Out of Your Heart Will Flow Rivers of Living Water

let's pray father my first prayer for those within the hearing of my voice is that they would be thirsty for Christ that their souls would awaken that you would carve away the calluses that may have grown over the taste buds of their spirits and that you would make them sensitive to your greatness and you're all satisfying beauty and then I pray for myself that I would faithfully portray You Lord Jesus in this text and what you were really saying and that this portrayal and that that thirst would meet and life would happen I ask this in Jesus name Amen Jesus is in Jerusalem teaching a very divided crowd some wanted him arrested verse 30 so they were seeking to arrest him why because they saw him as a pretender who could not possibly be the Messiah look at verse 27 to see how they were reasoning we know where this man comes from and when the Christ Messiah appears no one will know where he comes from so there was a popular view among some that the Messiah would appear suddenly out of nowhere as it were but here was Jesus everybody knows where Jesus is from he's from Nazareth and he doesn't look anything like a messiah and he makes no sudden appearance at all he's just emerging like a rabbi so no way he's a pretender others thought he was the Messiah he was the way they reasoned look at verse 31 yet many other people believed in him they said when the Christ appears will he do more signs than this man has done so they are impressed with his miracles maybe the faith is real maybe it's not maybe they're just like the brothers back in verse 5 who were called unbelievers though they were excited about his miracles as well so the crowd is divided the reason for this opposition becomes very intense because not merely did he appear to be a pretender but he was saying things not just about himself which they didn't believe but things about them which were very offensive and their offensive today two thousand years later let's read him verses 28 and 29 Jesus proclaimed as he taught in the temple and here I think he's speaking with very pointed irony you know me and you know where I am from but I have not come of my own accord he who sent me to you who sent me is true and him you do not know I know him for I come from him and he sent me now don't miss those words him you do not know the most religious the most privileged the most well taught people in the world without exaggeration have the very Oracles of God the Jewish Scriptures Jesus looks them in the eye and he says you don't know God that's why they want to kill him I know god I am from God God sent me and you don't know him and of course therefore you can't recognize me no linger over this for just a moment because this is over and over and over said in the Gospel of John which is why among liberals today this is the most offensive outrageous book in the Bible let me just read you five verses John 5:23 whoever does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him John 5:40 - I know that you do not have the love of God within you I have come in my father's name and you did not receive me john 6:45 everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me John 819 you know neither me nor my father if you knew me you would know my father also John 8:42 if God were your father you would love me this is outrageous in a pluralistic world if you want to help someone today no say a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist or a Jewish friend if you want to help someone today know if their claim to know God is true show them Christ offer them Christ the Son of God the Messiah crucified for sin as a sacrifice from God and raised from the dead and reigning show them Christ and if they receive him they know God and if they don't they neither know him honor him love him or have him as their father or Jesus is a liar this got him crucified and it will make you very unpopular if you simply calmly humbly speak what Jesus spoke you don't need to raise your voice so the crowds wanted him dead and others didn't the Pharisees got wind that there were positive responses happening and they took action quickly verse 32 the Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him this is getting very intense now we are not told until verse 45 which is next week's message Lord willing what happened when the officers came but we are told what he said verses 33 and 34 I will be with you a little longer and then I am going to him who sent me you will seek me and you will not find me where I am you cannot come in other words you may try to arrest me but I will choose where I go when I go and who follows me you can't take me early you won't keep me here when I choose to leave and when I go you won't be able to follow me your plans are futile I came to do my father's will and it will be done exactly when and how he intends for it to be done and there's nothing you can do to stop it now in response to these words they are absolutely clueless verse 36 what does he mean by saying you will seek me and you'll not find me so here we have the situation that's all I've done so far is set up the situation here we have the situation the crowds have been told they don't know God the Pharisees have been told that they are powerless to arrest him before he wills to be arrested now what will he say what will he do in this unbelievably loaded dangerous situation the Feast of Tabernacles is almost over that's what brought him up to Jerusalem in the first place he has one more day before this feast is over what will he say the Pharisees have sent officers to arrest him will they perhaps as he gets ready to speak perhaps they're standing right there in front of him I suspect they are let's go ahead and do next Sunday sermon drop drop down to verse 45 this is just too good to postpone verse 45 the officers then