True and Eternal Satisfaction Is Found Only In Christ (John 7:37-52)

There will be many similarities to this post and the second section of the one previous. That is because I only got through one point of the message last week and decided to split it up. This will likely bring us to four separate messages that cover the material that was in the first post. This will be good. It also got a good laugh from folks last week as my wife was telling me it was time to go and I wasn’t even close to finished:)

I can remember many times in my life that I thought would satisfy much more than they did.I remember hanging out with friends when I was in High School thinking that things weren’t really quite right. Oftentimes this time was spent with Christian friends and though the time was fun, most of those friendships didn’t last. Nor did they really end up being very fulfilling. As I tried to find satisfaction in friendships it came up rather dull.

I sought fulfillment in sports when I was in school. I achieved well in Junior High and High School. Yet, this wasn’t that fulfilling. I remember standing amidst the celebrations of being undefeated and winning the State Championship in Football, after beating our rivals the Alma Airedales twice that season and once in the championship game, and thinking to myself that I was glad we won. But, it wasn’t truly satisfying. It was more like thinking, “Yep, we should’ve won it last year too.”

I sought fulfillment in my job. I would’ve thought that having more money than I’d ever had in my life would’ve helped. I topped it off by buying all the stuff that I thought that I’d ever wanted. My truck was pretty awesome, but in reality I just kept buying more stuff. Because, well, it didn’t satisfy like I thought it would’ve.

I remember seeking satisfaction in what I thought would be incredible experiences with friends…getting drunk and high. That did not satisfy either.

I remember dating a girl that I should not have dated. It was the opposite of fulfilling and it didn’t last long at all. Somehow I thought that being in a relationship would bring satisfaction to my life. That simply was not the case.

I am sure that at this point in your lives you can point to different things that you thought would satisfy that simply did not. The things of this world tend to promise more than they give. Satan also promises more from this world than it can give.

What is your favorite drink? My wife and I have what I would consider totally opposite soda preferences. She drinks Diet Pepsi and I drink Dr. Pepper. At any given moment either of us can be horribly disappointed as we drink from something that we thought would satisfy. A lot of times that is us. A lot of times we take hold of something that promises us great joy, only to find that it is horribly disappointing.

Jesus is not that way. He truly satisfies. Jesus truly satisfies, giving the Holy Spirit in abundance (John 7:37-52).

Jesus Truly Satisfies (John 7:37-52)

Now, we fast-forward a few days to the last day of the Feast. This was known as the “Great Day”. This was the most exciting portion of the week. Today there would be two massively attended ceremonies. One was The Water Ceremony, which occurred every day, and the other was the Light Ceremony. As much as possible I want to transport you there. I want you to see the images of the day and think of the prayers that occurred. But what I want most is for you to understand how Jesus fulfills it all.

This entire festival occurred during a drought in Israel. By this time in the year there was simply not much water. The spring rains are long gone, the cisterns were low, and the springs that carried fresh water were running with little water in them. Without water soon there would be major problems. The Water Ceremony, therefore, acted as two things. One, it was prayer for water from God. Sometimes rainfall actually began during Tabernacles and in these years they generally had very strong crops. It was an answer prayer from God as well as a sign that God was going to bless the following year. The second was that it was a prayer for water that could replenish the land spiritually.

Each day there would be a procession of priests that would go to the south border of the city to Gihon Spring. A priest would fill up a golden pitcher and there would be a choir chanting the words of Isaiah 12:3.

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”—Isaiah 12:3 ESV

Then the water was taken up the hill while the crowd followed the priests with a lulav, which is a palm, myrtle, and willow branch together that was waved and in their other hand they carried an Etrog, which is a citrus fruit. Waving the lulav they sang the Hallel Psalms as they went. The Hallel Psalms were Psalms 113-118. Once they arrived at the temple the priest would go up the steps of the altar and pour water on the altar while the people were crowding around him still singing the Hallel Psalms. There were two silver bowls that had a spout in them. A priest would pour water in one and another priest would pour wine in the other. They would both drain pouring water and wine down upon the altar. It was intended to remind people of God supplying the people of Israel with water from the rock during their wandering in the wilderness.

“Judaism saw this water ceremony on multiple levels. On the one hand, it was a plea to God for rain. But on the other hand, it was a source of rich symbolism. In the wilderness, God brought water from rock (Num. 20:8,10), and here water was flowing from the sacrificial rock altar of the temple. Ezekiel and Zechariah had visions of rivers flowing from the temple in a miraculous display of God’s blessing (Ezek. 47:1; Zech. 14:8). In a drought-stricken land, it was a spectacular vision of water—life-giving water flowing from God’s life giving temple.”—Jesus and the Jewish Festivals, Gary M. Burge pp. 75-76

Now, imagine this with me. This ceremony has already occurred 7 times during the Feast and Jesus stands up and says to people who are in the middle of a drought,

“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.” (John 7:37b-38 ESV)

This is the day when the water was poured into the Altar seven times, because it was the Great Day. Can you imagine the effect on the people? As water is lacking in the land and they’ve been praying for physical water and spiritual restoration Jesus stands up and says that if they believe in Him then “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 

This world is filled with things that promise satisfaction, but only Christ gives the water that satisfies. Before I was married there was a period of a few years that I ran quite a bit. I would run about 4 miles a 3-5 days a week. On days when I did not take in much water before running I would be so parched. And nothing tasted better than having a big glass of water. If offered soda I would snarl. If offered milk I would be disgusted. I wanted water. The same is true for us spiritually. Some things sound really good but they just don’t satisfy. Dating is no substitute for a spiritual life. Your friendships and other relationships can’t satisfy like Christ can. Good grades cannot satisfy like Christ can. Money cannot satisfy like Christ can. Why?

