Good morning. Thank you, Brother Bill and Miss Kathy. It’s a blessing. Thank you very much. Thank you, Brother Richard.

I’m glad to be here this morning. My heart is full. I’m just thankful that I can come in here with all of you. And I mean that each and every one of you and just worship, come into the Lord’s house and thank Him for all that He is and all that He’s done. I’m glad to be here. So this morning we’re going to be in John chapter 7, verses 37 through 39. If you have your Bible, you can turn there. You can follow up on the screen with us. John 7, 37 through 39.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and He cried out, saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me. And John said, I will come to you. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. You’ve heard the saying, you can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink. You may have even used it. We all know people in our lives who may be in a rut of making poor decisions. You try to counsel them and give them advice, and they just won’t take it. It’s not that your advice is bad. It may be. But hopefully it’s not. They just won’t take it. You can’t make someone drink. So the idiom holds true there. But what you can do is make sure you’re leading them to the right water. You can convince and persuade and plead with them to drink of the water. To drink of the water that you lead them to.

You can try to help them to see just how long they’ve been ridden hard. They’ve been saddled and ridden hard by the snares and the sins of this life. They’ve been put up wet and taken out and ridden again. Over and again.

You can tell them how sweet the source is that you’re taking them to. How satisfying it is. So be sure to let them know on your way, when you’re leading them, to the water, that it’s not some old watering hole that you’re going to. It’s a fountain. It’s a fountain. In John 7, 37, it says, Now on the last day, the great day of the feast. The feast being talked about here, John tells us in the beginning of chapter 7 that it’s the Feast of Booths. And so, if you’ll turn to Leviticus chapter 23, we’ll just get a brief overview of what the Feast of Booths was and what was going on there. In Leviticus 23, verse 33, it says, Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths, for seven days to the Lord. On the first day is a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord. It is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.

In verse 39, it goes on, On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Lord for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth. Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches, and boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice. Rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths for seven days. All the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. Two things that I want you to grab onto. First, it was a celebration. It was a time of rejoicing. And second, practically all of Israel was there. All the sons of Israel he spoke to. So them and their houses are represented there. And so it is a massive gathering of people.

And that’s what convocation means, by the way. An assembly. So,

they’re here to celebrate and to remember what God had done for their fathers and for them and the substance of it really for us because whenever God led Israel out of Egypt, they were wandering in the desert. They had been delivered from the house of sin and now they’re sojourning, they’re wandering in the desert, yet God is providing for them. And so now He sets this up to be a perpetual reminder that they had been delivered from sin and now even in their wandering on this earth waiting for the promised land, the holy city, they’re being provided for. They have shelter. They have food. They have clothing. They have everything they need. And so it’s similar to the Lord’s Supper. We take what is the bread and the wine, the cup, and we take in what is the substance that is represented there. So it lifts our minds above what is around us and this is the daily hustle and bustle and we take our minds and look higher than what we have in front of us.

So this is what they’re there for. This is why all the Jews have gathered and this is the feast that Jesus is at. But there are other details that we need to know about this particular year’s festivities. You see, six months prior to this, um, John tells us in his gospel, well, the gospel according to him, um, he tells us that at the Passover feast, Jesus, um, had healed a man. There was a man that was sick for 38 years of his life. And the scripture says that, um, they would, these lame and sick people would sit beside the pool of Siloam and, uh, some manuscripts have it, some don’t, but, uh, an angel of the Lord would stir up the water and the first one that would make it there would be healed of his infirmity. And this man couldn’t, he couldn’t move. And he had no one to carry him into the water. So, really, he was hopeless. And Jesus, having compassion on this man, healed him. But wait, Jesus, you can’t do that on the Sabbath. You can’t heal people on the Sabbath. But we know Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath. And in, in response to the Jews, um, quarrel about Jesus doing that, healing on the Sabbath, he says that my Father is working until now and so am I. And so Jesus has just given, given the Jewish leaders reasons number one and two to seek to kill him. Um, they’ve pinned on him, uh, working, laboring on the Sabbath and they’ve pinned on him blasphemy because he’s claimed to be the son of the living God. So, this, this is the, the real setting that Jesus is in. So he’s been laying low for these six months. Um, his brothers, you know, tell him to go up to the festival and if he’s the real Christ to go and make himself known and he says, hey, my time hasn’t yet come. After his brothers go, Jesus, Jesus does in fact go up to the festival in keeping the law.

