Living Water

[0:00] Let us pray.

[0:30] Let us pray.

[1:00] For every soul, every soul here today. Every soul is eternal. Immortal. Never dying. Pray for every soul that is here.

[1:11] That will be concerned about our soul this morning. And that you'll be pleased to minister to each soul that is here today. By your grace. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Water.

[1:27] You can get all kinds of it. All kinds of water. Sparkling water. Natural spring water. Purified water. Deionized water. Distilled water.

[1:38] Mineral water. Rain water. Filtered water. Adelaide water. Water. Water. The Lord Jesus talked about water.

[1:50] In John chapter 7. He spoke of living water. You won't get this kind of water down at the local shop. So where can you obtain this living water?

[2:04] You can't buy it. It is given of God. Not of man. And only this water can satisfy your thirsty soul.

[2:14] Today the Lord Jesus offers us his living water. The living water is his Holy Spirit. And the Lord Jesus is himself the fountain of life.

[2:27] As we trust him our life can be changed. In John 7.37. He says. In the last day.

[2:39] That great day of the feast. Jesus stood and cried. Saying. If any man thirst. Let him come unto me. And drink.

[2:50] He that believeth on me. As the scripture hath said. Out of his belly shall flow. Rivers of living water. Out of his belly shall flow.

[3:03] Rivers of living water. It was the time of the feast of tabernacles. Every day at this time. The priests and people. Came down to the pool of Siloam.

[3:15] And they would draw from the pool. With a golden vessel. That water. Take it back to the temple. Where it was poured out. On the altar. Of burnt offering.

[3:26] And as they did. They sang. Isaiah 12. Verse 3. Therefore with joy. Shall you draw water. Out of the wells. Of salvation. It was a time of joy.

[3:36] And jubilation. And it was at this same time. That our Lord Jesus cried out. Inviting the thirsty to come to him. He says to those who believe on him.

[3:47] That they will have rivers of living water. Flow out of their bellies. Out of their innermost being. Out of their hearts. This was a promise to them.

[3:58] Of the Holy Spirit. Who they should receive. When believing. But before the water of life. Could be poured out.

[4:09] And given to a lost and dying world. The fountain of living water. Had to be opened. The fountain had to be opened up. It's like when you.

[4:20] Have a well. A well is made from the tearing up. Of the earth. The earth has to be torn open. For the well. To be formed. And so too.

[4:31] The living water. The earth had to be torn open. The Lord Jesus had to be torn. And wounded.

[4:43] For that living water. To flow forth. David tells of our Lord. In Psalm 36 verse 9. For with thee is the fountain of life.

[4:56] Our Lord is the fountain of life. He gives us his freshness and cleansing. He quenches our thirsty soul. It is to him that the thirsty soul can come.

[5:08] Just as the deer came. In Psalm 42 verse 1. Searching for those streams of water. That thirsty deer. Is a picture of the thirsty soul. Hungering and thirsting after our Lord.

[5:22] And our Lord is that fountain. That fountain. That spring of living water. In Jeremiah 2 verse 13. We read again. Of this fountain. In Jeremiah 2 verse 13.

[5:34] The Lord says. For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me. The fountain of living waters. And cured them out.

[5:44] Cisterns. Broken cisterns. That can hold no water. Two evils. They forsook the Lord. The fountain of living waters. And they went and designed their own kind of holes in the ground.

[5:58] These cisterns. These basically holes. To hold water. But they were broken. And they could not hold any water. And Jeremiah tells here that our Lord says.

[6:12] That the Israelites had turned from the fountain of living waters. From the Lord unto the world. Instead of following him.

[6:23] They wanted to follow the idols and the false gods. That could not satisfy their thirst. Their souls. They were drawing water from these broken cisterns.

[6:35] Instead of from the living water. And when we turn away from God. We do the same. We miss out on his living water. When we settle for some substitute.

[6:47] When we settle for some broken cisterns. When we settle for some man designed. Man made kind of religion. When we settle for such things as that. They will not satisfy the thirsty soul.

[6:59] The people forsook the living fountain. The spring of living water. They chose these empty and broken substitutes.

[7:10] What a tragic mistake. To forsake the fresh flowing fountain. Who is our Lord God. And choosing instead some dead religion. Some good work. Some worldly pleasures.

