This is a collection of writings dealing with the issue of the Holy Spirit as the rivers of living water. It is such a popular subject it takes two studies to share it, and there is still much more on the internet.

1. HOLY SPIRIT RIVERS OF LIVING WATER VOL. 2
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 7:37-39Now on the lastday, the great day of the
feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. "He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'Fromhis
innermostbeing will flow rivers of living water.'"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.
Rivers of Living Water
Henry Clay Trumbull
And one of the promises precious to the children of God is that in heaven they
shall not thirst any more (Rev 7:16). To slake another's thirst but for a
moment, is a bounty acknowledgedgratefully by man, and not unnoticed by
God. (Mt 10:42, 25:34-35, cpActs 20:35)… One whose lips have parched with
thirst in an army-prison, or on a sandy march, or while lying wounded on a
field of battle, can realize the preciousness of"a cup of cold wateronly" as
others cannot. After one of the battles of our Civil War, a member of the
government ambulance corps was moving among the wounded on the field,
assisting in their removal. He came to a dying Southern soldier, too far gone

2. for hope through removal. As he stoopedover the dying man with a kindly
word, the parching lips askedfor water. The lips were tenderly moistened.
"Thank you! Now please lay my cap over my face, and let me die." As this
service was rendered lovingly, there came anothercall from the dying man: "
Will you please tell me your name, my friend ?" " Why, of course I will ; but
why do you ask it ?" "Oh, so I can pray God through all eternity to bless you
for giving me that water!" To bring waterfor his thirst, man has poured out
millions upon millions for costlyaqueducts, the very ruins of which are among
the world's wonders. He has bored the artesianwell into depths which could
never be reachedby cutting. He has tunneled under the lake's bottom, miles
beyond the shore, for a purer supply. He has linked the desertwith the river
by chains of canals. Yet at the best, pure water has not always satisfiedman's
thirst ; so he has searchedthe world overfor tempting beverages, andhas
taxed the ingenuity of his fellows for new and refreshing drinks… The longing
for drink has been neither satisfiednor removed. Men still drink and thirst,
and thirst and drink again. Only one personin all the world, and he that
travel-worn pilgrim by the well of Jacob, has everdared confidently to say, "
Whosoeverdrinketh of the waterthat I shall give him shall never thirst."…
even as fainting travelers have been deluded by the mirage of the desertinto
one more vain effort to reachthe waterwhich they longedfor, even so, also,
thirsting souls have been mockedwith the wine of superstition, have famished
at the exhaustedcistern of a false religion, or have wastedtheir lateststrength
in pursuing the mirage of some delusive philosophy of first causes and
ultimate destiny. When Philip V, of Spain, first saw in full play the
magnificent new fountains he had erectedat La Granja, it is said that an
expressionof pleasure passedover his sad face ; then his melancholy look
returned, and he said, bitterly : " Thou hast given me three minutes'
distraction from my cares ; and thou hast costme three millions." Might not
his words be spokenof many a costlyfountain erectedto gratify man's
spiritual longings? The ruins of such fountains dot the world over. What else
are the crumbling, but still magnificent, temples at Nineveh and Nuffar, at
Memphis and Thebes, at Susa and Persepolis,atAthens and Rome, at Mexico
and Cuzco!Their costwas millions. Their relief to soul-thirst was momentary.
" Brokencisterns" are they all, "that can hold no water." (Jer2:13)…
Myriads have turned, with thirsty souls, to Jesus;

3. "I heard the voice of Jesus say,
'Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoopdown, and drink, and live ! '
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him." (Col 3:4, Jn 20:31, 1Jn 4:9, 5:11)
Isaiah49:10 “Theywill not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heator
sun strike them down; ForHe (Messiahthe GoodShepherd) Who has
compassiononthem will lead them and will guide them to springs of water.
Jeremiah31:25 "ForI satisfythe wearyones and refresh everyone who
languishes."
Ps 23:2 He leads me beside quiet waters.
Rev 7:16-17 “Theywill hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun
beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will
be their Shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God
will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Rev 21:6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the
waterof life without cost.
Re 22:1 Then he showedme a river of the waterof life, clearas crystal,
coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
Pr 25:25 Like coldwater to a wearysoul, So is good news

4. Warren Wiersbe - Are You Thirsty? ReadPsalm63 King David wrote this
psalm when he was in the wilderness ofJudah. I never really appreciated
what he wrote until my wife and I visited the same spot. What a dry and
barren place it is! Look at what David wrote, "O God, You are my God; early
will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and
thirsty land where there is no water" (Psalm
Rev 7:16-17 “Theywill hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun
beat down on them, nor any heat;17 for the Lamb in the centerof the throne
will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the waterof life; and
God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Rev 21:6 And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the
waterof life without cost.
Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears
say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come;let the one who wishes take
the waterof life without cost.
Judges 15:17-19 Whenhe had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from
his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi. 18 Then he became very
thirsty, and he called to the LORD and said, “You have given this great
deliverance by the hand of Your servant, and now shall I die of thirst and fall
into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 But God split the hollow place that
is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank, his strength returned
and he revived. Therefore he named it En-hakkore, whichis in Lehi to this
day.
Now mark that little, but very significant, phrase "Out of"‚—not into, but
"out of." All the difference in the lives of men lies in the difference between
these two expressions. "Into" is the world's preposition. Every streamturns
in; and that means a dead sea. Manya man's life is simply the coastline of a
dead sea. "Outof" is the Master's word. His thought is of others. The stream
must flow in, and must flow through, if it is to flow out, but it is judged by its

5. direction, and Jesus wouldturn it outward. There must be goodconnections
upward, and a clearchannel inward, but the objective point is outward
toward a parched earth. But before it can flow out it must fill up. An outflow
in this case means an overflow. There must be a flooding inside before there
can be a flowing out. And let the fact be carefully marked that it is only the
overflow from the fullness within our own lives that brings refreshing to
anyone else. A man praying at a conference in England for the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit said: "Oh Lord, we can't hold much, but we can overflow
lots." That is exactly the Master's thought. "Out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water."
Do you remember that phrase in the third chapter of Joshua—"ForJordan
overflowethall its banks all the time of harvest." When there was a flood in
the river, there was a harvest in the land. Has there been a harvest in your
life? A harvest of the fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering;a
harvest of souls? "No," do you say, "not much of a harvest, I am afraid," or it
may be your heart says "none at all." Is it hard to tell why? Has there been a
flood-tide in your heart, a filling up from above until the blessedstream had
to find an outlet somewhere, andproduce a harvest? A harvest outside means
a rising of the tide inside. A flooding of the heart always brings a harvest in
the life. A few years ago there were greatfloods in the southern states, and the
cottonand corn crops following were unprecedented. Paul reminded his
Roman friends that when the Holy Spirit has free swing in the life "the love of
God floods our hearts." (Rom. 5:5)
Please notice, too, the source of the stream—"outofhis belly." Will you
observe for a moment the rhetoricalfigure here? I used to suppose it meant
"out of his heart." The ancients, you remember, thought the heart lay down in
the abdominal region. But you will find that this book is very exactin its use
of words. The blood is the life. The heart pumps, but the stomachmakes it.
The seatof life is not in the heart, but in the stomach. If you will take down a
book of physiology, and find the chart showing the circulation of the blood,
you will see a wonderful network of lines spreading out in every direction, but
all running, through lighter lines into heavier, and still blacker, until every

6. line converges inthe greatstomachartery. And everywhere the blood goes
there is life. Now turn to a book of physical geographyand geta map showing
the watersystemof some greatvalley like the Mississippi, and you will find a
striking reproduction of the other chart. And if you will shut your eyes and
imagine the reality back of that chart, you will see hundreds of cool, clear
springs flowing successivelyinto runs, brooks, creeks, largerstreams, river
branches, rivers, and finally into the greatriver—the reservoir of all. And
everywhere the waters go there is life. The only difference betweenthese two
streams of life is in the direction. The blood flows from the largesttoward the
smallest;the waterflows from the smallesttoward the largest. Bothbring life
with its accompaniments of beauty and vigor and fruitfulness. There is Jesus'
picture of the Christian down in the world. As the red streamflows out from
the stomach, and, propelled by the force-pump of the heart through a
marvelous network of minute rivers, takes life to every part of the body, so
"he that believeth on Me"—thatis the vital connecting link with the great
origin of this stream of life—out of the very source of life within him shall go a
flood-tide of life, bringing refreshing, and cleansing, and beauty, and vigor
everywhere within the circle of his life, even though, like the red streams and
the waterstreams, he be unconscious of it. An Unlikely Channel. What a
marvelous conceptionof the power of life! How strikingly it describes Jesus'
own earthly life. But there is something more marvelous still—He means that
ideal to become real in you, my friend, and in me. I doubt not there are some
here whose eagerhearts are hungry for just such a life, but who are
tremblingly conscious oftheir own weakness. Your thoughts are saying:"I
wish I could live such a life, but certainly this is not for, this man talking
doesn't know me—no specialtalent or opportunity; such strong tides of
temptation that sweepme cleanoff my feet—notfor me." Ah, my friend, I
verily believe you are the very one the Masterhad in mind, for He had John
put into his gospela living illustration of this ideal of His that goes down to the
very edge of human unlikeliness and inability. He goes downto the lowestso
as to include all. What proved true in this case may prove true with you, and
much more. The story is in the fourth chapter. It is a sort of advance page of
the Book ofActs. A sample of the power of Pentecost—beforethe day of
Pentecost. You and I live on the flood-side of Pentecost. This illustration
belongs back where the streams had only just commencedtrickling. It is a

7. miniature. You and I furnish the life-size if we will. It is the story of a woman;
not a man, but a woman. One of the weakersex, so called. She was ignorant,
prejudiced, and without socialstanding. She was a woman of no reputation.
Aye, worse than that, of bad reputation. She probably had less moral
influence in her town than any one here has in his circle. Could a more
unlikely person have been used? But she came in touch with the Lord Jesus.
She yielded herself to that touch. There lies the secretofwhat follows. That
contactradically changedher. She went back to her village and commenced
speaking about Jesus to those she knew. She could not preach; she simply told
plainly and earnestly what she knew and believed about Him. And the result
is startling. There are hundreds of ministers who are earnestly longing for
what came so easilyto her. What modern people call a revival began at once.
We are told in the simple language of the Gospelrecord that "many believed
on Him because ofthe word of the woman." They had not seenJesus yet. He
was up by the well. They were down in the village. She was an ignorant
woman, of formerly sinful life. But there is the recordof the wonderful result
of her simple witnessing—theybelieved on Jesus because ofthe word of that
woman. There is only one wayto accountfor such results. Only the Holy
Spirit speaking through her lips could have produced them. She had
commenceddrinking of the living water of which Jesus had been talking to
her, and now already the rivers were flowing out to others. What Jesus did
with her, He longs to do with you, and far more, if you will let Him; though
his plan for using you may be utterly different from the one He had for her,
and so the particular results may differ too. Now let me ask very frankly why
do we not have such power for our Masteras she? The Master's plan is plain.
He said: "Ye shall have power." But so many of us do not have power!Why
not? Well, possibly some of us are like Nicodemus—there is no power because
of timidity, cowardice,fearof what they will think, or say. Possiblysome of us
are in the same condition spiritually that Lazarus was in physically; we are
tied up tight—hands and feet and face. Some sin. some compromise, some
hushing of that inner voice, something wrong. Some little thing, you may say.
Humph! as though anything could be little that is wrong! Sin is never little!
which are more excellent.