And so, uh, he, he shows up sort of undercover. And, uh, meanwhile, all the Jews, they’re muttering and mumbling, where is he? Where is this Jesus at? The common folks can’t really make up their mind on who Jesus really is. Some say he’s a good man. Others say he’s leading people astray. And stirring up trouble. And in midweek, the Lord stands up in the temple, publicly, and he begins to teach. And the Jews are marveling. They know that there’s something extraordinary about Jesus, but they won’t believe it. They can’t. Their hearts are just too hard.

But John tells us that many did believe in Jesus’ testimony that day. And it wouldn’t have been his first either. He’s testified many times. And I, I went through and I picked these just from the book. In the book of John, he’s testified many times about who he is, both privately and publicly. Privately, such as with Nicodemus and the woman at the well, and I’m sure many others. Publicly, he’s turned water into wine. He’s healed the lame. He’s walked on water. He’s fed thousands with what we’d call an appetizer. And he’s prophesied of his own resurrection. Not only that, he’s claimed for all to hear that he’s the Son of God, the light of the world, living water, the Christ, and the true bread of heaven. But John tells us that the religious leaders sent the authorities to arrest Jesus, though they were barred from doing so by the power of God because Jesus’ time had not yet come. This doesn’t sound like the feast of rejoicing, the time of reflecting on God’s goodness and his deliverance to me. The people who are supposed to be the keepers, of God’s word, are seeking to kill the one who is claiming to be the Messiah. That doesn’t stop Jesus from being who he is and accomplishing his work. Despite the things going on around him and the things being fired against him, Jesus begins to do what he came to do and to proclaim that there is a fountain. And in this fountain, there’s pardon. See, Jesus, in this context, in this setting, sitting down, looking at Israel, looking at the state that they’re in, at this feast that God has set up and designed for them for a purpose, and they’re missing it. They’re missing it. I’m sure it broke Jesus’ heart to see such a thing, but he knows why he’s there. So see the mercy of Jesus. See his patience as he endures all of these things being said about him, done, unto him.

He endures the insults dripping from their tongues and the murder boiling in their hearts. He discerns the heart. There are those that are supposed keepers of the law and watchers of the flock. And others, relentless doubting, questioning of what Jesus is saying about himself. He’s a good man, they say. He’s a troublemaker. Can he be the Christ? He’s from Galilee. What comes out of Galilee? Well, the Christ do more signs. Who is he? What can he do? What can you do for me? The whispering, the debating, the mocking, the scoffing. Yet the offer that Jesus has is still valid.

Watch as he stands up and he cries out. Jesus has something to say to these scoffers and these mockers. Jesus has put himself out there once again, vulnerable. He knows the risk, but his eye is on the reward.

So friends, we too should possess a willingness, a readiness, a boldness, and maybe even chiefly, humility to stand up and proclaim that there is a fountain. And in that fountain is pardon. To those we’ve offered it to numerous times, and it just won’t come. To those we don’t really believe in our heart of hearts, deserve it. Though we would never say that out loud, right? To those that intimidate us, to those who make a mockery of it, and to those that say it’s foolishness. To those who claim to know the fountain already, and to ourselves, privately or publicly, whatever the cost, proclaim that there is a fountain and in it is pardon. Three or four years ago, I was in my workplace and I worked with a group of guys and I handed them a book. A handful of them were Christians and we had some sweet time, good conversation, but I would say 75% of the people in this big room that we were in were not. And I was listening to some things at work one day and I was just challenged and convicted by the truth that was being talked about. And I hesitate to say this because I’m not trying to toot my own horn or put myself on display here. So I’m saying this in humility and I wish I would do it more. And I wish I would take it more serious. But I was listening and I began to be broken for the people in my office and I just began to weep there at my desk. And it was the week before Easter. It was the week leading up to Easter. And so I just prayed that the Spirit would give me power and the Spirit would just anoint me to do what I felt I needed to do there in that situation. And so I just spent some time praying and I got up in this commons room, probably as big, 20 of my co-workers or so. And I said, excuse me, hey, can I have your attention please? I know everybody’s busy. And I just presented the Gospel to them. I let them know, hey, we’re leading up to Easter here and this is what Easter’s about. And you can come and you can be healed. You can be restored. You can be forgiven. You can come to Christ.

And no one threw tomatoes at me. They didn’t kick me out. They could have fired me, but they were gracious. You know, it went over well and people heard the Gospel that day. And so we need to practice regularly proclaiming about the fountain. So I just encourage myself to be more obedient in that and I encourage all of you to do the same. People need to hear, even the people we don’t think deserve to hear.

There’s a fountain in which there’s plenty. If anyone is thirsty, Jesus says, let him come. Let him come to me. If anyone is thirsty. Jesus’ offer hit the ears of a great number of people that day.

