[0:00] Now let's turn in our Bibles to the Gospel of John chapter 7.
[0:13] The Gospel of John chapter 7 and we will read from verse 25 to the end.
[0:24] John 7 at verse 25. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, You both know me, and ye know whence I am, and I am not come of myself.
[1:19] But he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him, for I am from him, and he hath sent me.
[1:32] Then they sought to take him, but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. And many of the people believed on him and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man has done?
[1:52] Well, the Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
[2:07] Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while I am with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.
[2:19] Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me. And where I am, thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go that we shall not find him?
[2:35] Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me?
[2:47] And where I am, thither ye cannot come. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, Saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
[3:08] He that believeth on me, As the scripture hath said, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
[3:20] But this spake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, Because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
[3:37] Many of the people, therefore, when they had heard this saying, Said, Of a truth this is the prophet. Others said, This is the Christ.
[3:52] But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David, And out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?
[4:04] So there was a division among the people because of him. And some of them would have taken him, But no man laid hands on him.
[4:19] Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, And they said unto him, Why have you not brought him? The officers said, Never man spake like this man.
[4:35] Then answered them, The Jews, the Pharisees, Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
[4:47] But this people, Who knoweth not the law, Are cursed. Nicodemus saith unto them, He that came to Jesus by night, Being one of them, Does our law judge any man before it hear him, And know what he doeth?
[5:06] They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, look, For out of Galilee arises no prophet.
[5:18] And every man went unto his own house. May God bless to us, The very reading, Of his own truth.
[5:31] Now we sing, The last four verses, Of Psalm 19, In the Scottish Psalter, That we've been singing already, That's from verse 11. Psalm 19, At verse 11, Moreover they thy servant warn, How he his life should frame, A great reward provided is, For them that keep the same.
[5:55] Down to the last verse, The words which from my mouth proceed, The thoughts sent from my heart, Accept, O Lord, For thou my strength, And my redeemer art.
[6:11] Psalm 19, From verse 11, To the end. Ag cant work. Amen. Peeing writeeth Peeing, Push thine, Peeing, While we bless thy children, Peeing or Provide S skin-dreaming, Oh Oh
[7:44] Oh Oh Oh Well let us turn in our Bibles to the passage of Scripture which we read in the
[8:59] Gospel according to John and as God would help me I'd like to concentrate on verse 46 The Gospel of John chapter 7 verse 46 The officers answered Never man speak like this man Never man speak like this man Who says words are not powerful Here you have security guards sent to arrest Christ for breach of the peace and what happens the arresters are arrested themselves by what words words
[10:06] We We never heard anyone speak like this they say What precisely was it which restrained these security guards who were probably armed with swords and staves Was it the miracles of Christ?
[10:30] Did he have some ammunition on him? What arrested the arresters? The authority of his words My friends God is a God who speaks and isn't it a mercy that what he speaks is mercy What was it that he said?
[11:01] I want to look at two things with regard to what he spake One what he said and secondly how he said it First of all from verse 33 to 39 what he said The authorities wanted rid of Jesus so they send security guards to arrest the Son of God Now Jesus' response is Look I will only be here with you a little while longer and then I'll be going back to where I came from You see their quarrel with Jesus was that he said he came from heaven and they would not accept that they would not accept that Father God whom they believed in had sent him Christ the Son whom they did not believe in he said
[12:02] I'm going to the place where you maintain I could not have come from in that place he said you'll not be able to get me the security guards are completely are totally confused where's the place where we can't get you with all our authority to go where we want what place can you go to and we can't get you do you see how ignorant they were he was talking about heaven time and time again I have come from heaven and I'm going to heaven but they couldn't get it they just couldn't get it so Jesus then commences to preach the glorious gospel invitation they will not accept his claim that he came from heaven and has gone back to heaven and that he is the son of God so
[13:08] Christ just leaves the issue and he speaks to them the glorious gospel if verse 37 if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink that is the simple glorious gospel isn't it amazing that he gives that invitation to the very people to the very people who despised him the people who hated him the people who completely misunderstood him he offers them immediate forgiveness and a place in heaven it's to them he directs that glorious truth which is for you and for me tonight here in the western world in the 21st century if any man first let him come unto me and drink any man elsewhere in the gospels we have translated in the authorised version whosoever always remember hearing and learning as a student that word translated whosoever in the authorised version could be translated legitimately without exception anyone without exception who thirsts let him come unto me and drink a universal call spanning time spanning nations spanning cultures spanning ages spanning classes any kind of person any human being any age any background any human being who thirsts are you thirsting if you're thirsting for salvation if you're thirsting for forgiveness if you're thirsting for heaven without going any further this is all you need come to
[16:07] Christ and drink to your full what are you thirsting for what are you thirsting for there is a difference between thirsting for satisfaction thirsting for fulfillment thirsting for an answer to your many questions Christ can fill all these answers or answer all these questions Christ can do that but primarily it's reference to those who are thirsting for God thirsting for peace with God thirsting for forgiveness of sin thirsting for a right to heaven now it's perfectly natural to thirst perfectly natural to desire not to go to hell that's natural but for a moment we're going to look at what's spiritual if you are thirsting for
