Jesus' declaration on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink," is the central theme, emphasizing that true spiritual satisfaction flows from Him. The sermon explores the timing, truth, and triumph of this statement, contrasting the empty rituals of the feast with the abundant life offered by the Holy Spirit. The core lesson is that genuine spiritual vitality and fruitfulness come not from human effort or ceremony, but from a personal, abiding relationship with Christ, empowered by the indwelling Spirit. The application is a call to embrace this abundant life, allowing the Spirit to flow through believers, transforming their lives and testimonies.
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I'm very happy I'm twenty-five years near heaven and home than I was at that time when we had our first conference. We didn't have quite the organization then nor the facilities to feed the people, but accommodate them. We really had close communion then in every aspect when we fed all those people back in the kitchen. I tell you I believe we should have a real reward, especially Brother McCabe who's in charge of the meals in those days, how we fed three and four hundred people or meals. In a day, I just don't know. But miracles were performed in those days, and we thank God for everybody was happy, and that means a whole lot. Everybody was happy.
We had lots to eat, and wonderful fellowship, and they were indeed days of heaven upon earth. One thing that goes around down in Albany, and has likely kept quite a few people from the chapel, that is the report of preachers. And their argument is this. Well, supposing anything happens to Lester Wilson, what's going to happen to the Albany Gospel Chapel? Supposing anything happens to Lester Wilson, what's going to happen to the Albany Gospel Chapel? It'll dry up. Well, my reply to that is you ought to go to North Carolina and see the assemblies up there.
They're a whole lot larger than they were when I left. the Piedmont. And I try and quote that scripture to as many as I can. If this thing be of man, it will come to naught, but if it be of God take heed, lest you be pound to fight against God. God established these works, these assemblies. Therefore they've gone on, they've grown, they've prospered. If there's been my work or any other man's, it would have withered on the vine long ago. But I think the assemblies in these parks as a monument to the grace of God and His kindness and His blessing upon His word. They haven't been built around men.
They've been built around the man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Shall we turn to John chapter seven? John chapter seven. Verse thirty-seven. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, Out of this inward part shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. I've been meditating a little on this remarkable passage and the background associated with it, and so I'll try for a little while to speak upon it. The timing of the text, then the truth, of it, and finally the triumph of it.
The time was at last that great day of the feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, which was but one, and the last one of seven feasts that punctuated the Jewish calendar from the middle of April until the middle of October. And this is the final one, these feasts that were conceived and ordered and arranged by God himself. They were not devised by man, conceived by man, arranged by him, but God Himself selected these feasts, and He gave all the necessary detail concerning their being carried out.
You might say that you have in these seven feasts what you have in the seven churches of Asia, something prophetic. The seven churches of Asia were not only seven actual existing churches on the Asiatic mainland, nineteen hundred years ago, but they predicted the condition of the church at certain times down to the church age. And as the condition of the one passed on to the next, we come to the final church, Leodosia, And we're in that lairacy and age today of what a sad situation we are in as far as God's testimony on earth is concerned.
And so these seven priests were ordered by God, and they more or less give us an outline, a broad outline of God's dealings with the human race relative to His plan of redemption. God calls them celebrations, feasts, festivals, convocations, memorials, or if you will, holidays. I think some of the conferences, even this one, many of our conferences could be looked upon as such an old case. A time to celebrate, a time when there are real feasts available for our soul, festivals, more or less the holidays.
a convocation, a memorial. Many of our conferences can be looked upon as such. To the glory of God. Now God arranged these. God was the one who conceived them, and he is the one who gave the dates for them, and thus they were carried out. If you were to turn back to Leviticus twenty-three, ten times over you would find these words. that there be no servile work therein. During all these seven feasts, some were longer than others, God says there is to be no work, no human endeavor whatsoever, that there be no servile work therein.
In other words, the thought evidently is that they were going to rejoice. in what God had planned and what God had performed. They were not going to rejoice in the work of their own hands. Something they had done, all these celebrations, these festivals, these convocations were more or less a reminder, a time for rejoicing over what God had done and what He was doing and going to do. I'm sure if our conferences in the past were but a gathering together for each brother to get up here and blow his trumpet and each one to talk about what he had done or what he was going to do, every one a time of talking about our works, our merits, and things we had done and planned to do in the future, I don't think there'd be much rejoicing.
If our conferences or our convocations were around men, there wouldn't be much to rejoice in. For human effort, no matter how sincere is always marked with failure. But God says, I am going to give you these feasts. And it's to remember, call to remembrance, and rejoice in. celebrate what I have done. And I am sure this morning, as we've been listening to the choir, singing those beautiful hymns, it's all about man of sorrows.
