THE LIVING WATER

Sermon Notes, January 22, 2017

Rev. Gary O’Shell

Pastor Garry and Beccy were out of town this weekend to attend the funeral of a beloved Christian sister and supporter of their ministry.  Rev. Gary O’Shell, from Dulles Family Life Church of the Nazarene preached for us.  His sermon was based on John 7:37-39, and the subject was “The Living Water.”

Pastor Gary said he would tell us five steps we must take if we are to live in the Spirit.  First, you must be thirsty.  Often we try to satisfy our spiritual thirst with things of the world.  We try to quench our thirst with spiritual “soda pop” when Christ offers us Living Water. All kinds of “soda pop” is offered by the world.  It’s made to increase out thirst, not quench it.  Just as soda pop doesn’t quench our thirst but instead makes us thirstier, so it is with things of the world, such as wealth, or fame, or success in our jobs.  What are we really thirsty for?  How are we trying to satisfy it?  The only way is to have a 2-way conversation with God, talking and listening to Him.

Second, you must come to Him.  As Christians, we often go and do before we come to Him.  Come and sit at His feet.  We’re more like Martha (distracted about many things) than Mary (who sat at Jesus’ feet) in the story of the meal at Lazarus’ house (Luke 10:38-42).  He wants us to sit at His feet, with Him, in every thirsty area of our lives; areas where we’re inconsistent, or angry, or bitter, or fearful.  He called us to die to self; to come to Him with all we have.

Third, you must drink.  Remember the old adage “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”  Are we any different?  We come to church and hear about the Living Water, but is anything different in us?   In the Old Testament, the Priest went into the Holy of Holies by one door, and came out by another, symbolizing that we can’t leave God’s presence like we came in.  We should come to church expecting something from God, instead of blaming others when we don’t “get it.”  We are the priests to the people around us, wherever we are.  We must be being filled with the Living Water.

Fourth, you must believe. We are to live our lives as constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit, the Water of Life.  You WILL be filled with something: make sure it’s with God’s Spirit, by communicating (speaking AND listening) to Him.  Believe that He is who He said He is.  The Water of Life is greater than all the stuff happening to us.  We need to be persuaded that it’s true.  Are we trying to tell people about victory in Jesus but we’re not living victoriously?  People are hungering and thirsting for what we have.  But do we really have it?  We can’t talk about His peace if we don’t have peace.  We can spread our troubles out before God.  “What do I do?”  “I trust Him.”  If we don’t learn from a crisis, we will keep having them. Is our belief experience, or only theory?

Fifth, you must overflow with the Living Water.  God wants us to be fountains of His life wherever we are.  YOU are the pastor/priest of your neighborhood.  What will you tell the Lord if you’re not being light, life and a priest?  Don’t miss the opportunity of today; in the grocery line, at the gym, wherever you are by being distracted thinking about problems.  God knows what you need.  He is the source of Living Water.  Let Him mark us as His people.

We must realize we are thirsty, come, drink, receive, and overflow with the Living Water.