Have you heard someone say, “I wouldn’t bet the farm on that if I were you?” There are many things in life we CANNOT count on. You CANNOT count on a politician’s promise. You CANNOT count on the weatherman’s forecast. And you cannot count on the pastor when he says, “I’ll be just one more minute.” ?. Yes, there are a lot of people in life that you CANNOT count on. But there’s one you can bet the farm on, and His name is Jesus.
Open to John 7 with me, if you will.
Today’s Scripture
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why did you not bring him?’ The officers answered, ‘No one ever spoke like this man!’ The Pharisees answered them, ‘Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.’ Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, ‘Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?’ They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee’” (John 7:37-52).
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1. I’m What You’re Looking For
2. I’m What You Didn’t Know You Needed
3. I’m Sending What You Didn’t See Coming
I want to answer this question with you this morning:
Where do you go to fulfill the deepest desires of your life? And if you found the One who is the deepest fulfillment of your life, would you walk past Him?
1. I’m What You’re Looking For
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38).
1.1 Living Water
The gospel of John uses many metaphors to describe the greatness of Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world. He’s the bread of life. And here, Jesus offers His followers living water. Why water?
1.1.1 Background to the Water Symbolism
The setting is Jerusalem, and we are about in the middle of a 3-year-plus public ministry of Jesus. The city is hosting a religious harvest festival that has drawn people from all over. The ancient city of Jerusalem is teeming with people. The reason Jesus chose water here was connected to the final day of the feast. Imagine a parade, if you will, where the priests drew water in a golden pitcher from the Pool of Siloam and then poured it out on the altar. As the water was poured, everyone cried out, “‘Give thanks to the Lord!” three times.
As people watched the priests march with the water, someone would give 3 blasts from a shofar (a ram’s horn). As the priests marched, the temple choir sang Psalm 113 - Psalm 118. The thought behind all this in the festival was that it was a picture of when the Lord would pour out His Spirit in the last days.1 The entire festival was to remind the people that there was a day when their Hebrew ancestors lived in shacks. There was a time when your Jewish ancestors were thirsty. Then Moses struck a rock, and God provided water flowed from a rock in the middle of a desert. And God saved their lives. Now, Jesus surveys the entire scene, having witnessed the festival many times before. He stands up and declares to anyone and everyone, “I am all that you have hoped for.” In essence, Jesus says, “I not just information for you to believe. I am One for you to experience.” Jesus says, “People are empty. A direct experience with me is your reason for living.”
1.1.2 Controversial Jesus
Controversy follows Jesus wherever He goes. Jesus is controversial now, and He was controversial then. You can even see it in the people’s reaction: “When they heard these words, some of the people said, ‘This really is the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Christ.” But some said, ‘Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’ So there was a division among the people over him.” (John 7:40-43).
Behind locked doors, controversies raged about who Jesus was and His powers. Out in public, discussions about Jesus were carried on in hushed tones.2 Like an American politician on the campaign trail, Jesus is examined, poked, and prodded in every way.
1.1.3 A Failed Arrest
In our story, people are seeking to kill Jesus (John 7:1). You could say the law is looking for Jesus (John 7:32). Yes, it’s the religious law but it’s the law still the same. But Jesus is so fascinating that a group was sent to arrest Jesus only to release Him (John 7:44). Look at verse 45 with me: “The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why did you not bring him?’ The officers answered, ‘No one ever spoke like this man!’” (John 7:45-46). Jesus is so controversial, fascinating, and even mesmerizing that the people sent to arrest Him come back with an “I don’t really know what happened” look.
It’s as if they got there, and Jesus’ words and His teaching ability were so extraordinary that they left their handcuffs on their belt. Can you imagine such a thing? Can you imagine deputies being sent out to arrest someone only to come back with their handcuffs in place? Jesus stands up and declares to anyone and everyone, “I am all that you have hoped for.” Again, Jesus says, “I not just information for you to believe. I am One for you to experience.” The police chief says, “Well, where is he? Did you find him?” They say, “Yeah, we located him. No, he didn’t get away. It’s really hard to explain, chief. We’ve just never heard anyone speak like this man!”
1.2 In a Category All by Himself
Jesus is in a category all by Himself. Think of this: usually, when someone dies, their impact on the world immediately begins to recede. Famed fitness guru, Richard Simmons died earlier this summer. I almost wore his famous shorts this morning for you ?.