What a name. It's what he has done. What he's now doing and what he's yet going to do. Isn't that something to rejoice over? Isn't that something to celebrate what God has done? We're children. We're not slaves. Of course, in the Old Testament, they were not children in the sense that we are today. We have a more intimate relationship. But they were not slaves. They were God's children in the sense he wanted them around him. He was the center of all these occasions, these feasts, these festivals. And God had his children around him.
And what a time of celebration and feasting was there. In all these feasts, blood had to be shed. Why, there were lambs and bullocks and rams and kids and goats. Yes, these feasts had for their foundation, their faces, blood. Blood. There was no rejoicing. There was no celebrating. There was no festival. No feasting without blood. And then let me say this morning there will be no feasting, there will be no rejoicing or any celebrating if it were not for the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
All those sacrifices pointed onward to the one supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ that needed no repetition because it was perfect. The reason there was a repetition of Old Testament sacrifices it because of the imperfection of the sacrifice. But when Jesus Christ came, He was perfect. Therefore there is no need for a repetition. That sacrifice was perfect and complete. Therefore it needed no repetition. But all these feasts were based upon blood. And were it not for the blood of Christ, I presume none of us would be here this morning.
Isn't it the blood of Christ? and the person of Christ has brought us together. If we didn't value and appreciate and know the power and efficacy of that blood, none of us would be here this morning. We've been saved by the blood of the Lamb. And that's why we're here. All our celebrating is on the basis of the blood. Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. a blood relationship. A lot of people speak of Christianity as a religion. It isn't. Christianity is a relationship, a wonderful relationship, a relationship in Christ, a relationship of blood relationship based upon the precious blood he shed.
We've all been purchased by his precious blood. I say all. I hope of. There may be some here who are not saved by the grace of God, and therefore, friend, this is no celebration for you. You may endure it like I used to go to conferences up in Canada before I was saved. And I'll tell you, I didn't enjoy myself. But after I was saved, it was another situation completely. I love to be around God's people. Why, if there's an unsaved person here this morning, you're really not at home. You can't celebrate.
You've nothing to rejoice over. You know nothing of this precious relationship. I wonder if there are those here this morning unsaved. And you cannot celebrate the death of Christ. You can't celebrate his resurrection. You cannot celebrate the fact He's at God's right hand now interceding for us, and rejoice in the fact He's coming again. No, we're speaking and using a language you cannot employ because you're not saved. If that's your case, I trust you'll come to Christ before this conference is over.
Let us think of these pieces. The first one was the Passover. You read about that in verses four and five of Leviticus. the Passover, and you read also in the New Testament, First Corinthians five, seven, Christ our Passover, which was sacrificed for us. They and we begin right here. They, as a nation, began in Exodus twelve. This month shall be unto you the beginning of months. Religiously, spiritually, Israel, had her beginning in the twelfth of Exodus, under the blood of the Lamb.
That's where they began. That's where we begin. We begin with the blood. Remember that night so long ago, when at the midnight hour the angel began his work, going from house to house, and oh, the wails of the mothers, and the fathers, as the firstborn, dropped dead under the sword of the avenging angel. For whosoever was not sheltered by the blood, he fell a corpse. It was a serious night, a serious occasion, when the angel was at work.
And no priest, no physician, No magician could save anyone who wasn't sheltered by the blood of the Lamb. I say, friend, if you're not sheltered by the blood of Christ, no physician or magician or doctor or anyone else can save you from a lost eternity. The dice cast, your doom is sealed if you breathe your last without knowing the efficacy and power of of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you from all sin. But oh, look in that house where the blood is applied and see the rejoicing festivities there.
They were rejoicing because the deaf angel had not visited that welling. That's why we're rejoicing today because God's judgment will not visit us. Our judgment day has passed. It took place at Calvary when Jesus Christ as my substitute bore the full brunt of the wrath of God when he pared his bosom and received the stroke that just as aimed at me. Therefore we can rejoice this morning. The unleavened bread was the next feast, speaking of communion. Following salvation, there is communion. What a search took place before this feast of communion.
They had to search throughout the whole house to see if there was one little piece of lemon. They couldn't commute. They could not celebrate. They could not partake of this feast if one little piece of lemon were found in their dwelling. They searched the house from attic to basement. They searched into every corner to see if they could find a little piece of leaven. If they could find it, to dispose of it, if it were there, they were disqualified from communion, rejoicing and worshiped.
