Series B Pentecost
John 7:37-39b
June 11, 2000
Quenching Your Spiritual Thirst
Introduction: Our Lord Jesus Christ is the living water of life, which quenches spiritual thirst! In Him you are satisfied. Only in Him is satisfaction guaranteed!
Anyone who has ever traveled in desert regions – be it Death Valley, the Sahara, our the Australian Outback – can only imagine the plight of a person who has run out of water! Physical thirst is not a problem for us, although our drinking water may be chemically treated there is still plenty to go around. Even in the midst of last summer’s drought we still had enough to drink!
In our text for this morning Jesus speaks of another kind of thirst – a spiritual thirst – one which cries out for purpose and peace. This type of thirst – the one of mind and heart certainly needs to be quenched. For we can not survive merely on water alone! This morning’s passages from Holy Scripture leads us to ponder this question; what are you going to do about satisfying your own spiritual thirst?
I. To do something about it, you first must realize that there is a true spiritual thirst. This is not easy. Most folk don’t recognize a true genuine spiritual thirst. That doesn’t mean that there have been some who have seen the need for God and have thirsted after Him. We need such people to model after. Such a man was Augustine, who associated restlessness with a thirst for God. But again, such a man with such keen understanding is rare indeed.
A. The spiritual leaders of Jesus day were unaware of their own spiritual thirst.
1. The verses just in front of our text describe Jesus’ verbal encounter with Jewish leaders at the feast. They just could not see Jesus to be the only one to give us purpose and peace and so they rejected Him as the one who could help and heal.
2. Self-righteousness prevented these leaders from experiencing spiritual thirst. They did not grasp the meaning of Jesus words! Oh that we could see in them that there is salvation and life! (vv.34-36)
B. We are not always aware of our own spiritual thirst.
1. Smugness and self-satisfaction prevent us from saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner”
2. We think we do not need to grow in grace and in the meaning of God in our lives.
Transition: When we see that God has not yet filled every area of our lives, when we yearn for forgiveness, when we desire to be the kind of persons God would have us be – it is then, and only then that we are experiencing spiritual thirst!
II. Jesus tells us how to quench this thirst.
A. Jesus made a great claim in impressive circumstances.
1. The libation of water had rich associations for the people of Jesus’ day. For example Moses and the rock of Mariah.
2. Jesus proclaimed Himself as the source of salvation and the means of quenching spiritual thirst.
3. Coming to Jesus quenches thirst, by believing in Him!
B. Jesus takes the initiative in quenching our own thirst.
1. By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost He quenched the apostles’ thirst.
2. The Spirit comes to us in Word & Sacrament.
a. To make Christ’s cross a living reality.
b. To show Jesus in the middle of our struggle
c. To assure us of god’s gracious concern for us!
III. The Spirit enables us to be channels of living water for others.
A. We can tear down walls of hatred and prejudice.
B. We can be fountains of goodness to others until the fountain wells up into life everlasting, when we shall never thirst again!
CONCLUSION: Again, we arrive at our question for this morning. What are you going to do about spiritual thirst? Jesus is the answer “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink!” In Jesus' Name. Amen.
