Receiving The Spirit (John 7:37-39)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.319 Well, I've changed my mind. You may remain standing, and we're going 2 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:08.990 to read a shorter section this morning. John Seven, thirty seven through thirty 3 00:00:09.029 --> 00:00:13.750 nine, so just a few verses. Will read much more scripture throughout the 4 00:00:13.830 --> 00:00:20.149 sermon, but this morning, as I mentioned, we're focusing on this passage 5 00:00:20.269 --> 00:00:25.780 in this longer sermon that Jesus is given as he's standing there in the temple 6 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:34.420 during the feast of booths and he exclaims this thing about the spirit that is 7 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:38.929 so important for us to understand. Let's give our attention to a John Seven, 8 00:00:38.969 --> 00:00:44.210 verses thirty seven, thirty eight and thirty nine. On the last day 9 00:00:44.250 --> 00:00:48.009 of the feast, the Great Day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 10 00:00:48.810 --> 00:00:54.880 if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in 11 00:00:55.079 --> 00:01:00.000 me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers 12 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:07.709 of living water. Now he said this about the spirit who those who believed 13 00:01:07.829 --> 00:01:12.030 in him were to receive, for as yet the spirit had not yet been 14 00:01:12.150 --> 00:01:19.379 given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Praise be to God, you may 15 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:25.379 be seated so early in our service. We sang him four hundred and three 16 00:01:25.420 --> 00:01:30.340 glorious things of the are spoken and on. The following words for that are 17 00:01:30.859 --> 00:01:37.650 Zion, city of our God. Glorious Things are spoken about Zion, and 18 00:01:37.769 --> 00:01:42.049 then in the hymn there is a description of that city. I'm glorious things 19 00:01:42.170 --> 00:01:47.010 of the are spoken Zy and city of our God. Then about God, 20 00:01:47.049 --> 00:01:52.760 it says he whose word cannot be broken formed thee for his own abode on 21 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:57.920 the rock of ages founded. What can shake thy sure repose. With Salvation's 22 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:01.549 walls surrounded, thou may smile at all THY foes. Right, you're safe, 23 00:02:01.670 --> 00:02:07.509 you're protected. Then the hymn goes on to express very interesting imagery that 24 00:02:07.909 --> 00:02:15.590 I hope by the end of the sermon you understand more and better and see 25 00:02:15.669 --> 00:02:20.860 more clearly. Verse two says, see the streams of living water. It's 26 00:02:21.020 --> 00:02:25.219 pointing our attention like, look at this, see the streams of living waters 27 00:02:25.340 --> 00:02:30.770 springing from eternal love. What do they do? Well, supply thy sons 28 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:36.849 and daughters and all fear of want remove. So somehow within this city there 29 00:02:36.889 --> 00:02:42.689 are these waters that are flowing out and supplying the sons and daughters of God, 30 00:02:42.810 --> 00:02:47.599 the citizens of this city, and removing all fear. It goes on 31 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:53.280 to describe these waters waters, Jesus mentions in this passage. Who can faint 32 00:02:53.960 --> 00:03:01.509 while such a river ever flows? Their thirst assuage or quench grace which, 33 00:03:01.590 --> 00:03:09.870 like the Lord the Giver, Never Fails From Age to age. Amazing picture. 34 00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:15.259 The third verse then goes on to describe the spirit, not in terms 35 00:03:15.259 --> 00:03:19.060 of the living waters but an old testament images, I'm picked up in the 36 00:03:19.180 --> 00:03:23.939 new as well, round each habitation, hovering. See The cloud and fire 37 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:25.819 up here. You remember the image of the in the or the in the 38 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:31.050 Old Testament, and the people left Egypt. They were led by what a 39 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:37.729 pillar of cloud and fire. This is the spirit of God, for a 40 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:43.360 glory and a covering that the Lord is near, as the spirit dwells with 41 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:46.960 God's people. It reminds us of his presence, not just reminds us of 42 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:52.800 it, it is his presence, it is his dwelling with us. And 43 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:55.349 then the cant the application of that in the third verse. Thus deriving from 44 00:03:55.389 --> 00:04:01.229 their banner light by night and Shade by day, safe they feed upon the 45 00:04:01.310 --> 00:04:06.789 manner which he gives them when they pray, as amazing him written by John 46 00:04:06.909 --> 00:04:14.379 Newton. All of these many a dozens of various images throughout the old and 47 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:19.500 new testaments being combined together to describe this, this city in which we dwell, 48 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:24.449 in, a city which we are a part of, built into in 49 00:04:24.529 --> 00:04:30.569 a way in which the hear it resides. And it's that spirit and it's 50 00:04:30.689 --> 00:04:35.250 this these images that Jesus is a dressing here in this part of his sermon. 