How through that word let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. What a time of searching should take place in every Christian's heart before he partakes of that which symbolizes the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Going into the corners, pulling up the rugs in our walk, investigating, examining every part of our life. Our words are thoughts and deeds to get rid of every little bit of leaven that we may partake of that bread and wine honorably and for his glory to do so with liver in your life is to eat and drink condemnation to yourself not discerning the Lord's body the next feast was that of the first fruits the resurrection not only his resurrection but our resurrection what a wonderful feast that was
the feast of first fruits. Then you have the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, Pentecost meaning fifty. What a wonderful feast this was, the Feast of Pentecost, typifying the descent of the Holy Spirit. And here you have loaves in this feast, not a sheaf or separate stalks, loosely held together, but lo, speaking of the body of Christ, speaking of unity. When the Spirit of God came down on the day of Pentecost, he came down to baptize into one body.
By one Spirit, all ye baptized into one body. So when they celebrated that wonderful feast back so long ago, they were giving us a little picture of Pentecost. the descent of the Spirit and the unifying of the body of Jesus Christ. Then the feast of trumpets was their fifth feast. This is a wonderful point to bring out because the feast of weeks was the longest. There was quite a span, possibly four months, between the feast of weeks and the feast of trumpets.
And I believe we have typified the present age in which we live, the present age. We're anticipating the feast of trumpets, not we as Christians. This applies primarily to Israel. And Israel is going to hear the trumpet. What do you read in Matthew, twenty-four, thirty-one? And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet. They shall gather together his elect from the four winds. From one end of heaven unto the others. Present unto the other. Present day we have Israel being regathered. But regathered in unbelief.
Politically Israel is regathered. But there's a time coming when she will be spiritually restored. I think you have it in Ezekiel thirty-seven. Here you find these bones coming together, bone to his bone, and his flesh, their sinew, coming upon those bones. But there's no light. Today we see Israel politically, re-gathered to the land, recognized as a nation among the families of nations. But there's not a spark of divine light in Israel.
The day is coming when God said to Ezekiel, prophesy upon these bones, come, O wind. And the wind came and entered into them, and they stood upon their feet in exceeding great armies. And friend, Israel's spiritual quickening is still in the future. It's coming, and it's not far off. Following that is the day of atonement, Israel's future cleansing given us in detail in Leviticus chapter sixty. A nation shall be born in a day, in that glorious day when they shall look upon him whom they have pierced, unmorned for him as one mourneth for an only son.
God will cleanse the iniquity of that land in one day. That will be the great day of atonement for Israel. But then the feasts were interested in this morning. This is the feast, the final feast, the feast of Tabernacles. And the Lord Jesus Christ is added. I do not know whether the Lord Jesus attended all the feasts or whether they even carried out all these feasts in the day of the Lord Jesus. I rather believe they did. The Lord Jesus was brought up according to Jewish custom and ritual. When he went into the temple in Luke chapter four, he stood up to read as his custom was, showing that through those years, those private years, he frequented the temple.
And the Son of God evidently attended all these feasts if the nation of Israel carried them out nineteen hundred years ago. This is the longest and most elaborate of all those feasts. And what a feast it was. Each day of the festival, the people came together with their palms and their willow branches, and they marched around the great brazen altar in the temple court. And a priest took a picture of water and went down to the pool of Siloam, and he brought it up through the water gate, and he poured it upon the altar.
What was this for? In other words, it was to remind the people were reminding themselves and rejoicing before the Lord in the light of what you have in Isaiah twelve and three. Therefore, with joy shall we draw water out of the wells of salvation. And they would sing that, chant that, that you have in Isaiah twelve and three. Then the priest poured this water upon the altar as the offering of God. which at the same time the Halal was singing most beautifully. The Levite choir and their music, and what were they singing, the Halal?
And that's Psalm one thirteen to one eighty. And right at this moment, a moment of, you might say, dramatic. But it was that. It was a dramatic moment when here you hear the voice of the Son of God. He's been looking off. He's been watching. He sees the formula. He sees them going through all the form and the ritual and the ceremony of the feast of Tabernacles. And the last day has come. He's waited patiently. He's looked on. He's scrutinized every move during the week. Finally, the last day has come.
And they go around seven times. on the last day, commemorating the victory at Jericho. And at this moment of tense excitement, at this moment of dramatic ritual, right then the timing of this text, as I said it again. Right at that moment, the resonant voice of the Son of God rang throughout the temple court. If any man thirsts, then come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his inward parts shall flow rivers of liver-water. This spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive.
