Pastor Jeon

The Living Stream of the Spirit

The Living Stream of the Spirit (Jn7:37-39)

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Introduction:

  1. Cambodia’s water festival was originated by the consciousness of water’s value. The Water stream of Mekong River influences to all areas of Cambodia through the natural flood. Many things, agricultural system, all plants, washing system and drinking systems should be depended on the water. But Cambodia water was polluted by many reasons. So the water festival makes the people concentrated on the importance of the water.

  2. This makes us , as Christians thought the event of Israel’s wilderness life.

Especially the tabernacle festival of the Scripture reveals the meaning of living water, Christ. I Corinthian 10:1-3 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.3 They all ate the same spiritual food4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. the water means Christ. The text interpreted that the living water points the Holy Spirit. Verse 38 (38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. ) What do you think of that passage? Finally the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit. So as we see that, the wonderful promise of living stream shall be flown in our heart by believing in Jesus and the Word of God.

The text reveals three things about the experience of the living water.

  1. He need to be thirty that make some conditions for the repentance and the faith.

  1. Who can receive the living stream of Holy Spirit? He should be thirty, hungry in his soul. Verse 37 says “37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. “ What does it mean? It means the heart that he want to come back to God and to return to the house of the Father. It is the desire that he found his miserable state for his own sin. The heart is very previous elements in the abundant heart.

Look at the Acts 2:37-38. we can find the heart in the congregation. After they heard of the word of God by being preached by the Apostle Peter. They felt that the Word as the sharpen knife, picked their conscience before God. They responded, “ What shall I do?” Then Peter answered “38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

  1. In short, you should repent before God. What is the repentance? It is the heart changed in intellectual, emotionally and volitionally. When Peter’s preaching influenced on them, above 3000 person were saved out of the miserable place.

  2. Cambodia church want to have living streams in their heart. Learn the true repentance, to get the life. Especially Cambodia should not to go to pagoda but to Jesus Christ, the real bread. And also Cambodia churches should devote themselves to go to the true repentance. Then they shall get the living stream of true life. Even though they enjoy the big festival in that day., unless they repent before God because of their own sins. They shall end to please the carnal desire.

  3. The church should experience the wonderful living streams In his life. Then you can make your killing field changed into the living field. So now we have to try to repent to God.

  4. Actually the water is the source of the living stream. As Cambodia water comes out of Mekong river, our living stream shall come out of the Trinity God by the humble heart. As we know that the living stream of Ezkiel started out of the bottom of the temple door in a vision? “ The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.”(Ez47:1-2) What do you think of it? The source is God and the channel is the humble heart. If you have humble heart. You shall receive it.

  1. He should have the sound faith

1)He have to go the Lord, Jesus Christ. “Come to me and drink it” to come and to drink means the expression of true faith. To come suggests the direction toward the God. in the past time he walk toward the Self and the world and Satan. But now he run toward the Lord, the Word of God and the kingdom of God. Acts 20:21 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. true salvation need two elements both sides, the repentance and the faith.

2)To drink suggests to believe in it. To believe Christ means the union, the oneness as to drink the water. Sound faith means to unit with Christ. So Paul points that faith is to abide in Christ. Ex: to dwell in Christ means to live in the presence of the Lord.

3)The repentance and faith is the result of listening to the Word of God. When we listen to the Word of God we have the faith come out of God. the faith is the gift of God. True faith welcomes the living stream automatically.

4)Indeed, if you want to have living stream in your life and your ministry, you must go to the Lord. You should devote yourself to Jesus Christ and the Word of God. And also receive him as your Lord and your savior. Pistuo means devoting myself wholeheartedly. It is as the marriage relationship, the oneness consisted of the love and the obedience. It is an organized relation and a living relationship.

  1. He shall experience the living stream.

1)Toward Christ the thirty and longing state is the vessel that can hold the living stream in his life. What will he experience before God? Verses 37-38 say “37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

2)What does they mean in that passage?

  1. The belly is the heart
  2. The living stream is the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Baptism of holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the infinitive power of God.

We have to experience the wonderful event in our ministry just like the Apostles did in their ministry.

Ex: Peter confessed that it is the unspeakable joy.(I Peter 1:8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,)

Ex: Paul said that it is the anointed (Ephesian 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,) and outpouring of God’s love.(Rom5:55 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.)

Ex: John said that it is the anointing. (I Jn2:27 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. )

=In the Christian life we have to expect that the wonderful living stream event of Holy Spirit. It means the fullness of Holy Spirit and the abundance of the Word of God.

In our school life we have to make sure the wonderful experience in our lives. Especially Cambodia festival of Water should be exchanged into the living stream of Holy Spirit in their heart.

Conclusion:

1)Today remember the grace of the living stream that the tabernacle feast had been accomplished in Christ. And long for the grace in the Lord.

2)My beloved saints, hold this wonderful promise and claim it to the Lord repeatedly in your Christian life. God is waiting for your faithful answer.

1.Let’s pray. Dear Lord, We thank you for your abundant grace to us. We thank you for enjoying your abundant common grace in Cambodia. Now clean up our heart by the blood of Jesus Christ. And open our eyes to know you and your truth. Provide your rest and peace in Christ to solve our every issue. Lead us to true worship. I pray these things in the name of Jesus.

    1. During the Pchum Ben Festival I had been at Angkor Wat by myself to know Cambodia. I have learnt little things of the Cambodian reality. Among them I realizes that Cambodia is the nation of the water because the raining water is bountiful in all areas. I have seen the abundant water in all areas. And I heard that Angora Wat was surrounded by the lake in order to protect the king palace out of the enemies. Even, the Cambodians used to the raining water as the curing means actually.

    1. How can we have the abundant and humble heart like the water? Our environment provides this spiritual fertile grace to us. Even though many people complain the poverty situation, we should observe the wonderful grace in the poor, miserable and ignorant state. Among them we have to learn the humility. However, because true humility can be taken out of God, we have to go to Christ, the Scripture and Holy Spirit.

    1. Today we have to learn longing to the living stream of the Holy Spirit and enjoying the abundant grace in our actual life. So we have to keep the humble heart and admit our spiritual poverty in spirit in our lives. If you need that grace now, come to Jesus and drink it by yourself by the repentence and the faith. He is waiting for you.

    1. Let’s pray,

Lord, we thank you for your wonderful grace. We thank you for your prepared grace of Holy Spirit. Make us to enter into the world to glorify you. Forgive our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. And Pour your living stream to us to know you deeply. Especially make the Cambodia opened their eyes and seen the living stream in Christ.

I pray thease things in the name of Jesus. Amen.