that a man hath will he give for his life."  No matter how rough and tough you are, or how self-sufficient you think you are, I dare say, that you would give everything that you possess for one glass of water under certain conditions. 

 

Listen, it is not that we can purchase this water of life because we cannot.  However, what I am trying to tell you is that there must be that kind of desire for spiritual things before God will do   business with us.  God does business with those that mean business,  and that is the reason that Jesus hinged all of this on this statement, “If any man thirst..."

 

Now, if you realize that you are not thirsty for spiritual things, why don’t you pray that God will make you thirsty?  If you realize that you are not concerned about spiritual matters, would you at least get concerned that you are not concerned?  If you are not thirsty for the things of God, would you at least thirst to be thirsty?  Would you at least go before God and say, "God, there is something wrong with me.  I don't even desire spiritual things.  O God, help me to be thirsty."

 

INTERPRETATION AND EXPLANATION

 

"...Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink." 

 

II.            THE SECOND STEP IN THE FORMULA THAT JESUS GIVES IS IN UNDERSTANDING THE SOURCE OF AN OVERFLOWING LIFE.  The source is Jesus.  Now, there is no way to come to Jesus without coming from yourself.  Jesus said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself..."  

 

However I want to be quick to say that denying self is not denying yourself things.  There are a lot of people who think it is somehow Godly to go without some of the pleasures that God has afforded us.  The Bible tells us that “God has given us all things to enjoy”.  I know that can be taken to the extreme just as anything else but denying myself of some particular thing I need and want and can use without taking away from God or offending a weaker brother does not make me more Godly than anyone else in any way.  As a matter of fact, if you will remember Peter forsook his nets a long time before he ever forsook Peter.  You see, denying self is basically saying, "No", to self and saying "yes", to the Lord Jesus,  and going to Him in full and absolute surrender.  It is very important that you understand this or you'll never be filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

There are a lot of people who want to be filled with the Spirit, but with the wrong motivation.  There are a lot of preachers that want to be filled with the Spirit so they can be great preachers.  There are a lot of singers who want to be filled with the Spirit so they can be great singers.  There are a lot of teachers who want to be filled with the Spirit so they can be great teachers.  However, God is not interested in making you a great anything!  NOT IN THAT SENSE OF THE WORD!  If you pray, "Oh God, will you fill me that I may live a pure life"   God would say, "I'm not interested."  If you pray, "Oh God, will you fill me that I might be a soul winner?"  God would say, "I'm not concerned about that."  If you pray, "Oh, God, will you fill me that I might understand the Bible,"  God would say, "No, I'm not concerned about that.  I won't fill you with the Spirit for any of those reasons."  However, if you pray, "Oh God, will you fill me that Jesus Christ might be glorified in my life”,   God would say, "If that is what you want, I will, because that is what I want also."  

 

When you want Jesus Christ to be glorified in your life,  God will fill you with His Spirit and then He'll make you a good Bible student, then He'll help you to live clean, then He'll help you to be a good preacher, then He'll help you to be a good singer,  then He'll help you to be a good teacher, then He'll help you to be a soul-winner!

 

The only way to be filled with the Spirit the only way to have an overflowing life is to surrender your life to Jesus because He is the One who pours out the Spirit and gives you power.  Remember, holiness is not the way to Christ, but Christ is the way to holiness.

 

INTERPRETATION AND EXPLANATION

 

"Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink."

 

III.          THE THIRD STEP IN THE FORMULA THAT JESUS GIVES IS IN UNDERSTANDING THE SECRET OF AN OVERFLOWING LIFE.  There comes a time when you must appropriate the blessings of God, -- you must drink! 

 

Drinking is, by faith, receiving God's blessings.  In this Scripture, Jesus equates it with believing.  He said in verse 38, "He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

 

The problem with so many people is that they are sermon samplers.  They get tapes of sermons, listen to sermons on the radio, or listen to sermons on television.  Some go from church to church, never intending to settle down and serve the Lord or apply what they are hearing, not really worshiping God, but just sampling sermons.  Listening to determine who they consider to be the best entertainer, telling the best stories and funniest jokes, judging to see who is a good orator, or who is the best presenter of the Bible truths, or who can explain the Bible best.