8. "IF ANY MAN THIRST------" Just wanting a drink of water is not thirsting.
We know nothing about thirst here in a land with water on tap at our elbows.
Dr. Torrey tells us that he knew nothing of thirst until he was with soldiers of
the Spanish-American warin camp, where dust filled the air day and night
and where, as he put it, they ate dust, drank dust, slept dust and dreamed
dust, and there was no wateranywhere fit to drink. Again, he was in China
when cholera was raging and he could drink no water on the boat, but drank
soft drinks as long as he dared, then lay all night suffering with thirst and
thinking of his well at Northfield, far away. Ask some missionaryto tell you
what thirst is, when every pore of the body cries, "Water, water, water;"
when the desertseems to be inside of you, and the lips swell, and every desire,
hope and thought is just concentratedin one burning fever for a cooling
drink. That is thirst, not just a casual, ordinary, normal inclination to drink
water.
WATER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
WaterFor The World (Read:Jn 4:7-15, 7:38) - Although 70 percent of the
world is coveredby water, less than 1 percent of it is drinkable by humans.
Waterconservationand sanitationare crucialmatters in many parts of the
world, as all life depends on having sanitary water.
The average personneeds a minimum of 64 ounces of waterper day.
Depending on a person's fitness and activity level, more watermay be needed
to maintain proper hydration. Blood is about 92 percentwater, which is how
waterhelps to transport oxygen, nutrients and vitamins throughout the body.
Transportedoxygen allows the body to function during periods of physical
exertion.

9. Watermakes up more than two thirds of human body weight, and without
water, we would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 95% water,
blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body's watersupply can
trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic
math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen.
(Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up!) Mild dehydration is also one
of the most common causes ofdaytime fatigue. An estimatedseventy-five
percent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration. Pretty scarystatistic
for a developedcountry where water is readily available through the tap or
bottle water
Wateris at the centre of physical life: so is the Holy Spirit central to the
spiritual life of a believer. He is the One responsible for regeneration. He is
cleansing, refreshing, and life-giving. We need waterfor every joint and
every vital function of our natural body. So too, we need to walk and live in
the Spirit of God every day.
Waterin the Bible
How many times is "water" mentionedin the Bible and how significant is it?
I have run the references to water(or derivatives of it) in scripture and come
up with 722. The significance ofwater in scripture is a huge question, and one
that will take up more space than I have here. Perhaps I cangive you just a
few thoughts that will wet your appetite for further study.
The first mention of waterin scripture is found in Genesis 1:2
and the last mention is found in Revelation22:17
. In betweenthose two books waterflows right through the pages of scripture.
This should teachis that there is a greatspiritual significance to it.

10. John 7:37-39 HOLY SPIRIT
Question:"What did Jesus meanwhen He spoke of living water?"
Answer: Jesus uses the phrase “living water” in two instances in the Bible.
The first instance is found in John chapter4. Jesus was tired and satat a well
while His disciples went into town to buy food. A Samaritanwoman came to
draw water, and Jesus askedher for a drink. The Samaritan woman was quite
shockedbecauseJesuswas a Jew, and Jews simply hated the Samaritans. Of
course, she had no idea who Jesus was andaskedHim how He could ask her
for watersince He was a Jew.
Jesus ignoredthe question and went right to the point, “If you knew the gift of
God and who it is that asks youfor a drink, you would have askedhim and he
would have given you living water” (John 4:10). Notice that He does not say
that He is the living water, but that He would give living waterto her, and
when she receivedit, she would never thirst again. Of course, that does not tell
us what the living water is! For that, we must go to another passageof
Scripture. In this case, Jesusis in the temple surrounded by a throng of
worshippers. He suddenly cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me
and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost
being will flow rivers of living water.’But this He spoke ofthe Spirit, whom
those who believed in Him were to receive;for the Spirit was not yet given,
because Jesuswas not yet glorified” (John 7:37–39, emphasis added).
Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the living water. External influence of
the Spirit had always beengiven in the conversionand sanctificationof the
Old Testamentsaints and prophets, but the gift of the Spirit who would
indwell believers had not yet been received(Acts 10:44–45). So, thoughmany

11. people saythat Jesus is the living water, Jesus Himself intended the phrase to
mean the Holy Spirit who dwells in believers and seals them for salvation
(Ephesians 1:13–14). It is the ministry of the Spirit, flowing out of a heart
redeemedby God, that blesses believers and, through them, brings life and
light to the world.
Jimmy Swaggart – There Is A River Lyrics
There is a river, and it flows from deep within
There is a fountain, that frees the soul from sin
Come to this water; there is a vast supply
There is a river, that never shall run dry.
There was a thirsty woman,
She was drawing from a well
You see her life was ruined and wasted
And her soulwas bound for hell
Oh but then she met the Master
And He told about her sin
And he said "if you drink this water,
You'll never thirst again. '
There is a river, and it flows from deep within

12. There is a fountain, that frees the soul from sin
Come to this water; there is a vast supply
There is a river, that never shall run dry.
This picture of LIVING WATER is especiallydramatic in the Mid Eastwhich
has a paucity of water. Jerusalemfor example has only one source of "living
(flowing) water," the Gihon ("Breaking, Gushing Forth")Spring (2Chr
32:30)which flow down Hezekiah's underground tunnel and empty into the
Poolof Siloam. [Wikipedia Note on Gihon Spring - One of the world's major
intermittent springs—and a reliable watersource that made human
settlement possible in ancient Jerusalem—the spring was not only used for
drinking water, but also initially for irrigation of gardens in the adjacent
Kidron Valley which provided a food source for the ancientsettlement.] Other
waterwas collectedin cisterns during the infrequent rains and was not
flowing (accounting for God's use in Jer2:13, a picture with which the Jews
would have been very familiar.) Indeed, sources of"living water" were rare
and their discoverywas accompaniedby greatrejoicing. How tragic that
God's people rejectedHis offer of life giving waterin Christ, the ultimate
Source of soul satiationand jubilation!
37Onthe last and greatestday of the festival, Jesus stoodand said in a loud
voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
John 7:38 Whoeverbelieves in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water
will flow from within them."
Jesus took a few loaves and fed the five thousand, and here he takes a drink
and multiplies it so it becomes nota pond,or stream only but rivers of living
waterflowing from the one who drinks. And then he says-

13. 39Bythis 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.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to take the drink and pour out rivers of living
water.
Now lets face it, I never heard any preacher give a sermonon this, and I never
captured the significance ofit in all my study. It is a fascinating subjectbut
neglectedbecause itis overwhelming in trying to make such wondrous work
of the Holy Spirit practical, but lets give it a try. I am sure we all feelmuch
like the Christian who wrote, "Whenyou read Jesus’ words here, where He
promises that from the innermost being of the one who believes in Him will
flow rivers of living water, you have to stop and ask, “To what extent is that
true of me? Since I trusted in Christ as my Savior, has it been my experience
that ever-flowing, abundant rivers of living waterhave gushed up inside of me
and flowedout of me?”
Those questions are both convicting and hope-producing. They are convicting
because none of us, if we’re honest, cansay, “Yes, those words nail it! That’s
exactly how to describe my life since becoming a Christian!” Honesty forces
me to say, “Well, there has usually been a trickle of living water, although
there have been some droughts where even it has dried up. Occasionally, there
has been a creek ofliving water. But ever-flowing, abundant rivers (plural)?
It would be a stretch to describe my Christian life like that!” So Jesus’words
convict me with the barrenness of my walk with Him.
But Jesus’words also give me hope. If my life doesn’t match His description
here, it can! So can yours! This is a promise from the Son of God to all who
will come to Him and drink: Out of your innermost being will flow rivers of
living water. It describes, as Calvin points out (Calvin’s Commentaries
[Baker], pp. 308-309), anideal that none of us can possessperfectlyin the
present life because ofindwelling sin and because of differing measures of
faith. But it’s an ideal in which we canmake progress as we walk with the
Lord. We really canexperience consistentfullness of joy in Him that flows

14. from us to others. And so we should have hope because He who began the
goodwork of salvation in us will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus
BARNES, "Rivers - This word is used to express abundance, or a full supply.
It means here that those who are Christians shall diffuse large, and liberal,
and constantblessings on their fellow-men; or, as Jesus immediately explains
it, that they shall be the instruments by which the Holy Spirit shall be poured
down on the world.
Living water- Fountains, ever-flowing streams. That is, the gospelshall be
constantand life-giving in its blessings. We learn here:
1.that it is the nature of Christian piety to be diffusive.
2.that no man can believe on Jesus who does not desire that others should
also, and who will not seek it.
3.that the desire is large and liberal - that the Christian desires the salvation
of all the world.
4.that the faith of the believer is to be connectedwith the influence of the Holy
Spirit, and in that way Christians are to be like rivers of living water.
GILL, " the grace ofthe Spirit of God is signified by water, because it is of a
cleansing and purifying nature, as faith and hope are, having to do with the
blood of Christ, which cleansesfrom all sin; and because it fructifies and
causes the saints, as trees of righteousness,to grow, and bring forth fruit; and
especiallybecause itis cooling to those who are scorchedwith the heat of a
fiery law, and very refreshing to thirsty souls: and it is called"living" water,
because by it dead sinners are quickened, drooping saints are revived, and
comforted; spiritual life in them is maintained and supported, and it springs
up to, and issues in eternallife: and it is expressedby "rivers" of living water,
because ofthe abundance of it in regeneration, justification, and pardon; it is
grace for grace, abundance of grace believers receive from Christ; and from
him, in whom those large measures of grace are, they "flow out" again, even