[17:34] Christ that's in a higher level altogether if you can honestly say you're looking for Christ you're wanting Christ that is the work of the Holy Spirit that's what he does remember Christ himself said it when he the spirit of truth will come referring to Pentecost and the days thereafter he will not speak of himself but he'll speak of me John 16 14 16 maybe one day we might come to it he will the spirit's work is to reveal Christ as the only remedy the only answer for spiritual thirst spiritual hunger if you're searching for Christ that's on a different level from thirsting for other things that's spiritual the other's natural quite natural and good and right in its own place but this is spiritual seeking
[18:44] Christ thirsting for salvation thirsting for heaven thirsting for forgiveness of sins that's the spirit's work and what tremendous encouragement there is here as Jesus stands on that last great day of the feast and says if any man thirst and apparently those who study these things tell us that the high priest on that last day of the feast would be taking wells buckets of water and pouring them out it was full of well in fact he does say here out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water and it's a reference to the old testament the wells of salvation they're all in Christ Jesus now here he's saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink let him come unto me
[19:48] Andrew Bonner has a sermon probably on these verses and he says in it when he when the bible says come to me or come to Christ it was never ever envisioned that people would have a problem understanding what does it mean to come to come to Christ simply means to believe in him to look to him to trust in him to depend on him the important thing about it is me come to me look to me believe on me trust in me that's the thing me the object Christ is where salvation lies drinking drinking means just enjoy it enjoy quenching your thirst the thirst that there is in me let him come unto me and drink to the fool and what does he say about those who drink from the flow he that believe verse 38 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 rivers of living water and this he said referring referring to the holy spirit and it is saying as the scriptures have said now there's not a particular he is not quoting the scriptures verbatim word for word he is quoting what the bible teaches what the old testament taught but maybe
[21:55] Isaiah 58 11 might be one that just kind of refers I don't know here it is 58 11 the lord shall guide thee and satisfy thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a water garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not here is Christ saying depend upon me alone for salvation and out of your belly shall flow living waters now when we looked at chapter 4 we saw in verse 14 that those that would believe on him would never thirst again when we looked at chapter 6 and verse 35 we read and came across the same thing we will never thirst again because your belly will be full overflowing and that is what has been said here believe in me you'll have more than enough to cope with and out of you shall flow the Holy
[23:17] Spirit every person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit indwelling them if you're sitting beside a Christian tonight you can touch them inside that person the Holy Spirit is dwelling that's what our Bible is teaching if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit is working within you that's why you believe we we noted this morning his own brothers didn't believe him they heard the same things they saw the same things they were beside him living with them they didn't believe in him didn't accept him it is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit alone that can convince you Jesus is the Christ and he has paid for the sins of all believers when he died at the place called
[24:20] Calvary and here he is emphasizing out of your belly the Holy Spirit and that's why we're to be testimonies that's why we're to witness that's why we're to speak so that was his gospel come unto me if any man thirst whoever he is whatever he's done whatever condition he's in if any person male or female come to me he will be saved and out of his belly will flow the benefits of the Holy Spirit now never man speak like this man how did he speak just three things I'll mention all beginning with the letter P he spoke powerfully powerfully oh you see he said that before he's been saying that in how many chapters of the Bible same old thing same old thing try telling the security guards that the security guards could have lost their jobs because they didn't do what they were asked to do they were saying bring that man back to us and they couldn't they were in danger of losing their jobs but they couldn't as I said not because of ammunition not because he'd a sword words spoke powerfully but sadly because he speaks because Christ speaks powerfully it does not mean that all who heard were converted some weren't we noted that this morning as well some believe some reject and in verse 34 we have very clearly a division a division there was therefore a division because of him and verse 34 and some of them would have taken him but no man laid hand on them they were frightened to touch him so powerful they knew fine they didn't accept they didn't like but then you find they couldn't touch him everything
[26:53] Christ said was true but everything he said was not acceptable wasn't palatable to an unregenerate heart and soul they were disturbed some of them and they turned to hatred but some believed some believed the words that were spoken some believed not he spoke powerfully but secondly he spoke plainly plainly our bible tells us elsewhere the common people heard him gladly we tend to think we've got to have the right grammar when we come before God well of course that's right and good but the common people the people of the street understood
[27:55] Christ and the educated professors in the temple were confused of what he said but he spoke plainly you want to be powerful speak plainly straightly and it's interesting the reason they hated Jesus was that they understood precisely what he was saying that's what upset them that's what disturbed them they knew exactly what he was referring to but would not accept it Christ's words were always true Christ's words were always relevant never wasted words they were always true they were always relevant they were always timely he can speak a word in season seasonable word timely just on the right occasion Christ's words were never trivial never trivial he spoke plainly relevantly timely accurately brief