 

I will be the first to say that the Bible needs to be Preached, taught, and explained as clearly as possible because people need to have a clear understanding of God’s Word.  However, the Bible is not first and foremost a Book to be explained.  The Bible is first and foremost a Book to be believed.  Many of us are wanting the Bible explained to us, but an explanation is not what we need most.  We need an experience of the truth of God's Word in our heart and life.

 

Think again about the glass of water out in the desert. Suppose you are dying of thirst and a person comes to you with that big, ice cold, clear glass of water.  Suppose that person with a glass of water comes up to you and does not want to charge you anything for it.  He hands it to you, it is yours to drink, it is what you have needed, and to you it is the difference between life and death.  Suppose you reach out and take it in your hand, you look at it and say, "Oh water!  My poor soul needs water!  I desire water!  I thirst for water!   That is exactly what I need!  This person says, "Here it is, you can have it – it is yours”.  You say, "Wonderful, water, water, water.  Look at those ice cubes.  Look at those beads of frost on the outside of that glass.  Look how clear that water is.  There must be 12 ounces in that glass!  I am sure it would be exactly what my dry, parched mouth, and my dehydrated body needs to come alive."  Friend, you can talk about it, you can describe it, you can ponder it, you can dream about it, and brag on it, and touch it, you can even think about it for a while longer.  Nevertheless, don't you think you ought to appropriate it?      Don't you think you ought to experience it?  Don't you think you had better drink it?

 

Do you know what the real danger is in this Bible Study?  The real danger is that God has spoken directly to some of you who are in the desert of sin, or you are in the desert of complacency, or you are in the desert of cold-heartedness and some of you will say, "Boy, what that pastor is teaching is what I really need."  à   BUT YOU WON'T DRINK!  

 

For some reason, somehow there are many of you who just do not think that God really wants to bless you.  Somehow you just don't think that you can take and    appropriate it and say, "God means what He says and says what He means!"    Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink."  Would you be determined enough to stand on God's Word and say, "O God, I receive heaven's blessings, I appropriate, I believe, I receive!" 

 

There comes a time that a thirsty soul must, by faith, appropriate that which God has given.  There comes a time when you must by faith put the hand of faith upon the promise of God, put it to your spiritual lips and appropriate the blessings of God.

 

INTERPRETATION AND EXPLANATION

 

Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.  He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

 

IV.          THE FOURTH STEP IN THE FORMULA THAT JESUS GIVES IS IN UNDERSTANDING THE SATISFACTION OF AN OVERFLOWING LIFE.  You see, first you drink, and then you become a fountain.

 

"But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive..."

 

We are not meant to simply be a reservoir of blessings, but we are to be a river of revival!  If you become a fountain, then it does not matter how big you are or how smart you are.  I could fill up a baptistery in a church with a thimble full of water if it is overflowing!  You see, if you are a Christian, God's Holy Spirit in you is just swelling up and there is constant power when you become a fountain. The Bible calls it, "peace like a river” and you can't just dam up a river and stop the flow.             If you do, it just rises higher and gathers more power until somewhere at some time it will just overflow!  There is that peace, that overflowing of the Lord Jesus when you become a fountain. 

 

When the Spirit of God begins to work in your life, He is not working in your life only to give you some sort of feeling.  This is where people get hung up; they are only looking for some sort of excitement.  In Acts 1:8, I read that Jesus said,   "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me..."  God lets this water (which is the Spirit of God) well up and flow out of you so that it might be a blessing to thirsty souls all around you. 

 

People ought to be able to come to you for a drink; people ought to be able to be blessed and satisfied by your life as you have an overflowing life.  A normal Christian is not a Christian who is just having his needs met.  A normal Christian who is meeting the needs of other people.  It’s not just that you are satisfied; you are to be a river of revival!  God’s Spirit is to be welling up in you, flowing out of you, blessing, and being a source of satisfaction everywhere you go!  I want my life to be that way; I want people to be blessed by my life.  I want them to be blessed by your life also that we might be that River of Revival together.  We are to be springs and not just sponges.

 

APPLICATION

 

I know some of you older people who were raised in the country had by your back door or in your back yard and old fashioned pitcher pump as your water supply.  Some of you are city-slickers and you don't know what I'm talking about.  However, if you are old enough and country enough, you had one of those pitcher pumps that you had to prime to get water.  Normally somebody would leave a quart jar there or a bucket of water and you would pour the water in that old pump and you'd start pumping and after a while it would start to flow of water.  As long as you kept pumping, the water would keep coming.

