Convicted, but not condemned, John 8:1-11

For many churches today, the issues of sexuality and immorality are the defining issues of our times. And without a doubt, there are some very serious debates going on in the public arena which are having a great impact on our society, which I would say have already influenced our culture for the worse and will have tremendous negative consequences.  So I want to be clear at the outset that what we are going to say today about this particular response of Christ to  immorality does not diminish the tragic effect of these issues on our society.  God can forgive any sin, but that doesn’t mean we disregard or redefine sin.  God, not society, has defined sin, and sin has tragic consequences. 

As we consider the story before us, I think that it illustrates very clearly that in the eyes of God, all sin is damning.  There are not some sins which are more acceptable than others.  We cannot climb upon a pedestal and look down at other people who are caught up in some obvious, grievous sin, and then claim some sort of spiritual superiority because our sins are not so obvious, and in our minds, not so terrible as someone else’s.  

Paul said in 1Timothy 5:24 “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.”  The point he is making is that all sin requires judgment, and the wages of sin, he said in Romans 6:23, is death.  Though some people’s sins are more evident, such as the sin of alcoholism or drug abuse or prostitution, going before them to judgment, yet the sins of others are secret, such as hate or lust or envy,  yet whether obvious or secret they will face judgment.  Either way, both lead to judgment.  

James makes it clear that even if you commit only one sin, it condemns you of all sin. James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”  So all are guilty of sin, all of us are under the penalty of sin, and only through repentance and faith in Christ can we be saved from our sin.

Now let’s look at this story and see how this is illustrated for us here.  There are a few points that I would like to make before we get into the main part of the story though.  First, there is some discussion in theological circles as to the authenticity of this text, or as to to location of this text in the book of John. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on that, but only to address the notes that you may have noticed in your translation, indicating that some ancient manuscripts do not contain this story.  But I would point out that the fact that it is included in practically all translations, indicates that though their may be some uncertainty about the text, yet almost all conservative translators and theologians agree that it should be included in our Bibles as the word of God.  I would  add that John wrote this gospel around 90AD, and by 100 AD or shortly thereafter, this passage was referenced by a couple of early church leaders in ancient writings.  So it has been accepted as part of the gospel since the very beginning.  But some manuscripts do not include it, some put it in another place, some leave a blank area where it should be, and one manuscript includes it in Luke’s gospel.  But most theologians believe that it is consistent with John’s style of writing, it is consistent with scripture as a whole, and it is consistent in it’s portrayal of Christ with the other gospels.  So I believe that it is the inspired word of God and as such we will study it as the Word of God.

Another point not to be overlooked is that in vs.53 of vs.7, it says everyone went to their home, and then in vs.1 of chapter 8, it says that Jesus went to the Mt. of Olives.  While Jesus is in Jerusalem, He is living outdoors, perhaps spending most of the time on the Mount of Olives.  Jesus said in Matt. 8:20 "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  That’s such a poignant statement, and so much can be inferred through this little note that says Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and spent the night out under the stars. This was a daily part of Christ’s life.  The very God Incarnate - while everyone else is at home with family and sleeping in a warm house - the Son of God is outside, sleeping under the stars.  I find it ironic that there are some who teach that Christians are somehow entitled to the luxurious standard of living that we have here in America.  But what about Jesus’ statement that said, a servant is not above his master?  Yet some teach that if you just have enough faith and ask for a 4 bedroom house with all the modern amenities, then God will give it to you.  But yet God let the King of Kings sleep in the cold and damp outdoors.  You know, I have to admit, if God caused me to live without a roof over my head I would have questions about His providence.  But maybe that speaks more to our priorities rather than God’s priorities.

Alright, so to the story; Jesus is in the temple teaching very early in the morning, and the scribes and Pharisees come barging in, dragging a woman who was caught in adultery and they present her to Jesus.   Under Jewish law, adultery was considered a capital offense. Lev. 20:10 says “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” 

Now the interesting thing is that they have only brought the woman.  They said they caught her in the act, but yet there is no man brought forth, only the woman.  That makes the whole situation suspect.  I think it indicates that she was set up, and obviously they are trying to set up Jesus as well.  They say to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 

The fact of the matter is, that though adultery had a serious penalty attached to it, it was a rare thing in Jewish society to actually condemn someone for it because it was so hard to prove.  There had to be at least 2 witnesses to the actual act, not just seeing them go in to a house together or seeing them come out together, but they had to actually catch them in the act.  But irregardless, there is good indication that in most cases it was a law for which the penalty was rarely, if ever,  enacted. 