[7:22] So empty and vain. And not satisfying our soul. There are many religions in this world today. There are many teachings. Many doctrines. And we need to clearly hold fast to that.

[7:35] Which is good. And not hold to that. Which is in error. In John 4. The Samaritan woman was there at the well. With the Lord Jesus.

[7:46] And he says to her. If you knew the gift of God. And who it is that says to you. Give me a drink. You would have asked him. And he would have given you living water. The Lord Jesus is that living water.

[7:58] That very fountain of life. When we think of water. What are some of the benefits of water? There's many benefits we could name. I know there's a dusty old farm up there at One Tree Hill.

[8:11] That could give us some water. You know. Water brings provision. Water brings fruitfulness. Water brings energy. You know.

[8:21] We see the hydroelectric schemes. That the water itself can create power. And energy. Water brings cleansing. You know.

[8:32] If we don't have water. If we don't see water for a while. We start to get on the nose. We need that water for our cleansing. Just in that physical realm. We need that water for that refreshment.

[8:43] Isn't it nice to just get that cool refreshing drink. Making you all jealous. I'm in this lovely Adelaide water. So you know. That lovely refreshing drink. That refreshment.

[8:54] That satisfaction that comes. From water. We need water. You know. Our bodies are made of so much of it. Water brings life. In Ezekiel 47 verse 9.

[9:06] We read of a river that flows. And Ezekiel 47 verse 9. It says. Everything shall live. Whither the river cometh. God brings life.

[9:17] Where the river flows. Life comes. Where the river goes. There is life. And we look at our nation of Australia today. Sadly. It's spiritually dead.

[9:28] Spiritually dead. The so called city of churches. It's deathly. Deathly. And spiritually dead. And we as a people. Have turned to broken cisterns.

[9:40] That can hold no water. We as Australians. As citizens of this planet. Have turned from the fountain of living waters. We've forsaken the Lord.

[9:52] The fountain of living waters. And the spiritual state of the nation. Reflects that of the church too. The church has lost the spiritual life. As it has forsaken God.

[10:03] And his word and way. Our Lord's desire is to bring life. Life. Life more abundant. Life that will flourish. Life is where our Lord is.

[10:15] Life is when we let him have his way. When things are dry and dying and dusty. We appreciate water. We appreciate water. Our crops.

[10:26] Our animals. If we are still in the farming days. Which were so prevalent in the past. We would know how vital. How precious water is.

[10:38] Especially in times of drought. And we think of the spiritual drought. The spiritual famine that is in the land. Where there is a lack of the word. Where there is a barrenness of death.

[10:51] How about you spiritually? How about you spiritually? Each one of you. Each one of us. How is your spiritual state? How is your spiritual life?

[11:03] Is your spiritual life vital? Living. Life giving. Fruitful. Are you thirsting for more of him? Are you thirsting? Hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

[11:15] Our Lord says. You will be filled. Are you longing for his filling? Longing for his living water? He that believeth on me. As the scripture hath said.

[11:27] Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Consider further some other benefits of water. Water brings refreshment.

[11:38] Refreshment. It's fresh and refreshing. It satisfies our thirst. As we partake of our Lord's bountiful supply. We know his total refreshment.

[11:50] And blessings for our lives. Not that everything is necessarily going to be fine and dandy all the time. But we have his refreshing. To help us through those times of testing.

[12:02] He gives grace to the spiritually needed. He satisfies our thirst as we receive him. Water brings cleansing. Water brings cleansing.

[12:16] It takes away our defilement. Just in the physical sense. How too do we need his cleansing? Now we heard him passing of that.

[12:28] If we confess our sins. He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins. And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I know. Don't you feel much better after that shower or bath?

[12:39] Don't you feel much better when you feel fresh and clean? Spiritually too. Spiritually too we need his cleansing. We need that purging of the feel of our uncleanness.

[12:52] And he does that. In Zechariah 13.1 we read. A fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. Zechariah 13 verse 1. A fountain opened for sin and uncleanness.

[13:07] Water has a softening effect. As well. When we put something in water. Often times it has a softening effect. On the material that is in the water.

[13:19] It makes it soft and pliable. And so too with even the hardest. The hardest of hearts. God can do wonders. In softening.

