Give Thanks
For the Gift of Living Water
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Welcome:
Call to Worship Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Praise Songs
What is the one thing you most crave and are thankful for after you have worked hard or a long hot day- other than a nap? A big, cold drink of water right? There is something so satisfying about having a very cold glass of water. Maybe it’s iced tea or lemonade and it just feels so good going down. Sometimes we can’t drink it fast enough-we’re so thirsty. There is a sensation that runs all the way through our body- feelings of refreshment and relief, and our body is invigorated again. In the moment it’s really all we want and we’re just so happy to have that cold drink. You all know that feeling. You might still be weary but you relax after you have that drink, knowing you’ll be okay, in a little bit you’ll bounce back. Because we know our body needs hydration and responds positively when it is hydrated properly. It’s like life returns.
But the thing is no matter how big that drink is we take in, it doesn’t last. We’ll become dry and weary again. We’ll grow thirsty again and need to replenish water in our body once more. And if we go too long without proper hydration we become sick and our systems quit working as they should. Everything gets messed up. We become confused and disoriented. Our skin dries up. Dehydration literally affects every part of our body. This is a huge concern for our older loved ones and in senior care facilities to watch because it is so prevalent and damaging when someone becomes greatly dehydrated. We must drink water in ample amounts to maintain our health.
Our spiritual being requires hydration too, which comes from the Living Water. When we go too long without being hydrated and filled with Living Water, we become depleted, weak, confused, disoriented, and our faith gets all messed up and out of whack. You see we need the Living Water; we need to come to the well and drink; we need the infilling of the Holy Spirit because as we do, we aren’t searching in the world for things to satisfy our thirst any longer.
Once we drink the Living Water, we know there is nothing else that will satisfy us. There is nothing we will crave more to refresh and hydrate our weary souls. Think if you were walking in a desert and had the sun beating down on you, sand all around you, dry, and no shade… how thirsty might you become? How desperate would you be for that cold drink of water? How grateful for that cup of water would you be? What might you give for it? We can relate to our physical needs somewhat those of you who have truly endured trying times like that can fully appreciate and understand the picture I painted because honestly, we all have it pretty good to have access to fresh water all around us. But we know what it’s like to get fairly thirsty, and we can imagine what that might be like to have one cup offered when we are so desperate. It would mean everything at that moment. It would bring us life again.
Do we look at the condition of our soul and spirit in the same manner? Do we take notice of our
condition? Are we spiritually and emotionally weary? Worn down? Dehydrated? Barely functioning? Is our faith deteriorating? Or are we like well-watered gardens that are flourishing? Are we kept hydrated by the Living Water? Are we desperate for that drink of Living Water for our thirsty souls as much as we are for our physical bodies? What would we give for a drink of this Living Water?
You see the condition of our spiritual hydration is even more important than the condition of our
physical bodies that will one day perish. We can endure a great deal with a spirit that is well-hydrated; but for one that has run dry, a crushed spirit-no one can bear. But praise be to Jesus, our Savior, who sends us Living Water to drink deeply and satisfy our deepest thirst. This is a free gift to all who are thirsty! In this month of Thanksgiving, we’ll Give Thanks for various gifts we have from our loving Father.
Today, we’ll focus on the Gift of the Living Water that is made available because of Jesus.
May we see this gift as a great treasure we cherish, for that is exactly what it is. We’ll look at Scripture where Jesus shares about the Living Water. We have recounted this Scripture
many times, focusing many times on the woman Jesus is speaking with. Who she is does matter and is quite significant. We also want to focus on the message Jesus shares with her. Let us have ears to hear. Let us come to Him with our deepest thirst to be quenched.
John 4: 4-14 NIV
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus chose to take this route stopping at this particular well to wait for this specific woman. She was a Samaritan and as we read Jews did not associate with Samaritans. And Jewish men did not talk with women, certainly not Samaritan women in public. But Jesus did. She was a woman with a past if you keep reading this Scripture you would see the baggage she was carrying around. Yet, Jesus chose to reveal this great truth and invitation to her first. Why? Because she was the epitome of Everyone and whoever. He truly meant everyone and whoever is thirsty can come and drink and never thirst again.
