John 7:37-8:11 - Part A

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That's connectwithskip.com. Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. The man riding a camel came close to him at which point the man cried out and he said, water, please. Can I have some water? And the man on the camel said, well, I'm sorry, I don't have any water, but I would sell you a necktie.

The dying man said, a necktie? I'm in the desert dying of thirst. I need water. And the man on the camel said, well, they're only $4. The guy dying of thirst said, I don't have $4 and I wouldn't buy one anyway.

I really need water. The man on the camel said, I'll tell you what, I'll sell you two neckties for $7. Well, the guy was too weary to argue. And so the man on the camel passed by, pulling all of his energy together. The man continued on his journey and he spotted in the distance a beautiful oasis with an incredible looking restaurant perched among the palm trees. He crawled over to the restaurant and found the head waiter and he said, I really am dying of thirst. I need water. And the head waiter said, I'm sorry to be admitted you need a necktie. Now that absurd little story that I just told is an introduction to what we're about to read because I find that that little story gets repeated in real life. You have the ability to have your thirst quenched, but there are people standing around talking about neckties. And here we have the story of Jesus who gives one of the most incredible invitations to anyone who would believe in him. They would be satisfied, the deepest thirst of their lives would be quenched.

But there's that group of people that want to argue about neckties. So it's like they're standing next to an artesian whale, but they're dying of thirst. Now in Chapter 7, where we left off last time, it's a long chapter as I said last week. It is the Feast of Tabernacles. The setting is Jerusalem. Jesus has gone up to the Feast of Tabernacles in the middle of that eight day festival, that week. According to Flavius Josephus, the Feast of Tabernacles was one of the most joyous feasts of the year. Joyous because of the way it was celebrated, the building of booths with these thatched branches of trees. The families would then live in for a whole week looking up at the stars and imagining what life was like for their forefathers as they would march through the desert and trust God to take care of them.

They would celebrate that. It was really a fun way to do church. Church was fun during the Festival of Tabernacles.

The kids loved it. Stories were abundant in that town and at that feast. People from all over Israel came to Jerusalem because it was one of the three required festivals that males especially within a certain distance of the city would go up and celebrate.

They were commanded to do so but typically if they could they would bring their whole family. So the city was filled with people. There were thousands and actually tens of thousands of people that gathered in the temple area. Now why is the Feast of Tabernacles important to us?

Well historically it's important to us and prophetically it's important to us. One of the reasons I love the Feast of Tabernacles historically is because I love the eighth chapter of Nehemiah. When they came back into the land and it says they constructed a podium sort of like this out of wood and Ezra stood to read from the law of God. It says that he opened the book and read from the book in the law of the Lord. He read it distinctly and then he gave the sense of it. He told the meaning of it much like our Wednesday night Bible study and the people stood for hours listening to the law expounded. The very next day it says in the reading of the law they discovered it was the Feast of Tabernacles and so they went out and they took those branches and they made those booths and they decided they needed to keep it because the word of God said to keep it.

I love it because you have people who decide in the hearing of the word of God to do what they read immediately putting it into practice. That's historically. It's important and you need to remember this even if you don't remember it you're going to do this. So let's say you have amnesia. I'm OK with that because in the future do you know that according to the book of Zechariah chapter 14 you in the millennial kingdom the thousand year reign of Christ on earth. You will go up to Jerusalem the nations of the world their representatives will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. So if it makes no difference to you historically it will prophetically one day because it says in that passage that the nations of the world will celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles every year in Jerusalem during Christ's millennial kingdom. Let's say that you and I were in the temple right now what would we see if it were the Feast of Tabernacles. Well you would see thousands of people with something in their left hand and something in their right hand in their left hand they would have citrus fruit.

Yummy. What did that speak of. It spoke of the land in which they live. The promised land was filled with provision in their right hand were branches. Why branches. Well they were told to take branches to build booths. So the branches were emblematic of the different stages in the wilderness and they would hold those branches up in the temple along with the fruit thanking God for the provision. But something interesting happened every day during the Feast of Tabernacles during that eight day week that elongated week the first day and the last day were Sabbath days but the eighth day was the grand finale. And this is what happened every day as far as we can tell according to Jewish history every day during the feast a priest would take a golden pitcher. He would walk down from the Temple Mount down into the old city of Jerusalem the city of David.