51 00:04:36.449 --> 00:04:41.000 For the past couple weeks we've been thinking carefully about Jesus say, of 52 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:46.480 Jesus's statements about himself as the son of God, who he is as the 53 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:50.720 sun, who his father is, how they relate, how he is one 54 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:54.550 who is sent from the father, how he is one who is going to 55 00:04:54.670 --> 00:04:58.389 the father. And in the midst of all of this that he is saying, 56 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:03.509 he's has also something to say about the Holy Spirit. If anyone thirsts, 57 00:05:03.550 --> 00:05:09.100 let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as 58 00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:14.660 the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 59 00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:21.170 This he said about the spirit. This he said about the spirit. 60 00:05:23.769 --> 00:05:26.689 You remember, at the beginning of the service we, even before we sung 61 00:05:26.810 --> 00:05:32.209 this him, we also remembered and confessed some things about the Holy Spirit. 62 00:05:33.810 --> 00:05:39.839 And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, 63 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:45.879 who proceeds from the father and the son, who, with the father and 64 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:51.189 the son together, is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. 65 00:05:53.629 --> 00:05:56.790 And you may have also noticed the next section in the nicene creed, in 66 00:05:56.829 --> 00:06:00.709 which some of the current work of the spirit is confessed. And I believe 67 00:06:00.790 --> 00:06:06.459 in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, I acknowledge one baptism for the rumission 68 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:11.459 of sins and I look for the resurrection of the dead and of the life 69 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:15.220 of the world to come. Amen. Thank you. Yes, good. 70 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:23.089 This is what we confess as Christians, and part of that, the the 71 00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:27.850 teaching for that, or part of the reasons why we confess that, is 72 00:06:27.889 --> 00:06:32.519 right here in John Seven, this little passage. I want us to pay 73 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:39.000 attention to two particular things. The first one is that receiving the spirit happens 74 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:45.439 at a particular time that's anticipated in scripture. The reception of the spirit has 75 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:53.709 it happens at a particular time that is anticipated prophesied about in the scripture. 76 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:58.550 And the second thing is that that moment is very specifically tied to Jesus, 77 00:06:58.750 --> 00:07:06.060 our Savior. So let's think about the first one, the spirit being coming 78 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:11.459 at a particular time. Notice what Jesus says. He says, believe in 79 00:07:11.579 --> 00:07:15.250 me and this will happen. Believe in me and the scripture will be fulfilled. 80 00:07:15.329 --> 00:07:19.250 Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now he says 81 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:24.209 this about the spirit, and notice the tenses of the verbs. Here he 82 00:07:24.370 --> 00:07:29.850 says in now, the at. This he said about the spirit whom those 83 00:07:29.930 --> 00:07:35.879 who believed in him were to receive now remembered. So John's writing about something 84 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:40.560 that happened in the past, about something that would happen in the future. 85 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:43.519 Does that make sense? So he's saying they were about to receive this. 86 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:46.990 In other words, as he's telling the story now, why hadn't they received 87 00:07:47.029 --> 00:07:51.550 it yet? Why didn't they have the spirit yet in the way that Jesus 88 00:07:51.670 --> 00:07:57.069 describes? It's a good question and Jesus answers it for us, for as 89 00:07:57.230 --> 00:08:03.139 yet the spirit had not yet been given. The spirit had not been given. 90 00:08:03.339 --> 00:08:09.459 And why that? Because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Now that 91 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:13.290 might make you scratch your head a little bit and say now, wait a 92 00:08:13.370 --> 00:08:16.850 second. Didn't we just sing Psalm fifty one, where David himself says, 93 00:08:16.970 --> 00:08:22.850 Lord, take not your spirit from me. Did the spirit only come after 94 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:28.839 Jesus was glorified. Somehow we have to account for both of these facts right. 95 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:31.480 Somehow we have to account for the fact that the spirit clearly was at 96 00:08:31.559 --> 00:08:39.080 work and was doing things in the Old Testament before Jesus was glorified. And 97 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:41.870 yet we also have to account for what Jesus says here, what John says 98 00:08:41.950 --> 00:08:48.950 here, that the spirit had not yet been given. So let's think about 99 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:52.830 that for a moment. How do we understand those things according to God's word? 100 00:08:54.470 --> 00:08:56.820 Well, the first thing to remember is that the spirit certainly was present 101 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:03.419 before pentecost, which is what we're eventually going to get to. We know 102 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:09.299 that the spirit was present in the Old Testament from the very beginning of the 103 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:13.049 Bible. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The 104 00:09:13.210 --> 00:09:18.129 earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the 105 00:09:18.250 --> 00:09:22.490 deep. And who was hovering over the face of the waters? Spirit, 106 00:09:22.649 --> 00:09:28.360 the spirit of God, was hovering over the face of the waters. Colossians 107 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.840 tells us that, and that, and and John tells us that the beginning 108 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:35.759 of his Gospel, that through Jesus everything was made. The He is the 109 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:41.629 word spoken by the father, but here in Genesis one. We also learn, 110 00:09:41.789 --> 00:09:46.750 and other places in scripture, that the spirit was a vital, and 111 00:09:46.789 --> 00:09:50.269 that's a fun word to use at this point, a vital part of this 112 00:09:50.470 --> 00:09:54.580 work. It's not as though the father and the son were doing this creative 113 00:09:54.700 --> 00:09:58.259 work and creating the world in the spirit was just standing by with his hands 114 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:05.659 in the pie his pockets right. All three persons within the God had are 115 00:10:05.820 --> 00:10:11.929 always involved in every work of God according to their distinct persons, but unified 116 00:10:11.970 --> 00:10:18.330 perfectly the same in essence, and that's why we worship and glorify each as 117 00:10:18.570 --> 00:10:22.600 God, as the one God. So spirit was there from the beginning. 118 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:26.840 Romans also tells us that the saints of old are fallen just as much as 119 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:31.799 you and I are, that they were born under the wrath and curse that 120 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:35.070 came from Adam just as much as we are, and it was the spirit 121 00:10:35.509 --> 00:10:39.389 who, it is the spirit who cleanses our hearts by faith. This is 122 00:10:39.509 --> 00:10:43.710 what we have an act fifteen, seven nine. You don't get a new 123 00:10:43.789 --> 00:10:48.309 heart unless God gives you a new heart, and it's the spirits particular job 124 00:10:48.789 --> 00:10:54.059 that does that work. Now, the Christ had not yet come, the 125 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:58.860 spirit had not yet been given in the way that Jesus describes here, and 126 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:03.899 yet, nevertheless, as the saints of old anticipated those things, in the 127 00:11:03.019 --> 00:11:07.129 types and the shadows of the things that they were given, they believed on 128 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:15.649 Jesus Christ and they've received the spirit and they were saved. We also know 129 00:11:15.769 --> 00:11:18.440 that the spirit led the people, not just in an individual way to those 130 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:24.240 who were truly saved and regenerated, but he also led them in a corporate 131 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:30.080 way through the cloud of fire and smoke in the desert, as as he 132 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:35.990 descended upon the Temple of God, as he descended upon God's particular leaders and 133 00:11:35.070 --> 00:11:41.350 anointed them in their power, in their offices and service. Saul, for 134 00:11:41.509 --> 00:11:46.309 example, had the spirit of God anointing him for that task and it was 135 00:11:46.590 --> 00:11:52.179 taken away. His Authority, his office, the anointing for that task was 136 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:56.820 removed because of his sin. David Asks, on the heels of his sin 137 00:11:58.059 --> 00:12:03.009 of adultery and murder, Psalm fifty one. He says, Lord, I 138 00:12:03.289 --> 00:12:07.570 have sinned grievously, and this is not just a one particular thing, but 139 00:12:07.649 --> 00:12:11.490 this goes deep down. I was conceived and born in Sin. Do Not 140 00:12:11.929 --> 00:12:18.440 Take Your spirit from me. He's not afraid of losing his salvation here, 141 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:22.200 but he's asking that God would continue to establish him in his kingly power, 142 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:28.320 and is an anointing, and that through that Zion would be established and that 143 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:33.750 the people of God would be safe. David recognized that they needed a shepherd 144 00:12:33.830 --> 00:12:37.190 king and he wanted to continue to be that, that the spirit would not 145 00:12:37.309 --> 00:12:41.870 be removed, as it was with Saul. It was the spirit who equipped 146 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:48.940 Elijah and Elisha to Elishah, who asked for a double portion that his master 147 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:54.700 Elijah had. And of course the spirit was present with Jesus in the incarnation, 148 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:58.610 hovering over Mary, just like he did at the waters at the beginning, 149 00:13:00.730 --> 00:13:07.490 bringing about new creation through our savior. He annointed Jesus at the for 150 00:13:07.690 --> 00:13:11.330 ministry, at his baptism. He drove Jesus out in the Wilderness to begin 151 00:13:11.490 --> 00:13:18.480 his great duel with an eventual conquest, beginning the conquest over Satan. And 152 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:24.120 this work of the spirit in the Ministry of Christ, in the Ministry of 153 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:28.230 the Sun, is anointing on him. He's equipping of him continued all the 154 00:13:28.309 --> 00:13:31.710 way through to the resurrection, where we read, and we read earlier in 155 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:35.590 Romans, that it was the spirit of God who rose him, caused him 156 00:13:35.590 --> 00:13:41.350 to rise from the dead. The spirits also speak of the father causing him 157 00:13:41.350 --> 00:13:43.580 to rise from the dead and the sun causing himself to rise again, which 158 00:13:43.700 --> 00:13:48.899 was a reminder of the unified work of God. And of course, the 159 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:54.179 spirit is there when he ascends into