came to the chief priests and the Pharisees who said why didn't you bring him and the officers answered no one ever spoke like this man so What did he say as they were standing there under orders to arrest him and unable to do it what did he say that's what the rest of this message is about so let's read it verses 37 to 39 on the last day of the feast the great day Jesus stood up and cried 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 last week the amazing words that came out of Jesus mouth in the temple had to do with how you could know if he was true or not he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true so it was a question of knowing how can I be sure I kind of know that this is the man this is the Messiah this is he's true how can I know if anyone's will is to do God's will he will know whether the teaching this is verse 17 he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I'm speaking onto my own authority the one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory but the one who seeks the glory of him and sent him is true so last week the question was is it true how can we know and this week the question Jesus addresses in these final words at the feast are why should you care even if it is true there are a lot of things that are true that are just not important if you believe them or don't believe them it hardly changes anything in your life that's not true this time Jesus is answering what difference would it make if you came to him what difference would it make if you believed if you received if you drank that's the question he's he's not saying anymore how can you know if this is true he's saying if it is what difference would it make in your life so you should ask now 2000 years later this book is written that you might believe you should ask not only is he true is he real how can I know but rather also would I want him if he were true what would it mean if I came to him the way Jesus says come what would it be like what would happen to me what would it be worth it what would it cost me something that's the question in verses 37 to 39 now a part of the answer I want you to see this a part of the answer of whether he's the kind of person you would want to come to if he's true is realizing to whom he is speaking these words he is speaking them to his enemies he is giving a totally open-ended invitation to everyone within the sound of his voice and the only qualification that he puts on the words are if anyone thirst that's all if anyone thirst any Pharisee here who just said to have me arrested and he chief priest in my audience any officer trying to arrest me any offended person whom I just told you do not know God if anyone anyone thirsts come to me the fact that he is speaking those words at this moment to these adversaries is part of what should make you want him it's part perhaps of what the soldier at the cross was moved to say this man was surely the Son of God because he prayed for his enemies and maybe the soldiers who were there to arrest him he's looking right in their I saying soldier if you're thirsty why don't you come to me and drink and they were undone perhaps I've been undone do you remember the time near the end of his life where Jesus looked out over Jerusalem and he said o Jerusalem Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and would not this is one of those times don't let that go by he's looking out on adversaries and saying if anyone's thirsty come to me and drink how often has he stretched out his hands to you and said that to Jerusalem he said how often how often and there aren't many children in this room and so I know that you've been alive for 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 or 80 years and I'm asking you how often how often has Jesus spoken to you from his book or a sermon or a radio and said if you're thirsty come what would it mean for you if you came came again maybe you came maybe you came and it's been 18 years since you ever drank so what I want to do as faithfully as I know how in the remaining time we have is walk through these precious words to us and take five things that I see are five pieces of the text and and open them for your enjoyment and pray that thirst would be awakened and your soul would drink so here the five number one what does it mean thirst number two what is coming to drink mean number three what are the rivers that are flowing out of the heart number four what's the reference to the Holy Spirit all about and number five the fact that it was prophesied in Scripture those are the five elements of the text and we'll take them one at a time number one thirst verse 37 if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink seems to me that there are three wonderful things implied in the word thirst number one the water is free it's a gift the only condition that's mentioned is need there's no talk here about coming to work for him to get the water the only talk is are you thirsty second observation about thirst the human soul has thirst we know he's not talking about physical thirst here we know that that's clear what he's saying is the soul has something like physical thirst let's call it thirst when you go without water your body gets thirsty when you go without God your soul gets thirsty you were made to drink God you were made for God your body was made to live on water your soul was made to live on God this is the most important thing to know about yourself nothing about yourself is as important to know as that you have a soul and the soul was made to live on God nothing is more important all theology all study all biblical learning all preaching is designed to spread a satisfying banquet for the soul to eat with joy and to keep the poison out of the kitchen the aim of cooking is eating the aim of digging wells and clearing Springs is drinking everything