15. "out of his belly": from within him, out of his heart, the seatof it, by his lips,
both in prayer to God, and in conversationwith the saints, to whom he
communicates his rich experiences ofgrace, to their comfort, and the glory of
God:
POOLE. "The flowing of rivers of water, signifieth the plenty of spiritual
influences with which believers shall be supplied; whether joy, knowledge,
spiritual gifts, or graces.If any ask, where the Scripture speakeththis? I
answer, in all those promises we meet with in the Old Testament, about
pouring out the Spirit.
CAMBRIDGE GREEKTESTMENT, "‘coming to Christ’ is equivalent to
‘believing on Christ;’ and believing on Him is far in advance of thirsting for
spiritual satisfaction, fora man may thirst and refuse to believe. But the
believer cannot end in satisfying his own thirst; he at once becomes a fount
whence others may derive refreshment. Whether he wills to be a teacheror
no, the true Christian cannot fail to impart the spirit of Christianity to others.
Thus we have three stages;[1] thirsting; [2] coming or believing; [3] being
filled and supplying others.
CALVIN, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. The metaphor
appears, no doubt, to be somewhatharsh, when he says that rivers of living
watershall flow out of the belly of believers;but there can be no doubt as to
the meaning, that they who believe shall suffer no want of spiritual blessings.
He calls it living water, the fountain of which never grows dry, nor ceases to
flow continually. As to the word rivers being in the plural number, I interpret
it as denoting the diversified graces ofthe Spirit, which are necessaryfor the
spiritual life of the soul. In short, the perpetuity, as well as the abundance, of
the gifts and graces ofthe Holy Spirit, (195)is here promised to us. Some
understand the saying — that waters flow out of the belly of believers — to
mean, that he to whom the Spirit has been given makes a part to flow to his
brethren, as there ought to be mutual communication betweenus. But I
considerit to be a simpler meaning, that whosoevershallbelieve in Christ

16. shall have a fountain of life springing up, as it were, in himself, as Christ said
formerly,
He who shall drink of this watershall never thirst,
(John 4:14;)
for while ordinary drinking quenches thirst only for a short time, Christ says
that by faith we draw the Spirit, that he may become a fountain of water
springing up into everlasting life
Still he does not saythat, on the first day, believers are so fully satisfiedwith
Christ, that ever afterwards they neither hunger nor thirst; but, on the
contrary, the enjoyment of Christ kindles a new desire of him. But the
meaning is, that the Holy Spirit is like a living and continually flowing
fountain in believers; as Paul also declares that he is life in us, (Romans 8:10,)
though we still carry about, in the remains of sin, the cause ofdeath. And,
indeed, as every one partakes of the gifts and graces ofthe Holy Spirit,
according to the measure of his faith, we cannot possessa perfectfullness of
them in the present life. But believers, while they make progress in faith,
continually aspire to fresh additions of the Spirit, so that the first-fruits which
they have tastedcarry them forward to perpetuity of life. But we are also
reminded by it, how small is the capacityof our faith, since the gracesof the
Spirit scarcelycome into us by drops, which would flow like rivers, if we gave
due admissionto Christ; that is, if faith made us capable of receiving him.
ELLICOTT, " “If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink.” That
representedthe satisfactionof the individual mind. This teaches the fuller
truth that every one in living communion with Christ becomes himself the
centre of spiritual influence. There is in him a power of life which, when
quickened by faith, flows forth as a river, carrying life and refreshment to
others. No spirit grasps a great truth which satisfies its own yearnings as the
waters of the fountain slake physical thirst, without longing to send it forth to
others who are seeking whathe himself had sought. There is in him a river
whose waters no barrier can confine. This is the spirit of the prophet and the

17. evangelist, ofthe martyr and the missionary. It is the spirit of every great
teacher. It is the link which binds men togetherand makes the life of every
Christian approach the life of Christ, for he lives not for himself but for the
world.
Luther: "He that comethto Me shall be so furnished with the Holy Ghost,
that he shall not be merely quickenedand refreshed himself, and delivered
from his thirst, but shall be also a strong stone vessel, from which the Holy
Ghostin all His gifts shall flow to others, refreshing and comforting and
strengthening them, even as he was refreshedby Me.
Isaiah44:3 states, “ForI will pour out wateron the thirsty land and streams
on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My
blessing on your descendants.” BLESSINGSGALORE.
God's Healthy Trees - A healthy tree consists ofup to eighty percent moisture.
It draws large quantities of water through its root system or absorbs it from
dew and rain. In his book "As a Tree Grows", W. Phillip Keller says, "the
tree does not hoard this moisture for itself. The vast network of running roots
beneath the soiloften exceeds the outspreadcanopy of trunk, branches, and
leaves spreadto the sky. And vast quantities of waterare lifted through the
framework of the tree to be transpired into the surrounding air. This
moisture, along with the discharge ofoxygen, is what gives the forest
atmosphere such a fresh fragrance." Christians use the waterof life in much
the same way. In John 7:38, Jesus saidthat rivers of living waterwill flow
from the heart of the one who believes in Him. He was referring to the
ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through us. The Spirit, who we receive
when we trust the Lord Jesus as our Savior, empowers and refreshes us,
which enables us to help others. Our part is to read and study God's Word, to
receive cleansing and renewalthrough confession, and to obey the Lord.
Then, as we depend on the Holy Spirit, "living water" flows through us and
provides refreshment and goodness to people around us. —D C Egner(Our
Daily Bread)

18. Just as watersatisfies thirst and produces fruitfulness, so the Spirit of God
satisfies the inner personand enables us to bear fruit.
RAY PRITCHARD, "The moment we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit opens
the springs of life and a river of living waterbegins to flow from within us.
But God never gives his blessings simply to be hoarded. He gives his blessings
to us so that we can share them with others. Here is a simple sentence to help
you think about this truth: The Holy Spirit brings God to us so we can bring
God to others. The river flows from us to others. A genuine believer in Christ
is not self-centered. He says to himself, “I have been greatly blessed. I must
pass these blessings along to others. I can’t keepthem for myself.” What God
gives me, I give away. If it’s money, it’s not mine anyway. If it’s my time, it all
belongs to God anyway. If it’s something I own, I can give it awaybecause I
don’t own anything; Godowns it all. If it’s a helping hand, I can do that
because Godreacheddown and helped me. Behind this principle is the truth I
call the GreaterGolden Rule: “Do unto others as God has done unto you.”
Has God blessedyou? Then bless others. Has God been kind to you? Then be
kind to others. Has God shown grace to you? Then show grace to others. Has
God forgiven you? Then forgive others. Be a river of living waterfor some
thirsty soulthis week.
It only takes a spark to geta fire going,
And soonall those around can warm up in its glowing;
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experiencedit,
You spread his love to everyone
You want to pass it on.
I’ll shout it from the mountain top—PRAISE GOD!
I want the world to know

19. The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on.
It must ever be remembered that these rivers of living watermust overflow in
testimony and service. There is no reference to the blessing of the Spirit in the
Bible that is not connectedwith its practicaloutflowing for the goodof others.
So long as this blessing is sought as an end in itself, it never canbe obtained,
because the purpose of it is to give powerfor service. It is not a true fountain
that keeps its waters within itself and does not overflow. The primary purpose
of His infilling is neither to make us holy nor happy, although it does both, but
to empower us to testify and serve. If it does not issue in love for souls and
testimony and faithful labour for the Lord, it is a false blessing. "Ye shall
receive power, when the Holy Ghostis come upon you: and ye shall be my
witnesses"(Acts 1:8, R.V.).
Dead-Sea Christians - The DeadSea is so salty that it contains no fish or plant
life. What accounts forthis unusual condition? There are absolutelyno
outlets! A greatvolume of waterpours into this area, but nothing flows out.
Many inlets plus no outlets equals a dead sea.
This law of nature may also be applied to the child of God, and it explains why
many believers are so unfruitful and lacking in spiritual vitality. It’s possible
for some people to attend Bible conferences, listento religious broadcasts,
study the Scriptures, and continually take in the Word as it is preached from
the pulpit, and yet seemlifeless and unproductive in their Christian lives.
Such individuals are like the DeadSea. They have several“inlets” but no
“outlets.” To be vibrant and useful believers, we must not only “take in” all
we can, but we must also “give out” in service to others!
May the Lord make us refreshing fountains where thirsty souls may drink.
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we possessthe “waterof life” and can be channels

20. of blessing to those in need. From hearts of love, let us pour out to others what
we have first receivedfrom God. If we do, we will never become Dead-Sea
Christians.-- Richard De Haan (Our Daily Bread)
Finding The Flow - While using a computer to edit a video presentation, a
colleague andI were greetedone morning by the on-screenerrormessage:
UNABLE TO FIND THE FLOW. Whateverthe software programmeant by
those words, it brought to mind the popular saying, “Go with the flow.” To
some people that means behaving as most other people do without trying to
swim againstthe current of the culture. To others it speaks ofbeing more
accepting of circumstances withouttrying to control everything that happens.
But for followers of the Lord, there’s another dimension of going with the
flow. Jesus said:“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water” (John 7:37-38). Christ spoke of the Holy Spirit, Who would
make His home in every believer. In a very real sense, whenwe invite Christ
into our lives, the Flow finds us and we find the Flow. From then on, we are
recipients and conduits of living water—the eternalsource of thirst-quenching
satisfactionforour souls. The indwelling Holy Spirit carries us along by a
powerand purpose greaterthan ourselves. As channels of God’s living water,
we are free to go with His flow. - David C. McCasland(Our Daily Bread)
(Bolding added)
Father, thank You for Your Spirit,
Fill us with His love and power;
Change us into Christ’s own image
Day by day and hour by hour.
—Anon.
What Jesus accomplishedfor us,
the Holy Spirit works out in us.