 

NOW THAT'S A PICTURE OF ONE KIND OF CHRISTIAN.

A PITCHER PUMP CHRISTIAN

 

Down in the Eastern part of North Carolina there are some underground rivers and streams that aren’t very deep and they usually follow some type of bed rock and there is some underground pressure.  When you dig a small hole down and tap into them, the water will come up out of the ground on its own.  You don't have to pump anything in order to get the water there.  You just put down a pipe in the ground and there is a living stream under there with enough pressure that the water just rises up like a spring and it flows out freely.  That is called an Artisan Well.

 

NOW THAT’S A PICTURE OF ANOTHER KIND OF CHRISTIAN

AN ARTISAN WELL CHRISTIAN.

 

Throughout my ministry I have seen a lot of pitcher pump Christians and a few artisan well Christians.  There are some that if they are needed to do anything, their pump has to be primed.  They have to be patted on the back, stroked, bragged on, pleaded with, and if they do finally decide to do something they will say, "Well, all right”, like they are doing me and God some great favor.

 

Then they will do what they are asked to do: maybe work in the nursery, give, maybe visit, maybe teach a class, and I say, "Well, I got that one going!"  Then I head out to another pitcher pump Christian to try and get them primed and flowing.  However, when I walk away to work on another pitcher pump Christian the last pitcher pump Christian begins to lose prime.  It ends up that I've got to stay there and spend more time continually pumping and priming – pumping and priming – pumping and priming. 

Then Praise God there are others that I don't have to pump and prime because they are like artisan wells.  They are just overflowing in all directions because Jesus is sitting on the throne of their heart and they want to bring glory to Him.  There are some people who will join the church and say, "You know I've been a member of this church for 3 weeks and nobody's been out to visit me yet”.  Then there are other people who will join the church and the next week they will ask, "Is there anyone that I can go see?"

 

Some are sponges and some are springs!  Some want to be served and some want to serve!  Some are pitcher pumps and some are artisan wells!

 

Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink ... and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

 

Only you can determine if you are like a Pitcher Pump or like an Artisan Well!  Only you can determine if you are you a river of living water.  Only you know for sure if you have that supply of blessing and are a blessing to other people.  Only you know if you are a river of revival. 

 

THE SAME THING THAT IS TRUE ABOUT CHRISTIANS IS TRUE ABOUT THE LOST.

 

THE PITCHER PUMP LOST PERSON

 

There is the lost person who knows they are lost and they have been approached many times.  They have been primed and pumped.  They have been petted, prodded, and pleaded with, petitioned, pointed in the right direction and just about the time it looks like there is going to be a successful flow they lose prime.  Then they have to be pumped and primed and pumped and primed over and over again, wasting precious day after day that could be used praising, worshiping and serving Jesus.  Growing closer and closer to a lost eternity with the devil.

 

THE ARTISAN WELL LOST PERSON

 

Then there is the lost person who knows they are lost and they have been approached many times but the Holy Spirit digs down into that lost heart and out flows rivers of living water and they are gloriously saved.  They are forever forgiven for past, present, and future sins.  Presented before God the Father as faultless by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Promised eternal life with Jesus when the journey in this life is over, never to suffer or die again.  Made an heir and join-heir with the Lord Jesus Himself and seated with Him in Heavenly Places.

 

Just picture Jesus standing in our midst and saying  “…If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

 

IF YOU WANT AN OVERFLOWING LIFE

AS A CHRISTIAN OR AS A LOST PERSON:

1. You Must Be The Subject Who Is Thirsty.

2. You Must Come To The Source Who Is Jesus.

3. You Must Appropriate The Secret And Drink

4. You Must Gain The Satisfaction And Become A Fountain Of Revival Blessing.

    

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE”.  Please send me an email and respond to me about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you.  Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well.  For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus.  Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you.  [rfdenning1951@gmail.com]

ALWAYS REMEMBER!

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord.  Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word.  Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits.  Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord.  Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have.  Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord.  It is on loan to you – so manage it well!  There will be an audit one day!  Make sure the Books Balance!