[13:30] In melting. In yielding us to his power. Water brings fruit. The fruit on the trees. The grass on the fields. The bounty of harvest.

[13:40] Comes from the water. That he pours out. On the earth. Everything would be barren without water. Water is life preserving. As well.

[13:51] Death prevails. Where there is no water. And to the spiritually dry and dead. He says. He that believeth on me. As the scriptures have said.

[14:03] Out of his belly shall flow. Rivers of living water. Where can we find this water? He is the source of it. He is the source. Of those rivers. Of living water.

[14:14] We see water. So. Often referred to in the word of God. Genesis 2 it says. A river went out. Of Eden. To water the garden. Genesis 2 verse 10.

[14:26] The water was needed. Right from the start. And we need the river of God. The river of God. The sun. Make a big talk about. Jump him the river. And all that kind of talk.

[14:37] Sort of taking it completely. Beyond the intention. But there is that sense. Where there is that river. Those rivers of living water. That refreshment that comes.

[14:48] From knowing him. In Revelation 22. It mentions the river of two. A pure river. Of the water of life. Clear as crystal. Proceeding out.

[15:00] Of the throne of God. And of the Lamb. Even in Revelation. There is going to be a wonderful river. A beautiful river. You know. We can meet there at the river. Amen. Beyond the river.

[15:10] There is that river. Where does it come from? Notice it comes from the throne. Of the Lamb. The throne of God. And of the Lamb. It comes from his throne.

[15:22] It is from his reign and rule. That he distributes his grace. It flows out. At his good pleasure. From the creator. Our God. The river of life.

[15:33] He sent it out. Where he will. And that river. When you think of rivers. They flow over all kinds of territory. Over all kinds of terrain. Over valleys and plains.

[15:45] Even deserts. And so too. Our Lord's reach. Extends. Across all dimensions. Of humanity.

[15:57] In all. Facets of the human world. That we live. In all cultures and languages. Tongues and nations. In all statuses.

[16:09] And varieties of people. Young and old. The river can reach. All who will receive. There shall be showers of blessing.

[16:21] Rivers of living water. Flowing out. And our Lord wants you and me. To be channels. Of blessing. To be channels. Of this river. I got.

[16:31] I got some inspiration. For this sermon actually. When I was climbing on a roof lately. And had a leaky roof. And I had to work out. What was wrong. With my roof.

[16:42] Because there was dripping water. Through. The roof. And it was raining at the time. Which was quite helpful actually. As much as I was getting wet. Because as I got on the roof.

[16:54] I could see. Where the water. Was captured. The water was. Captured in little pockets. In the roof. And so. Over time.

[17:05] The water found its way. To drip down. Into the building. And what I had to do. Was make some channels. Make some channels. And I forgot that bitumen.

[17:16] And heated it. And softened it. And then poured it. Into. The roof. Channels.

[17:28] The. Water flowed. Down the channel. It was quite. A revelation. Very very simple. But it was a revelation to me. And I had to make some channels.

[17:39] It reminded me. Of. My younger days. Down at the creek. The back of. At the back of our place. When I used to go down. As a little boy. And I don't know if any of you.

[17:50] Might have done this. But. It played in the mud. Down at the creek. And the clay. In the creek. And you. And you form little dams. And little channels. And little ways.

[18:00] To make the river. Flow through the creek. I wouldn't go down the creek anymore. Now it's too polluted. I'd imagine. But. You see how the channels. Made the water to flow. And so too.

[18:11] Brothers and sisters. God wants us to be channels. Of blessing. He wants us to be channels. Channels that he can flow. Through us. Because it says. Out of his valley. Shall flow.

[18:22] Rivers. Of living water. It's not for us to contain it. To ourselves. But for us to flow it. To others around about. And the. Overflowing.

[18:33] River. Of living water. The spirit of God. Working in the hearts. Of each individual believer. He wants to use you.

[18:44] As a channel. Of blessing. He wants to use your lips. He wants to use your lives. He wants to use your testimony. To be a channel. Of blessing.

[18:55] Channel. Of blessing. I know there is a song in our book. That we don't know it. Well enough to sing it. Some of you might sing it better than I can. But channels only.