21. poet named Tersteegen, who once wrote:
He told me of a River bright
That flows from Him to me;
That I might be for His delight
A fair and fruitful tree.
Professionallytrained rescuers saythat when people fall into the river, the
mistake they make is thinking that the current will pull them under. They say
that people try to swim againstthe current out of fear and ignorance. No one,
not even a trained rescuer, is any match for that current. This is how people
drown. But they saythe best thing is to let yourself flow with the current and
even swim downstream, diagonally across the river to the other side. If the
current pulls you under, just be patient and you will pop back up to the
surface again.
Overflowing Rivers - We are savedto tell others! When the Lord redeems us,
He so fills us with "living water" that, if we are normal Christians, we
overflow to others in a witness that produces results for God. There recently
came to my attention the true story of an amputee soul winner in Melbourne,
Australia, who has a most remarkable ministry. A pastorwho visited this
crippled woman writes,
When this girl was 18, she was seizedwith a dreadful affliction and the doctor
said that to save her life he must take off her foot. Next the other footwas
removed. The disease continuedto spread, and her legs had to be amputated
at the hips. Then the malady broke out in her hands. And by the time I saw
Miss Higgins, all that remained of her was just the trunk of her body. For 15
years now she has been in this condition. I went to offer comfort, but I did not

22. know how to speak to her or what to say. I found the walls of her room
coveredwith texts, all of them radiating joy, and peace, andpower. She
explained that one day while lying in bed she inquired of the Lord what a total
amputee could possibly do for Him. Then an inspiration came to her. Calling
a friend of hers, who was a carpenter, she had him construct a device to fit her
shoulder, and attachto it an extensionholding a fountain pen. Then she began
to write letters witnessing to the grace of God. She had to do it entirely with
body movement, yet her penmanship was beautiful. She has now receivedover
1500 replies from individuals who have been brought to Christ through the
letters she produced in that way." The preachersaid to her; "How do you do
it?" and she smilingly replied, "You know Jesus saidof His own that out of
them `shall flow rivers of living water.'I believe in Him, and He has helped
me to overflow to others."
Does not that amputee soulwinner put all of us to shame? Have you tried to
bring even one lost sheepinto the Savior's fold? If not, why not? (Our Daily
Bread)
We are not storerooms, but channels,
We are not cisterns, but springs;
Passing our benefits onward,
Fitting our blessings with wings.
—Anon.
SPURGEON,"this is the figure before us: rivers of living waterflowing out of
the living man in all directions. “Ah,” sayyou, “I have not reachedto that.” A
point is gained when you know, confess, anddeplore your failure. If you say,
“I have all things and abound,” I am afraid you will never reach the fulness of
the blessing;but if you know something of your failure, the Lord will lead you
further. It may be that the spirit of life which comes forth of you is but a
trickling brook, or evena few tiny drops; then be sure to confess it, and you

23. will be on the way to a fuller blessing. What a word is this! Rivers of living
water!! Oh that all professing Christians were such fountains. See how
spontaneous it is: “Out of the midst of him shall flow.” No pumping is
required; nothing is said about machinery and hydraulics; the man does not
need exciting and stirring up, but, just as he is, influence of the best kind
quietly flows out from him. Did you ever hear a greathubbub in the morning,
a greatoutcry, a sounding of trumpets and drums, and did you ever ask,
“What is it?” Did a voice reply, “The sun is about to rise, and he is making
this noise that all may be aware of it”? No, it shines, but it has nothing to say
about it; even so the genuine Christian just goes aboutflooding the world with
blessing, and so far from claiming attention for himself, it may be that he
himself is unconscious ofwhat he is effecting. God so blesses him that his leaf
does not wither, and whateverhe does he prospers, for he is like a tree planted
by the rivers of waterthat brings forth its fruit in due season:his verdure and
fruit are the natural outcome of his vigorous life. Oh, the blessedspontaneity
of the work of grace when a man gets into the fulness of it, for then he seems
to eat and drink and sleepeternallife, and he spreads a savorof salvationall
round. And this is to be perpetual,—not like intermittent springs which burst
forth and flow in torrents, and then cease,—butit is to be an every day out
gushing. In summer and winter, by day and by night, whereverthe man is, he
shall be a blessing. As he breathes, he shall breathe benedictions;as he thinks,
his mind shall be devising generous things; and when he acts, his acts shall be
as though the hand of God were working by the hand of man.
I hope I hear many sighs rising up in the place!I hope I hear friends saying,
“Oh that I could getto that.” I want you to attain the fulness of the favor. I
pray that we may all getit; for because JesusChrist is glorified therefore the
Holy Spirit is given in this fashion, given more largelyto those in the kingdom
of heaven than to all those holy men before the Lord’s ascentto his glory. God
gives no stinted blessing to celebrate the triumph of his Son: God gives not the
Spirit by measure unto him. On such an occasionheaven’s grandestliberality
was displayed. Christ is glorified in heaven above, and God would have him
glorified in the church below by vouchsafing a baptism of the Holy Ghost to
eachof us.

24. Let us not be satisfiedwith the sip that saves, but let us go on to the baptism
which buries the flesh and raises us in the likeness ofthe risen Lord. Let us
seek that baptism into the Holy Spirit and into fire which makes us spiritual
and sets us all on flame with zeal for the glory of God and eagerness for
usefulness by which that glory may be increasedamong the sons of men.
To be a channel of blessing,
Let Christ's love flow through you.
Give as 'twas given to you in your need,
Love as the Masterloved you;
Be to the helpless a helper indeed,
Unto your mission be true.
—Wilson
The Purpose of the Spirit
And he gave some, apostles;and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;and
some, pastors and teachers;Forthe perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge ofthe Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth
be no more children, tossedto and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleightof men, and cunning craftiness, wherebythey lie in
wait to deceive;But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all
things, which is the head, even Christ: (Eph 4:11-15)
Paul said so. He said that the gifts are given, "for the perfecting – maturing –
of the saints." He saidall of this was so that we would come, "unto the

25. measure of the stature of the FULLNESS of Christ." THAT is the purpose of
the Holy Spirit
As a believer begins to be built up in Christ – the negative side of which is the
tearing down of our flesh – that believer will, as it were, burst forth. There
will be a flowing forth of the Spirit, as rivers of living water. Or, to put it
another way, the Christ who is in us as a WELL, will then flow through us as
a RIVER.
Why has He called the grace of the Spirit by the name of water? Becauseby
waterall things subsist; because ofwaterare herbs and animals created;
because the water of the showers comesdownfrom heaven; because it comes
down one in form, yet manifold in its working. For one fountain wateredthe
whole of the garden (Genesis 2:10), and one and the same rain comes down
upon all the world; yet it becomes white in the lily, and red in the rose, and
purple in the violets and pansies, and different and varied in eachseveral
kind; so it is one in the palm tree, and anotherin the vine, and all in all things;
being the while one in nature, not diverse from itself; for the rain does not
change, when it comes down, first as one thing, then as another, but adapting
itself to the nature of eachthing, which receives it, it becomes to eachwhat is
suitable. Thus also the Holy Ghost being One, and of one Nature, and
undivided, divides to eachHis grace "according as He will," and in the name
of Christ works many excellencies.ForHe employs the tongue of one man for
wisdom; the soul of another He enlightens by prophecy; to another He gives
powerto drive awaydevils; to another He gives power to interpret the Divine
Scriptures. He invigorates one man's self-command; He teaches anotherthe
way to give alms; another He teaches to fastand exercise himself; another He
teaches to despise the things of the body; another He trains for martyrdom:

26. diverse in different men, yet not diverse from Himself (John 4:14; John 5:4; 1
Corinthians 12:11).
( S. Cyril.)
WE ARE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WATER FLOWS
FROM THE TEMPLE TO BLESS OTHERS.
Rivers of living water
1
Rivers of living water,
Rivers that flow from the throne,
Rivers o’erflowing with blessing,
Coming from Jesus alone.
Rivers of living water,
Rivers of life so free,
Flowing from Thee, my Savior,
Send now the rivers through me.
2
Whoso is thirsty come hither,

27. Here is abundant supply;
Watertransparent as crystal,
Come without money and buy.
3
Cleanse me, oh, cleanse me, my Savior,
Make me a channel today;
Empty me, fill me and use me,
Teachme to trust and obey.
4
Then, and then only, Lord Jesus,
Through me the rivers can flow;
Thus and thus only will others
Learn Thy greatfulness to know.
FIRST LETS GET A GIST OF THE SITUATION.
To summarize, the FeastofBooths was a time of thanksgiving for the harvest.
It was a happy time. Devout Jews lived outdoors in booths made of tree
branches for sevendays as a reminder of God’s provision in the desertduring
the wilderness wanderings. Eachmorning there was a solemn processionfrom
the temple mount to the poolof Siloamfor a pitcher of water. A priest would
fill a gold pitcher with wateras the people sang togetherfrom Isaiah12:3 (See
Commentary) The processionwould return to the Temple Mount with
trumpets blasting and greatfanfare; there the priest would pour the water
into a silver basin by the altar of burnt offering eachday for the first seven
days…

28. Isaiah12:3 New International Version (NIV)
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Recallthat one reasonfor the Feastwas to celebrate God's goodprovision of
"living water" during their 40 years of "wilderness wanderings."It is notable
that the OT descriptions of the "wilderness wanderings" state veryclearly
there was "NO WATER." (ReadEx 15:22, 17:1, Nu 20:2, 21:5, 33:14, Dt
8:15). No water in the wilderness meant certainphysical death in only a few
days. God saw their physical need and provided for their physical need,
"painting" a beautiful picture of His desire and ability to provide for their
(and every man's) spiritual need that they might not remain spiritually dead
throughout eternity! Moses summarized the dry, deserttimes of Israel's
wandering, writing "He (Jehovah) led you through the great and terrible
wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where
there was no water; He brought water for you (supernaturally) out of the rock
of flint." (Dt 8:15). And so the Jews who were celebrating the Feastin John 7
would have (should have) been very familiar with God's provision of life
giving physical "living (springing up, gushing forth, running, flowing) water"
in the Old Testament. As they celebratedthe rituals associatedwith the Feast
for sevendays, the Jews were in a sense re-enacting the picture of God's OT
provision as they would dip living (running) water from a pool (which came
from a spring) and joyously transport it back up the hill, through the Water
Gate and to the Temple priests who poured it out on the altar. Onto this scene
came Jesus, crying out to dry, parched, thirsty souls living in the "wilderness
of this world," and with NO WATER that gives life to one's soul. Instead they
had forsakenthe fountain of living waterand constructedtheir own cisterns
and systems of Law keeping, of doing "good" works,etc. And yet these
religious activities failed to satisfythe spiritual "thirst" God had placedin

