INTRODUCTION:
In John 7, you will remember that Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles. So
many things happened in this Feast week…and the religious leaders have had their
fill of Jesus and His impact on the crowd.
…some of the people appeared to have some respect for Jesus and the Pharisees
were not going to have that. In verse 32 they (Pharisees) commissioned some
officers to go to the Feast and arrest Jesus. The NASB uses the term “seize” to
demonstrate the hostility the Pharisees had developed for Jesus and His apparent
popularity.
Verse 33 begins with “therefore” and then Jesus makes a rather peculiar statement
concerning His impending death (read vv.32-33). It seems that Jesus is saying that
what the Pharisees planned in verse 32 will eventually happen and He (Jesus) will
return to the Father.
Of course as usual the crowd has no inkling as to what Jesus was talking about
(vv.35-36), but for those of us who have read the rest of John’s Gospel we know full
well that eventually the Pharisees will have their way. Yes, they will seize Him and
they will see to it that He is crucified and that cruel death will be the portal to His
return to the Father who sent Him.
This brings us to the portion in our text which I sense the entire passage swings on.
Here we read as customary the usage of breath-taking imagery by Jesus.
EXAMPLES OF USE OF IMAGERY BY JESUS IN JOHN
John 2:19 – The Temple
John 3:3, 8 – Born Again
John 3:14 – The Serpent
John 3:19-21 – Light and Darkness
John 4:10-14 – Living Water – The Parallel
John 4:35 – The Harvest and the Field
John 6:33-35 – The Living Bread
Now as we come to that provocative statement of Jesus found in vv. 37-38 we
discover at once that it is full of imagery, the kind of imagery as John Piper says is
attractive. The imageries of thirsting and drinking and water flowing like rivers are
absolutely breathtaking for the one who hears Jesus carefully and rightly.
The Feast of Tabernacles reminded the people of the trek through the wilderness
and how God miraculously provided all their needs (cf. Exodus 17:3).
Jesus now stands on the last day of that feast in particular and cries aloud, “if
anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink”.
He is declaring to this crowd that He is the fulfillment of the power and grace of God
that saved their forefathers in the wilderness (Mark 1:15).
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
In these words there is a Condition: “If anyone is thirsty”
CONDITION:
The hardest thing is not to satisfy the thirst of people, but to get them to thirst for
God.
And God has made it so. You can hear this in a poem by George Herbert called
“The Pulley”
When God at first made man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by—
Let us (said He) pour on him all we can;
Let the world's riches which disbursed lie,
Contract into a span
So strength first made a way;
Then beauty flowed, then wisdom, honor, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that, alone, of all His treasure,
Rest in the bottom lay.
For if I should (said He)
Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore My gifts instead of Me,
And rest in nature, not the God of nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness;
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to My breast.
We are bothered and blessed by an unrelieved restlessness, an unappeasable
thirsting in our souls. God has made us that way so that we keep looking until we find
Christ and turn to Him.
We were made to have fellowship with the Son of God, but we have become sinners
and the fundamental meaning of sin is thirsting for things other than God.
ADAM AND EVE thirsted for autonomy.
CAIN thirsted for self-made approval
DAVID thirsted for sexual satisfaction
ISRAEL thirsted for similarity to the other nations
THE PHARISEES thirsted for a prominent place in the eyes of the people
THE SADDUCEES thirsted for the best places in society
THE ZEALOTS thirsted for political power
THE LAME MAN thirsted for money
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA thirsted after the appearance of Godliness
SIMON THE SORCERER thirsted for reckless Spiritual power
FELIX thirsted for simply hearing sermons
THE 21ST CENTURY CHURCH thirst for man’s success
The list of misappropriated thirst goes on and on…
WHAT ARE YOU THIRSTING FOR THIS MORNING?
JESUS SAYS, “IF ANYONE IS THIRSTY, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK.”
In John 7, you will remember that Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles. So
many things happened in this Feast week…and the religious leaders have had their
fill of Jesus and His impact on the crowd.