heaven and then in the spirit is there 160 00:13:54.299 --> 00:14:01.850 when, in his exaltation, he is then sent. So all this to 161 00:14:01.929 --> 00:14:11.759 say that the spirit was certainly present before Jesus's glorification. Nevertheless, the scriptures 162 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:18.360 also tell us that something more then was there. More of the spirit in 163 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:24.070 his presence was always anticipated. When the spirit came upon Moses and he prophesied, 164 00:14:24.389 --> 00:14:30.590 Moses says in numbers twenty nine, would that all the Lord's people be 165 00:14:30.789 --> 00:14:35.950 prophets, that the WHO the Lord would put his spirit on them. This 166 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:41.299 is picked up in Joel, Chapter Two, twenty eight, where the the 167 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:45.820 Prophet prophesies, and it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out 168 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:52.700 my spirit on all flesh. Something had not happened yet when Moses said what 169 00:14:52.860 --> 00:14:56.850 he said. When Joel said what he said, something had not yet happened 170 00:14:56.889 --> 00:15:01.330 yet. It shall come to pass afterward, after some things, that he 171 00:15:01.409 --> 00:15:07.559 would pour out his spirit on all flesh. Ezekiel as well as Zekiel thirty 172 00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:13.799 six, twenty four through thirty two, I will take you from the nations 173 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:18.519 and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your old own land. 174 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:24.070 God is speaking to hear about the Jews. After their exile and after 175 00:15:24.110 --> 00:15:28.669 their punishment, after the spirits leaving them, God will now gather together and 176 00:15:28.750 --> 00:15:31.909 bring them into their own land. And then he says this, Ezekiel, 177 00:15:33.669 --> 00:15:41.379 twenty five, I will sprinkle clean water on you, going to baptize you. 178 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:45.700 I'm going to sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean 179 00:15:46.820 --> 00:15:54.049 from all your uncleanness, all your uncleannesses, uncleannesses and from all your idols. 180 00:15:54.090 --> 00:15:56.610 I will cleanse you and I will give you. Remember what we read 181 00:15:56.649 --> 00:16:00.610 earlier in John. Listen to what is Ekel says now, and I will 182 00:16:00.690 --> 00:16:04.159 give you a new heart and a new spirit. I will put within you 183 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:10.559 and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a 184 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:17.480 heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you, 185 00:16:18.750 --> 00:16:22.750 I will cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my 186 00:16:22.950 --> 00:16:27.470 rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your father's you 187 00:16:27.669 --> 00:16:33.460 shall be my people and I will be your God. God says you are 188 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:37.899 totally unable to do what I commanded you to do, and because of that, 189 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:41.259 I lifted my presence from you. But there's a coming, a time 190 00:16:41.820 --> 00:16:45.379 when I will give you the spirit, who will be able to do what 191 00:16:45.580 --> 00:16:52.330 the law was unable to do. The law commanded you and condemned you. 192 00:16:52.970 --> 00:16:59.690 The spirit will give you life so that you will obey from the heart, 193 00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:04.759 from the spirit, not just according to the letter. I will bring you 194 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:11.480 together, I will dwell with you and you will be my people. Well, 195 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:14.880 when is all this fulfilled? Right, these promises, these waitings, 196 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:21.750 this anticipation? In the Old Testament it happens when Jesus is glorified. When 197 00:17:21.750 --> 00:17:26.150 Jesus is glorified, the disciples wait for a little while and then the spirit 198 00:17:26.309 --> 00:17:30.819 comes in acts chapter two, what we call pentecost. We refer to as 199 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:36.940 pentecost acts to when the day of pentecost arrived, they were all together in 200 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:42.420 one place and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, 201 00:17:42.460 --> 00:17:48.529 and it filled the entire house where they were sitting, and tongues as 202 00:17:48.650 --> 00:17:52.089 of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them and they were 203 00:17:52.130 --> 00:18:00.519 all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other tongues as 204 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:03.880 the spirit gave them utterance. And Peter then goes on to say in a 205 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:11.079 sermon today, these things and Joel and other places are fulfilled in your sight, 206 00:18:12.109 --> 00:18:18.710 this amazing event, this water shed. I really like that word. 207 00:18:18.789 --> 00:18:22.910 Of this passage, this water shed, moment in history, the spirit gets 208 00:18:23.430 --> 00:18:30.900 poured down in this amazing way, rivers flowing down from the mountain, from 209 00:18:30.980 --> 00:18:36.660 Zion, the city of the Living God, where Jesus is seated on the 210 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:42.250 throne and exalted. So that's the first point. That one of the things 211 00:18:42.329 --> 00:18:47.009 that Jesus tells us. That is that is that there is this moment in 212 00:18:47.170 --> 00:18:51.089 history, and we now know what it is, in which something new and 213 00:18:51.250 --> 