Living Water

Living Water
Jeremiah 2:13, Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 7:37-39 Jan 5, 2020
I. Announcements
A. On Sunday night Jan 12th at 6PM we will be showing the Movie “Unplanned”
right here at MVC!
1. It is the true story of Abby Johnson who was one of the youngest and leading
Planned Parenthood directors in the nation
a) She was involved in upwards of 22,000 abortions and counseled
countless women in regards to their so-called reproductive rights.
b) Until she saw something that changed everything and became an ardent
pro-life speaker in America.
2. My own heart as a pastor and our elders have a burden that we take this first
step into greater involvement in this issue, which right here in the United
States takes the life of 1 million unborn children every year.
3. There are three victims of every abortion – the child, the mother and the
father!
a) Our desire is to minister to all three that night
b) Be a voice for the unborn who cannot speak for themselves
c) And be a place of no judgment but the mercy and grace of God that night
for healing for mothers and fathers who have had abortions and pointing
you to further resources where you can find help!
(1) You need to know you are not alone at MVC if you are one of the
victims. I have personally talked to other quality believers in Jesus
who have been there and are fellow strugglers with you today.
(2) The church feels like the last place you want to tell someone but
you need to know the church is God’s front line of healing!
4. There are brochures regarding this out at the Welcome Center today and
where you pick up your bulletin
B. 75th Anniversary – Two Sundays from today -
1. One of the things we will be doing is a wall
2. Enter your ballot for coffee creation for the 75th anniversary. Located in the
café. The winning drink will be available for everyone to try January 19th for
our 75th anniversary celebration!
3. Invite a friend or family member who has a part of our history to be here and
celebrate with us.
C. Andrea – Today we want to take a moment to say a word of thanks to Andrea
Sanchez who has been a valuable member of our staff for the past three years and
is moving on to pursue a career in graphic design.
1. Andrea has really been at the center of the day-to-day operations in the
church office for the past 3 years and it has been a true blessing to work with,
someone who has such a gentle spirit and an easy smile for everyone she
meets. Repeat!
2. God has blessed Andrea as a gifted artist and has presented her an
opportunity to pursue her gift in a full time position. Andrea, thank you for
all you have done and we look forward to having you continue as part of our
church and worship team.
3. May God bless you and here is a little token of our appreciation!
4. I would like to introduce you to our new office manager Hannah Naughton
who we are excited about the gifts that she bring to the table for us!
II. Introduction:
D. Happy New Year to you and happy 75th anniversary year to MVC! My heart is
to see myself, each of us individually and MVC as a church of people to excel
still the more this coming year in one way specifically and that can be
summarized in one word impact. Be a people and be a church that has influence
upon others to the glory of God.
1. However, you cannot affect others for Jesus if you are not first personally
following Jesus! We simply cannot give someone else something we do not
have ourselves.
a) In order to impact others for Jesus we need to be impacted ourselves by
Jesus!
2. Therefore, this morning I want to point you to one commitment, New Year’s
resolution that will pay great dividends in not only impacting others but also
even in impacting your own life.
E. To do this I want to look at three different periods of Bible history regarding the
water that God supplies, a water that brings new life, a water that nourishes and
heals the soul a water that meets the deepest needs of the heart. If you have
experienced that, you have something to offer to others that they will find
nowhere else!
• This morning we are going to look at - being impacted by God to impact others for
God! Turn to
II. Jeremiah 2:12 the past – (God’s water offered to wandering Israel)
A. In Jeremiah God is warning His children Israel of an impending discipline upon
them because they have forsaken God, they went far from Him and pursued the
works of their own hands, things that were empty and could not profit them!
B. Before I read this passage I want you to know that cisterns were where they stored
their water, they were very important in the land of Israel because of the long dry
season and the relatively few natural springs.
1. But a broken cistern was practically worthless, holding only a small quantity
of dirty water, or no water at all.
2. Also, note that God is using this reality from the material world as a picture
of the spiritual reality they have with Him.
C. Read Jeremiah 2:12-13
1. God says that he is the fountain, the source, the spring from which living
waters comes!
