The Invitation | 26 April 2015 | Francois van Niekerk
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Life with the Holy Spirit enables us to apply His wisdom and power in the everyday realities of this world. Let’s respond to His invitation to drink deeply from the living water He offers.
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The Invitation | 26 April 2015 | Francois van Niekerk
- 2. Pastor Francois van Niekerk
- 6. 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.”
- 8. SPIRITUAL THIRST can be described as a deep and desperate need for contact and closeness with God within every living soul!
- 9. 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.”
- 10. “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
- 11. By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.
- 12. The Holy Spirit is the living water that your soul yearns for!
- 17. John 4:13 NIV
- 18. THE THIRST OF THE SOUL is only satisfied by connection with the Holy Spirit!
- 19. THE INVITATION
- 20. “Everyone who is thirsty, come to Me and drink.”
- 21. ABOUT THE INVITATION It is without discrimination or limit. Come to the Person of Jesus. It must be within the boundaries of Scripture.
- 22. RESPOND!
- 25. This drink of living water from the Holy Spirit will give you life, refresh you change you & put power & fire in your soul!
Editor's Notes
- If you have not received a Daily Guide and Bible reading plan to help you get to know the Holy Spirit and His ministry to you and through you, get yours from Reception. To receive the daily reading, application and prayer by email, simply SMS your email address and ‘Holy Spirit’ to 083 5011160 (standard SMS rates apply). You can also follow the journey on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HCCEast and download weekly wallpapers for your smart phone from www.hatfield.co.za
- Date: 26 April 2015 – first morning service Preacher: Pastor Francois van Niekerk
- Theme: Life with the Holy Spirit – knowing, growing, going
- Sermon: The Invitation Introduction The challenges of our world cry out for believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit to bring hope and change. Every believer who does life with the Holy Spirit is enabled to apply His wisdom and power in their daily realities. This requires walking in a real relationship with Him.
- In Scripture different pictures such as fire, wind, water and a dove are used to describe the Holy Spirit. Many ancient languages used pictures to describe things. Jesus specifically used water as a metaphor to describe the Holy Spirit.
- Text: John 7:37 (NIV) 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.” (Emphasis added)
- Main points Spiritual thirst
- Spiritual thirst can be described as a deep and desperate need for contact and closeness with God within every living soul. It is a thirst for fellowship with God and to taste His love and goodness. The emotion that accompanies this thirst is similar to missing the love of your life or the desperation for water that a person would experience when lost in a desert without water for a long time. Jesus knows this need within every soul, and He answers to it with an invitation to come and drink living water from Him. He then links this water to the person of the Holy Spirit.
- ‘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. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.’ (Emphasis added) John 7:37-39a (NIV)
- ‘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. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.’ (Emphasis added) John 7:37-39a (NIV)
- ‘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. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.’ (Emphasis added) John 7:37-39a (NIV)
- The quenching of this thirst is found in the Holy Spirit. He is the living water that our souls yearn for. We should be careful not to seek satisfaction from the many things that the world offers as short-term solutions for the thirst of the soul. Go for the Holy Spirit!
- 2. Living water Water is life! Think of an oasis in a desert or how a good rain shower can transform dry and dusty landscapes into lush green pastures.
- On the other hand one also finds water that has gone bad and is not life-giving at all. Not all water necessarily brings life. The Israelites encountered bitter water in the desert and the prophet Elisha had to help a town to heal its water (2 Kings 2:19). When Jesus speaks about water, He specifies it as living water. Let’s take a closer look at the water He offers us. When Jesus offered living water to the Samaritan woman at the well, He described it as follows:
- ‘Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 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.”’ (Emphasis added) John 4:13 (NIV) The living water is the Holy Spirit. In real life not any kind of water will satisfy the eternal thirst of the soul, only relational connection with the Holy Spirit can do that!
- The thirst of the soul is only satisfied through connection with the Holy Spirit. He is the living water that quenches the deepest, eternal thirst of man’s soul.
- The invitation
- Jesus extends the invitation: “Everyone who is thirsty, come to Me and drink.”
- Some things to note about His invitation: It is without discrimination or limit. It is extended to everyone! It includes a Person – He says, “… come to Me …” It is not a mail order, He offers a face-to-face meeting! It must be within the boundaries of Scripture – “… as the Scripture says …” Are you thirsty? To really know the answer to this question, you need to look deep inside your heart and hear your soul speak. Become still and be honest with yourself. Give God’s voice and the voice of your soul the opportunity to be heard above all the other things that shout for your attention.
- 4. Respond! Once you discover the deep thirst within your soul, and are fully awakened to it, you need to do something about it! The Bible uses words such as ‘taste’ and ‘drink’ to describe our relation to God. We have to take a step of faith to experience God’s promises. God must be experienced in relationship and not only entertained as a concept. Concepts, theories and words need to be put into action.
- It is time to believe and drink! Let’s make this as practical as possible – to drink means to receive.
- No one can drink with a closed mouth (or heart). Open your mouth (heart) and drink (receive). We become spiritually thirsty once we come to the end of our own abilities and devices. It means moving beyond our prejudices and respond to what the Holy Spirit wants to give us. Listen to your heart – it is thirsty for the water of the Spirit. Act on His invitation: believe, come and drink. Not only will you be satisfied by a spring of living water that will continually refresh you, but the Holy Spirit will also become a spring of living water in you. His life-giving water will stream from your life to bring life to those around you!
- Application A drink of living water from the Holy Spirit will give you life, refresh you, change you and put power and fire in your soul. He is the Water that satisfies the soul. Do not try to satisfy your soul’s thirst with anything else. Only He can satisfy! Prayer Lord, I become still and listen to my heart. I know that there is a thirst deep within me for the water of the Spirit. I am thirsty for You. I believe in You Jesus, and say welcome Holy Spirit with all my heart! I open up my heart to welcome You and drink deeply of Your living water. Amen.