Jesus said everything Jesus did was aimed at this that you might drink and be satisfied forever that's where it's all going everything is a means to that end that you might drink of Christ that you might feed on Christ that your soul might live on him everything is a means to that that's why he died that's why Pasteur study that's why churches are formed that's why missions is in the world everything is aiming to awaken thirst for God and satisfy it with Jesus the third observation in the word thirst is Jesus is what satisfies the soul or better to say what Jesus offers in himself is satisfying to the soul let's know I want you to miss this you know I'm a Christian hedonist which means that virtually everything I think about and every sermon I give and every counseling session I have any visitation to the hospital I make I have one main goal I want to awaken affections for God and satisfy them with God that's that's the way I see everything in the world I don't mainly think about ideas though I'm a really idea guy ideas are totally cooking not eating ideas are totally about clearing springs away digging wells not drinking I'm after drinking not thinking thinking is a workhorse take me to the spring and I'm born to drink I want to be happy forever totally nothing small big deep lungs from unshakeable joy that's what I want the whole world wants it they don't know they're dribbling there why their lives away on a thousand things that cannot satisfy all I want to do is what Jesus is about right here you so summarize this first point on thirst the water is free the soul has a thirst Jesus aims to be the satisfaction for that thirst second what does it mean come to Jesus to drink verse 37 if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink whoever leaves in me as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water so three observations on coming to Jesus to drink number one Jesus is what we drink he says come to me and drink now I'm going this direction rather than come to me and get from me drink you could say that that wouldn't be false but I'm saying when he says come to me and drink he mainly means I'm the water I say that because of chapter 6 verse 35 I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst he is the bread of life he doesn't just give the bread of life he is the living water he doesn't just give the living water your soul was made for Jesus you you may not know this this is why you're so frustrated in life you may not know this there are many people who don't know why they exist they they're human this awesome of being souls created an image of God and they been taught in school they're just advanced animals that is the most tragic thing in the world to keep somebody created in the image of God with a living eternal soul made to live on Christ that they're just an animal what a wicked thing to do and so many people don't have a clue who they are what a wonder they are what they're made for why why can't they sleep why are they still hungry for a hundred things that never satisfied they don't know themselves you were made for Jesus Jesus is the drink second observation the soul can drink in this service I say this looking into the camera knowing though not every service did this we sang How Great Thou art which has that line and it then sings my soul and I stopped right there instead to Jesus I'm just gonna shut up with my mouth and sing like crazy then things my so the soul can sing the soul can drink the soul can eat you do it with your soul not your mouth not your throat you do it spiritually you were made to do this you're not a mere animal you were made for this you come to Jesus and the soul the body may not be moving a single muscle neither the eyes the cheeks the mouth the hands and your soul at that very moment may be drinking deeply eating deeply my Christ my bread my water I'm saying it just so you know what's inside you don't need to say it you can just number three third observation on coming and drinking coming and drinking are what it means to believe on Jesus verse 37 if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink whoever believes in me and I think the juxtaposition of whoever believes on me and coming and drinking means that believing is coming and drinking and coming and drinking is believing and again I feel supported in that by verse 35 of chapter 6 listen carefully I am the bread of life whoever comes to me this is not muscular or locational or Geographic who this is spiritual whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes notice the parallelism whoever comes to me shall not hunger whoever believes in Me shall never thirst so here's the point believing is a spiritual coming to Christ for the satisfaction of the soul that's my definition of believing so you may at least if you want to follow what we think around here you may be done forever that saving faith is a decision alone to believe facts about Jesus it's not faith is a coming of the soul to a fountain to be satisfied with Jesus above all things that's what faith is that's the third observation so let me sum this second point up Jesus is the water that we need the soul does the drinking and that's what believing is third the rivers flow from the soul verse 38 what are these rivers whoever believes in me as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water literally it's out of his belly could be belly could be heart could be spirit could be soul it means you're more than your body weigh more decisively more you are more than your body out of that inner you that real you flow rivers of living water when you come and believe and drink Jesus so what does it mean it means that when you come to Jesus to drink you don't just get a single drink you get a spring when you come to Jesus to drink you don't just get a a single satisfying drink you get a