29. eachof them. Into this "spiritually dry desert", Jesus came and stoodand
cried out offering them a drink from Himself (the same One from Whom their
ancestors haddrunk physical water!1Cor10:4!). He offered them living
waterthat they might live spiritually, even as their ancestorswere enabledto
live physically in the OT after receiving the physical water
"The frail vesselthou hast made,
No hands but thine canfill;
For the waters of this world have failed,
And I am thirsty still."
LIGHTFOOT, "Letthese words, then, of our Saviour be setin opposition to
this right and usage in the feastof Tabernaclesofwhich we have been
speaking:"Have you such wonderful rejoicing at drawing a little waterfrom
Siloam? He that believes in me, whole rivers of living waters shallflow out of
his ownbelly. Do you think the waters mentioned in the prophets do signify
the law? They do indeed denote the Holy Spirit, which the Messiahwill
dispense to those that believe in him: and do you expect the Holy Spirit from
the law, or from your rejoicing in the law? The Holy Spirit is of faith, and not
of the law," Galatians 3:2.
READ I COR. 10:1-4 Jesus was alive and well in his pre-incarnate state and
was the source of the waterof life in the Old Testament.
THE jews are celebrating the waterthat came from the rock and that Rock is
now offering them the evengreaterwater, the living waterof eternallife. The
old watersavedthem from dying for a time, but this watersaves them for
ever.

30. NUMBERS 20:1-12 WATER FROM THE ROCK.
ROCK WAS CHRIST.” (1Cor10:4) Fanny Crosby pictured this NT
fulfillment writing "Though my weary steps may falter, And my soul a-thirst
may be, Gushing from the ROCKbefore me, Lo! A Spring of joy I see."
Amen!
Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock 2 I will build my
church, and the gates ofhell shall not prevail againstit.
The only realthirst quencher of our parched soul is Jesus in both testaments
The Giver of living water.
spurgeonput it-
Commenting on Ps 63:1, Spurgeonadds that "Thirst is an insatiable longing
after that which is one of the most essentialsupports of life. There is no
reasoning with it, no forgetting it, no despising it, no overcoming it by stoical
indifference. Thirst will be heard; the whole man must yield to its power; even
thus is it with that divine desire which the grace ofGod creates in regenerate
men; only (Jesus)Himself cansatisfy the craving of a soul really arousedby
the Holy Spirit."
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" (Jn 7:37). That short
statementcontains the essenceofthe Gospelmessage.It is centeredin a
Person-Jesus Christ. It is offered to all without restriction-If anyone. It is
predicated upon human need-If anyone is thirsty. It demands a personal
response-LetHim come to me. It invites personalparticipation-and drink.
If we are dying in the desert, the most important thing in the world is a cup of
cold water. Jesus promises more than a cup. He promises a never ending flow
of clear, cool, cleanliving water. Streams without pollution. Rivers that will
never run dry. The Holy Spirit brings the life of God to the thirsty soul.

31. And even in some of the last words in the Bible, God seeksthose who are
thirsty, as John records in the Revelationof Jesus Christ…
And He (Glorified Christ) saidto me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts (present
tense = literally "he who is continually thirsting") from the spring of the water
of life (cp "living water")without cost. (Rev21:6-note)
And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." (presentimperative) And let the
one who hears say(aorist active imperative), "Come (present imperative)."
And let the one who is thirsty come;(present imperative - notice three
commands to come!) let the one who wishes take the waterof life ("living
water")without cost(dorean). (Rev 22:17-note)
John Phillips comments - How strange is the insanity that keeps men from
flinging themselves on their faces before God and drinking deep of the water
of life. The rich man in hell wanted just a single drop to ease the torment of
his thirst (Lk 16:24 The rich man in hades "criedout and said, ‘Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of
his finger in waterand cooloff my tongue, for I am in agonyin this flame.").
When he was alive, he might have come and receivedeternal accessto the
river of life. But he never came. Now for all eternity he must be tormented,
with his cravings and longings forever unquenched.
All who drink of this water may joyfully sing "I've got a river of life
flowin' out of me. Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. Opens prison
doors, sets the captives free. I've got a river of life flowin' out of me. Spring up
Oh Well. Within my soul. Spring up Oh Well And make me whole. Spring up
Oh Well And give to me That life abundantly." (P. Wickham)

32. 1. An artist once painted a famous picture for an altar-piece, and calledit the
Fountain of Life. It represents the SacrificedRedeemerstretchedin His
mother's arms. From the rock beneath their feetflow the abundant waters of
salvation, which are receivedinto a greatcistern. Saints, martyrs, apostles,
evangelists, are drinking of the water, or filling their vases and handing them
to eachother. From the cisternflows a streaminto a lowerplace, where a
family of poor, humble people are drinking with grateful looks. Thenthe
stream flows awayamong meadows, where the little children canreach it, and
they are taking up the precious waterin their tiny hands, and drinking it with
smiling lips. We canall see the meaning of that picture, which tells us that the
salvationof Jesus is for all who will acceptit, high and low, young and old,
rich and poor.
(H. J. W. Buxton.)
I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY
“Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one
Stoopdown and drink and live.”
I came to Jesus and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.
The condition of the promise: you must be thirsty.
Jesus cries, “Ifanyone is thirsty….” You have to be thirsty for God. The Bible
often uses that kind of language (as we just saw in Rev. 22:17). Isaiah55:1
proclaims, “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

33. without cost.” The psalmist cries out (Ps. 42:1), “As the deerpants for the
waterbrooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.” David cries (Ps. 63:1), “O
God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;my soulthirsts for You, my
flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” And
in Revelation21:6b, Jesus says, “Iwill give to the one who thirsts from the
spring of the water of life without cost.”
At first glance, being thirsty for God seems easyenough. But the problem is,
because ofsin people either don’t recognize their thirst or they seek to satisfy
it in wrong ways. John Piper’s dad, who was an evangelist, told him that the
most difficult thing was not getting people saved, but getting them lost. In
other words, people don’t sense their desperate need for Christ. They don’t
feel thirsty for Him. Instead, they try to quench their thirst with many wrong
things. They think that success, money, fame, sexualpleasure, or other things
will satisfythe inner thirst. But thirsting for things other than God and His
glory is the root of all sin. J. C. Ryle observed(Expository Thoughts on the
Gospels [Baker], 3:40):
Fill My Cup, Lord
1
Like the womanat the well, I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Saviorspeaking-
"Draw from My well that never shall run dry."•
Chorus:
Fill my cup, Lord;

34. I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Breadof Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.
2
There are millions in this world who are seeking
For pleasures earthly goods afford.
But none canmatch the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.
3
So my brother if the things this world gives you
Leave hunger that won't pass away,
My blessedLord will come and save you
If you kneelto Him and humbly pray.
Chorus:
Fill my cup, Lord;
I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Breadof Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

35. 1. Three Things Implied in Thirsting
Verse 37: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” It seems to me
that there are three wonderful things implied in the words “if anyone thirsts.”
First is that the gift of the wateris free. The condition you must meet is need.
“If anyone thirst.” That’s the condition. And the action you must take is to
drink. Receive the gift. There is no thought here of earning or meriting.
Anyone. Anyone who knows his own thirst is invited.
Second, the human soul has thirst. We know he is not talking about physical
thirst. That’s clear. But what he is saying is that the soulhas something like
physical thirst. When you go without water your body gets thirsty. And the
soul, when it goes without God, gets thirsty. Your body was made to live on
water. Your soul was made to live on God.
This is the most important thing to know about yourself. You were made to
live on God. You have a soul, a spirit. There is a you that is more than a body.
And that you, if it does not drink from the greatness andwisdom and power
and goodnessand justice and holiness and love of God, will die of thirst.
Third, implied in the word “thirst” is that what Jesus offers is satisfying. The
aim of all theology, all study, all biblical learning, all preaching is to spread
the satisfying banquet for you to eatwith joy, and to protect the kitchen from
poison. The aim of cooking is eating. The aim of digging wells and clearing
springs is drinking. Everything Jesus came to do and teach is aimed at
providing the soul with food and drink that satisfyforever.
That’s what I see in the word “thirst.” The water is free. The soul has a thirst.
And Jesus aims to satisfy the soul forever.
"It means that when you come to Jesus to drink, you don’t just get a single
drink, but you get spring, a fountain, a well. You get Jesus. Rivers ofwater

36. will flow because a River-Makeris in you. That’s the point. You will never
have to searchagainfor a source ofsatisfactionfor your soul. Every river that
needs to flow for the joy of your soul will flow from Jesus. Whenyou come to
him, you get him. And he never leaves."
Isaiah58:11: “You shall be like a wateredgarden, like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.”
The one that comes to mind first is John Peterson's "Springs ofLiving
Water"
1.
I thirsted in the barren land of sin and shame
And nothing satisfying there I found
But to the blessedcross ofChrist one day I came
Where springs of living waterdid abound
Chorus:
Drinking at the springs of living water
Happy now am I, my soul is satisfied
Drinking at the springs of living water
O wonderful and bountiful supply
2.
How sweetthe living waterfrom the hills of God
It makes me glad and happy all the way

37. Now glory, grace and blessing mark the path I've trod
I'm shouting "Hallelujah" every day
Chorus
3.
O sinner, won't you come today to Calvary
A fountain there is flowing deep and wide
The Saviour now invites you to the waterfree
Where thirsting spirits can be satisfied
As Christians we all did drink, and now have the Holy Spirit in us as His
temple from which the rivers are to be flowing.
But maybe you’re wondering, “If the Holy Spirit is living in me, then why
don’t I experience the rivers of living water inside of me and flowing from
me? Why is my life more accuratelydescribedas a trickle of water, not
rivers?” Other Scriptures teachthat …
2. We must learn to walk in the Holy Spirit to experience His fullness.
He does not control us automatically. In Galatians 5:16, Paul writes, “But I
say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” He
goes onto list some of the deeds of the flesh and the contrasting fruit of the
Spirit. Then he repeats (5:25), “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the
Spirit.” That is, if the Holy Spirit gave us new life, then we need to rely on the
Spirit step by step, day by day.