00:18:56.759 different is anticipated and the spirit is poured out in this overflowing, excessive not 214 00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:03.839 excessive in a bad way, but abounding, abounding way, and that fills 215 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:07.559 streams of living water, as we know from all of these passages of old, 216 00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:12.670 lead to these amazing things, the inclusion of the gentle tiles, the 217 00:19:12.829 --> 00:19:18.230 building up of the city and Eternal City, the establishment of the mark, 218 00:19:18.390 --> 00:19:23.339 of the establishment of the King of the people coming together in this sort of 219 00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:27.740 final way, new hearts, cleansed hearts, and on and on and on. 220 00:19:27.940 --> 00:19:30.700 It's it's colors, and I'm only reading you some of the passages. 221 00:19:32.220 --> 00:19:37.059 There's so many more. The second thing for us to consider, then, 222 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:41.329 and to notice this so important, is that this event of the pouring out 223 00:19:41.369 --> 00:19:48.410 of the spirit is exclusively tied to Jesus Right. He doesn't just say someday 224 00:19:48.529 --> 00:19:55.799 this will happen, he says believe in me, and out of his heart 225 00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:02.480 will flow living waters. The scriptures will be fulfilled in this way. You 226 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:08.269 can turn with me or listen to Isaiah, Chapter Forty two, where we 227 00:20:08.470 --> 00:20:15.069 see the these two things come together, the giving of the spirit and the 228 00:20:15.230 --> 00:20:21.940 Messiah. We see one of many ways in which we see that the missions 229 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:32.660 of the spirit and the Messiah this are are distinct but not separated. Isaiah 230 00:20:32.700 --> 00:20:37.569 forty two, one through seven. Behold my servant, whom I uphold, 231 00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:44.650 my chosen in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him, 232 00:20:44.690 --> 00:20:49.720 and he will bring forth justice to the nation's he will not cry aloud 233 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:53.119 or lift up his voice and met or make it heard in the street. 234 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:57.039 A bruised. Read he will not break a faintly burning wick. He will 235 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:03.240 not quench he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or 236 00:21:03.390 --> 00:21:10.470 be discouraged till he has a stablished justice in the earth, and the coast 237 00:21:10.509 --> 00:21:15.710 lands will wait for his law. GOING DOWN TO VERSE Ten, Sing to 238 00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:18.940 the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, 239 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:22.380 you who go down to the sea and all that fills it, the coast 240 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:26.900 lands and their inhabitants. As you read these verses in this passage, you 241 00:21:26.980 --> 00:21:32.660 get this sense of what's happening here. The spirit of the Lord is going 242 00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:37.450 to rest on this anointed one, this Christ, this Messiah, is Chosen 243 00:21:37.569 --> 00:21:45.170 One, and in that anointing and in that work he is going to establish 244 00:21:45.369 --> 00:21:52.519 this world wide rule where the coast lands, the faraway places, the ends 245 00:21:52.599 --> 00:22:02.789 of the Earth, will sing God's praise, where justice will be established, 246 00:22:03.430 --> 00:22:06.789 and he's not going to rest until it's done. He's not even to get 247 00:22:06.829 --> 00:22:11.549 discouraged. Right, you ever get discouraged in doing the right thing? I 248 00:22:11.750 --> 00:22:15.500 do. It gets tiring to do the right thing sometimes to press on, 249 00:22:15.619 --> 00:22:19.660 to press on. He doesn't even get discouraged. He just keeps going and 250 00:22:19.859 --> 00:22:26.579 going and going in the joy of the Lord. So who is this great 251 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:32.130 savior? Who is this great spirit, anointed one through which these river will 252 00:22:32.410 --> 00:22:37.890 will flow? It is Jesus and it is these. It is Jesus who 253 00:22:37.089 --> 00:22:44.319 opens the scroll of Isaiah and reads these passages and says these are fulfilled in 254 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:51.000 your hearing. Jesus is mission in the spirits mission are distinct, but they're 255 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:55.680 not separate. The spirit doesn't come unless Jesus was glorified, and Jesus isn't 256 00:22:55.680 --> 00:23:03.349 glorified unless he's anointed by the spirit. Amazing. Now, going back to 257 00:23:03.430 --> 00:23:11.430 John Chapter Seven, there's some disagreement as to whether the scripture, which is 258 00:23:11.630 --> 00:23:15.339 really a combination of a lot of different ideas that we find in scripture, 259 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:21.099 out of his heart will flow live rivers of living water, whether that applies 260 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:29.369 first and directly to Christ or to his people. I agree with those who 261 00:23:29.369 --> 00:23:33.849 say it's both, and I don't mean that as a sort of weasily don't 262 00:23:33.890 --> 00:23:41.599 want to solve the problem. Cut Away you'll see what I mean. First 263 00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:47.359 of all, remember what Jesus told the woman at the well in John Ten. 264 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:51.799 He says to her, if you knew the Gift of God and who 265 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:55.400 it is that is saying to you, give me a drink. You would 266 00:23:55.400 --> 00:24:00.390 