Actor, Matthew Perry died earlier this year. If someone’s legacy will outlast their life, it usually becomes apparent when they die.
Or, consider the death of controversial OJ Simpson, the man who likely killed his wife and her boyfriend after a successful NFL career.
All of their influence has decreased since their death, rather than risen. Yet, Jesus inverted this normal human trajectory. Jesus’ impact was greater 100 years after his death than during His life. It was greater still after 500 years. After 1,000 years, his legacy laid the foundation for much of Europe. After 2,000 years, He has more followers in more places than ever.3 How do you explain this? Again, Jesus is in a category all by Himself.
1.3 Jesus’ Ego
Did you hear Jesus’ claim: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37b-38).
Pause and consider with me the massive size of Jesus’ ego to say such a thing. Jesus says, “I am everything you’ve hoped for. I will deliver you the Spirit you long for.” Jesus does this kind of thing all the time. Jesus says everything the people hoped for and tells us He fulfills all our ultimate hopes and dreams.
Let me ask you: who does this sort of thing? Who says this sort of thing? Either Jesus’ ego is so massive that we cannot comprehend it, or He delivers on His claims.
1.3.1 Jeff Bezos
When you consider people with massive egos, consider Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Bezos built a superyacht so big that he requested Rotterdam city officials to tear down a nearly 100-year-old bridge so he could get the $500 million yacht out of the shipyard. How big does your ego have to be to ask an internationally famous city to tear down its bridge for you?4
1.3.2 America’s Most Egotistical Jobs
If I were to ask you which professions, do you think are the most egotistical, what would you come up with? What jobs have the people who are the most arrogant? A 2019 Chicago Tribune news article shared the results of an interesting poll. It turns out many Americans think pretty highly of themselves. They asked people of various occupations to rank themselves with the following question, “I am the top performer at my company for jobs similar to mine.” 43% of all people surveyed said they were their company’s top performer. If you did a deeper dive into which professions had the highest egos, private cooks came in as the number #1 most egotistical profession. They barely edged out CEO’s. Interestingly, firefighters and cable repairmen are near the bottom of egotistical professions. Pediatricians, psychiatrists, and anesthesiologists were other highly paid medical professions that ranked well below average for ego.5
“‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37b-38).
If you’re not satisfied with life, come to ME. Jesus says, “I am everything you’ve hoped for. I will deliver you the Spirit you long for.” If your life leaves you thirsty, find in ME the only eternal drink that satisfies.
1.4 Direct Personal Contact
Can you say you’ve had direct personal contact with God Himself through His Son, Jesus? I am not asking you if you believe information about Him. I’m asking you if you’ve had direct personal contact with Jesus that satisfies your every longing. Have you directly experienced God in such a way that your life will never be the same again?
1. What You’re Looking For
2. What You Didn’t Know You Needed
“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (John 7:17). We have a mix of believers and nonbelievers in the room. For the skeptics, listen carefully. For the believers, consider sharing something like this when you share with your more skeptical friends.
2.1 Do You Trust Your Evaluator Apparatus?
Jesus asks us, “Do you trust your trusting apparatus? Do you trust your evaluator apparatus?” Remember, everyone in the story is talking about Jesus. He’s like a politician on the campaign trail, being poked and prodded. Around verse 17, Jesus says every one of us has a little apparatus inside us that evaluates for us. Every one of us has a little apparatus inside us that determines whether we can trust someone or something. Do you trust your truster? Do you feel confident in your ability to assess Jesus’ reliability, His integrity, and His capabilities? Do you trust your evaluator?
The Bible says Jesus went to Jerusalem, and He taught this in the courts of the Temple about seeking your own popularity, your own glory (verse 18). Jesus asks, “Why do you seek to kill me?” after He says, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God” in verse 17. In your search for God, Jesus says you’re NOT a neutral observer. Robbers don’t go looking for cops. Robbers typically avoid engaging with law enforcement. This is a fundamental principle of criminal activity.