38. Walking is something we have to learn how to do as children. At first, we fall
a lot. But after a while, we hardly think about it, unless we’re on a slippery
surface. Walking is not spectacular. Pauldoesn’t say, “Leapby the Spirit or
fly by the Spirit.” It’s a slow, step by step process that will gradually getyou
where you’re going if you keepat it. To walk by the Spirit means that each
day in every situation you yield yourself to Him, relying on Him to work in
and through you. If during the day the flesh rears its ugly head with impure
thoughts, selfishness, anger, orwhatever, you immediately confess it to the
Lord, turn from it, and ask the Holy Spirit to control your thoughts, words,
and actions again. As you learn to walk this way consistently, slowlythe fruit
of the Spirit will grow in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness,faithfulness, gentleness,and self-control(Gal. 5:22-23).
But, why does the Lord give us the Holy Spirit, portrayed here as “rivers of
living water” flowing from our innermost being?
3. Jesus Christblesses allwho believe in Him with rivers of living waterso
that we will be satisfiedin Him and so that we become a source ofblessing to
others
stevencole
The rivers flow out of us to others who are thirsty. The world is a barren
desert, and people are dying of thirst. You and I are to be the rivers of living
waterthat these dying people need. As they see Christ in us (the fruit of the
Spirit) and want what we have, we can tell them how they can come to Jesus
and drink. Lost people desperatelyneed what only we who have believed can
give them.
But the rivers should also flow from us to other believers, especiallyto those
who may be going through a dry spell. Even Paul and Titus were refreshedby
other believers (1 Cor. 16:18; 2 Cor. 7:13). As you’re filled with the Spirit and

39. satisfiedin Christ, you can overflow to those around you, beginning in your
home. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-controlshould be flowing daily from husbands to wives and from
wives to husbands, from parents to children and from children to parents.
These qualities should be flowing betweenus in the church, even if you find a
fellow believer difficult to be around.
If you only come to church to get something for yourself, you’ll be like the
DeadSea. It’s so salty that nothing can live in it because it has rivers flowing
into it, but nothing flows out of it. When you come to church, come with the
prayer, “Lord, fill me with your Spirit and flow out of me towardthose who
may be thirsty.” As you allow the rivers to flow out of you to others, you’ll
discoverthat you’re actually more filled than before you gave out! That’s the
key to preventing burnout: Be satisfiedin Christ and let His fullness flow
through you to others.
I’ve gota river of life flowing within me;
It makes the lame to walk and the blind to see.
It opens prison doors, sets the captives free.
I’ve gota river of life flowing within me.
Spring up, O well, within my spirit!
Rise up and tell, so all can hear it!
Spring up, O well, so I experience
That life abundantly.
2
I’ve gota river of life flowing within me;

40. It started gushing up when God set me free.
That I keepthe flow is my only plea.
I’ve gota river of life springing within me.
3
Once I call His name there’s a flow within;
It turns me from my day, makes Him Lord again.
As my spirit burns, Satan cannotwin.
Calling, “Oh Lord Jesus,”keepsthe flow within.
water
David's Blog
The Holy Spirit is not only representedby refreshing rivers of living water;
He is also representedby rain (side note: this is also why the cloud is a symbol
of the Holy Spirit; the cloud brings the rain).
The prophet Joelprophesiedthe coming of rain. He was referring to natural
rain, but he went on to prophesy that God would “pour out” His Spirit. The
mentioning of the Spirit and rain togethercreates this clearsymbolic
parallel—the Holy Spirit is the rain of Heaven.
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for He
hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down
for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.... And
it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions:And also upon the servants and
upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My spirit (Joel2:23,28-29
KJV).

41. Watercleanses,quenches, refreshes,and gives life. The Holy Spirit cleanses
your soul, quenches your spiritual thirst, and refreshes your being.
Wherever the rivers and rain of the Holy Spirit touch, there is life.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this waterwill soonbecome thirsty again.
But those who drink the waterI give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a
fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternallife” (John 4:13-14).
Waterrepresents the Holy Spirit’s ability to refresh us, quench our spiritual
thirst, cleanse us, and bring forth life wherever He flows. He is the rain of
Heaven, and He is the living river that flows from within. Water canbe
symbolic for the Holy Spirit.
WATER (John 4:14, 7:38-39)
Wateralso typifies more than one thing in Scripture; in its various forms it
has different meanings. In Gen.7, the waters of the flood speak ofGod’s
judgment on men, irresistible in its effectand all-inclusive in its scope,
overwhelming and destroying. The Lord spoke ofHis death as a baptism
(Lk.12:50), and the Psalmistdescribes Christ's sufferings as an overwhelming
flood (Ps. 69: 2, 14-15).
Still, or quietly flowing waters speak to us of the Word of God and its
refreshment to the soul (Ps. 23:2-3, John 3:5). Waters drawn out in a pitcher
to be used for man suggestthat portion of God’s Word that we have
appropriated to be of benefit (Mark 14:13).
5) Water:
Wateris one of the most common symbols of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit falls on people LIKE rain, He bubbles up inside, He flows out
like a river – rivers are divers and varied – there are varied flows of the Spirit.

42. Watercomes in so many different forms – mist, clouds, dew, a well, shower,
rain, lakes, rivers, the ocean, floods. Wateris used for cleaning, so the Holy
Spirit cleanses.As water in the natural refreshes, quenches the thirst and
gives life, so the Holy Spirit refreshes quenches spiritual thirst and gives life.
Wateris absolutelyessentialto all physical life and God’s influence in our
lives is absolutely essentialforlife!
Isaiah44:3
:3 For I will pour wateron him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your
offspring;
The Bible speaks ofthe Holy Spirit like rain.
He falls like rain. Rain is necessaryfor the harvest. (Hosea 6:3; Zechariah
10:1; James 5:7).
The Book ofJoelspeaks ofthe dry, barren, lifeless land. It then speaks ofGod
sending the former and the latter rain (Joel2:23) transforming the land and
producing a bountiful harvest. This rain is symbolic of the Holy Spirit and the
effectHe has upon dry, barren areas.
John 4:14
:14 “but whoeverdrinks of the waterthat I shall give him will never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water
springing up into everlasting life.”
Wateris at the centre of physical life: so is the Holy Spirit central to the
spiritual life of a believer. He is the One responsible for regeneration. He is
cleansing, refreshing, and life-giving. We need waterfor every joint and
every vital function of our natural body. So too, we need to walk and live in
the Spirit of God every day.
In Jeremiah 2:13, for example, God refers to Himself as a “spring of living
water”

43. The imagery of God's Word also includes the idea of cleansing power. It is
likened to waterbecause watercleanses,as Psalm119:9 shows:"How can a
young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word." Jesus
adds in John 15:3, "You are already cleanbecause ofthe word which I have
spokento you." Paul says in Ephesians 5:26, ". . . that He might sanctify and
cleanse [the church] with the washing of water by the word."
Jesus says in John 6:63, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." This
statementclarifies matters: The water, the Word, and the Holy Spirit must be
consideredtogether—asone element—that precipitate the new birth,
Thou Breath from still eternity,
Breathe o'er my spirit's barren land
The pine-tree and the myrtle-tree
Shall spring -amidst the desert sand,
And where Thy living water flows
The waste shallblossomas the rose.
May I in will and deed and word
Obey Thee as a little child;
And keepme in Thy love, my Lord,
For ever holy, undefiled ;
Within me teachand strive and pray,
Lest I should choose my ownwild way.

44. O Spirit, Stream that by the Son
Is open'd to us crystal pure,
Forth-flowing from the heavenly Throne
To waiting hearts and spirits poor,
Athirst and wearydo I sink
Beside Thy waters, there to drink.
My spirit turns to Thee and clings,
All else forsaking, unto Thee,
Forgetting all createdthings,
Remembering only God in me.
O living Stream, O gracious Rain,
None wait for Thee, and wait in vain.
G. TERSTEEGEN.
Jimmy Swaggart – Let Your Living Water Flow Lyrics
Let Your living waterflow over my soul,
Let your Holy Spirit come and take control,
Of every situation that has troubled my mind,

45. All my cares and burdens on to you I roll.
Father, Father, Father.
Give your life to Jesus, letHim fill your soul,
Let Him take you in His arms and make you whole,
As you give your life to Him, He'll set you free,
You will live and reign with Him eternally.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
Come now Holy Spirit and take control,
Hold me in your loving arms and make me whole,
Wipe awayall doubt and fear and take my pride,
Draw me to your love and keepme by your side.
Spirit, Spirit, Spirit.
Let your living waterflow over my soul
Let your Holy spirit come and take control,
Of every situation that has troubled my mind,
All my cares and burdens onto you I roll.
Father, Jesus, Spirit

46. I feel your touch, I canfeel Your heart
As I'm lying here alone in the dark
I hear your voice gently say, "Come to me?
I long for Your love as the earth longs for the rainfall
I'm wearyLord, I've wonderedthis deserttoo long
So come living waterflow through me like a river
My heart's been thirsting so long
Floodthrough my soul and pour out Your mercy
Come living waterfill me
Lord so many times You've calledmy name
And I've turned my face the other way
Yet before I even saw the womb, You love me
How can I be so blind when I alone have createdmy darkness
Forgive me Lord and washme cleanagain
So come living waterflow through me like a river
My heart's been thirsting so long
Floodthrough my soul and pour out Your mercy
Come living waterfill meCome living waterflow through me like a river
My heart's been thirsting so long
Floodthrough my soul and pour out Your mercy
Come living waterfill me
Come living waterfill me