have asked him and he would have given you living water. Right, Jesus 267 00:24:00.390 --> 00:24:06.390 is the source of the living water, and what we are learning here is 268 00:24:06.470 --> 00:24:11.140 that he does that. He gives that, remember will, the Lord, 269 00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:18.420 the Giver We sang in for three he does that through the spirit, who 270 00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:22.579 is, as we confess in the nicene creed, the Lord and Giver of 271 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:29.569 Life. WHO GIVES US life? Jesus, or the spirit? Yes, 272 00:24:29.609 --> 00:24:37.170 right, Jesus is our living water. He is the source of our joy. 273 00:24:37.289 --> 00:24:41.319 We receive our joy from him. Why? Because we receive the spirit 274 00:24:41.480 --> 00:24:48.039 from him, as Jesus later says in John Fourteen seven, where the Holy 275 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:55.029 Spirit is now with the disciples. Soon the Holy Spirit will be in the 276 00:24:55.190 --> 00:24:59.549 disciples. The spirit is with them. He is active in various ways. 277 00:24:59.589 --> 00:25:03.829 He has been throughout Jesus's ministry and their time with them. But something new 278 00:25:04.069 --> 00:25:11.660 is happening, and intimacy that is greater that they themselves will become, in 279 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:18.460 a way, the source of water, not separate from Jesus but united to 280 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:22.369 Jesus, in which the livings of wood having water will flow out into all 281 00:25:22.410 --> 00:25:27.049 the world. People will hear the Gospel and will be saved. It's helpful, 282 00:25:27.049 --> 00:25:32.369 then, at this point to consider the Temple of God, this place 283 00:25:32.490 --> 00:25:37.240 in which the spirit of God descends and dwells and which God dwells with his 284 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:42.519 people. Throughout the Old Testament, the temple was a place where God placed 285 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:47.599 his name and dwelled with his people, and one of the images that is 286 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:53.269 associated with that temple was this temple is being that on a mountain from which 287 00:25:53.309 --> 00:26:03.349 water flowed, a life giving image in which the Lord is dwelling and from 288 00:26:03.549 --> 00:26:08.740 him water, unto life, flows out into the world. Now this is 289 00:26:08.819 --> 00:26:14.380 pictured in various water imagery around the temple that was built, but it really 290 00:26:14.420 --> 00:26:18.569 begins in the garden of Eden where man first dwells with God and is present 291 00:26:18.690 --> 00:26:25.450 with him. There, the Garden of Eden, this mountain top garden in 292 00:26:25.490 --> 00:26:30.289 which the tree of life was in the middle and water flows out into the 293 00:26:30.369 --> 00:26:33.839 earth. You Remember Genesis to ten. Maybe it's a detail you've passed over. 294 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:38.000 Genesis to ten describing the garden of Eden in which God first dwelled with 295 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:45.480 his creation, with man. Genesis to ten says a river flowed out of 296 00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:52.789 Eden, out of Eden to water the larger garden, and there it divided 297 00:26:52.910 --> 00:27:02.859 and became four rivers from which it fed the earth. Now man lost communion 298 00:27:02.940 --> 00:27:06.500 with God. We know man fell under the wrath and curse and what happened 299 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:11.859 with God and his presence with man, and was ejected. He was sent 300 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:15.769 out of the guard and the door was the gate, the door or the 301 00:27:15.930 --> 00:27:18.769 way was barred, and from that placed on he would be put in a 302 00:27:18.930 --> 00:27:23.450 world. It was not the garden of Eden it was a place where life 303 00:27:23.450 --> 00:27:26.369 would be hard, where things would be hard, where things wouldn't grow, 304 00:27:26.769 --> 00:27:32.559 and man would eventually die and return to the dust. Instead of perpetual streams 305 00:27:32.599 --> 00:27:38.440 of life, man would struggle and suffer and die, the natural consequences of 306 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:44.630 sin, of turning away from God, who is the source of life. 307 00:27:45.069 --> 00:27:48.470 You turn away from life, and what do you get? Death, and 308 00:27:48.630 --> 00:27:52.069 that's what man God. But what does God do? In His mercy? 309 00:27:52.230 --> 00:27:57.349 He makes this plan of salvation in which he would re establish one day a 310 00:27:57.509 --> 00:28:03.740 place for him to dwell, but a place that is perfect and glorified, 311 00:28:03.779 --> 00:28:10.779 Anya tternal, and the prophets speak about this in the same in these edenic, 312 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:14.130 if I could put it that way, terms, and these garden of 313 00:28:14.329 --> 00:28:21.289 Eden terms, these temple terms, terms about streams of water bubbling up in 314 00:28:21.369 --> 00:28:25.210 the desert. Our Sister Church, desert springs, gets their name from. 315 00:28:25.250 --> 00:28:29.920 This is a great name, desert streams. Right. This isn't just a 316 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:33.680 Tucson reference, it's a biblical reference, a referge, a reference about the 317 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:45.430 new age begun, God doing these amazing things. Listen to Ezekiel forty seven, 318 00:28:45.829 --> 00:28:52.829 which is Zekiel has a vision about the temple that God will, will 319 00:28:52.990 --> 00:29:00.299 build the temple that will replace the temple, that the earthly temple. There's 320 00:29:00.380 --> 00:29:03.019 so much to read here and I won't read it all. I'm all encourage 321 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:04.019 you to look at it on your own, but listen to a little bit. 322 00:29:06.099 --> 00:29:11.569 Nine verses from Ezekiel Forty Seven. Then he brought me to the back 323 00:29:11.650 --> 00:29:14.809 or sorry, then he brought me back to the door of the temple. 