The Holy Spirit (13)
By Abraham Eli
This study was first taught on July 31, 2012
Topic: Come … and Drink (3)
(use the audio to study)
Background
Last week, we took a closer look at John 4:13-14, and saw that there is a deeper implication to ‘drinking’ the ‘water of life’, that goes beyond the quenching of our innermost desire for God. We saw that while natural water temporarily quenches natural thirst, our thirst for God is permanently quenched by the Holy Spirit (the ‘water of life’) Who goes to the root of the thirst in our innermost being. But more than this quenching of our thirst for God is the permanence of the Holy Spirit in the believer, Who becomes in him, a bubbling spring of water.
We likened those who are thirsty for natural water to those who are merely outwardly religious, and those who are thirsty for ‘living water’ to those who are truly inwardly religious. We saw that those who engage in mere outward religion may be regular attendees of church programmes, including night vigils; may even be involved in ministry or service in church, and may engage in fasting; but they never find fulfilment in anything they do, and are endlessly in search of a meaning in their lives. Like a man who is naturally thirsty, and who must return constantly to fetch water to quench his thirst, those engaged in mere outward religion are always in need of someone to pray for them, and to hear from God for them. Such practitioners of mere outward religion are easily deceived by unscrupulous people; easily moved by the enticing words of men’s wisdom, the traditions of men, and the doctrine of devils; they freely practice syncretism; and, need to be externally motivated.
But those who pursue true inward religion are people who, having imbibed ‘living water’, have yielded themselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, are able to interact with God on their own, and, need not return to fetch ‘water’ as the living water is within them. They follow the doctrine of Christ, are led by the Spirit of God, and are internally motivated by the same Holy Spirit Who is in them. These people find fulfilment and contentment in life, and are eternally satisfied. As a ‘well of water springing up to everlasting life’, the Holy Spirit becomes within them, a never ending source of life, eliminating fatigue, burn out, religious staleness and stagnation, and so on. As the Holy Spirit ‘bubbles forth’ within them, they are able to withstand His action of spiritual renewal which makes them new creations in Christ, because they have totally surrendered themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ; hence such believers are likened to ‘new wineskin’, which is able to receive and retain ‘new wine’, a figure of the Holy Spirit. But people who are unsanctified and unrenewed (likened to old wineskins) are unable to receive the Holy Spirit; just as are those who dogmatically hold on to rigid religious beliefs that have nothing to do with God, who ‘mix’ the traditions of men with the word of God, and, who practice syncretism, cannot receive the Holy Spirit, for He will ‘ruin’ their carnally-oriented lives, religion, order of service, and so on! Curiously, there are individuals, who claim to be born again and Spirit-filled, but whose way of life are akin to those practicing mere outward religion. These individuals are really in the same category as ‘old wineskins’ because, having refused the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to change them, they are unrenewable, and what was thought to be ‘new wineskin’ is really a hard and brittle ‘old wineskin’! These people are unable to receive, let alone, retain the Holy Spirit in their lives!
Scripture Text(s)
John 7:37-39
Tonight, we conclude on this sub-theme, “come … and drink”, as we look closer at the Holy Spirit’s action when He becomes a ‘water spring’ within the believer in Christ. May we be filled completely with the Holy Spirit, and be completely at His disposal, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Our scripture text tonight goes further to look at a major consideration, without which the Holy Spirit will not reside within a person. We shall also be looking at the increasing nature of the never ending life giving Spirit within us.
Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19; Romans 10:9-10; James 2:18-26; 2 Corinthians 4:13; Matthew 3:8; John 4:28-34; Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4; 9:1-22; 4:16-31.
Conclusion
The Lord describes the action of the Holy Spirit within a believer as that of ‘rivers of living water’ which never cease to flow from its source. By this action of the Holy Spirit, the believer’s longing for God is permanently satisfied, and he is refreshed as often as is required, and therefore, does not suffer spiritual burn outs, among other negative effects which are common to those practicing mere outward religion. Ezekiel, the prophet, describes this action of the Holy Spirit, as water seeping from under the threshold of the temple of God, only reaching the ankle of the believer initially; but then gushes out in an ever increasing dimension, until He becomes a river which cannot be stood in, but which can only be swam in (a type of a believer who is completely filled with the Holy Spirit)! This river of Living Water also gives life where there once was death; fruitfulness where there once was barrenness; and enables soul winning (fishing), healing (not only to the believer, but to the nations), and restoration. John, the apostle, describes this ‘rivers of living water’ as “pure river of the water of life” in the Book of Revelation, which enables all-year round fruitfulness of different kinds of fruit (the harvest of souls, the raising of disciples, the fruit of the Spirit, etc.), the healing of the nations, the elimination of curses, and the enabling of the true worship of God!
What a drink! But how do we get to drink this Living Water? The action of the Samaritan woman, in talking with, and believing on, the Lord, represented her ‘drinking’ of the ‘living water’; for she afterwards left her water pot and went her way, becoming an evangelist immediately. The Lord Himself, showed no interest in the food the disciples brought, neither did He drink of the natural water from the well, for the water of life within Him had sprung forth as a result of His doing the will of His Father, giving Him fulfilment and satisfaction, which water or food cannot give! The disciples in the Upper Room were all in one accord in bible study and prayer; and on the day of Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul of Tarsus, fasted before the Lord, after his encounter with Him on the road to Damascus, and when Ananias prayed for him, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and immediately preached Christ! Fresh in-filling came to the disciples when they took their matter to God in prayer. We can likewise ‘drink’ of the Living Water tonight, and experience this in-filling and satisfaction wrought by the Holy Spirit, as we commence first, with believing on the Lord Jesus as the Messiah; and then, as we progressively spend time in the word of God (with or without fasting), in prayer, and, continually do the will of God; we increase the intensity of the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, commonly referred to as ‘the anointing’. Please note that as the Holy Spirit becomes ‘streams of rivers’ within us, we also, must release ourselves to Him to take us where He wants to without us inhibiting Him with our idiosyncrasies of what religion should be, and then we can benefit from all the blessings He brings into our lives!
Back to all Bible Study Outline List