Oh, the timing of the test. Could it be the Son of God started in April above the fourteenth and went through all these seven feasts that punctuated the Jewish calendar? And now the last one, the most elaborate one of all, And he waits for this final moment, just before the conclusion of this feast. He's been looking all week for signs of spiritual life. But it's all so empty, so hollow. It's just ritual, it's just formality. Finally, as he sees no life, he longs for them to know what real life is, Then his voice is heard.
What excitement! All eyes turned to the one. What is these words if any man thirsts? Sure among this crowd, who have gone through this festival, someone's really hungry, someone not satisfied with the ritual, and all the ceremony of this feast. is longing for the real faith. If any man thirsts, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me as the Scripture has said, out of his inward parts shall flow rivers of living water.
Christendom today, never in the history of the church, has there been more activity, more ceremony, more pageantry, as we have it today. and yet no light. A form of godliness for denying the power thereof. And so here's the remedy. The Lord Jesus says, if any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. If he'll come out of his inward pot shall flow rivers of living water. This spake he of the Spirit. Here's the truth. We've noticed the timing, now the truth of this thing.
This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. There are a couple of lovely texts over in John. I wrote them down. John twelve and twenty-three. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Notice that word. Verily, verily, I say unto you, accept a corn of wheat, fall into the ground and die at a bite of the loan. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. There's his death, glorified in his death. Chapter sixteen and seven, nevertheless I tell you the truth that is expedient for you, that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you.
He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. Jesus Christ had to be glorified in His death. He had to be glorified in His resurrection and ascension and take His seat beside the Father before the Holy Spirit could come. The Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Do you think of His cross as a glorification? He did. Now it is come when the Son of Man must be glorified, and except a corn of wheat fallen to the ground and died a bite of the loam, but if it died, bringeth forth much fruit.
Yes, he was glorified at the cross, and he was glorified in his resurrection and in his ascension. until humanity in the person of Jesus Christ went into the presence of deity. Did deity in the person of the Holy Spirit come down to dwell in the hearts of humanity? Jesus Christ must die. His crucifixion comes before his coronation. Yes, he must die. And he must be raised again from the dead. He must go back to heaven before the Holy Spirit could come. This spake ye of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.
How wonderful this morning we can partake of the Holy Spirit of God. If we're born again we have, we've been sealed by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption. The thing is this, we accepted Christ when we discovered we were dead. That's only when the Spirit quickened us. When we acknowledged, I'm dead. I'm dead. You have to be quickened who were dead in trespasses and in sins. Wasn't that a happy moment when we were saved, we were quickened.
We received life. When we acknowledged we were dead, we couldn't do a thing to save ourselves. You know the trouble with Christian? They haven't remained dead. The old man has come very much alive. When they got baptized, they dried off too quick. The meaning of baptism didn't seem to linger or last very long. As he had received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walked he in him. If we from day to day as Christian walked in the light of the I couldn't do a thing to save myself.
I admitted my unworthiness, my weakness, and the Lord saved me. That's the only way you can live the Christian life. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself all. She still realizes. that in myself dwelleth no good thing, and in myself I can do nothing. It's only in the measure the living Christ can live through me have I able to accomplish a thing for God.
Without me, says Jesus Christ, you can do nothing. Oh, how much human energy, fleshly zeal, An activity goes by the board today without the blessing of God because their dependence has been upon self instead of the Holy Spirit. Oh, yes, we can plan. Many a time have I gotten up a sermon instead of getting a doubt. I got it up. And when I gave it up, the Lord let me give it up. with the same energy that I got up with.
There wasn't much to it. But when you get a sermon down and God gives it to you and you depend upon him for his deliverance, then, friend, there'll be something accomplished. How we as Christians have gotten away from what we were when we were first saved but their absolute complete dependence upon the Lord from day to day. But that's what he says here. And only when Christ is glorified in my life will there be rivers of living water.
Are the rivers of living water in your life and mine? The water in John Tree is seen coming in at the new birth, except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit. Here's the water coming in. John four, the water's bubbling up as the Lord speaks to the woman at Samaria. But in John chapter seven, the water's running out. Here are the rivers of living water. Remember, water finds its level. That's why I know this blessed book is from God. Water always rises to its source. The life that came down when I was saved, that new life, as in John III.