And the invitation was for anyone who’s thirsty. He has a great supply of what it is that he’s offering. But was anyone thirsty? I assure you that they were all dead in their thirst.

Except for the one that had already come to him. The use of thirsty here is a sharp analogy and it cuts straight to the point. To be thirsty is to be in a place of desperation, vulnerability, and to suffer the need of something, the lack of something, namely water. And one of the most vital things that we need in life. You can’t go very long without water.

To be thirsty is to understand the wretched state that we’re in. And to long for and believe that Christ is the remedy. That is what Jesus means by thirsty.

But like the horse who refuses to drink, so many of us refuse the generous offer of God to quench our thirst. And we choose to suffer want instead. Some of us sense a dry mouth. Kind of, you know, not quite right. But we’ll skip right on past the water section. At the convenience store, we’ll go straight for the soda can. And the energy drinks and the adult beverages. There’s just enough moisture there to get us on, you know, to the next day. Some of us go to stores where you can’t even find a water bottle. Only the 80 proof, you know.

It tastes good. It feels good. But it doesn’t nourish. It doesn’t supply what we need. We’re all thirsty. We’re all dusty and desperate and dead. But sadly, most of us will thirst for that which cannot fulfill, that which cannot satisfy. And it will only destroy us in the end. Many in our day are thirsty for Instagram likes. So we take 67 selfies until we get a picture that doesn’t look anything like us.

We’re so thirsty.

Some of us spend money like we’ll never need another dollar because what we buy satisfies. For a moment. Until the next thing. We’re so thirsty. Some of us learn much. We can wield knowledge like a warrior’s sword and we boast in it because that pat on the back just feels so good. We’re so thirsty.

Man’s approval. Some of us desperately seek after pleasures in bottles, capsules, promiscuous relationships and more because we’re just so thirsty. There are even some that Jesus says that search the scriptures and they go to church regularly and they’re religious to the bone but they’re thirsty.

They’re missing what they need the most. Jesus stood up and cried out for any one of these people, any one of them, to come to Him because there’s plenty for us all. If you would just recognize that you’re thirsty.

Recognize the severity of your thirst and acknowledge that there is no other fountain that will satisfy

and those people can come. Anyone who thirsts may come. Friends, our job in life is not to make people feel good about themselves, not to make them feel comfortable. I’m not saying we don’t want to encourage one another and build one another. I’m not saying that there aren’t times to be proud of achievements and accomplishments. But what I am saying is that for ourselves and others the realist and the most pressing need is to recognize and we help others to recognize the same, the true nature of who we are in Adam’s race. We’re fallen. We’re desperate. We’re without hope and we’re condemned. We’re thirsty. And so what do we do with that? We tell them where it is that they’ll find true hope. We tell them where it is that they’ll find freedom from this condemnation that they’re under. We tell them of the abundance that is in Christ. The abundance that He offers to those who will come to Him. We tell them that Christ has come for the sick, for the needy, for the desperate, for the lowly, for the weak, for the poor. He’s the great physician. He can heal our infirmities. We go to the highways and to the byways. Go to your workplace, your home and your neighborhoods, your social groups, and even in the midst of your enemies and you tell them that there’s a fountain. But you must partake of it. It’s not simply enough to acknowledge the fountain. You can’t stand by it and feel the cool breeze blowing over its waters. You can’t stand at a safe distance and receive its benefits.

No, you must trust and you must drink. How else is your thirst to be quenched? How else will your want be filled? How else will the pain of your hurt be relieved? How else will the confusion of your wondering be clarified? How then will the urgency of your needs be met? How will the intensity of your desires be satisfied? How else, my friends, will you ever taste the sweetness of what He offers? You have to drink.

And make no mistake about it this morning. Jesus is not standing by offering Deer Park water bottles on the street corner. He’s not handing out to-go cups for you to take on your way. He offers Himself. Jesus is the fountain. And He offers Himself in His fullness. He offers all of His grace. He offers all of His forgiveness. He offers all of His love. He offers all of His kindness. He offers all of His gentleness. He offers all of His goodness. He offers all of Himself. But you must come and drink. It’s free. It costs you nothing. He paid it all. He offers everything that He purchased on the cross of Calvary. He offers the power of His resurrection.

He holds nothing back from us. If you would just take a sip, you’ll find that there is nothing in the world so fulfilling and so refreshing as Jesus.