47. Readmore: BobCarlisle - Living WaterLyrics
by SingerForGod» Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:49 am
'Have you heard the raindrops '
Have you heard the raindrops drumming on the rooftops'?
Have vou heard the raindrops dripping on the ground?
Have you heard the raindrops splashing in the streams
And running to the rivers all around?
There's water, waterof life, Jesus gives us the waterof life;
There's water, waterof life, Jesus gives us the waterof life;
There's a busy workmandigging in the desert,
Digging with a spade that flashes in the sun:
Soonthere will be water rising in the wellshaft,
Spilling from the bucketas it comes.
There's water, waterof life, Jesus gives us the waterof life;
There's water, waterof life, Jesus gives us the water of life;

48. Nobody can live who hasn't any water,
When the land is dry then nothing much grows;
Jesus gives us life if we drink the living water,
Sing it so that everybody knows.
There's water, waterof life, Jesus gives us the waterof life;
There's water, waterof life, Jesus gives us the waterof life;
Decadesago, Ivisited a ministry centerin WestAfrica and saw a little girl
climb onto a truck that had a public address system. Smiling, she beganto
sing over the microphone:
It’s bubbling, it’s bubbling,
it’s bubbling in my soul;
I’m singing and laughing
since Jesus made me whole.
Since Jesus came within,
and cleansedmy heart from sin,
It’s bubbling, bubbling, bubbling,
bubbling, bubbling in my soul!
I heard her sing that song only once. But the joy in her voice was so evident
and powerful that I remember the lyrics and tune to this day.
WATER IS GOOD FOR-
Cleansing
Ezekiel16:9 ; 36:25 ; Ephesians 5:26 ; Hebrews 10:22

49. Fertilising
Psalms 1:3 ; Isaiah 27:3 Isaiah27:6 ; Isaiah44:3 Isaiah 44:4 ; 58:11
Refreshing
Psalms 46:4 ; Isaiah 41:17 Isaiah 41:18
Abundant
John 7:37 John 7:38
Freelygiven
Isaiah55:1 ; John 4:14 ; Revelation22:17
There are many Old TestamentScriptures that link waterto God’s abundant
blessing on believers (e.g. Ps. 78:15-16;Prov. 4:23; Isa. 44:3; Ezek. 36:26-27;
47:1-9; Joel3:18; Zech. 13:1; 14:8).
Hebrews 10:21-22 21andsince we have a great priest over the house of God,
22letus draw near to God with a sincere heartand with the full assurance
that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty
conscienceandhaving our bodies washedwith pure water.
Ephesians 5:25-27 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the
church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the
washing with waterthrough the word, 27andto present her to himself as a
radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and
blameless.
Psalm36:8, Psalm36:9; Isaiah44:3, Isaiah44:4; Joel2:23.
protestants also believe in holy water.

50. Oh ! Christ He is the fountain,
The deep, sweetwell of love !
The streams on earth I've tasted,
More deep I'll drink above.
Sermons on important subjects by Rev. Paul C. Jong
Through who does the living water
of the Holy Spirit flow?
<John 7:37-38>
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stoodand cried out, saying,
‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as
the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Who can drink the living water
of the Holy Spirit?
Those who believe in the beautiful
gospelof Jesus'baptism and
His blood at the Cross
The living waterof the Holy Spirit flows out of the hearts of those who believe
in the beautiful gospel. John7:38 says, “He who believes in Me, as Scripture
has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” This means that

51. there is true salvationand the remissionof sins for those who believe in the
beautiful gospelthat God gave us.
When does the indwelling of the Holy Spirit take place? The indwelling of the
Holy Spirit can be obtained when one hears and believes in the true gospel,
which says that Jesus Christ took awayall the sins of the world through His
baptism by John. One can then drink the living waterof the Holy Spirit.
Those who believe in the beautiful gospelhave the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit, and canexperience the feeling of the Spiritual living waterfreshly
overflowing and moistening their dry hearts every time they’re preaching or
hearing God’s words.
The living waterof the Holy Spirit flows out of the hearts of those who believe
in the gospelof the waterand the Spirit, which says that the Lord came into
this world in order to save all sinners from their sins. The Holy Spirit is the
truth that can’t be separatedfrom the gospelofthe waterand the Spirit, and
rests in the people who believe in God’s words.
Anyone who wants to drink the living waterof the Holy Spirit must receive
the remissionof all his sins by believing in the beautiful gospelofJesus’
baptism and His blood at the Cross. This living waterof the Holy Spirit exists
in the hearts of those who believe in God’s words. People who believe in the
gospelof the water and the Spirit have the living waterof the Holy Spirit,
which flows like a river, streaming through their hearts. Even at this moment,
the living waterof the Holy Spirit is gushing out like spring water in the
hearts of those who have receivedthe remission of their sins by believing in
the beautiful gospelof Jesus Christ’s baptism and His blood on the Cross.
However, there is not even a single drop of living waterof the Holy Spirit
flowing out of the hearts of those who don’t believe in this beautiful gospelof
truth. Until I believed and acknowledgedthe gospelof the water and the
Spirit, I didn’t have a single drop of Spiritual living waterflowing out of my
heart. At that time, even though I fervently believed in Jesus Christ, I didn’t
even know of the importance of the living waterof the Holy Spirit because I
didn’t have the Holy Spirit in my heart. However, now I have the beautiful

52. gospelof the water and the Spirit, and the living waterof the Holy Spirit
flowing freely out from my heart.
Now the living waterof the Holy Spirit flows out of my heart, and out of the
hearts of those who hear and believe in God’s word. Justas Jesus said, “If
anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink,” the living waterof the Holy
Spirit refreshes others through born againChristians who believe in the
beautiful gospelof the waterand the Spirit. This living water flows out of my
heart togetherwith my faith in the gospelofthe waterand the Spirit even at
this moment, allowing others to drink from it. God lets the living waterof the
Holy Spirit flow out of my heart like a river. This is something familiar only to
those who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Just as it’s written in Revelationthat no one knows exceptthose who have
receivedit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the living wateris a secret
known only to those who know and believe in the beautiful gospelofthe water
and the Spirit. Therefore, you should know in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
You should know that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is given only to those
who believe in Jesus’gospel.
I used to believe only in the blood on the Cross
Even though I believed in Jesus’blood on the Cross for over ten years, sin was
still in my heart. At that time, I had the belief that my sins were forgiven only
through Jesus’blood. However, I could receive neither complete remission of
sin nor the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through this kind of belief, and there
was only confusionand emptiness in my life. The only sign that showedmy
belief in Jesus was the fact that I was attending church.
That is when I started to reconsidermy beliefs. ‘Had I really receivedthe
Holy Spirit?’ When I first came to believe in Jesus, my heart was passionate
with love for Him and even I had the gift of tongues. But what had become of

53. me? I realized that this experience of burning emotion was not a signof the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit and that I hadn’t receivedthe Holy Spirit at all. I
believed in Jesus but the Holy Spirit and the living waterof the Holy Spirit
were not in my heart.
A system of Christian interpretation initiated by John Calvin. It emphasizes
predestination and salvation. The five points of Calvinism were developed in
response to the Arminian position.
Calvinism teaches:1) Totaldepravity: that man is touched by sin in all parts
of his being: body, soul, mind, and emotions, 2) Unmerited favor: that God's
favor to man is completely by His free choice and has nothing to do with man.
It is completely undeserved by man, 3) Limited atonement: that Christ did not
bear the sins of every individual who ever lived, but insteadonly bore the sins
of those who were electedinto salvation, 4) Irresistible grace:that God's call
to someone for salvationcannot be resisted, 5) Perseverance ofthe saints: that
it is not possible to lose one's salvation. But you can clearly discernits
teachings from the gospelof the water and the Spirit, especiallyin regardto
its doctrine of the limited atonement.
It wasn’t really important if my heart was hot or cold, since my faith was
basedon 4 Calvinism. The questions I really had to answerwere the
following:
(1) Does the Holy Spirit dwell in me? ─ No. I am not sure He is in me. ─
(2) Is there sin in me? ─ Yes, there is. ─ There was definitely sin in me then,
even though I believed in Jesus’ bloodon the Cross. I still had sin in my heart,
even though I believed in Jesus and said prayers of repentance every day. The
sin in my heart was never completelycleansedno matter how hard I tried.
‘How can I receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?’ ‘How canI wash away
the sin in my heart?’ These were the two nagging problems that I had in my
mind, even after I came to believe in Jesus. I had spokenin tongues after I

54. came to believe in Jesus and I also believed that my sins were cleansedthanks
to my faith in Jesus’blood.
However, as time went on, more and more sins piled up in my heart. I was full
of sin. The prayers of repentance or fasting couldn’t washawaythe sins in my
heart as long as I was relying on Jesus’blood alone. I worried for a long time
about my actualsins. The more I worried, the more vehemently I preached
the messageofJesus to others. I also attended church even more regularly
and devoted myself to serving Jesus, relying on His blood.
However, as time went on, the actualsins in my heart were blocking me from
having true faith. It was harder to believe in Jesus than ever before. I tried to
rely more on Jesus’blood and put forth my best effort and increasedmy
dedication to God. However, the emptiness in my heart became greater. This
kind of faith left me feeling empty and lethargic, and turned me into a
hypocritical Christian who only cared about outward appearances.Thinking
to myself, ‘Believing in Jesus is like this for everyone, it’s not just me!’ I tried
to deny that my faith was misguided. However, the blood of Jesus and the
prayers of repentance still couldn’t washawayall my actualsins.
Then by what faith could my actualsins be cleansed? Myactual sins could be
washedawayonly through my belief that all my sins were transferred to Jesus
when He was baptized in the Jordan River. This is what is written in Matthew
3:13-17. Then why were my actual sins not washedawayby Jesus’blood? I
didn’t know and believe in the beautiful gospel, which contains the meaning of
John’s baptism on Jesus.
Does this mean that all the sins of the world were washedawaythrough Jesus’
baptism? Yes, that’s right. The Bible bears witness to this by saying, “One
cannot enter the kingdom of God unless he is born againof waterand the
Spirit” (John 3:3-5). Jesus came into this world and acceptedall the sins of the
world through His baptism by John.
I was still doubtful about this and compared the Old and New Testaments to
clarify this. The result was that I found out it was indeed true. All the sins of
the world were passedon to Jesus when He was baptized, and all my sins were
also passedon to Him at that time. I became sanctifiedthrough my faith in

