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River of Living Water PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Scripture

John 7:37-39

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. 38 He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.


Summary and Function


Summary: Water sustains life. Without it, we die! No wonder Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as ‘rivers of living water’. The Holy Spirit gives and sustains life. We all need this. Due to our sins, we all are ‘dead people walking’. Remember, the wages of sin is death.

How does the Holy Spirit bring life? By bringing us to repentance and faith in Jesus. It is Jesus who paid the penalty for our sins. This allows us to receive God’s forgiveness and have a restored relationship with God. (The resurrection proves this to be true.) When this happens, the Holy Spirit resides in our hearts and transforms us into the people God created us to be.

As followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit should flow through us and touch the hearts of other people. Let’s stay focused on Jesus, give up our sins to God and become a smooth conduit for the Holy Spirit.

Purpose: To help the congregation to recognize and give up any sinful attitude that may be hindering the Holy Spirit from flowing through them.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Life sustaining water

1. (As I pour water from a canteen.): Forced hydration in the Army

  • During training, NCOs would force me and other trainees to drink entire canteens of water. Every 30 minutes we had to drink a canteen full of water. Kept us alive and alert under the Geaorgian, Korean, Arizona and Florida sun.
  • Right now, there are fine NCOs forcing soldiers to drink water so they can live and thrive under the Iraqi and Afghanistan sun.
  • This is because water is essential for life. Must have it. Will die without it.

2. No wonder Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as ‘rivers of living water’ (John 7:38-39)

II. The Holy Spirit as ‘living water’

1. “He who believes in me [Jesus], as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall
flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who
believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because
Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:38-39)
2. We all need this ‘living water’. We are all ‘Dead people walking’. Inmates on death
row are often referred to as ‘Dead men walking’. Their lives are over and they are
just waiting to be executed. Due to our sins, we are in the same situation. The
wages of sin is death.
  • The drug and alcohol addicted person is a ‘dead person walking’.
  • The person abused as a child and believes the lie that he/she is no good is a ‘dead person walking’
  • The person with no purpose in life is a ‘dead person walking’.
  • The greedy person who focuses on money and material possessions is a ‘dead person walking’
  • The person with fame and prestige is a ‘dead person walking’
  • Many people lead ‘good & decent live’ by society’s standards but are really ‘dead people walking’

3. How the Holy Spirit gives life.

  • Holy Spirit brings us to repentance and trust in Jesus
  • Jesus, as God in the flesh, paid the penalty for our sins.
  • Jesus rose from the dead, proving he’s God in the flesh and conquering sin death and evil on our behalf
  • Because Jesus paid the penalty of our sins, we can have a restored relationship with God
  • As people with a restored love relationship with God, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works to transform us into the people God created us to be.

4. Jesus describes this work of the Holy Spirit

  • Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit (Counselor) will come - “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor [Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)
  • The Holy Spirit will bring people to repentance - “And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:8-11)
  • The Holy Spirit will bring people into faith in Jesus (Jesus is the truth) - "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:12-13)
III. As followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is meant to flow through us to touch the hearts of our
neighbors.
1. “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall flow rivers
of living water.'" (John 7:38)
2. As long as we remain focused on Jesus and stay away from sin, we will become
conduits for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will use us to reach other people.
3. Sin, however, can put kinks in our hearts that prevents the Holy Spirit from flowing
through. It’s like a hose with kinks. Water can’t flow.
4. Question: What are the kinks in your heart that keep the Holy Spirit from flowing
through you? It could be anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, greed, selfishness, lust,
drunkenness, addiction or any other sinful attitude. Whatever it is, admit it to God
and then ask God to take it away from you.
 
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