So I think it is possible to read between the lines here and suspect that someone had a reason to do away with this particular woman.  It could be that a man wanted to divorce his wife, and didn’t want to go through all the requirements involved in that, including dividing his money with her and so forth, and so he accused her of adultery. We don’t know for sure, we can only speculate.  But we can say unequivocally that there was something fishy about the proceedings, because there was only the woman caught and not a man.  A woman cannot be caught in the very act of adultery alone.  That is an impossibility.  So the whole thing is a set up which shows the corruptness of the scribes and the Pharisees. 

The funny thing about these scribes and Pharisees is they never seem to catch on that Jesus can read their thoughts. It would be humorous if their hatred was not so vile. I think they would have changed their tactics if they realized that He knew their thoughts. But it’s also indicative of the sinfulness of these men.  They have already decided to put Jesus to death.  That was established by John in chapter 7:25.  He says it was widely known that the Jewish leaders were trying to kill Him.  And to do that, they are willing to set up a woman to commit adultery, probably with one of their own leaders, probably having ulterior motives for having her put to death as well, and at the same time they are going to present themselves as being the arbiters of all righteousness.  Their hypocrisy and hard heartedness is appalling.

It’s no wonder that when they come bursting in with all of this that Jesus doesn’t answer them at first.  He seemingly ignores them, kneels down and starts writing in the dirt.  And then they continue to hound Him for an answer, finally He stands up and says “Let him who is without sin be the first to cast a stone” and then squats down and continues writing on the ground. 

Now a lot of speculation has been made concerning what Jesus was writing.  There have been numerous suggestions, from Jesus writing the men’s names to writing various verses of scripture.  You name it, it’s been suggested.  But the fact is that we don’t know, because John through the Holy Spirit does not think it’s necessary to tell us. 

But I have my own theory which I would like to propose to you this morning.  Everyone is quick to point out that Jesus is never recorded as having written anything during HIs life on earth.  He did not write His own gospel, for instance.  And yet John calls Him the Word.  But He never wrote a word that we have record of.  But what we also know from John is that He was in the beginning with God, and was with God, and was God. So I cannot help but think of two instances, the only two that I can find in the Bible when God wrote something.  

The first instance of course was with Moses on Mt. Sinai, when God wrote upon tablets of stone the 10 commandments as recorded for us in Exodus 31:18, which says, “When [God] had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.”  

So what I suggest is that Jesus wrote the 10 commandments on the ground with His finger as the scribes and Pharisees watched and waited. I don’t know, but I imagine that it took a while, and all the while perhaps the Jewish leaders are getting more and more uncomfortable as they read the words of the Law written there upon the temple floor.  And as they read the Law, their guiltiness would have been inflaming their conscience, especially as they watch this poor woman who was undoubtedly sobbing and kneeling on the floor there in front of them. I can imagine that even these hard hearted men  began to feel guilty.

I think the indication of scripture is that Jesus left them on tenterhooks for a while, as He writes the Law upon the ground.  Knowing of course, that these are people who prided themselves on knowing the law, and so they would know that Duet. 27 said that to be guilty in one aspect of the law was to be guilty of all of it. So I suggest that it’s a good possibility that Jesus was writing the law upon the ground, as the religious rulers were shuffling from one foot to another, and it was convicting them of their sin.

And if my suggestion is correct, as each of the commandments convicted their consciences,  they became ever more incensed. After all, the law of adultery is pretty far down on the list, being number 7.  And the law against murder was number 6 by the way. So they are fidgeting, Jesus’ silence is deafening, the Law is condemning them, and so they began urging Jesus to give them an answer.  So Christ’s answer to them fits the situation perfectly; “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  At that point, their conviction must have been at a breaking point.  You know, I get accused sometimes of preaching too much about sin.  But actually I really don’t think that I do. I just preach the Word of God.  God has a lot to say about sin, and the Word of God convicts us of sin.  The Holy Spirit brings conviction through the Word of God.  And as Jesus wrote the Law of God upon the ground, I think it pricked their consciences.