324 00:29:14.890 --> 00:29:18.609 And behold, at the door of the temple and behold, pay attention. 325 00:29:18.450 --> 00:29:25.359 Water was issuing from below, below the threshold of the temple, toward the 326 00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:30.160 East, for the temple faced the east. The water was flowing down from 327 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:33.440 but now below the south end of the fret threshold of the temple, south 328 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:37.319 of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the North Gate 329 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.710 and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the 330 00:29:41.789 --> 00:29:47.910 East. And behold the water was trickling out on the south side. Interesting 331 00:29:47.950 --> 00:29:53.980 image right the temple, of water flowing out from underneath the temple going on 332 00:29:55.259 --> 00:29:59.220 eastward. With a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand 333 00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:03.380 cubits and then led me through the water and it was ankle deep. Again, 334 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:07.769 he measured a thousand and led me through the water and it was knee 335 00:30:07.809 --> 00:30:11.529 deep. Again, he measured a thousand and he led me through the water 336 00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:17.009 and it was waste deep. Again, he measured a thousand and it was 337 00:30:17.089 --> 00:30:21.009 a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. 338 00:30:21.559 --> 00:30:25.400 It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed 339 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:27.279 through, and he said to me, son of man, have you seen 340 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:32.279 this? Then he led me to the Bank of the river. As I 341 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:36.710 went back, I saw on the Bank of the river very many trees on 342 00:30:36.750 --> 00:30:41.230 the one side and on the other and he said to me this water flows 343 00:30:41.269 --> 00:30:47.269 toward the Eastern Region and goes down into the Araba, that's a desert land, 344 00:30:47.309 --> 00:30:52.940 and enters the sea when the water flows into the sea, the water 345 00:30:53.059 --> 00:31:00.859 will become fresh and wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will 346 00:31:00.940 --> 00:31:03.930 live and there will be very many, any fish, for this water goes 347 00:31:04.170 --> 00:31:08.650 there that the waters of the sea may become fresh, so that everything will 348 00:31:08.730 --> 00:31:21.519 live where the river goes. Stunning, isn't it? And so now here's 349 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:30.599 Jesus this to the fuse of the booths standing in the temple, saying if 350 00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:37.349 anyone thirsts, let him come to me. If anyone thirst let him come 351 00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:40.789 to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture said, 352 00:31:40.789 --> 00:31:52.980 out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. How would God accomplish 353 00:31:53.059 --> 00:31:59.660 these things that he spoke to Ezekiel, to Joel, Moses hoped for the 354 00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:04.250 David Long for? How would these things that were lost in eat and and 355 00:32:04.369 --> 00:32:07.650 never fully realized as they were supposed to be, be regained? How would 356 00:32:07.650 --> 00:32:13.170 God would one day dwell with his people in such a way that we would 357 00:32:13.170 --> 00:32:16.680 be filled with the spirit, cleansed, and that everything around us and in 358 00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:23.240 us would be nothing but life, buzzing with life? The answer is that 359 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:30.869 one day he would send the servant, his son, to re establish and 360 00:32:31.109 --> 00:32:37.549 perfect God's presence with man and to do it permanently, based not on obedience 361 00:32:37.670 --> 00:32:43.430 to the law. Are Obedience to the law, but his based on his 362 00:32:43.710 --> 00:32:46.819 promises of based upon His grace. I will cleanse your heart, he said, 363 00:32:47.019 --> 00:32:51.099 not you, I will cleanse your heart, and because I'm going to 364 00:32:51.180 --> 00:32:54.859 do it, it's going to be perfect. You will obey from the heart 365 00:32:54.900 --> 00:33:00.690 and all of these things will come to pass. This is what happens when 366 00:33:00.730 --> 00:33:06.089 God sends the son and when the father and the son send the spirit. 367 00:33:07.529 --> 00:33:12.769 By taking on our humanity, Jesus becomes our reputation, our representative, and 368 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:17.559 we become united to him. And in regard to the Temple, Peter tells 369 00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:22.000 us that he is the corner stone and the foundation on which we, as 370 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:28.430 living stones, are built. What we come to understand in the New Testament 371 00:33:28.509 --> 00:33:31.829 is that was we are united to Christ. We we come to enjoy all 372 00:33:31.869 --> 00:33:36.869 of these pictures that we have, not just pictures, but the realities to 373 00:33:36.950 --> 00:33:42.140 which these pictures point. In regard to the temple revelation, twenty two says 374 00:33:43.019 --> 00:33:49.380 then the angels showed me. The Angel showed me the river of water of 375 00:33:49.539 --> 00:33:54.730 life, bright is crystal, flowing from where. He says flowing from the 376 00:33:55.089 --> 00:34:01.369 throne of God and of the lamb. WHY DOES JESUS NEED TO BE EXALTED? 