I wish all of us had been to Israel because when you go you realize how steep that walk is not only going down but especially coming back up. So the priest followed by lots of people would go down to the pool of Siloam at the base of that city of David fill the pitcher with water walk back up and pour the water on the base of the altar. And there would be three blasts of the trumpet the shofar and after the third blast of the shofar you know shofar so good the people would cry out a text of scripture. Isaiah chapter 12 verse 3 now listen to the scripture it says from Isaiah 12 3 with joy you will draw waters from the wells of salvation with joy you will draw waters from the well of salvation.

They did that every single day on the last day of the feast the grand finale the priest would go down would come back up he'd have that golden pitcher filled with water. But before the blast of the shofar and before the people would shout out that anthem from Isaiah chapter 12 the priests along with many of the people would walk around the altar of sacrifice six times. And then at seventh time what was that a symbol of seven times around the Battle of Jericho why the Battle of Jericho because that's what ended the wilderness march.

When they crossed the Jordan and they marched around the city signifying this is the first town we're going to take in this country it's going to be ours. It's the inheritance of God that ended their wilderness journeys so they would march around the temple so it's raising to a grand finale the people march around the altar seven times then the priest would come up and there would be a hush over the crowd. As he would pour the water because after he would pour the water in silence the people would cry out with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. I give you that background because you need to know it to really understand the impact of the next few verses. In verse 37 on the last day that great day of the feast that grand finale Jesus stood and cried out saying if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink he who believes in me as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

But this he spoke concerning the spirit whom those believing in him would receive for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. You're listening to connect with Skip Heitzig before we return to skips teaching we want to help you and the children in your life see the timeless story of Christ from cradle to cross with Nate Heitzig new book Christmas under the tree told through the eyes of an unlikely character and graced with illuminating illustrations. This gripping tale is rooted in the limitlessness of Christ's love and helps young readers understand why Jesus left heaven to be born under and die upon a tree. This exciting resource, along with a companion audio experience are available to you now as our way of saying thanks for your gift of $25 or more to reach more people with God's love through connect with Skip Heitzig.

Go to connect with Skip dot com slash offer or call 800 922 1888 and request your copy when you give. Now, let's get back to Skip for more of today's teaching. I want you to picture the scene once again, the crowd marches around the altar, the priest goes up to the altar, he pours the water, the crowd falls silent. And before they can even shout out, I believe, though we're not told precisely, but Jesus cried out.

Cradzo, the cry of a raven, the shout to grab people's attention. And he said, if anyone is thirsty, let him come into me and drink. You know that all those thousands of head went heads went. Look at who said that, who cried out that, who who is it that is speaking that promise, getting our attention. And it was Jesus.

It was Yeshua. Before the people could say with joy, you will draw waters from the well of salvation. Jesus said, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. And he who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. A couple of things get my attention. First of all, here is Jesus among thousands of people. He doesn't have the advantage that I have.

I have a microphone and a PA system. He has to have a pretty loud voice with a pretty substantive cry to get thousands of people's attention to make this claim, this promise. And that's striking to me because if any of you grew up like I did, seeing the pictures of Jesus, you know, the picture of Jesus with the long drawn face, the anemic looking Jesus who needs a little son and a good meal, frankly, because the holy cards that I saw just made him look sickly. I see a very different kind of Jesus here, a very commanding presence, a man's man, making a claim in front of the leaders, in front of the priests, in the temple courts, commanding the attention of everyone, making a bold proclamation like this. The other thing that grabs my attention is what he was saying. He's saying, here you are talking about your forefathers who had their physical thirst quenched in the desert. Temporarily, their physical thirst was quenched. That's wonderful because God provided for that.

But here you are standing next to a waterfall talking about neckties. Many of those leaders talking just about the form and are we doing it right? And, you know, all of the little nitpicky things about their law. When here is Jesus, their Messiah presenting himself with an incredible invitation, saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Now, notice that promise.

There's three stages. If anyone thirsts. We always begin with that.

You have to begin with that. You won't drink unless you go, I'm thirsty. You have to acknowledge that you have a need before you'll seek to alleviate that need.

People don't come to Christ because they don't believe they need to. I'm not thirsty, I'm good. So you have to make an acknowledgement that you have a need that has to be fulfilled beyond what you can do for yourself. So that's always the first stage, the thirsty stage, I'm thirsty. Then you have to do something about your thirst.

That takes you to the second stage. If anyone thirsts, let him come. Come. You have to make a decision of your will to cooperate with the invitation of God. And so you come.

I remember the night I came, the afternoon I saw that Billy Graham special on television. I decided, I'm thirsty, I'm coming. I'm going to do something about my thirst.

I'm not going to run around every day complaining life isn't good, life's a bummer. I'm just always thirsty all the time. Take a drink.