Then it says that Jesus knelt down again and began to write on the ground. Now He could have just continued to write the Law.  We don’t know.  But as I said earlier, there are two times in the Old Testament that God wrote with His finger. The first was the Law, and the second is found in the book of Daniel.  If you remember the story in Daniel 5, Belshazzar the son of Nebuchadnezzar was having a feast.  He brought in the holy utensils from the Jewish Temple and was using them to serve his guests.  He was not like his father Nebuchadnezzar who had repented.  Belshazzar was a wicked man.  And suddenly, in the middle of the feast, a man’s hand appeared and started writing on the wall of the banquet hall.  

Daniel 5:24-28 says, "Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out. Now this is the inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.'  This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'--God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.   'TEKEL'--you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.   'PERES'--your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”  

Now this is just speculation on my part, of course.  But I can imagine that Jesus wrote on the ground the second time, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.”  These scribes and Pharisees would have instantly recognized this famous line from the story in Daniel.  And they would know that Jesus was directing it towards them.  God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.  This is what Jesus would prophecy later on when He came out of the temple, and said that God would destroy it, leaving not one stone upon another.  And then “you have been weighed in the scales and found wanting.”  These men who wanted to judge this woman according to the law, in spite of breaking the law in order to do it, these men that wanted to murder Jesus, and as such broke the law concerning murder, these men were guilty, they had been weighed in the scales and found wanting.  They were condemned by their own standard.

Romans 2:1 says, “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”  Jesus in preaching the Sermon on the Mount said in Matt. 7:1-5, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

Well, John tells us that one by one, the Jewish leaders began to go out, beginning with the older ones.  We could speculate on the distinction as to the age difference, but I would just say that it was the elders who left first, followed by the younger members.  Undoubtedly, they were on the one hand convicted of their own sin, and secondly, I think they were undone by the wisdom of Christ.  You see, they had set a trap for Jesus.  Either way He answered, they thought that they had Him. If He said she did not deserve to die, then He was guilty of going against the Law of God.  If He said she should die, then He was guilty of going against Roman law which forbid the Jews to execute anyone.  That is why when they eventually sought to crucify Jesus they took Him to the Roman governor to pronounce death and provide the Roman soldiers to carry it out.  

But Jesus brilliantly evaded their trap, and at the same time provided a means of grace for the woman.  Note that Jesus does not say that the woman did not deserve death, but says, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”  None there could say after that soul searching time when Jesus wrote on the ground, that they were without sin.  Their sin was staring them right in the face. 

I think it’s also evident that the woman was in fact guilty of adultery.  She might have been set up, she might have been left to take the fall all by herself, she may have been duped to think that the man had loved her, but she was still guilty of adultery.  The woman doesn’t deny it, and more importantly, Jesus doesn’t deny it, and He knew the heart of the woman.  And Jesus said He did not come to annul the Law but to fulfill it.  So the woman was guilty and deserved death, and Jesus knew that.

But Jesus also said in John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”  See, the Law condemns man.  That was the purpose of the Law, to bring men to conviction so that they would recognize that they needed a Savior.  Galatians 3:24 tells us, “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

Now the Jewish leaders are convicted of their sin, but they are just embarrassed by it, so they leave.  There was no repentance.  There was no faith in Jesus Christ.  If anything, they exhibit by their later actions that they hated Him even more.  So they filed out, and they rejected the only one who could save them from their sins.

The woman, on the other hand, has very little to say.  Or at least, John records only three words of this woman.  Perhaps she was sobbing so hard, there was little else she could say. You know, I can’t help but feel sorry for this woman, and I know Jesus had compassion on her as well.  My reason is that this poor woman was doubly hurt.  She was upset that she had been caught in adultery and publicly marched into the temple in front of everyone and basically sentenced to death by the Pharisees.  But she also must have been crushed to be so deceived and duped by some guy who said that he loved her, but who was only using her. I don’t want to make excuses for the woman’s sin, but I do think that sin does not negate compassion.  

People are deceived.  That is why they go into sin.  They believe the devil’s lie, that it will be good, that it’s not so bad, that it will be fun, it won’t hurt you, it’s not addicting.  It’s all a lie. Sin is a cruel master that hopes to enslave you, and ultimately destroy you. Sin is a lie, and it is from the devil, the father of lies.  But Jesus is the truth, and the life, and when you come to know the truth, the truth will set you free. That’s why we need to have compassion on the lost.  They are deceived.  I know that sometimes it’s hard to be compassionate, because sometimes they attack you personally, they hate you because you are destroying their lie, upon which they have built their life, which they have sold their soul to.  But our job is to have compassion on them, and snatch them like a brand from the burning, and compel them, convince them of the truth, because they are being destroyed by the lie of Satan.  This is the battle we have been called to fight.  Not against the sinner, but FOR the sinner.  Against the lie, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places.  But not against the sinner.  We are called to have mercy and compassion and go to them, suffering whatever is necessary in order to bring them the truth.

