Subject One Hundred Four

THE NEED OF THE THIRSTY

Scripture: John 7:37-39

1. The thirst of human living
   1. It was the feast of tabernacles in Jerusalem. A feast is a day of joy.
   2. On the last day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirst....” The last day of the feast is absolutely related to the thirst. Man is thirsty because the feast has its last day. A feast is a period of joy in the human living. But the last day of the feast is the termination of the joy. When the joy of human living reaches its end, man immediately begins to feel the thirst. There is an end to everything: a ball game, a movie, a birthday party, a wedding, etc. When the end comes, the crowd breaks up and each person goes back, exhausted. In any feast there is a last day, and when the last day comes, man begins to feel thirsty. All the joyous occasions only produce the thirst. The more you pursue the fashion of this age, the more fashion you have to pursue; the more you desire beauty, the more beauty there is for you to go after. But the end only makes you more thirsty and dissatisfied.
2. The Lord has the living water
   1. The Lord cried out and said, “If anyone thirst,” because He wanted man to realize what man’s real need is. His crying was not only to make man realize he is thirsty, but also to show that He has the living water to quench man’s thirst. So He said, “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink.” The feast cannot quench the thirst; only the Lord’s living water which is flowing forever can quench man’s thirst.
   2. The living water of the Lord is the Lord’s life and the Lord’s Spirit.
3. How the living water flows out from the Lord
   1. The Lord’s life-giving water came out of His broken body through the death on the cross, just like the living water which came out of the smitten rock. As soon as the Lord was glorified after His death and resurrection, His life-giving water flowed out, that is, He descended as the Spirit.
   2. The Lord’s life-giving water is in the Holy Spirit. It flowed out through the Holy Spirit. Today if you are moved by the Holy Spirit, the living water has flowed unto you. If you receive it, this water will then be flowing inside of you.
4. How to receive the Lord’s life-giving water
   1. The only way to receive this water is to drink. This is why the Lord said here, “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink.”
   2. To drink is to believe. After saying, “Come to Me and drink,” the Lord continued, “He who believes in Me.” So to believe is to drink. Believe in what? The Lord said, “Believe in Me.” To believe is to receive the Lord into you, that is, to believe that the Lord died for you on the cross and released His life. When you thus believe in Him, you are receiving Him in, and His Spirit and His life will flow into you.
   3. Such a believing not only results in the living water flowing into you, but also causes the living water to become rivers of living water flowing out of you. Give examples to illustrate how a person is satisfied and happy when he drinks of the living water, the life-giving water. As a result of drinking, rivers of living water just flow out of him to meet others’ needs and to quench others’ thirst.