55. these words. I came to realize that this was the word of truth as it is written in
the Bible and it is the most beautiful gospelin the world.
In addition, I realized why my sins were not blotted out through my faith in
Jesus’blood alone. The reasonwas that I couldn’t pass my actual sins on to
Jesus whenI didn’t know the truth of His baptism in the JordanRiver. I had
finally met the truth. I learnedthat Jesus came into this world for me, and
that He took awayall the sins of the world through His baptism, and was later
crucified to deliver us from all the sins of the world. I also learned and
believed in the truth that the purpose of Jesus’baptism and His blood on the
Cross was to take awayall the sins of the world. Now I am righteous thanks to
my belief in the beautiful gospelJesus gave us, and because all my sins had
been forgiven.
It was not the doctrines of the church that blotted out my sins, it was Jesus’
baptism and His blood on the Cross that did so. This truth was in the
beautiful gospel. I was savedfrom all my sins and became righteous not
through my belief in Jesus’blood alone, but through my faith that Jesus’
baptism and His blood on the Cross are of my salvation.
One more thing I need to give thanks for is that God’s Holy Spirit came upon
me after I started to believe in the beautiful gospel. Now the Holy Spirit dwells
in me togetherwith the words of Jesus’baptism by John and His blood on the
Cross.
I thank the Lord who gave me this beautiful gospeland who let me preach the
same beliefs as those of Jesus’Apostles. Godgifted me with the Holy Spirit,
even though the only thing I did was to believe in the beautiful gospel. Now I
can deliver this messagewith greathonor and conviction to all the people in
the world. Assuredly I can tell them that believing only in Jesus’bloodwon’t
blot out all their sins!
But I cantell them that all their sins will surely be washedawayonly if they
believe in the beautiful gospel, whichtells of the baptism of Jesus by John and
His blood on the Cross. I don’t have even the slightestshame in front of God
as I preach this beautiful gospel. I can now honorably preach this beautiful
gospelof being born againof waterand the Spirit to all the people of the

56. world. I give thanks to the Lord. I thank the Lord who let me drink the living
waterof the Holy Spirit by giving me the gospelof the waterand the Spirit.
Clinical tests show that the true gospelis that of the water and the Spirit
Have you really receivedremission of your sins and the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit? How canyou tell if the gospelis really true? Once I performed tests on
people who were about to believe in the beautiful gospelgivenus by Jesus. To
one personI only preachedthe messageofJesus Christ’s blood on the Cross. I
also told him that there should be no sin in Jesus Christ. To another person I
preachedthe beautiful gospelof Jesus’baptism by John and His blood on the
Cross. The result was that the person who receivedremissionof his sins by
believing only in Jesus’blood said that he had to continuously be forgiven for
his actualsins. But the personwho believed in the beautiful gospelof Jesus’
baptism and blood, on the other hand, said that he had now become a perfect
sinless person.
He said that he had no sin in his heart because he believed in the truth that
Jesus took awayall his sins and was judged for them. He was able to receive
the Holy Spirit from God because he believed in the beautiful gospel, which
says that Jesus’baptism by John washedawayall the sins of the world.
The reasonthat this man could say that he had no longer had sin in his heart
was because he had receivedthe Holy Spirit in his heart through his belief in
the beautiful gospel. The Holy Spirit gave him the convictionto say he had no
sin in his heart. God gives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to all those who
believe in Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood at the Cross. In whom does
the Holy Spirit dwell? The Holy Spirit is given as a gift to those who believe in
the beautiful gospelof Jesus’baptism by John and His blood on the Cross.
Just seeing the superficial phenomena on the Dayof the Pentecosthas caused
many people to misunderstand the truth about receiving the Holy Spirit and

57. put aside the beautiful gospel. People think that if they desperatelypray and
seek the Holy Spirit, they will be able to receive the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. For a long time, Christians around the world didn’t have even the
slightestidea of the truth, which said that one could receive the Holy Spirit
only by believing in the beautiful gospelofJesus’baptism and blood.
However, now many servants of God, who have receivedthe indwelling of the
Holy Spirit through their belief in the gospelof the waterand the Spirit, have
preachedthe gospelwith the help of the Holy Spirit. As a result, many people
throughout the whole world have learned to acceptthis beautiful gospeland
receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
God allows people who believe in this beautiful gospelto experience the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, it says, “And it shall come to pass in
the lastdays, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit all fresh” (Acts 2:17).
However, one should know that trying to receive the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit without knowing the beautiful gospelis a mistake. There is no other
way to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit than to believe in Jesus’
baptism by John and His blood on the Cross.
Since God says that one canenter the Kingdom of Heavenonly when he is
born againof waterand the Spirit, and only the born againpossessthe gift of
the Holy Spirit, there is no doubt that everyone needs the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. How can you think of
receiving the Holy Spirit or entering Heavenwithout believing in the beautiful
gospelof the water and the Spirit? There is no way to Heavenother than by
believing in the beautiful gospel. You can receive the Holy Spirit only by
believing in the gospelof Jesus’baptism and His blood. Just like we pay
money when we buy things, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when
we believe in the beautiful gospel.
I want to tell you that if you truly want to receive the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit, you must first know and believe in the gospelof the water and the
Spirit. Then you will have the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit. You can
only receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by believing in the beautiful
gospelof the water and the Spirit. God wants to present you with the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

58. I believe in the beautiful gospeland as time passes, Ifeel even more strongly
that this beautiful gospelthat God gave me is the most beautiful and precious
thing in the world. I feel thankful to God. Do you feelthe same way? We
realize that those of us who have receivedthe Holy Spirit have been greatly
blessedby God.
I am giving you the message ofhow you can receive the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit by believing in the beautiful gospel. People canqualify themselves to
receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit only by accepting this blessed
beautiful gospelof being born again of waterand the Spirit.
In John 7:38, Jesus says, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow a river of living water.” This means that people who
receive the remission of all their sins by believing in the beautiful gospelthat
Jesus Christ gave them have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The living
waterof the Holy Spirit will flow like a river out of their hearts. People who
believe in this beautiful gospelwill experience the flowing out of the Spiritual
living waters.
Even though I was a devout believer in Jesus before I was born againthrough
the gospelofthe waterand the Spirit, there was no living waterof the Holy
Spirit flowing out of my heart. However, after I came to believe in the
beautiful gospelof the waterand the Spirit, the living waterbegan to flow
freely out of my heart just as it is written in the Bible. Even at this moment,
the living waterof the Holy Spirit flows togetherwith the gospelof the water
and the Spirit that Godgave me. The living waterof the Holy Spirit flows in
abundance from my heart all year round. I beganto do the work of an
evangelist, preaching the beautiful gospel, afterI receivedthe indwelling of
the Holy Spirit.
My confessionoffaith after believing in the beautiful gospeland receiving the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit

59. It was just before the end of autumn in my early twenties. Thatautumn
especiallymade me think of the inevitability of my death. My life that year
was marked by confusion, emptiness and darkness due to the sins in my heart.
I was moving in the wrong direction, with no idea which way to turn. My body
was getting ill along and the emptiness in my heart was growing.
Becauseofmy sins, I was in total despair and I wasn’teven sure of the cause. I
had no other choice but to wait for God’s judgment at the sudden end of my
life and beg for the remission of my sins. “Oh Lord, I want to receive the
remissionof my sins through my faith in You before I die. Also, please heal
the sicknessin my body!” I prayed and prayed.
Just then, new hope started to pour out from deep down in my desperate
heart. My heart was filled with longing for God, and was as hot as a fireball. It
wasn’t despair, it was new hope that was burning like a raging fire in my
heart. From that day on I begana new religious life, believing that Jesus died
on the Cross to save me from my sins.
Not long after that, I had the experience of speaking in tongues. Later I
continued to shed tears as I thought about the blood Jesus had shed on the
Cross. I was thankful that He had shed His blood on the Cross for me.
After that incident I abandoned my old life and got a new job that allowedme
to keepthe holy Sunday. At that time, my heart was full of love for Jesus, and
overflowedwith the endless gratitude whenever I felt that Jesus had shed His
blood on the Cross to save me from my sins. My religious spirit began to grow,
but it was solelybasedon the words of Jesus’bloodon the Cross.
However, as time went on, my religious life began to be plagued by suffering
due to my weaknessesandactual sins. All my actual sins hadn’t been
completely washedawaybecause my belief was in Jesus’blood on the Cross
alone. I tried to washawaymy actualsins through prayers of repentance.
However, the prayers I offered in hopes of achieving God’s forgiveness could
not completelywash awaymy actual sins. It was all because I couldn’t keep
God’s laws. My actualsins beganto pile up.

60. Even though my sins weren’t completely washedawaythrough my prayers of
repentance, I had no other choice but to continue to saythese prayers. I
believed that every time I sinned, I could wash awaymy sins through prayers
of repentance and by thinking about Jesus’bloodon the Cross. The more I
continued with my religious life, the more my actualsins were piling up due to
my weaknesses. Mysuffering was only increasing because ofthese sins.
I was becoming a Pharisaic Christian, and I was appointed a deaconand later
an evangelistregardless ofthe burden of my sins. I went out to preach the
gospelwheneverI felt the pain of my actualsins, thinking this was the only
way to cleanse my soul. But my actual sins were not washedawaythrough this
kind of faith based on doctrine and self-sacrifice.
I even had the experience of getting caughtby Satan. I fell into condemnation
due to my actualsins and evenfelt the urge to die for my transgressions.“You
have sinned, haven’t you?” Satancontinued to condemn and torment me with
my sin.
My faith was on the verge of collapse. Irealized that I couldn’t washawaymy
actualsins through faith in Jesus’blood and prayers of repentance alone, and
eventually found myself in a state of frustration.
Studying Calvinism in a theologicalseminary, I became interestedin the
reasonfor Jesus’baptism by John. I askedmany professors why Jesus Christ
was baptized by John in the Jordan. But their answers usedto be the
stereotypedones, such as that He was baptized to show His modesty or to
announce that He was the Son of God. However, these answers were not
enough to quench my curiosity.
The truth of Jesus’baptism by John causedme to recognize the beautiful
gospel