Now I believe you have to read a little between the lines in this story, and certainly that is the case with this woman.  She was left alone with Jesus there in the court of the temple.  And Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

First of all, I believe this woman knew that she was a sinner.  She had been caught in the act.  She had been duped perhaps, but she knew that she was a sinner.  That is so important.  People must come to understand that they are sinners.  And that is only possible because the Law reveals what sin is.  Don’t misunderstand that.  The Law is necessary, or we would not know what sin is.  That’s the danger with this whole culture war out there about homosexuality or transgenderism or any sexual immorality.  Go back to Leviticus 20 and read it for yourself.  It lists all kinds of sexual sins.  They are all there, and it’s the Law of God, the Word of God.  And it’s still relevant today. The law teaches us that we need a Savior.

So she was repentant, because she recognized her sin, and she knew it carried the penalty of death.  But notice that she called Jesus Lord. Some translators have it as “Sir” but in the KJV kyrios is translated as Lord 667 times, lord 54 times, and sir 12 times.  I think she was calling Him Lord.  It was a title in Jewish culture which was given to God and the Messiah.  It means ruler, master, sovereign.  I like the first definition listed under kyrios, which is “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding.”  This woman was not only recognizing Jesus as Messiah, but recognizing that He had the power of deciding her fate, because she was created by Him.  

So Jesus forgave her of her sins.  He said, “neither do I condemn you.”  Now there are a couple of things to notice in that statement. First, Jesus was the only One there who was innocent of all sin.  So He had the right to condemn her of sin, and He had the right to punish her.  And yet Jesus says, “neither do I condemn you.”  Now how can He say that?  Can He just do away with the Law?  Can He do away with justice just because He feels like it?  Well, no He cannot and still be true to HIs nature as God.  God is just and holy and the righteous Judge over the earth.  And yet God is also a God of love and compassion and mercy.  But how are these two contrasting natures married?  The answer is a principle taught in the Law; the principle of the substitution of the death of the innocent for the guilty. This was the principle taught by the system of sacrifice in Levitical law, the innocent lamb slain for the guilty person. But in the New Covenant, God does not stop counting sin, God counts our sin upon Jesus Christ. He is the innocent One, the Lamb of God who was slain for the guilty.

Jesus could forgive this woman her sins because He would take her sins upon Himself and die on the cross so that she might be forgiven and have eternal life.  2Co 5:21 says, “[God] made [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Ladies and gentlemen, that is the gospel.  God hasn’t stopped counting sin, but for those who believe in Him, trust in Him, surrender to Him, God counts our sin against Jesus, and so He  crushed Him, bruised Him, whipped Him, nailed Him to a cross and let Him hang there until He was dead, so that He might transfer our sins to Jesus, and transfer Jesus’ righteousness unto us, so that we might be called sons of God, and be given an inheritance with Christ, sharing in His glory in heaven.  What a tremendous thing is this gospel!  

Don’t forget the last phrase that Jesus said to her, “Go and sin no more.”  We that have been saved are declared righteous in the sight of God, but sin is still sin.  Sin still has consequences.  Jesus has paid the penalty of our eternal punishment; death.  But sin is still sin, and there are consequences to sin.  Paul said sin shall not have dominion over you now in your new nature.  And we now have the Holy Spirit in us to convict us of sin, to teach us and lead us into righteousness. He has written the Law of God upon our hearts as Paul says in 2 Cor. 3:3, “you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  That is the third time God has written, He has written upon our hearts.  We have the law of God written upon our hearts so that we might walk according to His will. 

If you have trusted in Jesus this morning for the forgiveness of your sins, then go, and sin no more. You are a letter of God written to the world, His law is written in your heart, that you might walk in His statues and keep His commandments, so that the world might know from your life the compassion and love of God and be saved. John said in 1John 2:1,  “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  

All who are thirsty, Come. John 7:25-53

                                               

In this section of scripture, John records for us the highlights of what transpired on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and in that context, a few various remarks from those in attendance.  And though it’s possible to give a running commentary on those various statements and try to tie them together into a sermon of sorts, I wanted instead to focus on primarily one statement of Jesus found in vs.37-39, which I believe is the main point of Christ’s message.