2. But they have left God entirely behind them and have turned to their own
works that simply are worthless.
D. Spiritually speaking God is the fountain/source of living water, but they have
ignored God even forsaken and left Him behind and pursued their own means of
providing water for their needs and they have come up empty.
• I want you to see a picture of the great power of the water that comes from God has.
Turn to
III. Ezekiel 47:1 – The future with a restored Jewish people and land!
A. We see here the future temple where Jesus will reign in that 1000-year reign of
His that we learned about in Revelation. I want you to note the miraculous nature
of this water, the life giving, the life restoring, the healing and nourishing affect
that this water has that comes from the presence of God.
B. Before I read it, I want you to note a few things.
1. If there was a trickle of water coming out from underneath this pulpit, when
you got to the back of the parking lot what would you expect that stream to
look like. I would assume it would have long died off before you get there or
formed a small puddle but this stream will get bigger and bigger quickly
within a mile and a quarter. The water that comes from God is supernatural
and powerful
2. The “Arabah” will we learn about in this passage is the dry, infertile desert
area with a very hot climate and sparse rainfall in the Jordan valley – watch
what happens to this dry infertile desert the water that comes from God’s
presence touches it.
3. Finally, the “sea” where the waters become fresh is the Dead Sea – nothing
lives in the Dead Sea because of the lack of movement and the salt content,
which is roughly 33.7%, compared to the 3.5% we find in the ocean. Watch
what happens to the Dead Sea when the water that comes from God’s
presence touches it.
C. As I read watch for the supernatural life giving power of God’s water to that
which is dry and dead!
1. Read v1-12
2. Reread – 8d-9 – water is made fresh and everything lives where the river
goes
3. Note what is on the banks of the river in the midst of the desert as it heads to
the Dead Sea to make it a living place. reread v12
4. Why does all of this happen – reread 12c “because … sanctuary”
D. This living water that comes from God’s presence that He was offering to His
people is supernatural, powerful, life giving, refreshing, nourishing and healing.
It will be seen literally in the land of Israel in the future and it is available to us
spiritually today
• Turn to
IV. John 7 – the present water of God available to all!
A. Read John 7:37-39
Observations
1. Anyone thirsty – insistent craving or compelling need within your soul crying
out to be met.
2. Come to me
Innermost being flow rivers of living water
3. Spirit – those who believed in Him
B. Jesus has been glorified and every one of us who have trusted Jesus as our
personal savior have received the Holy Spirit and out of the depth of our lives He
issues out like that river in Ezekiel 47 that is supernatural, powerful, life giving,
refreshing, nourishing and healing; transforming the dry and dead areas of our
lives and souls!
V. Application
A. So my question to you this morning is- Are you experiencing this river of living
water that comes from God’s spirit? If not why?
1. Have you quenched the Spirit, stop the flow of the river of the Spirit of God
in your life by intentionally disobeying His word or just being negligent or
sloppy with what God wants of you?
2. Have you grieved the Spirit by unkind words or gossip, bitterness and anger,
not being kind, tender and forgiving to others?
3. Or like Israel, have you walked away from God and turned to things of your
own doings, things that ultimately are empty, and of no profit?
4. Or maybe you just are not meeting with God regularly to drink deeply of the
life changing and fulfilling water that he offers!
5. If that is your case today during communion you need this water to touch the
dry and dead places in your life. do this:
a) Confess that to God
b) Call upon Him to free up the spirit within you to flood you with this river
of God
c) Make that decision to begin to meet with Him regularly and walk with
Him rather than in your own ways.
6. This will result in you becoming a person who impacts others this year!
B. If you are experiencing this life changing and fulfilling water of God then you are
in a place to impact others – you can become the vessel through whom God
causes His living water to flow out of you upon those in your life, church and
community who are either dry or dead.
1. You can impact others for Jesus because you have been impacted by Jesus
2. Ask him to:
a) Deepen the river from ankle high or waist high to a place that it is over
your head and you can only be carried by the power of the current of the
Holy Spirit
b) Ask Him to open up doors for you this year to impact others for him!
VI. Communion