The Holy Spirit (12)
By Abraham Eli
This study was first taught on July 24, 2012
Topic: Come … and Drink (2)
No audio available for this study.Background
Last week, we saw that the Lord’s invitation to anyone who is thirsty for God and the things of God, is not just an invitation to come unto Him, but also, to “come … and drink” (John 7:37). First, we noted that the invitation is not to come and inhale air or breath (a type of the Holy Spirit, the Breath of God), neither is it to come and eat food (a type of Christ, the Bread of Life), nor is it to come and shake (a type of the effect of the Holy Spirit when He comes upon a man); but it is an invitation to come and drink. And in drinking, we are not being invited to imbibe intoxicating wine which intoxicates a man and takes possession of him in a way that makes him engage in ungodly and unholy acts; rather, we are invited to imbibe living water, a figure of the Holy Spirit, Who seeks to direct us in all holiness and righteousness!
We noted that the ‘water’ the Lord was referring to is not natural water, but spiritual water which is a figure of the Holy Spirit within the believer in Christ, and Who alone can truly satisfy our innermost desire for God. It is not water that is fetched from a natural well, as representative of a religious gathering which has all the trappings of carnality; neither is it a spiritual experience that requires that you undertake a ‘pilgrimage’ in order to receive a refreshing, albeit, a short-lived refreshing, only to return often thereafter, in order to be refreshed again and again from the ‘well’ of more religious gatherings; nor is it water from a man-made well, as is the case of the doctrines and traditions of men, which itself can be blocked or stopped by other doctrines and traditions of men or the doctrines of devils, or even destroyed by the elements. We noted that the ‘water’ the Lord is inviting us to come and drink of, though very precious, is freely given, and cannot be obtained with money; and is the only means by which a person’s yearning and longing for God and the Lord Jesus Christ is fully satisfied! We saw that the Holy Spirit is being referred to by the Lord as this ‘water’; and He alone truly satisfies, fulfils, and brings contentment to the life of the believer in Christ; something more religion/religious activities cannot accomplish! When the Holy Spirit is imbibed by a believer, He, the Holy Spirit, begins to work within him, reinforcing him with miraculous power, thus enabling Christ to dwell richly in him by faith, and bringing the believer into full revelation knowledge of God over time, as well as enabling all that God wants to do in, and through him, to become possible. Indeed, all the fullness of God is poured forth within the believer who truly and fully imbibes the Holy Spirit!
Scripture Text(s)
John 7:37; 4:13-14
Tonight, we continue from where we stopped last week, as we look deeper at the ‘water’ the Lord is offering us, and see a fuller implication of the imbibed Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. May we all drink of the Holy Spirit, and be fully satisfied, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
A closer look at the second scripture text for tonight, reveals that there is indeed a deeper implication to ‘drinking’ the Holy Spirit, than merely quenching our immediate thirst for God: He becomes a ‘water spring’ within the believer sprouting up unto everlasting life; which brings us to the issue of the ‘container’ that can hold this bubbling ‘water spring’.
2 Timothy 3:1-8; Isaiah 58:1-7; Exodus 7:11-12, 19-23; 8:1-7, 16-19; 9:8-11; Acts 13:6-12; Philippians 3:18-19; Luke 5:33-39; Matthew 15:1-9; Acts 2:14ff; 4:1-13; Romans 12:2; Hebrews 6:4-10.
Conclusion
Natural water quenches natural thirst, but only temporarily; hence, a person who is thirsty after a natural sort, will need to return to fetch water each time he is thirsty, in order to quench his thirst and be refreshed. This is what mere outward religion does to a person who engages therein. He is always looking for a ‘pastor’, a ‘prophet’, an ‘apostle’, etc., who will pray for him, tell him what he should do, and govern his life, freeing him, ostensibly of all responsibility whatsoever. Such a person’s desire for God is at best short-lived. A spiritual song may bring only temporary relief, as will an utterance of the enticing words of men’s wisdom, or declarations which may have nothing to do with God, but which tickles the carnal nature of man; fasting and other religious duties may give the impression of spirituality, yet all these never bring any real fulfilment, and no matter how many times a person attends church meetings and night vigils, or fasts he remains dissatisfied with life, and continues to search for a meaning in his life!
The Holy Spirit, a figure of ‘living water’, quenches our longing for God permanently! Like natural water, the Holy Spirit goes to the root of the thirst and quenches it; but unlike natural water, the Holy Spirit becomes within the believer in Christ, a permanent part of His life! He is typified as a ‘well of water springing up to everlasting life’; that is, a water spring sprouting up within the believer from the time he imbibes Him and becomes to him a source of everlasting life, or, a never ending source of life in him; thus eliminating fatigue, burn out, religious staleness and stagnation, and so on.
This matter of the Holy Spirit becoming a water spring in the believer, bubbling forth within him, raises a fundamental issue: which ‘container’ can hold this ‘new wine’ of the Holy Spirit which keeps bubbling forth? Only a ‘container’, that is, a believer, who has totally surrendered himself to the Holy Spirit, and thus allowed Him to make him a new creature in Christ can receive and retain the ‘new wine’ of the Holy Spirit. And because this ‘water’ bubbles forth, it is obvious that any ‘container’ or person who is not sanctified cannot be given this ‘water, lest he send forth unsanctified ‘water’ into people’s lives; neither can an unrenewed mind, nor an unrenewable person (someone who has refused the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in his life) be able to receive and retain the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, all those who believe (a) dogmatically in the old ways of rigid religious duties; (b) in combining the traditions of men with the word of God; and, (c) in syncretism, which is combining different religions or beliefs, or a compromise in religion; cannot partake of the ‘new bubbling wine’ of the Holy Spirit! It will ruin their well-organized and programmed lives, religion, order of service, etc.!
Let us go to God tonight and ask Him to prove us, just in case there is any evil way in us (Psalm 139:23-24).
Back to all Bible Study Outline List