…some of the people appeared to have some respect for Jesus and the Pharisees
were not going to have that. In verse 32 they (Pharisees) commissioned some
officers to go to the Feast and arrest Jesus. The NASB uses the term “seize” to
demonstrate the hostility the Pharisees had developed for Jesus and His apparent
popularity.
Verse 33 begins with “therefore” and then Jesus makes a rather peculiar statement
concerning His impending death (read vv.32-33). It seems that Jesus is saying that
what the Pharisees planned in verse 32 will eventually happen and He (Jesus) will
return to the Father.
Of course as usual the crowd has no inkling as to what Jesus was talking about
(vv.35-36), but for those of us who have read the rest of John’s Gospel we know full
well that eventually the Pharisees will have their way. Yes, they will seize Him and
they will see to it that He is crucified and that cruel death will be the portal to His
return to the Father who sent Him.
This brings us to the portion in our text which I sense the entire passage swings on.
Here we read as customary the usage of breath-taking imagery by Jesus.
EXAMPLES OF USE OF IMAGERY BY JESUS IN JOHN
John 2:19 – The Temple
John 3:3, 8 – Born Again
John 3:14 – The Serpent
John 3:19-21 – Light and Darkness
John 4:10-14 – Living Water – The Parallel
John 4:35 – The Harvest and the Field
John 6:33-35 – The Living Bread
Now as we come to that provocative statement of Jesus found in vv. 37-38 we
discover at once that it is full of imagery, the kind of imagery as John Piper says is
attractive. The imageries of thirsting and drinking and water flowing like rivers are
absolutely breathtaking for the one who hears Jesus carefully and rightly.
The Feast of Tabernacles reminded the people of the trek through the wilderness
and how God miraculously provided all their needs (cf. Exodus 17:3).
Jesus now stands on the last day of that feast in particular and cries aloud, “if
anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink”.
He is declaring to this crowd that He is the fulfillment of the power and grace of God
that saved their forefathers in the wilderness (Mark 1:15).
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
In these words there is a Condition: “If anyone is thirsty”
CONDITION:
The hardest thing is not to satisfy the thirst of people, but to get them to thirst for
God.
And God has made it so. You can hear this in a poem by George Herbert called
“The Pulley”
When God at first made man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by—
Let us (said He) pour on him all we can;
Let the world's riches which disbursed lie,
Contract into a span
So strength first made a way;
Then beauty flowed, then wisdom, honor, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that, alone, of all His treasure,
Rest in the bottom lay.
For if I should (said He)
Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore My gifts instead of Me,
And rest in nature, not the God of nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness;
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to My breast.
We are bothered and blessed by an unrelieved restlessness, an unappeasable
thirsting in our souls. God has made us that way so that we keep looking until we find
Christ and turn to Him.
We were made to have fellowship with the Son of God, but we have become sinners
and the fundamental meaning of sin is thirsting for things other than God.
ADAM AND EVE thirsted for autonomy.
CAIN thirsted for self-made approval
DAVID thirsted for sexual satisfaction
ISRAEL thirsted for similarity to the other nations
THE PHARISEES thirsted for a prominent place in the eyes of the people
THE SADDUCEES thirsted for the best places in society
THE ZEALOTS thirsted for political power
THE LAME MAN thirsted for money
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA thirsted after the appearance of Godliness
SIMON THE SORCERER thirsted for reckless Spiritual power
FELIX thirsted for simply hearing sermons
THE 21ST CENTURY CHURCH thirst for man’s success
The list of misappropriated thirst goes on and on…
WHAT ARE YOU THIRSTING FOR THIS MORNING?
JESUS SAYS, “IF ANYONE IS THIRSTY, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK.”
| Sunday Morning, April 1, 2007 Sermon Outline WHAT ARE YOU THIRSTY FOR? John 7:32-39 |
New Life Fellowship Church
John 7:32-39
John 7:32-39
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |