Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Water is a necessary part of life and this is especially true in desert lands.

Without water we would die of thirst, without water crops would not grow and we would starve.

As Israel celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood in the temple and cried “if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

He was letting them know that He was indeed the Messiah and the source of living water.

There is an invitation for the lost and a promise for the Christian in the words of Christ.

The Feast of Tabernacles

In order to understand Jesus' teaching here, we need a bit of background from Leviticus 23.

There, Moses instructed the people that the first day and the eighth day of the festival were to be special days of rest, set apart from the others.

But the seventh day became known as Hoshana Rabba, "the Great Day."

The Israelites developed special observances and traditions to mark this special day in Israel.

The most spectacular of these was the water drawing ceremony.

The Water Drawing Ceremony

Imagine a whole parade of worshipers and flutists led by the priest to the pool of Siloam (where Jesus told the blind man to bathe his eyes after He put clay over them).

The priest has two golden pitchers.

One is for wine.

He fills the other with water from the pool.

As the flutes continue to play, a choir of Israelites chants Psalm 118.

The whole procession heads back to the Temple through the Water Gate.

A trumpet sounds as the priest enters the Temple area.

He approaches the altar where two silver basins are waiting.

He pours wine into one of the basins as a drink offering to the Lord and water from the pool of Siloam into the other.

The whole ceremony, with the parade and the flutes and the singing, was a very joyful occasion.

So much so that one of the ancient rabbis wrote: "Anyone who has not seen this water ceremony has never seen rejoicing in his life."

The ceremony was to thank God for His bounty and to ask Him to provide rain for the crops in the coming year.

Today, many people take water for granted.

We simply turn the tap and voilà—water!

Not so in the Middle East during the first century.

Water was often scarce.

The people were very much aware of their dependence on God for the rains that were so vital for the preservation of life.

No wonder the prophets came to see rain as a symbol of salvation and the work of God's Holy Spirit:

Declaration: There is significance in the living water for both the Sinner and the Saint

Preposition: Have you heard the cry of the Lord to come and drink?

Christian, have you lost sight of the significance of the never ending supply of this water to satisfy and sustain you in living the Christian life?

Transition: Notice with me this morning 3 important aspects of the living water that Christ provides.

I. Salvation in the Living Water

“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

We first noticed Jesus offering this living water to the woman at the well in John chapter 4 and we notice it again during his announcement at the Tempe with the background of the feast of tabernacles and the Water drawing ceremony.

A. Available to all who desire

“if any man thirst”

Do you have a thirst that you cannot seem to quench?

Read Isaiah 55 verses 1-3

Illustration: Nature show where an animal is licking the dust where a pond once stood- that is how many people are living their lives

B. Available to all who decide

“let him come to me”

Jesus is consistently calling people to come to him.

Have you heard his call?

Illustration: Decisions are a necessary part of life, we make them every day.

Some are difficult and some are easy.

The decision to trust Jesus as your Savior is the most important one you will ever make.

Have you put off this decision?

C. Available to all who drink

“and drink”

Remember Jesus’ words to the woman at the well?

Illustration: No one can drink for you.

You can be thirsty, you can even come to Jesus but you must “drink”.

Someone has said.. “you can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink”

You drink water with your mouth, you drink “living water” with your heart!

Not only do we see Salvation in the Living Water but we can also see Service through the Living Water...

II.

Service through the Living Water

“He that believeth on me....out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water”

Did you know that living the Christian life is impossible?

A. The Source of Living Water for service

“out of his belly”

This is the heart of man- the innermost part of our being and where Jesus said this living water resides.

B. The Supply of Living Water for service

“shall flow rivers of living water”

It is abundant!

The Supply to Teach

The supply to Testify

Is living water flowing from you?

C. The Stumbling Block of Living Water

There are hindrances in our life that cause the water not to flow.

Many Christians are not allowing rivers of living water to flow from their lives!

Are you resisting the Holy Spirit in your life?

Conclusion

Sinner - Do you thirst? - Salvation is available in the living water only Christ can provide

Christian - Do you thirst? - The supply you need is available - God is calling you to serve him but it can only be through his power