You may wander out and try to be diverse in your drinking and go back to the old well, but I trust that if you’ve truly tasted, if you’ve truly taken a sip of who Jesus is, you’ll find that well to be quite bitter. It’ll never taste the same as it used to. And I trust that if you’ve truly tasted of the fountain,

you’ll find the well quite despicable. You’ll despise it. By God’s grace, you must drink. I think all too often, we as Christians, because of our little faith and our weak flesh, we run back to those old wells. Maybe some think it’s a one-and-done type of thing. I’ll take a sip of that and I’ll be good. You know, punch my ticket into heaven. That’s not what Jesus is offering you. We may just fail to drink enough to drink once a week. It may leave you a bit dehydrated come Saturday and you need to be in church on Sunday, take another little sip and you’re good for the rest of the week. That’s not what Jesus offers either.

Our prayer has been this week for myself and for all of you that we would truly understand what it means to come to the fountain and drink. Constantly. Drink. It’s an ongoing thing. It’s a present term to drink.

I pray that we would know that and understand that and so doing, we would take our booths and at the feast, we would come and just camp out right next to Jesus.

And we would drink and drink and drink some more until we find ourselves in glory with Him. So spend much time in His Word. That’s where you’ll find Him. Get to know Him well. Tell Him how much you need and you desire Him. When you don’t believe, ask Him to help your unbelief.

Saturate your heart with who He says He is, what He says He’s done, what He’s promised, to do. He’s always there to be found if you’ll come. In the late hours of the night, when you lay on your bed, think on Him. Think on what He asks of you. In the morning when you wake, seek Him because He is to be found. Whoever would drink, whoever would believe, drinking is believing in Christ. It says, just as the Scripture says, we’ll have out of His heart a river, flowing with living water.

And thankfully, John doesn’t leave us any room for misinterpretation. He interprets it for us. And he says that this was to mean that everyone who will believe will receive the Spirit. He says the Scripture says that if you believe, you will receive the Spirit. And he adds the caveat that they hadn’t received Him yet because Jesus had not been glorified. But if you read in Romans 8.34 and numerous other places in the New Testament, it says, Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Friends, Jesus has been glorified and His Spirit has been given. It’s been poured out on us plenteously, abundantly. God has not held back anything from us. He has lavished us with His grace.

And so the true believer, the true partaker, has been born again, born of the Spirit. He’s been regenerated, remade, made new. He’s now indwelled by the Holy Spirit of Christ with His giftings and His graces to be taught of, to be corrected by, to be helped in our weaknesses, to be interceded for, to be spurred on by, to become holy and whole in Christ.

Here God has lavished on us, not withholding anything, and He has made the fountain to directly supply your heart and my heart.

It’s not a dripping faucet or even a small stream. It says it’s a river flowing.

And it doesn’t sound like there’s ever any end to that flowing. So the one who has drank, the one who has partaken of Christ, that river will continuously flow. It will not end. Just like He says, come and drink, He doesn’t say stop. He says come and drink. And that river will flow continually. It doesn’t stop. It’s a river, a mighty rushing river.

He gifts us with grace after grace after grace. And He makes us to bear fruit that we can drink. That we can wave as an offering to God as we dwell here in these huts. Having been delivered from the slave house of sin and to wait with patience for the promised land. Jesus is the fountain and in Him is life eternal. If you would just see how thirsty you are this morning. If you’ve never drank of that fountain. If you have drank of the fountain and it’s been a while, hear the offer of Jesus and come to Him for a drink. He promises a river of living water to flow from your heart. He promises His very life to you. His Spirit is life. Would you drink from Him today? Please, come and drink it. You’ll never find another like Him. Just pray with me. Lord Jesus, we thank You for the generous offer that any of us thirst. All of us who are wretched and broken and sinful and dirty and shameful. We thank You that we can come to You, Lord, and drink. That we can come to You and be restored. That we can be given purpose, Lord. That we can be given fulfillment and satisfaction. That we can be reconciled to You. That we can know that we can be reconciled to You. Your love, that we can know Your truth, Lord. We thank You that You’ve not held anything back from us, Father God. You’ve given us Your Son who bore it all for our sakes, not because we deserved it. Because You’re gracious and You’re loving and You’re kind and You’ve gifted us with salvation in Him. We thank You, Lord Jesus, that because You rose from the dead and You ascended at the right hand of God, the Father, and You rule and You reign right now, You’ve sent Your Spirit to dwell in our hearts. To have dominion over Your kingdom. And to produce in us everything that is acceptable in Your sight. To make us holy and fit for Your kingdom. We thank You this morning that we have everything we need in the fountain of Christ. And we lack nothing. It’s all due to You. Lord, none of us. So this morning, we are thankful. And it’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.