fountain when you come to Jesus to drink you don't just get a single drink you get a well springing up to eternal life you get Jesus rivers of water flow from your soul because the river maker is in your soul every River that needs to flow for the the joy of your soul he will cause to flow you will never ever have to look anywhere else the rivers are as many as the soul needs that you have your home he's not a stepping stone he's not a means to anything he's the end when you have him you don't just have a drink you have a river maker and rivers will flow forth observation about the text namely the spirit verse 39 now this he said about the spirit who whom those who believed in him were to receive for as yet the spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified there was an experience of the spirit that could not yet be enjoyed by his disciples until Jesus had died for their sins been raised triumphant over death and ascended to the right hand of the Father in glory what was that experience that they could not have yet and we all have it was and is the experience of fellowship with the Spirit of the Risen and glorified Christ I say it again it was the experience of fellowship communion with the risen and glorified Christ that they could not know he had not yet poured out that spirit for he was not yet risen and was not yet glorified this is what the father gives to everyone who believes just as Jesus says here to everyone who believes I mean let me help you with this just a minute try anyway Jesus will say in chapter 14 that he's going to ask the Father to send the spirit and and he speaks of the spirit in such a way that we realize he's really talking about himself coming by the spirit having been raised and glorified so let me read you those key verses from chapter 14 this is chapter 14 verses 16 and 17 I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper to be with you forever even the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him him there I think is is Jesus and the spirit it's is the way John writes he writes with his double intentions and then here it comes clear at the end of verse 17 you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you wha-wha meaning you're destined to have the spirit but it's me and it's me risen it's me glorified it's me pouring out myself what God gives you when you believe is Christ by the spirit his body the Incarnate God man is in heaven he's not in this room you'd see him if he were in this room you could put your hand in his side he's not here but Jesus is here by his Spirit here's the way the Apostle Paul put it Romans 8:9 anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ doesn't belong to him you have him or you're not a Christian the Spirit of Christ the risen glorified Christ is in you or you're not a believer the mark of a born-again believer is Christ is in you by his Spirit the god man is not in you he's in heaven his body is in heaven but his spirit which is himself is poured out and that spirit is the Spirit of God there are not two spirits it's read verses 9 10 and 11 of Romans 8 and you'll see it all so when we come to Jesus to drink now this side of the Resurrection there's no man to come to there in the temple they might have approached him and fallen down and taken his penis and yes yes so what you and I think he would have blessed them this blessed them and today there's nobody to grab where do you go with your body you don't go anywhere this is why we don't have a geographic center for Christianity and while we don't call this a temple you are the temple he's there he's as close as your thirst lastly number five the witness of Scripture to all of this a sermon in itself but I'll give it two minutes verse 38 whoever believes in me as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water as the scripture has sad as the scripture has sad oh my I read a lot on this so one sentence feels very inadequate there are so many Old Testament passages that point to this reality many my guess is Jesus has the whole shebang in mind but I'll give you one isaiah 58:11 you shall be like a watered garden like a spring of water whose waters do fail but let me end like this when it says as the scriptures say I think the main thing we should feel is this God planned this for you drawing attention in 30 ad to something in 700 BC means God had it in mind a long time ago that's the point God had you in mind a long time ago God had this moment in the temple and this moment in this pulpit in mind a long time ago God planned that you would have a soul God planned that the Son of God would come into the world to be water and God planned that your soul would be awakened by this sermon or not so according to God's age-old intention according to the words of Jesus speaking to his enemies and according to the offer that he makes to one condition alone thirst I say to you if anyone in this room is thirsty and I mean a deep soul ache for something perhaps you know not what if anyone in this room is thirsty let him come to Jesus and drink Amen Lord thank you thank you for planning this for us I speak on behalf of hundreds when I say I love you Jesus you are my water my bread my life my satisfaction which I fully expect to be so increasingly forever with death as no interruption what so ever because my soul is immortal and you are in it what a wonder awakened Oh God awake your people pray this in Jesus you

Channel: Desiring God

Views: 21,071

Rating: 4.878788 out of 5

Keywords: Desiring God, John Piper, God, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Christian Hedonism, Spirit, Gospel of John, New Birth, Regneration, Life, Joy, Delight, Pleasure, Satisfaction, Water, Living Water, Belief, Faith, Trust, Savior, Lord

Id: E4rMGB1RHE8

Length: 48min 15sec (2895 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 26 2018