RIVERS OF LIVING WATER WILL FLOW WITHIN
A Promise to the Thirsty Soul
John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
INTRO. Tomorrow morning, Oct 6th, 2025, on the Jewish Calendar marks the first day of this very festival Jesus boldly spoke this spiritual truth to a massive crowd. This festival goes back several thousand years in Jewish history. The festival is known by many names, Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Booths, Feast of Weeks, and in modern times, Sukkot. This is a dual-purpose festival in which the Jews were to celebrate the ingathering of the harvest (Ex. 34:22) and the Exodus out of Egypt when their forefathers’ lived tents in the wilderness and were sustained with bread from heaven and water from the rock, which was Christ(Lev.23:42-43, Ex. 16:4, Ex. 17, Num. 20-1Cor.10:4).
This festival was a celebration!
Just for fun: I did a little research on the Sukkot and discovered that in New York City there are all sorts of parties around the Sukkot- flyers are all over the big apple inviting the Million Jews living there to come party at their venue.
I have a Jewish friend who told me he wanted me come to his synagogue for Sukkot- he tells me it’s a blast, where even the Rabbis get a bit tipsy. My kind of party! Just kidding!
Back to the Scriptures: Jerusalem, the Holy City is packed in with tens of thousands of people celebrating probably their favorite annual religious festival.
Jesus and his disciples were in Galilee a day’s journey away just prior to this festival. The disciples are excited to attend this celebration; Probably a celebration they had attended their whole lives. They want Jesus to join them, but he initially refuses. After all, he knew that his enemies would be lurking in the shadows to arrest him.
The Disciples were confused, but head off to the Holy City nonetheless. Once the disciples were gone Jesus decided to make his way to the festival as well but would try to fly under the radar.
Halfway through the week Jesus decides to come out of the shadows and go into the temple and teach those present.
As Jesus taught the whispering began. Some are leaning into his teachings with faith, others are claiming he is a deceiver and others still claiming he is demon possessed. V.14-20
Several times while teaching and defending his claims he tells the crowd that he was sent from God which pushes the Chief Priests and Pharisees over the edge. And therefore, they sought to arrest him.
On the last day of the Feast he stands up and makes a statement that has echoed throughout history:
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
- Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament most likely a prophecy spoken by the Prophet Isaiah.
Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live. Isa. 55:1-3
“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.” Isa. 44:3
BIG IDEA: Jesus strategically uses the last day of this festival to preach a truth that will matter most to the crowd if they will lean in with faith:
Religious tradition will not satisfy the real need in your spiritual lives only faith in Him which will result in them receiving the HOLY SPIRIT’S OUTPOURING.
THIS IS A PERFECT TIME TO SPEAK ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT (PNEUMATOLOGY 101
1. THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT ON THE DAY OF PENECOST AND IS TO WHO WILL EMBRACE CHRIST ALONE. Acts 2- Joel 2:28-32
2. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE “” THAT JESUS PROMISED THE WOMAN AT THE WELL. (John 4)
3. THE PHYSICAL OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO CHRIST BY FAITH BECOME THE PLACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
4. IF A PERSON HAS NOT THE HOLY , THEY ARE NOT AGAIN. Romans 5:9-11
- Remember that Jesus informed Nicodemus of this truth in John 3. This truth is also found in Titus 3:4-7 (Regeneration)
The SPIRIT through whom men are reborn is the same Spirit through whom JESUS born. St. Augustine.
5. THE INDWELLING PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL HIMSELF IN WAYS:
- Spiritual Fruit will begin to manifest in our daily lives. Gal. 5:22-23
- He will turn us into worshippers rather than winos. Eph. 5:18
- He will convince us of our sin and need of forgiveness and grieve in us if we try to push him to the margins of our lives. John 16:8, Eph 4:30
- He will assigned certain spiritual gifts to each of us so we can carry out His purposes. 1 Cor. 12:12
CONCLUSION: If you honestly have no sense of the Holy Spirit in your life, perhaps today is your Feast of Tabernacles!
Come to Christ: “COME to ME all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”! Matthew 11:28
“Drinking represents a reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejeweled chalice, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the dear Redeemer’s loving voice as he cries to each of us,
“IF ANY MAN THIRST, LET HIM COME UNTO ME AND DRINK.”
Charles Spurgeon
If a man is thirsty, a rope and a bucket alone aren’t much use to him. But, if there’s a well nearby, he needs the bucket and the rope to life the water. Faith is the bucket with which men have the ability to draw water out of the wells of salvation and drink to their hearts content. Spurgeon.
- If you feel that you are void of the Holy Spirit, you can ask God our Father to give you His SPIRIT. Luke 11:13
This Week I want to assign you Psalms 63 as a devotional and scripture of meditation.