[29:10] Einstein the famous Albert Einstein one said you do not understand something if you cannot explain it in two or three sentences now read the prayers of the Bible they're not long read even the messages the sermons of the Bible they're not long they're powerful if they're the words of the Holy Spirit powerful and plain the third P Christ spoke passionately with enthusiasm Christ spoke with zeal Christ spoke with vigor Christ spoke with feeling he spoke with vividness incisiveness and what
[30:15] Christ said became infectious it spread he spoke passionately he spoke with such love such compassion he is love it could be seen in his eyes could be seen in his manner you could see it in his style he had this compassion this care this sympathy he spoke powerfully he spoke plainly he spoke passionately this is what we must never forget though he's still speaking you might say look that's alright for them they met him they heard him they were a few feet away from him we don't have that benefit well remember what we said in the morning
[31:17] Christ said flesh and blood has not revealed this to you and amongst many other meanings it meant the physical flesh the literal flesh and blood of Jesus walking alongside you Peter that's not what convinced you it was my father in heaven he's still speaking and so we ask how does Jesus speak today how does he speak today well he speaks in the Bible in the first few verses of John's gospel chapter one the first few verses John defines Jesus and he says he is the word made flesh
[32:22] Jesus is the human version of God if you like the understandable version of God the communicable version of God we said earlier God speaks and he speaks mercy and he speaks in the human form of Jesus there is such a human form of God there is such a gulf between God and heaven and us down here we need something in between to identify with Jesus is the human version of God that we can identify with and he has appointed he has appointed his ministers his servants he has instituted a church and Christ speaks through these means ministers texts verses that stick with you and you remember and you don't understand even though you don't understand that's
[33:30] Jesus speaking sermons texts of ministers that's Christ speaking Sunday school lessons you learn verses my first charge was in Dumbarton south of Scotland outside Glasgow and got to know the Baptist minister there and he had come from where I came from Inverness and I always remember him telling me of his conversion he actually he actually was what they call he was he was in prison he was a wild person but he one day he was walking across the Greg Street bridge in Inverness I don't know if you know it I crossed it many a time but he said he was crossing the Greg Street bridge and he had gone to some outreach
[34:33] Sunday school at once and from the Greg Street bridge you can see the town clock and he wanted to know what the time was he didn't know what he was going to do he was just out of prison he didn't know what to do and he said he looked up and saw the clock and a verse struck him it is time to seek the Lord it's time that's the time you're looking for the time forgotten his first name Dennis was it you forgot it's time to seek the Lord Laurie that was his name Laurie Dennis and it's time to seek the Lord and he knew there on the Greg Street bridge he had to pray but he didn't know how to pray he had never prayed he hadn't a clue then he remembered then he remembered a text his Sunday school teacher taught him to pray and there on the
[35:34] Greg Street bridge he prayed Lord come in to my heart come in today come in to stay and God did Christ did on the Greg Street bridge Inverness and he went straight up to Castle Street and there was an outreach service going on there in Castle Street Baptist Church and he remembered the text but that's all he could remember but he was so excited he was a changed man the text by the way was the heading of was payday that was the heading of the sermon payday and the text the wages of sin is death God speaking that's how God speaks that's how Christ speaks today one of the ways in the
[36:37] Bible through the Bible but also of course through his people through their words through their lifestyle looking at them watching at them people might come up and say hey I notice I know he don't swear like other people why as Christ speaking he speaks through that through his people they can say things they can witness they can testify but their lives as well I've also heard of somebody saying you know when that fella comes into my house there's a tremendous peace there's a tremendous peace when he comes in the factory there's presence God speaking Christ speaking Christ of course is God and of course their prayers it's a tremendous blessing tremendous blessing to be prayed for tremendous blessing to be prayed for and your elders pray for you every time in the vestry there praying for you all as
[37:51] Christ speaking he speaks in the Bible he speaks through his people and he speaks by providence things that happen death and amazingly twice people have said to me they were converted through the birth of their child the birth blessing death many times God takes birth out of death many have been born again through a death they realise that one day they have to leave this world and go to the judgement seat of Christ that's Christ speaking through a death through a birth through illness Christ speaking
[38:51] Christ speaks through accidents no such thing as an accident really we have to use that word to understand God's behind it all accidents it's providence God speaking storms wild storms a thunderstorm do you hear God in a thunderstorm it's always I find it amazing just when in a thunderstorm you can hear the birds chirping they're not afraid they've no judgement seat of Christ to meet it's their father in heaven that's sending the thunderstorm God speaking Christ speaking divorce losing your job Christ speaking today finances losing finances unemployment losing money you'll have heard of
[40:00] J.C. Ryle Bishop Ryle apparently very very wealthy man apparently his father was a shareholder in Lloyds Bank in fact if I remember correctly a founder of Lloyds Bank and one day Bishop Ryle says he woke up and the household were bankrupt and that sent Ryle into the ministry I think he was a Christian I can't remember the details but it was very instrumental in him going into the ministry so have you got the message never man speak like this man and listen Jesus is still speaking like that see that you refuse not him that speaks from heaven listen to him obey him turn to him trust him depend on him never man speak like this man may
[41:16] God the Holy Spirit make his word effectual to every one of us let's bow our heads our father in heaven be pleased to take the things of Christ and make them ours tonight here in this building may we hear the voice of Christ calling us to him oh Lord bring us bring us to him unite us to him do what only your Holy Spirit can do keep us in your love keep us in your fear for all we pray we pray in the blessed name of Jesus Amen