The Living Water

The Living Water Exodus 17.1-7 John 4.4-14 7.37-39 I Corinthians 10.1-6 Water is necessary for life. 60% of our bodies are made up of water. You can only got three days without water. About 25% of the earth’s population does not have drinkable water. God was teaching the people they could trust Him but they were unteachable. Psalm 95 * There was water provided at Horeb for Israel when Moses Struck the Rock. 17.1-7 Like with the manna they complained and quarreled with Moses. God was testing them. Be careful not to complain about tests. Make it your business to pass them, remembering “No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you,” This morning some are facing deep grief. Come to the waters God has prepared for you. It can be a very difficult journey through Death’s Valley, many conflicting emotions. He provided water through Moses. Times when I have been so thirsty: * As a kid… fishing in Wantagh… garden hose * As an adult in Israel, Beth Shean dehydrating… drank a liter and a half of cold water, getting it down into my belly. Got it out of a refrigerated machine. * In New Hampshire, 10 years ago, July 15th, my 60th Birthday, Mountain Spring, cold, pure, clear water. Filled my water bottle, drank. My granddaughter, Lily, saying, “Poppa! How do you know that is clean?!” They were in a desert. Psalm 63. 1 You, God, are my God,     earnestly I seek You; I thirst for you,     my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land     where there is no water. David wrote this in a desert. We will get to more of this in a little bit. Maybe you today are in a spiritually dry and parched land. Maybe you have been dry. Long for the LORD. Earnestly seek Him today. You are here listening this morning. This is good. * There is a Close Relationship between Literal Thirst and Spiritual Thirst. John 4.4-14 Noon Began the conversation about water and getting a drink to talk to her about Living Water and her soul. Spiritual need crosses all societal and cultural boundaries He reveals Himself to her. v.10 He is the Living Water. This living water quenches spiritual thirst. Come to Christ and drink and Jesus will satisfy your soul. He promises and He delivers! The LORD is faithful to ALL His promises and loving to all He has made. Psalm 145.13 The Woman at the Well found it! And immediately told others. The whole village! * The Water has to do with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. John 7.37-39 37 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. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”39 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. He was speaking about the Day of Pentecost. Next Sunday This was fulfilled on that Day. The Living Water gushing forth in torrents. It gushed out of the Apostles to thirsty souls from every nation on earth. It continues today! Bible Studies in Faisalabad, Pakistan Tuesday Mornings, livestream 5pm on Sundays. Photos from Uganda Children’s work Is this your relationship with the Holy Spirit? Epi upon you, gushing forth from within. It is the gift of God, the Promise of Jesus. This is the greatest need in the church today! Not technology, not amazing singers, not multiple programs but people, young and old, men and women, teens, boys and girls to have the Living Water gushing forth from within! Isaiah 58. 11  The LORD will guide you always;     He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land     and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden,     like a spring whose waters never fail. * This incident in Exodus served as a Warning for us! I Corinthians 10.1-13 That Rock was Christ Keep yourself free from idols Houses Cars Money Wealth Watch out for sexual immorality Do not put the LORD to the test Do not grumble Living Water gushing forth Overflowing Keeping ourselves in the love of God. Forgiveness flowing Here is where Israel fell short. We dare not We need not. We must not. It is a Christian Community Thing: Hebrews 12. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.