1. Open Invitation to Drink.
It’s not a matter of whether we qualify or not; whether we have earned this luxury drink; whether we can pay a high price for it-He simply said if you’re thirsty. Come. He said it again in John 7 then to a larger crowd.
John 7:37-38 NLT 37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the
crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!
For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”
This was prophesied in Isaiah about Jesus’ coming and the free gift He would offer.
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
No one is excluded from this invitation. If your soul is thirsty and craving something more Jesus
says Come and drink!
We try to quench that deep thirst we all have by means of this world-the truth is- we won’t quench that thirst at the bottom of a bottle; in binge-watching TV/movies; in partying; incessant shopping; in filling our homes with the most beautiful items or the latest gadgets; in endless social media streaming…do you hear what I’m saying? Where have you been trying to quench your deep thirst? We try to quench a thirst with worldly sources and it can only be quenched by the Living Water. We will never fix our spiritual condition with worldly means. We can’t. We won’t satisfy that which our soul longs for most with temporary pleasures because they won’t last.
Only the Living Water truly satisfies and quenches our deep thirst. We must drink the Living Water and the best part is, it is a free gift to all who come thirsty!
2. Quenching Our Deepest Thirst.
John 4: 13-14 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
This is why the Living Water satisfies us because it is within us and becomes a spring of water welling up in us-replenishing and hydrating us at all times.
Isaiah gave a vision of what the Living Water would do for those who receive it.
Isaiah 44:3-4 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
Isaiah 58:11 NKJV The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose
waters do not fail.
The gift of the Living Water satisfies our souls when we are in dry seasons. We are maintained like a watered garden; our waters do not fail. Can you see why this is a gift we cherish and give thanks for? Can you see why we should be desperate to drink in the Living Water daily? We will ALL go through dry seasons in this life. Don’t you want to live having waters within us that do not fail?
We read in His Word the Living Water testifies to the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart of the believer.
3. Infilling of the Holy Spirit.
John 7:38-39 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
So how do we care for this gift and watch over our spiritual well-being? We come to the well and we drink in the Holy Spirit often and deeply. Like that big, cold glass of water, we take in as much as our stomach can hold. We fill up on the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5: 18-20 NLT 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When you are running dry-ask yourself when is the last time you came to the well to drink? Sing praises to God, exalt His name, recount all the wonderful things God has done, read His Word, speak His promises over your life, and be thankful for the ways God cares for you, even in a dry season This is how you can be filled again-by lifting your gaze up and opening yourself to drink the Living Water.
There is a proverb you likely know: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
Jesus freely offers us Living Water to quench our deepest thirsts and satisfy us in a dry and weary land. Recognize when you are thirsty and remember the open invitation to Come and then drink.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Revelation 22:17 NLT 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
Conclusion: Jesus offers an open invitation to drink freely from the Living Water that fully satisfies. Let us come with thankful hearts for this precious gift we cannot buy. Let us drink daily the water that gives life.
Let’s Pray.
Communion:
All of this is possible because Jesus became our sacrifice and his death atoned for our sin. In His
resurrection, He was victorious over death and rose in a glorified body. God’s wrath against sin was
satisfied through the death of His Son. Justice was served. This made way for the righteousness of Christ to be imparted to all who would believe in Him. His righteousness upon us gives us the right standing with our holy God and allows us to come confidently into His presence. It enables us to be in a relationship again. This is all possible through the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent, to be Living Water within us.
You don’t have to fully understand it all to be deeply grateful for the gift we have been given and the lengths our Savior went to, to ensure we could enjoy fellowship with the trinity now and for eternity. Jesus calls us to remember what He did, never to forget or lose sight of this great sacrifice, for our great gain. We are to hold this close in our heart-always- and live out of the power that flows from the cross.
Take a moment before we share in communion to get your heart right with God. If you need to confess anything this morning do so now before Him. Come with confidence before the throne of grace. Let Him purify your heart and restore a right relationship with Him if that is needed. Or express your deep gratitude.
Luke 22: 14 When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. 15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”
19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the
disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
Pray: the Lord’s Prayer
Offering: let us give thanks for the many blessings we have, for this church we are blessed to care for, and for the joining together of this body through His Spirit. Let us give out our gratitude and faith to the work of God’s Kingdom here in and through Living Gospel Church.
Final Blessing: Numbers 6: 24-26 24 “‘“The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
