Not a one time event

Scripture:

John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. (38) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" (39) Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Observation:

My observation from our text today is my sermon outline from yesterday mornings message:

1. Significance of the Place (v. 37a)

John 7:37 "On the last day of the feast, the great day…"

A. Feast of Tabernacles explained

B. Fulfillment emphasized

If you look at all of the sacrifices for the Feast of Tabernacles in Numbers 29, you'll see some very interesting numerical patterns:

The Feast of Tabernacles had 7 days to it
It was in the 7^th month of the year
It was the 7^th Feast of the year There were 70 bulls sacrificed during the Feast There 14 rams sacrificed during the Feast There were 7 goats sacrificed during the Feast There were 98 lambs sacrificed during the Feast

All of those numbers are multiples of 7, the number symbolizing completion, perfection or fulfillment. The hallmark number of perfection and completion is stamped all over the feast.

2. Symbolism of the Person (v. 37b)

John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."

Jesus is the "living water."

A. Passion to overcome religion "Jesus stood up and cried out" (Cried out is from a Greek word that means "hoarse raven.")

B. Prerequisites for receiving "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink"

"If anyone thirst"-Desire

"Come to me"-Dependency

"And drink"-Digest

3. Starting point is the Polestar (center of attraction, directing principle) (v. 38)

John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

A. What is the Heart?

1. Your Identity (Proverbs 27:19)

Your heart is the most important part of who you are. It is the center of your being where the "real you" resides.

Proverbs 27:19 As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he"

2. Your Center

Since your physical heart is in the center of your body and sends life-giving blood out to every livingcell, the word "heart" has been used for centuries to describe the core starting place of all y our thoughts, beliefs, values, motives and convictions.

3. Your Headquarters

Your heart is the Pentagon of your operations. As a result, every area of your life is impacted by the direction of your heart.

B. What wrong with following my heart?

1. It's Foolish (Proverbs 28:26)

Proverbs 28:26 (AMP) He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.

(CEV) Only fools would trust what they alone think, but if you live by wisdom, you will do all right.

(GNB) It is foolish to follow your own opinions. Be safe, and follow the teachings of wiser people.

(MSG) If you think you know it all, you're a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.

2. It's Unreliable

People forget that feelings and emotions are shallow, fickle, and unreliable. They can fluctuate depending upon circumstances.

3. It's Corrupt (Jeremiah 17:9)

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

C. Why Should I not follow my heart? (Ecclesiastes 10:2)

Ecclesiastes 10:2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

D. Ways to lead my heart

1. Check your heart

2. Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23)

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

3. Set your heart (Colossians 3:1)

Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

4. Invest your heart

4. Saturation of the Pneuma (v. 38-39)

John 7:38-39 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" (39) Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

A. Flow speaks of the direction of the Spirit

B. Rivers speaks of the impact of the Spirit

C. Living speaks of the life that the Spirit brings

D. Waters speaks of the emphasis that the Spirit gives to Jesus

Application:

How does this apply to me?

For application, I want to remind you of our text from Monday concerning "overflowing in the Spirit,"

Numbers 11:25 GOD came down in a cloud and spoke to Moses and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested on them they prophesied. But they didn't continue; it was a onetime event.

It is so easy to say that I want to overflow in the Spirit, and then enjoy a time of refreshing, renewing and even rejuvenation from the Spirit. But the question that I felt the Lord ask me as I read this passage this past Friday was, "but will you continue and live in the overflow of the Spirit? Or...will you not continue and just live from experience to experience decreasing what I want to do in you and for you a onetime event?"

As I felt those words in my Spirit, I just sat and mediated on them for a while. The prayer from my heart is, "Lord, forgive me for the times that I have been so on fire for you and thinking that nothing can extinquish this excitement, only to once again, relegate the encounter to a one time event (experience).

I want to overflow with the Spirit daily. I do not want this overflow to be a one time event or experience. For me to daily walk in the fullness of the Spirit I must desire more of you, depend more on you, and digest more from you! When this happens, then what you are doing through me will never become just another one time event!

Prayer:

"Lord, please forgive me for all of the one time events that I have had in my life. My intentions were good but because of laziness, priorities, unconcern, or a number of other reasons, often I would find myself drifting from the powerful encounter that I would have with you. I would be like Simon Peter, saying one thing with emotion, and doing another in a matter of hours. I thank you for what you have been speaking into my heart and spirit over the past few days. I want to walk, talk, live, and minister in the overflow of the Spirit. I do not want that overflow to become a one time event. I choose today to come to you with a thirst in my spirit that I haven't had for some time. I long for your presence, for your illumination, for your inspiration, for your heart and passion. Thank you for the daily lessons and patience. I love you Lord! In Jesus' name, amen."