John 7 : 37-39 - On the last day, that great [day] of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If any one is thirsty, let him come to me, and
drink.
He that believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his inward parts shall flow
rivers of living water.
(But he was referring to the Spirit, which those that believe in him would receive: for
the Holy Spirit was not yet [given]; because Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Acts 2 : 43 - And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders
and signs were done by the apostles.
remember when as a child, in what was then known as
Rhodesia, I would travel with my family to visit the Victoria Falls, one of the largest
waterfalls in the world. The sight was awesome and breathtaking. Great walls of water
thundering down into the gorge below that sounded like thunder and a great mist coming up
to water the ground from the splashing of the water on the rocks below. No wonder the
local population called it in their language, "the cloud that thunders."
There was an area nearby called the rain forest, which was a tropical forest that
continually received water from the mists that rose from the waterfall. It was certainly a
sight that drew people from long distances and you could understand why.
But in spite of this beautiful natural wonder, there was very little in the way of
human settlement in the area. About the only buildings and businesses were the hotels and
chalets that catered for the large tourist trade in the area. Of course there was also an
abundance of curio sellers from the local population. Even the nearby city was only a
small town. People loved to visit there and would come back again many times to see the
wonderful sight, but no one could live permanently at the riverside. The river was too
powerful to be used by the average person for their daily needs. I can remember well,
going near to the edge to look down into the deep gorge below where the water was falling.
It was a fearful sight and I was afraid too go too close, in case I might slip and fall
onto the rocks.
The Scripture speaks a lot about rivers and water, as a symbol, is often used to
represent the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself used this metaphor. In our first reading for
today we see an event that took place during Jesus' ministry. He was attending a Jewish
feast that ended in a ceremony which was the highlight of the feast and was carried out on
the last day of the feast period. On that day a priest would go down to the pool of Siloam
and fill a golden pitcher with water. Then he would walk back to where a silver goblet was
placed, and he would pour water from the golden pitcher into the goblet while a Scripture
passage was read out loud: -
Isaiah 12:3 Therefore with joy you shall draw water out of the
wells of salvation.
The Jews did not realize that most of their Old Testament rituals and feasts were
actually pictures of what was to take place later in the New Testament era. They did not
realize that the very fulfillment of their ceremony was standing right there. You see gold
in the Old Testament was a picture of Divinity and Silver was a picture of redemption. The
golden pitcher that they filled with water was actually a picture of Jesus, the Son of
God, pouring out the water of the Spirit into a redeemed vessel - the believer. Jesus knew
exactly what it meant and He could see Himself, after having received the promise of the
Holy Spirit from the Father, pouring this out into the lives of those who would believe in
Him.
The revelation of it and the wonder of it must have so overwhelmed Him that He could
not keep quiet. He cried out to everyone at the feast to come to him, using the symbol of
water as a picture of the Holy Spirit. He said that those who were thirsty should come to
him to drink. Then He said that those who believed in Him would receive, in their inward
parts, a new source of that spiritual power. It would be like a water source, flowing out
of them like a river, and carrying with it a power that would bring life. John the
apostle, in writing in retrospect tells us what Jesus was referring to when He said that.
He tells us that Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit that would be given to those who
would believe in Him.
The first fulfillment of this took place when the disciples gathered together in the
Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. On that day the promise of the Father was poured out
on them. It started with a sound like a mighty rushing wind. I imagine that it must have
sounded a bit like the noise that you would hear if you visited the Victoria Falls. And
with it came another symbol that is often used for the Holy Spirit - fire. The effect on
those gathered in the Upper Room was devastating. We do not have a very detailed
explanation in the Book of Acts except to tell us that they were speaking in other
tongues.
But it is clear that it was not only their speech that caused a crowd to be drawn to
the place. It was not only their speech that caused some people to begin to mock and
accuse them of being drunk at just 9 o'clock in the morning. There was a power there that
made these people behave in a way that made them look like they had been drinking. But it
was a power that had an effect on those that came near. It was a power that caused a man
who was totally without courage and afraid to admit that he was even associated with
Jesus, to stand up and boldly preach to the crowds. It was a power that caused 3000 people
to make a decision to follow Christ that day. It was a power that caused Peter to be so
filled with God that his very shadow passing over sick people would cause them to be
healed.
You see, like the rain forest at the Falls, there came an overflow that poured out upon
everyone that was nearby. It caused people to come from near and far to see and hear what
was going on. It brought an awesome sense of God's presence and those who walked in that
power continued to perform miracles in the Name of Jesus. Acts 2:43 tells us
And fear came upon every person: and many wonders and signs were
done by the apostles.
This power drew people and caused them to come under the influence of God's Spirit. It
caused people to change. Barriers were broken down, and love began to flow. People began
to share their possessions with each other. They began to get together in their homes for
times of feasting and fellowship together. They began tell everyone they knew about Jesus,
so that every day new people would come to know the Lord and join them.
But not everyone was happy with what was going on. It was not long before the apostles,
who were spreading this 'heresy' were seized and brought before the religious council of
that day. You see, when God's Spirit begins to move, He breaks through the barriers of
cold religion and it begins to shake and upset the religious status quo. When someone
begins to achieve in a very small space of time and without great knowledge, more than the
educated establishment has done in years, it is always going to lead to opposition and
criticism.
Things have not changed much in modern times. Because God is still pouring out His
Spirit on all flesh and it is still causing a change in lives, and the religious
establishment is still nervous about it and questioning what is happening. But those who
are open to it are hearing what God is doing in many different places and are being drawn,
just as the crowds are drawn to the wonder of the Falls. And those that come are soaking
up the effects like a rain forest and experiencing growth. Some fear the noise of the
water and are afraid of falling over into the gorge below, from which they can never
return. They stand at a safe distance and refuse to come too close.
We will be looking at the subject of the Holy Spirit during the next few days to see if
we can learn some principles. If you have never experienced the power of God's Spirit and
have never seen the awesome work of His power, then you are perhaps like many that have
never seen a natural wonder like the Victoria Falls. Perhaps you are too afraid to take a
look because you have been warned against it. Perhaps you have been given a distorted
picture concerning it. On the other hand you might be a believer that has known and
experienced God's power in the past. But now you seem to have run dry. It is as though the
river has dried up. You are like the Israelites who were told about the wonderful things
that God did when He led their ancestors out of Egypt, but you haven't seen much of it
yourself.
The good news is that the Holy Spirit is still here. He still works in and through us
with the same power that He did in the early apostles. And Lord willing we would like to
see how we might come to the place where we can once more experience that power in our
lives.
