Sunday, 27 November 2022 10:00 a.m.
We are continuing with our series this Sunday entitled “I'm a Believer” from the book of John. Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Last week we examined the miracle that Jesus did by feeding 5000 with 5 small loaves and two fish, a lunch that was brought by a boy on that day. Would they believe in Jesus? The crowd on that occasion had to make a decision as to whether they would be followers of Christ and believe, or just be “followers from a distance.” And sadly, many turned away that day and would follow no more.
So now we're moving on to ch. 7 and in that chapter, Jesus is back and forth from his hometown of Nazareth in Galilee to Jerusalem-to the Feast of Tabernacles, making the trek that's about 80 miles on foot. The Feast of the Tabernacles reminds the people of their time in the wilderness before they came into the promised land. A time when they lived in booths, little lean-to tents. For 8 days they lived in temporary dwellings, they would put up a gazebo or a little lean-to outside and they would live, sleep and eat there, and remember that God had brought them from a temporary, wandering life into an eternal place dwelling in Canaan. And it signals a time in the future when the Harvest is complete that Jesus will come, and he will dwell with us.
There are two traditions in this Feast that are even celebrated to today, two ceremonies, one of them is that the people would carry lights around the temple wall as a reminder that the Light of the world, the Messiah would one day come. And in another ceremony the priests would take water from the pool of Siloam and bring it to the temple and pour it into a silver basin at the altar and call on the Lord to provide heavenly water or rain in order to nourish the land.
And so, this feast is about water, about heavenly rain coming down to nourish weary people, and on the last day of the feast the priest would circle the altar 7 times and he would pour out the water among cries of “Hoshiana” which means “save now!” And all of this sets the stage for what Jesus is about to say which is profound; because now He is beginning to tell them about a spiritual action that will take place through believing in Him.
John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus stood up on that final day and said to those who were listening, that if any are thirsty let him come to Me and drink, believe in Me as your Lord and Savior and you will experience the flow of the Holy Spirit in your innermost being. As for us today, we don’t have to wait for it…because Jesus has been raised to new life…. and if the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you…it will give life to your tired, weary, soul. All you have to do is Believe!
Join us in person on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. or via livestream by going to https://www.firstbaptistsudbury.com and clicking on livestream for “ Living Water”
Blessings,
Kevin