It immediately began lifting me up. It had heavenly tendencies and desires, because the life of God comes down were partakers of the divine nature. The life of God comes down to occupy part of the sinner's part. He wants it all. And then he wants to lift that heart and light back up to the social medicaid. And then it flows out. I wonder if it does. You notice rivers of living water. I try to think of what this might suggest. Rivers of living water. I thought of abundance. Abundance.
And isn't there an abundance in Jesus Christ? I am come that they might have life, that they might have it more abundantly. We're living as poppers when we should be princes. We're not extracting all that God has for us in his wonderful salvation. Rivers of living water. You know, you think of Stephen. I thought of him as I thought on this. Steven, they could not resist his enemies, could not resist the spirit or the wisdom by which he spoke. Here is Stephen.
He had an irresistible personality and testimony. They couldn't resist him. And if we're in the good of the rivers of living water, we'll have a testimony like that, too. irresistible testimony, rivers of living water. You know, it's a wonderful thing when you see the Spirit of God move. It seems to me he moves in waves. That's been much of my experience. About six months ago in Albany, we saw thirteen saved in two weeks right in the middle of summer.
Recently we've seen quite a number more. We go through some months without one. Possibly if that one gets saved, it's one that's been sitting, listening for years. Then you start seeing the Spirit begin to move, and you get a cluster. It's wonderful when you do. Works something like this. One of the ladies who was saved recently, one of our fine Christians, Mr. Sadie Henderson works in the bank. She said to me one day, Mr. Wilson, I'm just about giving up. I'm discouraged. I've invited everybody in the bank and I just can't get one of them to come to the chapel.
One of them said, is Mr. Wilson paying you a salary for working like this? She was inviting everybody around the bank to come to the chapel. She said, I was just about to stop when this lady came in. She was a new employee. Her husband's a policeman. Sadie said, I went over to her. What church do you go to? She said, I don't go to any church. My husband and I haven't gone to any church if you came to Albany. But Sadie said, would you like to come to church with me? She says, yes. Sadie says, will you come Sunday morning? She said, yes. My say, this is wonderful. Will you come Sunday night? She says, yes.
Well, she said, I'll press the word. She says, tonight's our prayer meeting. Will you come tonight? She says, yes. Well, she said, this is something new. Well, the lady came and after two or three meetings she got saved. Another lady came who works in the bank. The same thing about two weeks ago this morning. Fine character and price. And down the aisle weeping. She'd only been to the chapel a few times. Another lady had only come two or three times. Mrs. Hardy. She'd been a bitter soul. criticizing everything connected with the chapel. She attended Sadie's Bible class.
And Sadie handed her something to read. She said, I don't want anything to read. That's why I'm in the mess. I'm in now. I've read too much. I want the Bible. She says, I hear the Albany Gospel Chapel preachers the Bible, and that's what I've come out here for. I want Bible. Sadie says, well, that's good. Two, three days later, she had phoned up some folks at the church where she was and told her some of her thoughts. They said, where are you going to church? Well, I'm going to the Albany Gospel Church. Well, no wonder you're in a mess. You don't go out there. You get all mixed up. Three or four days later, she was phoning those same folks up.
She said, do you know something? Instead of us being right and them wrong, they are right and we are wrong. She says, I got saved. And this is the way it's been going. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. I haven't prayed anymore. I haven't preached any harder. In fact, it's been easier preaching. And yet people have been getting saved. Why is it even going back, or even in the present, when you have a series of gospel meetings, the souls start getting saved toward the end when you should be? really starting here, finishing your campaign, so is the beginning to get saved. I believe that Christians are just starting to get warmed up.
If it had been warmed up to begin with, if there had been those rivers of living water begin with, I believe people have started to get saved the first night. And so here's the Spirit of God in His gracious movement. Oh, that a fresh wave of the Holy Spirit would sweep through the Piedmont. And a lot of it depends on you Christians. A lot of it depends on you Christians. Out of this inward patch of the rivers of living water. Rivers of living water. I wonder if it's so. If Christ is glorified in our life, there will be rivers of living water.
If He's grieved. No, there won't be. There won't be. This spake ye of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive. Out of his inward parts shall flow rivers of living water. Not an isolated blessing, but blessed every day. Not just a little trickle or a little brook or a little stream, but rivers of living water. Do we know anything of it? Rivers of living water. Can you celebrate such an occasion?
No, I'm not speaking about the second blessing, not for a minute. I think I've had about my first million almost. I'm starting on the second million blessing, not the second one. God blessed me time and time again when I didn't deserve it. I believe we should be the happy recipients of the constant flow of the blessing of God. Well, you say, how do you get this blessing each day? I know the enjoyment of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I'll tell you one thing. It hasn't always been so in my life. There have been those barren places.
