“Living Water”
John 4:5-15, 28 – READ
WATER … Multi-billion $ industry … WATER!!!!
- PUBLIX … made list of different types of water sold.
WHY? Desire for “pure water” vs. “tap water”.
- There IS a difference!
ILL. – Chemistry class … “distilled water” …
2 THINGS I notice in John Ch. 4 … “water” and “thirsty”.
WHAT is the “water” that Jesus is speaking of? - John 7:37-39 – all turn
NOTICE: The ABUNDANCE of the Spirit … 7:38 … “rivers”.
- Jesus wants you “filled”.
WHY do we need to be “filled”?
- BECAUSE … we LEAK … got “holes” in us … comes out all over the place!
· WHEN tell that dirty joke (or listen) … start LEAKING!
· WHEN spread that gossip (or listen) … start LEAKING!
· WHEN read that magazine … watch that TV show, movie … drink from that can … think that thought … START LEAKING!
“Leaking” isn’t good … BUT … at least we have something to leak!
INDWELT w/ Holy Spirit when SAVED … a 1-time event … once-and-for-all.
Jesus promised this in Jn. 14:17 – “for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
- Rom. 8:9 – “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
1 Cor. 3:16 – “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
THINK ABOUT THAT!
The Holy Spirit … LIVES WITHIN … YOU! (if saved).
-Are you ever AWARE of this?
We hear of being DEMON POSSESSED … AND … we know the consequences …….
- BUT … we are HOLY SPIRIT POSSESSED.
· Do you ever SENSE His presence?
· Do you ever HEAR Him speak to you … (hear voices)?
· Do you ever FEEL His LOVE?
· Do you ever TALK to Him?
· Do you ever THINK about Him?
IF NOT … EITHER … LOST … OR … been ”leaking”!
You are INDWELT by the Holy Spirit.
Do you know the CONSEQUENCES? The BENEFITS?
You won’t realize the BENEFITS … UNLESS … you STOP THE LEAK … AND … get FILLED with the Holy Spirit.
WHAT are some of the BENEFITS of being “filled with the Holy Spirit”?
Gal. 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
We WANT these things … AMEN? (“Yes?”) They are a “fruit” of the Holy Spirit.
IF you’re “dry” … all “leaked out” … “empty” … THEN … these things have “leaked out”.
- BECAUSE … they are a “fruit” of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8 – “But you shall receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
· Have you got POWER over Satan? - WHY NOT? BECAUSE … you’re “leaky”.
BESIDES … YOU have no power over Satan … ONLY the Holy Spirit does.
- SO … if running on “empty” … NO POWER.
· Do you have POWER over HABITS? If NOT … running on “empty” … “leaky”.
· Do you have POWER over TEMPTATION? “empty” …
· Do you have POWER over WORRY … FEAR … LUST … HATE … SINFUL THOUGHTS …
- IF NOT … running on “empty” … “leaking” …
JESUS – John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, the HolySpirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.”
The Holy Spirit is your “comforter” … your “teacher”.
John 16:13 – “However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth;”
Do you ever do DUMB things … things you eventually REGRET?
- SOMETIMES … like a “bull in china shop” … act on IMPULSE …
- SOMETIMES … we just live our life AIMLESSLY … without any clear DIRECTION.
WHY? BECAUSE … acting in the “flesh” … don’t rely on the WISDOM of the Holy Spirit.
- WHY? BECAUSE … Running on “empty” … “leaking” … not “filled with the Holy Spirit”.
HOW DO YOU GET THIS “filling” OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
John 7:37-39 – all turn … AGAIN.
“thirsts” … turn back to 4:13-15 … read.
IF you are “thirsty” … Jesus promises you:
· 4:15 - “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
· 7:38 – “rivers of living water.”
God has promised us an ABUNDANCE … “fountain” … “springing up” … “rivers” …
- We don’t need to live off of just a FEW DROPS of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
You aren’t going to DRINK … UNLESS … “thirsty”.
- PROBLEM … we DRINK the WRONG THINGS.
WHAT do we NEED? We NEED the “water” of the Holy Spirit.
WHAT do we DRINK? We drink from the “well of the world” … AND … wonder why “running on empty” … “leaking”.
WATER is important to LIFE.
- NO WATER = NO LIFE … other PLANETS … planet Earth.
THIS WEEK … drinking ONLY WATER … no coffee … no soda … no milk … no tea … ONLY WATER.
- A “water fast” … if you please.
WHY don’t we have any POWER … any “fruit”? (love, joy, peace, patience, self-control …)
- BECAUSE … “empty” … “dried up” … “leaking”.
WHY are we “empty” … “leaking”?
- BECAUSE we aren’t THIRSTY … Thirsty for the Holy Spirit.
God has tried to tell us many times about being THIRSTY for Him.
· Ps. 42:1-2 – “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul THIRSTS for God, for the living God.”
· Ps. 63:1 – “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul THIRSTS for You; My flesh longs for you in a dry and THIRSTY land where there is no water.”
· Mt. 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and THIRST for righteousness. For they shall be FILLED.”
· John 6:35 – “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never THIRST.”
· Isaiah 55:1 – “Ho! Everyone who THIRSTS, come to the waters; And you who have no money, come, buy and eat.”
It’s FREE! All you have to be is “thirsty” … “thirsty” for GOD … “thirsty” for the “filling of the Holy Spirit”.
· You don’t have to EARN the “filling of the HolySpirit”.
· You don’t have to WORK to receive His “filling”.
· You don’t have to “clean up your act” first.
· You don’t have to WAIT until you get your life straightened out … be good enough.
All you have to be is “thirsty” … it’s FREE!
- AND … to be “thirsty” … all you have to be is “dried up” spiritually … “leaked out” … “running on empty”.
IF you’re “dry” … THEN … you ought to be “thirsty”.
John 4:28 … all turn, read.
CONCLUSION:
WHAT do we need in our Christian lives?
- We need the POWER of the Holy Spirit … PERIOD!
- Zechariah 4:6 – “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
Without the “filling of the Holy Spirit” … you will be POWERLESS in your daily life.
· Micah 3:8 – “But truly I am full of POWER by the Spirit of the Lord.”
· Luke 4:14 – “Then Jesus returned in the POWER of the Spirit to Galilee.”
· Acts 1:8 – “But you shall receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
MORE than anything else … we need the “filling” of the Holy Spirit.
- This “water” keeps us from getting “dried up” … spiritually.
- Eph. 5:18 – “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”
Does God have SOMETHING MORE for you … THAN … a “dried up well”?
God will pour out His Spirit on those who are DRY and THIRSTY.
- Only HE can satisfy your “thirst”.
Phil. 1:6 – “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
God can do great things in and through you … BUT ONLY … as we “walk in the Spirit of God”.
- The only QUALIFICATIONS are … to be “thirsty” for the “filling of the Holy Spirit”.
· Are you “thirsty” for God’s BEST?
· Are you “thirsty” for MORE of God’s BLESSINGS?
· Are you “thirsty” for your life to be “filled with the Spirit”?
THEN … John 15:7 – Jesus said - “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Let me close with these words … some of the last words of the Bible:
Rev. 21:5-6 – “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new … I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”
Rev. 22:17 – “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, “Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
STAND – PRAYER
PUBLIX:
Over 24 BRANDS (manufactures) of WATER.
LABELS included:
· Fitness Water
· Sparkling Water
· Spring Water
· NATURAL Spring Water
· Seltzer Water
· Distilled Water
· DRINKING Water (?)
· Sparkling Water
· Infused Water (?)
· Smart Water (?)
· Purified Water