[19:07] Number 13. Channels only. How I praise thee precious saviour. That thy love laid hold of me. Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me. That I might.

[19:18] Thy channel. Be. Channels only. Blessed master. But with all thy wondrous power. Flowing through us. Thou canst use us. Every day.

[19:29] And every hour. There's more. You can read it there. Number 30. Channels only. Channels of blessing. Rivers of living water.

[19:42] Living water. He wants you to be alive. Fresh. Vibrant. Some other things about water. That are not so good. Water can get blocked.

[19:52] A bit like my roof there. With the channel not flowing. The channel can be blocked.

[20:06] A dear wise sister said to me. You cannot hold hands with Satan. And walk with the Lord at the same time. You cannot hold hands with Satan. And walk with the Lord at the same time.

[20:19] Our Lord wants our devotion. We can block him. We can block God at work in our life. The level of a river may rise and fall.

[20:29] But if it is a river. It's always flowing. Check the flow. This morning. Check the flow brother. Sister.

[20:40] Is your spiritual life flowing? Or is it blocked? Aren't you a bit like that young boy down at the creek? Building those little dams. And the flow gets blocked.

[20:54] Smash the dam down. Be a dam buster. Smash the dam down so the river can flow. Ask God to take the blockage out of your spiritual life.

[21:04] Those spiritual things that are holding you back from doing God's work. Those habits. Those problems. Those barriers that you're building. For the God work to be hindered in you.

[21:21] Ask yourself. What can I do to remove those barriers? What can I do to remove those blockages? How can I better yield to the Holy Spirit?

[21:34] Water can be blocked. Another thing that's not so good about water. Water can stagnate. Think of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea.

[21:45] People talk of it. Some 17 miles east of Jerusalem. This large body of water. The Dead Sea. Dead Sea.

[21:55] So salty. That it contains no fish. And scarcely any plant life. Why is this? Because there's no outlet.

[22:07] There is no outlet for the Dead Sea. Absolutely none. It's one of the most barren places on earth. And the high salt content of the Dead Sea has killed off all of the fish much of the plant life.

[22:20] Even though fresh water flows into this sea from three different rivers. Fresh water. Yet nothing flows out. The water just sits there and it becomes stagnant.

[22:34] Do you know some Christians like that? Some Christians like that. Stagnant. Going nowhere. They take in the doctrine. But never give anything back.

[22:46] Inlets plus no outlets equals a Dead Sea. And this law of nature can be applied to the children of God.

[22:57] Stagnant water. It will yield no fruit. It only sees disease and death. Many believers are unfruitful because they lack that spiritual vitality.

[23:09] They lack that stagnant Dead Sea. Think of where you were five years ago. Have you grown any in your spiritual life? Brother, sister, be challenged today.

[23:20] Myself too. It's possible to be stagnant. It's possible to be taking it all in and doing nothing with it. Taking it all in whether attending church or studies or listening to religious broadcasts or reading the word.

[23:35] Taking it in but not giving it out. Dead Sea Christians. Several inlets but no outlets. God wants you and me to be vibrant, useful believers.

[23:49] Finding every opportunity to give out to others in service. To share. To minister. To be used of God. To be those refreshing fountains to others around about.

[24:04] To take that refreshing living water and impart it. To be channels of blessing. Channels of blessing. Channels only. Blessed Master. But with your wondrous power you can use us.

[24:19] Hearts of love to pour out. Ask the Lord. Make me a channel of blessing. Ask him today. Make me a channel of blessing.

[24:30] Drink in our Lord's life giving spirit. Feed your innermost being with the water of the word. The water of the word of life. Let his word flow through you to others.

[24:42] Find a word you can give. In season. Out of season. Find a message you can share. Witness with the love of Christ to the loved ones in your life.

[24:53] To those you care about. Let his word flow through you. Smooch the dam that's blocking your spiritual flow. Let the river flow through you.

[25:05] Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life. God wants to see that river of living water flow out of your belly. Out of your heart. Out of your innermost being.

[25:16] Of the man. That spiritual man. On the inside of you. To be that refreshing influence and impact on others. Flowing out of your life.

[25:30] Abundant. Overflowing. As witnessing Christians. Witnessing is so very important. There's ways you can witness with tracts.