2.2 The Kimball Art Museum
We have a wonderful art museum in town called the Kimball. The Kimball Art Museum is a renowned institution located right here in our back yard of Fort Worth, Texas, recognized for its exceptional collections and stunning architecture. The museum’s collection comprises approximately 375 works, including notable pieces from Michelangelo, Monet, Picasso, and Matisse. You don’t want to go down there with a wife beater and a pair of cut-off jeans! Now, what if I told you next Sunday, “I’m retiring as your pastor to become the next museum director at the Kimball Art Museum? I’m going to be the guy to select the art that goes on the wall.” And a couple of months go by before you decide to visit Kimball. You put on a sportscoat or a lovely evening dress to come peruse the art. You’ve no more than walked through the door when you come up to see one painting alone on a wall, staring you in the face. And it’s Dogs Playing Poker. What you soon learn is that I had taken down the paintings of Michelangelo, Monet, Picasso, and Matisse, and in their place, I have Dogs Playing Poker proudly displayed for all to see. I think we could all conclude that we cannot trust my evaluator. Jesus is saying the same thing to any and all who seek to find Him.
In your search for God, you’re NOT a neutral observer. Robbers don’t go looking for cops. A fundamental principle of criminal activity is thieves run from cops. I allow my bias to determine what is reasonable.
2.3 Back to Jesus’ Ego
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). Jesus says, “I am truth.” He didn’t say, “I point to the truth.” Do you remember the story of Lazarus and his death? Martha’s brother says to Jesus, “You know, if you were here, he wouldn’t have died, but he’ll be raised in the resurrection of the dead on the last day.” What does Jesus say in return? He doesn’t say … “I don’t point to the resurrection,” instead, hear Him say, “I’m the resurrection.” Do you know the kind of ego it takes to say, “I am the Truth. I am Light. And I the Living Water that everyone thirsts for?”
2.4 I Can Do Nothing On My Own
Believers and Westerners are so used to Jesus’ statements that they think nothing of them. If anyone else uttered the things Jesus says, they’d be written off as a loon or a cult. Yet, the one who said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 5:30), isn’t egotistical. No, He isn’t egotistical. He’s God. Can you appreciate the reality of who Jesus is here?
2.5 I Am Your Eternal Rest
In Mark 2, Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. Well, the leaders come together and say, “You shouldn’t be working on the Sabbath.” What does Jesus say? He doesn’t say, “I don’t point to the Sabbath.” Instead, He says, “I’m the Lord of the Sabbath.” “I am the source and author of the eternal Sabbath rest.” Have you come into direct personal contact so that you can say, ‘I’m eternally at rest in my inner soul?’” Have you directly experienced God in such a way that your life will never be the same again?
1. I’m What You’re Looking For
2. I’m What You Didn’t Know You Needed
3. I’m Sending What You Didn’t See Coming
“Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39).
3.1 Why Risk His Life
Jesus pops up to speak in the middle of everyone on a major holiday with seemingly nowhere to go. Why would He risk His life? Why would He place Himself in such a dangerous position? Jesus risks everything to give us a gift that changes everything.
3.2 The Spirit Is On His Way
Back up in verse 34, Jesus tells the religious authorities: “You will seek me, and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come” (John 7:34). Jesus mystifies everyone, as you can see in verses 35 and 36. Every time Jesus spoke about going away, it was like He had this Post-it note to remind Him to tell His followers about the One who’s coming. As if Jesus needed a Post-It Note ?. Jesus tells His followers, “When I go, the Spirit will be given to you.” As Jesus goes up, the Spirit comes down. What good is the Spirit?
3.3 A Mobile Holy of Holies
In the Old Testament, God put His presence in the Temple, and even then, only in the Holy of Holies. There in the Holy of Holies, God put the Ark of the Covenant, where He talked to His people face to face. But Jesus introduces something significant here. He says, “When I’m gone, I will place my Holy Spirit in you. I want to place my Holy of Holies in you.”
3.4 Jesus in a Category by Himself
How do you explain that when people want to curse, they don’t say, “Muhammed,” but they swear by saying the words “Jesus Christ”? Why do Muslims, Sikhs, Mormons, Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Deists all find a way to incorporate Jesus into their religion? Again, Jesus is in a category all by Himself.
EndNotes
1 Jeremias, Joachim, “?????, ???????,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 4: 268–80.
2 R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 214.
3 John Ortberg, Who Is This Man? The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023).
4 https://fortune.com/2022/02/03/jeff-bezos-historic-dutch-bridge-dismantled-koningshaven-rotterdam-500-million-superyacht/; accessed October 15, 2024.
5 https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/08/30/which-workers-are-most-full-of-themselves/; accessed October 15, 2024.