In this declaration, Jesus stood up in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and shouted out this statement in a loud voice.  Now this was a shocking thing that Jesus did at a very strategic moment.  But in order that you might get the full import of what happened, let me tell you a little about the Feast of Tabernacles which will help us to understand the context.

There were three great feasts which were mandatory for every male in the vicinity of Jerusalem to participate in; the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  The Feast of Tabernacles is described in Leviticus 23.  That feast occurred in the 7th month, and began on the 15th day, and lasted 8 days, from Sabbath to Sabbath.  In this feast, the Jews were required to make huts or booths or tabernacles from green leaved branches, and to dwell in them during the week, so that they might commemorate the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt, when they wandered in the wilderness.  It was to be a joyous feast, a time of rejoicing.  

One of the special ceremonies involved in the feast was on the last day, the priest would go to the Pool of Siloam, and dip a golden pitcher in the water and bring it back through the Water Gate to the altar.  As all the people gathered together, the trumpets would sound, and He then would pour the water into a basin which would run down through pipes to the altar.  This was to signify the water which flowed from the rock when the Israelites suffered from thirst in the wilderness.  

It was at just this point, when all the people are gathered together, and the trumpets had just sounded, and the priest lifted the pitcher of water and the water gushed down upon the altar, that Jesus stood up and shouted in a very loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”

Now that certainly was guaranteed to get everyone’s attention, wasn’t it?  I can imagine that everyone stopped and turned and stared incredulously at Jesus shouting out in the middle of this ceremony. So I want to examine this incredible declaration this morning and see what we can learn from it and how we can apply it to our lives.  Because, though the context of Christ’s statement was made during the Feast of Tabernacles, the truth of His words are just as pertinent for us today.  

The first phrase that I would make note of this morning is “if anyone is thirsty…”  The correlation between the murmuring of the Israelites in the wilderness when they became thirsty for water and Christ’s invitation at the Feast should be apparent.  God led the Israelites into the wilderness, and fed them with manna from heaven in the morning, and quail in the evening.  He provided a cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night.  He gave them victory over their enemies, and delivered them from slavery.  And yet He allowed them to become thirsty so that they began to cry out. 

Now why did God allow the Israelites to become thirsty?  I would suggest that it was to make them to look to God and to recognize their need for  God.  I would remind you that Israel is a picture of the church.  And sometimes God allows us to suffer thirst as well. I would go so far as to suggest that if there were not difficulties or crises in our life, then there would be little if any times of spiritual growth.  In fact, many people would never come to Christ at all if a crises did not first bring them to their knees. Though the grace of God provides all things for us to enjoy, and gives us life, and breath and health and many such things which we all too often take for granted, yet God causes us to become thirsty for that which satisfies the soul.  

Men and women are continually seeking that which can never satisfy, which can never quench the burning thirst that all men feel in their soul.  We may try to satisfy our soul’s thirst with physical things, material things, but nothing on earth can satisfy the longing of our heart. Pascal, the French philosopher said there is a God sized hole in our hearts that only He can fill.  And Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:11 identifies that emptiness by saying that God has set eternity in their hearts.

It’s interesting that when Jesus said “out of his innermost being,” or literally, “out of his belly” He used a word in the Greek which is “koilia”, from the root word “koîlos" which means hollow, or cavity.  St. Augustine spoke of this very thing, when he said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”  

And yet still man does not seek for that which satisfies, but attempts to slake his thirst by things which can never satisfy.  In Isaiah 55, God says, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?”  The world today is desperately searching for something that will fill the void in their life, something that will satisfy the thirsting of their soul, and yet as the old country song says, they are “looking for love in all the wrong places.”  

I would suggest that is because man does not naturally seek the Lord. Romans 3:10-11 says, “as it is written,’THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;  THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD.’”  Unless God stirs the heart, unless God brings conviction, unless God brings a person to a place of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, then man will continually seek to fill that void with things that can never satisfy his soul, and if he should die without the water of life in him, then he will be forever spiritually dead.

In Israel’s case, they had known the goodness of the Lord, and as a type of the church, we might say that they were a picture of the saved.  But yet they turned back to the worthless and elemental things, they lusted after those things which they had been delivered from in Egypt, and as such God was not pleased with them.  