377 00:34:02.049 --> 00:34:07.570 Because that's where the river flows from, his eggxaltated glory, Exalted Glory 378 00:34:08.289 --> 00:34:15.000 in which we stand as conquerors and as people that are saved, as people 379 00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:21.320 that are enjoy this life. I shouldn't interrupt the scripture so much. Then 380 00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:23.789 the angel showed me the river of water, of life, bright as crystal, 381 00:34:24.110 --> 00:34:28.469 flowing from the throne of God and of the lamb through the middle of 382 00:34:28.550 --> 00:34:30.710 the street of the city. Also, on either side of the river, 383 00:34:31.269 --> 00:34:35.829 the tree of life right member boy, back in Genesis, here it is 384 00:34:35.869 --> 00:34:38.860 again, the tree of life, with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding 385 00:34:38.940 --> 00:34:44.420 its fruit in each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing 386 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:51.739 of the nations. When the spirit comes, he's not just going to come 387 00:34:51.940 --> 00:34:57.130 on an earthly temple again to gather around people again to command obedience to the 388 00:34:57.210 --> 00:35:04.849 law, where he might leave again. That happened and that's over. The 389 00:35:05.010 --> 00:35:08.039 world has learned its lesson, the or the lesson has been taught. Anyway. 390 00:35:08.599 --> 00:35:12.440 God has taught his lesson, and now it's time for us to pay 391 00:35:12.440 --> 00:35:16.119 attention and to see who this savior is and what he is doing, and 392 00:35:17.079 --> 00:35:22.989 that in giving us the spirit, he is giving us this guarantee that we 393 00:35:23.230 --> 00:35:28.590 belong to him, that we are part of that temple, a part of 394 00:35:28.909 --> 00:35:35.820 that city, and that our first in him can be assuaged, can be 395 00:35:35.900 --> 00:35:44.780 quenched, can be satisfied. This beloved is our great hope and in the 396 00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:49.460 spirit we have the guarantee of it. Ephesians one thirteen through fourteen says, 397 00:35:50.170 --> 00:35:53.530 Ephesians one thirteen through fourteen. In Him, that is, in Christ. 398 00:35:53.769 --> 00:35:59.210 You also, when you heard the word of Truth and the Gospel of your 399 00:35:59.250 --> 00:36:07.000 salvation and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who 400 00:36:07.239 --> 00:36:15.960 is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, and to 401 00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:19.389 the praise of his glory, how do you know that all these things that 402 00:36:19.510 --> 00:36:25.869 the prophets are spoke of belong to you right now, as John says in 403 00:36:25.989 --> 00:36:30.869 First John Two eight, because the darkness is passing away in the true light 404 00:36:30.030 --> 00:36:35.420 is already shining. How do you know? Because you have the spirit, 405 00:36:36.659 --> 00:36:40.179 because of pentecost, because the spirit has been poured out on the world. 406 00:36:43.059 --> 00:36:47.090 What is God doing now? Peter tells us as you come to Jesus, 407 00:36:47.769 --> 00:36:52.969 a living stone, rejected by men but in the sight of God, chosen 408 00:36:53.010 --> 00:36:59.690 and precious. You, yourselves, like like living stones, are being built 409 00:37:00.170 --> 00:37:07.639 up as a spiritual house, to be a holy, perious priesthood, to 410 00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:15.159 offer spiritual sacrifice is acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So there is, 411 00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:21.030 with the spirit, as he gives, as he as we receive him by 412 00:37:21.150 --> 00:37:30.699 believing in Jesus, a finality and intimacy, a measure, an overflowingness and 413 00:37:30.900 --> 00:37:36.900 inclusion, where the whole world of the Gospel it goes out until all of 414 00:37:37.019 --> 00:37:44.099 the world in which people are saved, the nation's and eternality which is never 415 00:37:44.260 --> 00:37:49.610 before been known in the history of the world. That's what Jesus is promising 416 00:37:49.690 --> 00:37:55.969 here in John Seventeen. That's what happened and that's what we are now experiencing 417 00:37:58.130 --> 00:38:01.599 and living in the light. The darkness is already passing away. The light 418 00:38:01.719 --> 00:38:06.159 is shining right now. We don't have to wait Toi. For yet another 419 00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:10.960 age to happen. That age, that new age, has already breaking in 420 00:38:12.760 --> 00:38:22.110 on this world. And this is why you must repent and believe in Jesus, 421 00:38:23.349 --> 00:38:30.579 because, apart from him, no spirit apart from him, no Zion 422 00:38:30.699 --> 00:38:36.019 apart from him, no temple apart from him, no everlasting life apart from 423 00:38:36.019 --> 00:38:38.980 him, no thirst quenched. Apart from him. It's desert, dry, 424 00:38:39.699 --> 00:38:52.849 wilderness, thirst, death. But in Him we have a heart of stone 425 00:38:52.969 --> 00:38:58.960 that is impervious to loving the Lord and does nothing but hate people. Then 426 00:38:59.119 --> 00:39:07.400 stand apart from him and begins beating, beating with the life of the spirit 427 00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:14.110 of God in dwelling us and building us together up into a Holy Temple, 428 00:39:15.269 --> 00:39:20.150 not just a bunch of individual hearts, but the heart of Christ, we 429 00:39:20.190 --> 00:39:22.429 might say, or, as Paul puts it, the mind of Christ, 430 00:39:24.739 --> 00:39:30.619 that we might, together with him as our head, walk as his, 431 00:39:31.699 --> 00:39:38.250 the members of his body. This is why we confess the spirit as Lord, 432 00:39:39.730 --> 00:39:45.610 if we worship and we glorify him and we call him the giver of 433 00:39:45.730 --> 00:39:51.489 Life, and this is why we believe in the Sun. Who sent him? 434 00:39:52.920 --> 00:39:53.480 Let's pray