[25:40] In personal testimony. In your day by day. Those opportunities that come. Incidental opportunities to come.

[25:53] Use them. Be used of God. Ask yourself. What are the barriers? What are the blockages? What's stopping me from being a flowing Christian today? What's stopping me from being used of him?

[26:07] What do I need to demolish that's blocking my spiritual life? Ask God to bust those dams down.

[26:20] Those barriers that are blocking you. Ask the Lord Jesus to fill you. He wants us to be filled. Filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5 verse 18.

[26:32] Why do we need to be filled with the Spirit? Because we leave. We don't always keep topped up. We need to be refilled. Filled and refilled.

[26:43] That constant refreshment. As we take that water of the Word. That refreshing Word of God. As we ask Him to be our supply. As we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

[26:54] To His direction. To His truth. Our Lord says, He that believeth in me. The Scriptures have said. Out of his belly shall flow rivers of water.

[27:06] Of living water. Consider again. Quickly water. It brings life. Refreshment. Cleansing. Softening. Fruit. Satisfaction.

[27:17] God is the source of those rivers. Of living water that we need. And God wants you. You. You. To be a channel of blessing. A channel of blessing.

[27:28] To flow out through you. As you yield to His flow. Are you a Dead Sea Christian today? You don't have to stay that way today. You don't have to stay that way.

[27:39] You can ask God to give you some outlets. Give you some opportunities. Seize the opportunities that come your way. And they might be informal things.

[27:50] Informal things. Your name might not be on the roster today. But you can minister. You can minister. After the service. Before the service. During the service.

[28:01] You can be used of God. To have that outlet. Ask God to take away the stagnation. The blockages that bring death and barrenness.

[28:12] Ask God to help you to flow in your spiritual life. Discern what's stopping you. And remove it. To be that flowing Christian.

[28:22] Flowing forth with that never failing. Rivers of living water. Bringing refreshment to others. In your family circle. Your friends. Your neighbours. To be that soul refreshing river.

[28:35] Of revival. Each one. Where he will minister. To you and through you. Let's not settle for those broken systems.

[28:45] Let's not settle for those things that. It says that they made these broken systems. It was a man made. A man conjured thing. You know. And there's many so called rivers and movements today.

[28:57] That a man made. And empty. And broken. He wants the real thing. He wants you to be the real thing today. To not settle for those earthly fountains.

[29:08] Of worldly pleasures. To have that fountain of life. That fountain that will never run dry. Brothers and sisters. I urge you today.

[29:19] To take heed of the Saviour. Whereas he says to you. He that believeth on me. As the scriptures have said. Out of his belly shall flow. Rivers of living water.

[29:30] Let us pray. Heavenly Father. We thank you. That you are the fountain. Of living waters. We know. This spring. Is not a man made thing. It is eternal.

[29:41] And forever. Lord. We thank you. That you promise to us. As we trust you. As we call on you. And believe. That we shall be. Likewise those rivers. Of living waters.

[29:53] Shall be evident. Lord. Help us to see. Where we stifle. And stop. Your Spirit's work. In our hearts. Help us Lord. To recognise the sin.

[30:03] The blockages. The barriers. The obstacles. That we put up. The excuses. That we make. The need to see. The outlets. That you give to us.

[30:14] That will not be. Stagnating. But that we will be flowing. As Christians today. Help us Lord. Each one. To recognise. Where it is. That we need. Your demolition work.

[30:26] On those dams. Those barriers. That will stop. And block. The channels that we are meant to be. For your glory. Help us Lord. To be channels of blessing. To people round about us.

[30:37] Help us to see. That the rivers of living water. As we trust you. As we save. You fill us. And you refill us. And you keep on. Filling. Again and again.

[30:47] With yourself. Lord help us to see. Our great need of you. For our refreshment. For our life. That you are being that one. That brings fruit. To bear. Lord if there is any present here.

[31:00] This morning. Have yet to trust you. For that. First. And forever time. That they will see today. Their great need. To thirst. And hunger. To be filled.

[31:11] With your righteousness. With you. Our only source of righteousness. Lord. Grant each one. By your grace. That they might see. That truth today. Help us Lord we pray.

[31:22] For your glory. Lord Jesus we ask. Amen. Amen. Amen.