So I came. Now, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. That's the third step. The drinking speaks of the appropriation of Jesus Christ by faith. You take him to be your Savior.

You admit that you have a need. You come to the fountain, but you actually have to stoop down and bring the water up. You have to drink it.

You know, how many people come to church every week? I'm at the fountain. I like the fountain. I don't like the fountain this week. I like the fountain maybe two weeks ago. It's all about the fountain.

You got to drink from the fountain. And I'll never forget for me. That afternoon, I said a simple prayer. There was nobody there. There was no pastor. It wasn't a church service.

But I finally said, I'm giving up. And I did not see a bright light. I did not have the heavens shake.

I didn't hear an audible voice. But I felt like a huge burden had been lifted. A huge weight was gone. I was refreshed. I drank. It's like, yum.

Man, that tastes good. It's great to know that you have a need, but it's great to know that you can come somewhere to get the need met. But then it's much better when you actually take a drink.

That's the promise. And notice how universal it is if anyone, if anyone, if anyone thirsts, let them come to me and drink. I just want you to think about you and about others that you know. Anyone means anyone. There's no qualification as to education or social status or background or ethnicity. Anyone. Jew, Gentile, anyone. Male, female, anyone. Tall, short, anyone. Rich, poor, anyone.

Educated, not educated, anyone. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. An incredible promise.

And when you break it apart like this, you get the richness of it. He continues the promise, the invitation. He who believes in me. Speaking of that last part of verse 37, he's coming, he's had a drink. He who believes in me. As the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. There's a few different kinds of faith. Now listen carefully. How many people do you know say, I believe? I'm a believer. I'm a spiritual person. I believe in God.

That's a good start. I ask them to define God and define believe. Define believer. Tell me what meaning you are pouring into the words that you and I are using together.

Because you and I may have different meanings for the same words. See, there's different kinds of faith. There is, number one, a false faith.

It's not real. You say false faith. What's a false faith? Well, doesn't the Bible say even the devil believes and trembles?

Remember the book of James? You say you have faith, you do well. But even the devil believes. The devil believes in God. Is the devil going to heaven?

Not last time I checked. Doesn't sound like heaven if he's there. No, he's not saved. He believes, but that's a false faith. It wasn't a faith that changed him. He rebelled against him.

He rebelled against God. So there is a false faith. Then there is a firm faith. This is true faith. This is what Jesus refers to if somebody believes in me. They've come to the fountain.

They've had a drink. That's firm faith. That's real.

That's life-changing. But I submit to you, based on this promise and other scriptures, there's a third level, and that is flowing faith. Look at the promise. Hugh believes in me. As the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

You see, herein lies the problem with many believers. For many people, it's about them being satisfied. Not how God can flow through me to satisfy others.

It's just, no, it's all about me. I want to be happy. I want to be fulfilled. I want to be satisfied. Well, notice Jesus didn't say that you're to be a reservoir or a lake, but a fountain, a river. You and I are to convey what we have received in terms of satisfaction to others.

You say, how can we do that? I can't save another person. Jesus saved me. I tasted from the fountain. I can't provide that for others.

Well, yes and no. You can't save them, but you can make them thirsty. You can, by your lifestyle, make this whole Jesus thing pretty attractive to people. So you've got to ask, what is it about your life that makes people attracted to Jesus? Are they attracted to Jesus?

Or would they be repelled, going, Jesus did that to you? Man, I'm so sorry. Remind me never to follow that guy. Or Jesus did that to you and for you?

Where can I get me some of that stuff? You see, the joy is being the conduit. He's flowed to you. Does He flow through you? In fact, I submit to you that the highest source, the highest place of satisfaction for a believer is when they become a conduit, when it doesn't stop with them, when it flows not only to them but now through them to others, when they're about taking the Father's business out to their friends, their families, sharing the Gospel with others and letting others who are thirsty know about the fountain. When your life becomes a conduit rather than a reservoir, it's the highest place of satisfaction to know God used you today for His glory, for His purpose.

Nothing is better. So I hope you don't have a false faith. You who trust in Jesus, I know that you have a firm faith. The question is, do you have a flowing faith? We're glad you've joined us today. Before you go, remember that when you give $25 or more to help reach more people with the Gospel through Connect with Skip Heitzig, we'll send you Nate Heitzig's new children's book, Christmas Under the Tree, which includes a companion audio experience.

Just in time for Christmas, this book will help young readers understand why Jesus left heaven to be born under and die upon a tree. To request your copy, call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. For more from Skip, be sure to download the Connect with Skip Heitzig app where you can access messages and more content right at your fingertips.

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