We have rebelled against God and His wrath abides upon us. We are not in God’s family. We are not in a good relationship with God. Christ came to Earth and died, paying the full punishment for our sins. He came and made a way for us to be made right with God and be adopted as His sons and daughters.  We are united to God through the work of Christ. St. Augustine once said,

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”—St. Augustine

The reason we find satisfaction, true satisfaction in Christ, is because we have been made God’s friends when once we were enemies. We are adopted into His family after once being outside of His family. We are given eternal life when once we were dead. No one else in this world can give us this. And so, our heart is restless until it finds rest in Christ.

Another reason that life in Christ is so very satisfying is the gift of the Holy Spirit that comes only through Him.

Jesus Truly Satisfies Giving The Holy Spirit In Abundance (John 7:39)

There is an event looked forward to throughout the Old Testament. Arguably this event is looked forward to even more than the coming of the Messiah. In fact, Jesus came and looked forward to this event Himself saying that it would be better when He left so that this event could happen. Do you know what the event is? It is the Holy Spirit being given to God’s people.

In a time when Israel was gathered together praying for spiritual renewal Jesus claims to be the source of the long promised Holy Spirit. Zechariah 14 was read and the people thought about and longed for the ultimate blessing of the giving of God’s Spirit in abundance and Jesus claims that it is through Him that these things come. 

“Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39 ESV)

Not only is Jesus our Savior who accomplished salvation for us, but He also gives to us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is described as:

1. Indwelling Believers—the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit as He works in us (Romans 8:9-11, Ephesians 2:21-22, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Galatians 5:22-23).
2. Our Comforter—by Jesus and others because He comforts those who believe. The term here can also mean counselor and advocate. (Isaiah 11:2, John14:16, John 15:26, John 16:7). He comforts, guides, counsels, consoles those who believe.
3. Interceding for us—the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we are in such horrible straits that we don’t even know what to say (Romans 8:26).
4. Convicts of sin—The Spirit helps us to understand the truth of God’s Word and our need for a Savior because He convicts us of sin (John 16:7-11).
5. Producing Life—the Holy Spirit works the new birth in us causing us to see the glorious truth of the gospel (John 3, Romans 8:2)
6. Our Seal or Deposit—God has placed His seal on those people who are His and that seal is the Holy Spirit. We can be sure that God will redeem us if He has given us His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14).
7. Our Guide—The Holy Spirit is called our guide helping us to understand those things that are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

And it is through Jesus that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. I wonder how much the people understood as Jesus stood there claiming to be the one through whom the Spirit would come. They understood what Jesus was saying, but I don’t know if they actually understood how glorious this blessing was going to be. Over and over they had read the prophesy in Joel and looked forward to the day it would happen, but did they imagine that it would be this glorious.

28  “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.”—Joel 2:28-32 ESV

They understood what Jesus said. Some people believed that Jesus was the prophet foretold that was like Moses. Some believed that He was the Messiah. Others argued that he was not the Messiah and wanted Him arrested. And, the Pharisees were angry that no one grabbed Jesus and had Him arrested. Nicodemus suggested that he have a trial because that is how the Law reads and Nicodemus was met with a scolding.

How would things be different among us if we truly thought that our greatest satisfaction would be found in Christ? Would our priorities be different? Would we struggle with how we spend our time? How would we spend our time? How would we spend our money? We are united with God in Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Is there anything that we could ever find that is greater than that?

One of the truly satisfying things about being in Christ is that we are given the Holy Spirit. Do we live as if the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity who is God Himself, actually lives within us?

If you are a believer here today my challenge to you is to evaluate your life and consider the great and glorious blessing that you’ve been given. Now, stack that next to anything that you have or could have in this life. How does it compare? Now, live that way. Lust is not greater, Christ is greater. Disobedience to parents is not greater. Christ is greater. Having a significant other is not going to bring you more satisfaction than Christ. What He gives is greater. Get this right. There is nothing in this world that you will give up for Him that you will not be happy that you gave up in the next. If you did it for Jesus then you will not regret it when you enter into eternity.         

If you are not a believer here today, then I want you to know that you are still in rebellion against God. His wrath hangs over your head as was discussed last week. And though you may think that living in rebellion to Christ is okay, you should know that there is something greater. To be united with God in Christ is the greatest thing in this Universe. You will still suffer. You could still be poor. You may have few friends. But, you will no longer be God’s enemy. You will be His adopted son or daughter and given the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing more precious than that in all the Universe.

 

R. Dwain Minor