I cannot leave this first question, without asking you this morning - what are you thirsting for?  Does your soul thirst for God?  Can you say like the author of Psalm 42, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;

When shall I come and appear before God?”  The answer to the question, “are you a believer” or “are you a Christian,” is much over claimed I am afraid.  I think the answer is better evidenced than spoken.  And if you are not thirsting for God, for the living God, the living water, if you are not coming to fellowship with God at every opportunity, whether corporately or privately, then I would suggest that the evidence shows your desire is set on things of earth and not things of heaven.  

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  If you find yourself in that state of the prodigal son, having grown tired of the husks and pods of the world which cannot fill the need of your soul, then Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”  That is the next phrase I would like to think about for a moment.  Let him come to Jesus.  

Listen, all the thirsting of your soul cannot be slaked by anything, nor in anyone but Christ.  He is the Living Water, which as He said to the woman of the well in chapter 4; “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Coming to Jesus is the same as believing in Jesus.  If the sovereign call and conviction of God causes the spirit of man to thirst for righteousness, then coming to Jesus is the response of man.  No man can come to God unless the Lord draws him, but yet man must come. He must believe.  This is the doctrine of both the election of God and the responsibility of man.  Both are necessary.

So if you are thirsty, you must come to Christ. The reason that nothing else can satisfy the longing of the soul except for Jesus is because He is the source of life; John 1:3 says, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”  He is the sustainer of life; according to Hebrews 1:3, “And He is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” And thirdly, He is the Spirit of Life; Romans 8:2, 9-11  “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ... 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.  If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

This is what Jesus had been trying to make clear to the people gathered in the temple that day.  He began by saying that He was teaching the word of God in vs.16, that He was sent from God in vs.28, that He knows God because He is from God, in vs.29, and in a little while He is going back to the Father in vs.33.  So to come to Christ is to believe in Him, that as John says in chapter 1, He was in the beginning with God, and He was God, and all things were made by Him, and He came into the world, and the world did not receive Him, and after He rose from the dead He ascended back into heaven to sit down at the right hand of God.  So in effect, Jesus is restating the same message He gave in Galilee in chapter 6, vs. 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."  And that believing in Him is equated to coming to Him. Vs. 37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

This idea of coming to the Messiah as the source of life is found in the Old Testament in Isaiah 55:1 "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”  This is the invitation of Christ to all men everywhere and at every time as stated in Matthew 11:28-30  "Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  

Let me ask you a question this morning - are you weary yet?  Are you weary of the rat race, are you weary of searching for peace, are you weary of searching for what might satisfy your soul?  Come to Jesus.  Unload your burdens at His feet.  Let Him have your sins and your sorrows.  Let Him bear your burdens.  And He will give you rest.  He will give you rest when you finally reach the place where you are ready to fully surrender  to Him.  Don’t hold anything back.  But lay it all down, all your sins, all your striving, all your works,  your pride,  lay it down at the cross and find that Jesus has paid it all, and provided all that you will ever need. And in Him you will find rest for your soul. 

There is one more important element though in Jesus’ invitation.  And that is drink.  Come to Him and drink.  And I suggest that to drink of Christ means to trust Christ.  That means to follow Him, to live for Him, to leave all that you have in order to be His disciple. You could realize this morning that you are very thirsty. And  I could offer you a glass of water.  You could believe that I have a glass of water in my hand.  But until you drink of it, you will not be satisfied.  Drinking of Christ is the same idea as we saw in the last chapter with eating His flesh.  It is appropriating the truth about Christ for yourself and acting upon it.  Listen, saving faith is active faith.  Abraham believed God so he left Ur of the Chaldees, not knowing where he was going, and he went out to the place God told him to go.  Abraham believed in the promise of God that He would produce an offspring from Isaac through whom the world would be blessed, and so he offered his son upon the altar. There is no separation between active trust and faith.  

In theological terms, there are three aspects of saving faith; notitia which means knowledge; assensus, which means assent or agreement; and fiducia, which means trust.  And we see all three in this invitation; knowledge that you are thirsty and cannot find satisfaction, assent is coming to Jesus, believing that He is the source of life, and trust, drinking from the fountain of life which is Christ, being willing to submit to His will and renounce your own.  That is saving faith.  Faith is not just intellectual.  Not just knowledge of a few Bible facts.  Not just believing that He lived 2000 years ago.  But believing that in Him is life, that His words are life.  And then entrusting your life to Him, even if that means forsaking all that you hold dear, all that you hold onto for security.  Trusting Him and obeying Him.

