Help For the Spiritually Thirsty
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: John 1-12: Come, See, Live!
John 7:25-52 (ESV)
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
Sermon Outline
There is a deep thirst in every human being that can only be satisfied through God’s work and generosity.
1. Thirst
v27 “we know where… no one will know…”
v33-34 “…I am going to him who sent me…. Where I am you cannot come.”
v47-48 “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law...”
vv28-29 “He who sent me is true, and him you do not know”
vv50-52 “Nicodemus…’Does our…’ They replied, “Are you from Galilee too?”
2. Quenching
v25-26 “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly…”
v49 “this crowd… is accursed.”
vv37-38 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me…”
3. Hydration
vv37-38 “Whoever believes in me… ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Prayer of Confession
Our merciful God, we are a thirsty people. Our sin alienates us from you and leaves us unhealthy. In our confusion we reject your kindness. In our foolishness, we grasp what you prohibit. In our arrogance, we conspire against you. Forgive us our many sins. Satisfy our longing for life with your Holy Spirit. Remove what leaves us guilty. Fill us where we are empty. You are generous, having given the Son and the Spirit so that we can know you and have eternal life. Thank you. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
In what ways is your soul thirsty? What does dissatisfaction and longing look like for you?
What do you believe will satisfy you in life? What are the key things that, if you had them, you imagine would bring contentment?
What daily or weekly things do you do for comfort or managing difficulties? What things do you reach out for or how do you deal with discontentment?
Why is it (or should it be) encouraging that Jesus invites the thirsty to come to him?
What role does belief play in the imagery of receiving from Jesus what will satisfy our souls? Why does faith in Jesus need to be a deeply held belief?
How do you know if you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit?
How can you stay spiritually hydrated? What are the ordinary ways for Christians to live by the Holy Spirit? What kinds of things do we need to be prepared to do in special circumstances to make sure we remain spiritually nourished?