There have been those times when the heavens seem like brass. That's true. But when that situation was faced and acknowledged and confessed and we get back to reading this blessed book and get back to spending time in the presence of God in prayer, then you're setting the stage for that spiritual joy to start flowing again. In other words, it's by reading, it's by prayer we push back those areas that formerly have been occupied by the flesh. Only in the measure that you read God's Word, you study God's Word, you spend time in His presence, and by reading and prayer you're pushing back those areas that now can be occupied and taken over by the Spirit of God.
Are there not areas in your life and mine? dominated by the flesh that should be dominated by the Holy Spirit of God. Years ago, there was a man right here in the chapel who came up after one of our meetings. He said, Mr. Wilson, I think I'm saved, I'm pretty sure I am, but he said, I'm not happy. Oh, you're not happy. I said, do you read the Bible? Well, no, he said, not very much. I said, when was the last time you read it? He started scratching his head. He said, maybe about three weeks ago. Do you pray much? Well, yeah, sometime. When was the last time you went into the presence of God and spent a season with the Lord?
He said, I just can't remember. I said, do you witness? No. Do you go to church anywhere? Do you fellowship with God's people? No. He said, tonight's the first time I've been for a long time. And you tell me you're saved and you're not happy. You have answered your own question. No wonder, friend, some Christians are not happy. No wonder some Christians are not seeing their prayers answered, living lives like that. It's an absolute impossibility for a Christian to go off. victoriously for God, being used by God, enjoying the presence of God, without studying this blessed book and spending time in his pages and spending time in prayer.
Are you doing that? Well, I assure you one thing, you know nothing of the rivers of living water until you give time to reading God's word and time to prayer. This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. Rivers of living water. All the spiritual Mississippies, Amazons, Danubes, and Niles, and Niagara's, wrapped up and caught up in one mighty stream. Could it be that God has made such a provision for us? I didn't say it. The Lord Jesus said it.
He that believeth on me, as the Scripture said, Out of his inward parts shall flow rivers of living water. The fruit of the Spirit. What do you have over in Galatians five? Here's a river coming from the Spirit. Love. The fruit of the Spirit is love. Here's another one. Joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. May I add another? Power. Here are some rivers given you in the book. Is the river of love flowing or is that river of love poisoned, made bitter by enmity, by hatred?
I wonder. What about that lovely river of joy? Is it flowing freely this morning? Is it flooding your heart? Is it flooding your life? What about that river of peace? Is it unhindered, flowing through your very being, the river of peace? Here are the rivers of living water coming from an ungrieved Holy Spirit. a spirit that has moved into every area of your life and every area of your soul. And no part of you is barricaded against him.
He can take over. Well, you see the outcome. Unless we know something of this, we are preaching without authority, we are witnessing without fruitfulness, we are living without radiance. The world is done in place by our claims that we're saved, and we are the people, and wisdom will die without us unless there is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. This cold, calculated dogmatism, professional religion of today, the world's fed up on it.
It wants something real, something with life in it. That's what... stirred the heart of the Son of God when he saw it. He was fed up with it, and stirred it in himself as he saw all this pageantry, the vanity man's thirst. Let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his inward pacts of low rivers, oblivion water. If you read verse forty-two, I think it is, you'll notice this. There were two classes of people there that day. For there was a division among them. A division among them.
Jesus Christ never neutralizes anybody. You're either for them or you're against them. You can't stay on the fence. And Christian, you can't go forward and backward at the same time. You're doing one or the other. If you're not going on for God, then you're going back. There's no such thing as standing still. And we could more or less divide our audience this morning into three, as this audience was divided. The natural man. Any unsaved person here this morning, you're a natural man. But then Christians are divided into two, carnal Christians and spiritual Christians.
Examine yourself before the Lord. and in the eye of him who's walking amidst the churches. Can you say this morning, I'm a spiritual Christian. Of course, if you're a real spiritual Christian, you won't say that. You won't brag about it. Others will detect it and give you their credit for it. You examine your own heart before the Lord, judge, whether you are a spiritual Christian or a carnal Christian. But if you're a carnal one, here's the remedy.
The Lord Jesus is the answer. And oh, if this conference would only result in all of us getting a fresh look at Christ, a fresh occupation with him, Then the Spirit of God will take to the things of Christ and show them unto us, and He will move in where Christ is glorified. He will take, oh, we will know something of these rivers of living water. When that's the case, it really pays to be a Christian. You're happy. You're rejoicing.