Then what is the promise for those that know that they are thirsty, who come to Jesus and drink of His fountain?  The answer is found in vs.38, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this is an interesting statement.  Jesus has just likened Himself to a stream of living water which gives eternal life to all who drink of Him.  And now He is saying, that to those who believe in Him, they also shall have living water springing up out of their soul.  Now how should we interpret that?  

Well, to start with look at the next verse.  John gives us some commentary in vs.39 so that we might know what He is speaking of. “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  So we know that the rivers of living water that flow from the believer will be of the Holy Spirit, which at that time was not known because Jesus had not ascended into heaven and sent to the saints His Spirit. 

In John 15:26 Jesus tells the disciples prior to His crucifixion, that  "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me.”  And Jesus elaborates on that statement further in the next chapter, John 16:13-14  "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

So what Jesus is promising is that for those that believe in Him unto salvation, He will give them the Spirit to live in their soul, so that we might know the words of  Christ, that we might do the works of Christ, and so that we might be like Christ.  That is the goal of our salvation, is it not?  That we might be united with Christ, so that we might do the works of Christ, and that we might be conformed to the image of Christ.

Folks, do not be deceived by those that misrepresent the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  He came to give us life, and without His indwelling presence, we do not have life. Romans 8:9, “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” We cannot be saved unless we are born again by the Spirit.  We cannot have life unless the Spirit of Life gives us life.  And we cannot do the works of God unless we have the Spirit of Christ that flows from our innermost being. 

Listen to the prophecy of Ezekiel 36:24-27  "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” 

The Spirit of God not only is the agent of regeneration, but He is the agent of activation, whereby we desire to do the works of God. He is the power that enables us to walk in His statues, and keep His ordinances.  He is the power filling us and flowing from within us which empowers us to do the will of God. And so we become the channel by which the living water is offered to the world.  

The maturity of a believer is marked by becoming a channel by which the gifts of the Spirit are used for the edification of the body of Christ.  For the building up of the body.  For the water of life that flows from you to those who are thirsty, even to those who are lost.  

Listen, the goal of Christianity isn’t so that you are set up for success, and have all your material needs met, and fulfill all your physical goals, so that you are fulfilled and satisfied.  No, the goal of maturity in Christ is coming to a place where the fruits of the Spirit are utilized to bring life to the world around you. That you become like Christ, doing the work of Christ.  Reaching  the lost with the water of life, refreshing the body with the water of Christ which flows through you and out of you.  Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that you might dam up the water and keep it all to yourself, but so that it might flow from Him to you, through you, to another and so spread to all the world.  You are to be a conduit for the works of the Spirit, not a culdesac. 

I’m not going to prolong the sermon this morning expounding the remainder of the text.  I believe that it is fairly straightforward and as such should be easily understood.  But I do want to leave you today with an admonition - to examine what you are thirsty for.  What is your soul thirsting for? Is it thirsting for material gain, or for physical fulfillment, are you searching this world over for things that will never truly satisfy?  I hope not.  I hope that someone here today recognizes perhaps for the first time that they are thirsty for righteousness.  They long to be forgiven, to know freedom from the captivity of sin that they are held by.  And for that person I say, Come to Jesus.  Drink from the living water.  He will give you rest. He will satisfy your longing and give life to your soul.

And also a word to the saints, to those who already have claimed to come to know Jesus, and have believed on Him.  I would remind you of the Israelites who murmured and complained in the wilderness because they were thirsty.  God supplied all their needs, and delivered them from so much, and yet they found themselves thirsty because they turned back in their hearts to the flesh pots of Egypt, and so God brought them to a place of thirst.  

My question for you believers this morning; are you thirsting once again for things of the world?  Have you lost your first love, and turned back to those elemental things from which you were once delivered?  They could never satisfy you then, you think they will satisfy you now?  Are you not supposed to be growing in the grace of God so that the living water flows out of you and brings life to others who are thirsting?  Has your appetite for the world overshadowed your usefulness as a channel for God?  I hope that you will reconsider your appetites.  David prayed for the Lord to renew a right spirit within Him.  A broken and contrite heart He will not despise.  Present your bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice, and He will once again cause your innermost being to flow forth with rivers of living water, that you might be the source of blessing to others, even as Christ is the source of all blessing for you.