387 - Centered on Jesus, Living Water Will Flow from Within You#
387 - Centered on Jesus, Living Water Will Flow from Within You
(JP Text Group - shalom organized)
Dear family, peace in the Lord, and welcome to your arrival.
The topic of the sharing is: Centered on Jesus, Living Water Will Flow from Within You.
John 4:1-10:
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— (2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples). 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (8 His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you! Thank you for preparing such a wonderful time for us to come before you. We believe that when we are centered on Jesus, your living water will flow through us! At this moment, we are willing to look up to you alone, letting your words fill my heart. As a new week begins, may we first receive your words and live by them, believing that the path you lead us on is the most blessed. Bless the time ahead, and may the Holy Spirit guide every brother and sister to receive supply from your words. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
First, let’s look at the background of this story. The Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John. After Jesus began to preach, the work of John the Baptist gradually came to a halt. The Pharisees saw that Jesus’ disciples were increasing and felt jealous of Him, thinking that many of their followers had gone after Jesus. The background of this story is that Jesus’ preaching had influenced many people.
At that time, the Pharisees had already noticed Jesus, but Jesus did not intend to argue with them, so He left Judea and went north to Galilee. The north was relatively less populated by Pharisees, far from them, because Jerusalem is in the southernmost part. When He arrived in Galilee, He had to pass through Samaria. At that time, Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with each other, which was a historical issue. When their nation was destroyed, they were taken captive to Babylon for seventy years, and some intermarried with the local people, and those children became Samaritans. The Jews believed these people violated God’s law and considered them unclean, just like Gentiles, unwilling to associate with them anymore. This situation lasted for hundreds of years, and no one could resolve this conflict.
The problem was that now they had no nation, yet they still did not recognize each other, attacking and rejecting one another, which is very unfortunate. When people are self-centered, even in the most difficult times, they are unwilling to live in harmony with others, believing they have many advantages and being quite proud. Jesus, as the Son of God, has no prejudice against anyone and can accept all people, no matter how terrible our problems are; He will never despise us.
So Jesus came to a town in Samaria called Sychar. In the past, Jews traveling to northern Galilee would go around the edge of Samaria, walking through the mountains without passing through this Samaritan town. Jesus, being weary from the journey, sat by Jacob’s well at noon. At this time, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. The background of this woman is as follows: she had always longed for true love but seemed to have never found it, having had five husbands, and the man she was currently with was not her husband. Because of her indiscretions, the people in the Samaritan town looked down on her and gossiped about her.
To avoid gossip, this woman chose to come to the well at the hottest time of day, when there were usually no people around. The townspeople would typically come to draw water in the morning or evening when it was cooler, but at noon, no one would be there. However, when this woman arrived, she found a Jewish man sitting by the well. This is the truth we are discussing today.
The first point to share: Being self-centered can lead to losing direction and losing oneself.
When everyone is self-centered, even when the situation is already terrible, they still mock others when they see others have problems and refuse to accept them. Take this Samaritan woman, for example; the Samaritans were already looked down upon by the Jews, and within the town, they also looked down on this woman. We can imagine her situation; she desperately longed for recognition and respect from others and yearned for true affection, but she had not found it.
Faced with others’ accusations and condemnation, she might have thought that the people in Samaria were not much better off, that they had their own problems, and that their lack of recognition was simply because they did not understand her situation. So these people were lost in their self-centeredness, losing direction and losing themselves.
Let’s look at a passage from the Bible, Luke 15:1-4:
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
In the Gospel of Luke, there are three stories in total. The first is the story of the lost sheep we just read. At that time, the tax collectors and sinners who came to listen to Jesus were looked down upon by the Pharisees, similar to how the Samaritan was looked down upon by the people in Samaria. They were all sinners, yet this group of sinners looked down on each other, which is quite interesting. Just like in today’s world, many people look down on Christians, yet Christians condemn and fight among themselves, making it even more contemptible!
The tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees muttered about Jesus, not because they thought Jesus preached poorly, but because they thought His behavior was wrong, questioning why He welcomed sinners and ate with them. In fact, these people did not understand Jesus because they judged everything about Him from a self-centered perspective! They had no love in their hearts. Jesus was willing to welcome sinners to save them, showing that He could accept this group of people and embrace them. Therefore, no matter how big our problems are, regardless of our past, when we seek Jesus, He will accept us! He will not condemn you or ignore you because of your many past failures or mistakes. Whenever you seek Jesus, He will open His arms to welcome you.
Jesus welcomed the tax collectors and sinners and ate with them. Among the Jews, there was an unwritten rule that when you sat at a table with someone, it meant you accepted them and became one with them. Jesus eating with the tax collectors proved that He was similar to them; sitting at the same table with sinners meant He was like them, which was the Jewish mindset at that time. Therefore, Jews would never eat with tax collectors and sinners.
If you read Galatians, you will know that Paul rebuked Peter for this very mistake. At first, Peter ate with the Gentiles, but when the prominent people from Jerusalem arrived, Peter quietly slipped away from the table and sat with the Jews. Paul could not tolerate this and began to rebuke him, saying, “How can you do this?”
Why did Peter act this way? It was because of a habit formed over many years, a self-centered habit. If we are not renewed by Jesus’ words daily, we will unconsciously return to that place, and it is easy to lose ourselves. We still fear what others say about us and fear losing face, etc.
When facing the tax collectors and sinners, Jesus used a parable: “Which of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them? Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
How did this sheep get lost? Clearly, this sheep did not focus on the shepherd or did not listen to the shepherd’s voice. It did not follow the flock closely. Perhaps it found something better nearby, maybe it discovered a patch of fresh grass that the other sheep did not notice. It found it and was quite happy, thinking it could catch up with the flock later, feeling confident. But when it finished eating the grass and looked up, it realized it could not find the shepherd!
This sheep clearly lost its direction, but it was lost because it had its own ideas. If it had followed the shepherd or the other sheep, it would not have gotten lost. This is why we always encourage everyone to listen to the word more, because we can unconsciously become self-centered and live in a worldly way. We need God’s words to renew our thoughts and ideas. This sheep clearly lost its direction.
You must remember, it is not that the shepherd intentionally abandoned it. Many times, when problems arise and terrible results occur, it is not God who gives them to us. When accidents, illnesses, and disasters come upon us, do not misunderstand; these are not given by God. Perhaps we, like this sheep, have wandered off course! So what should we do at this time? It is indeed due to our own reasons, whether we were attracted by something or someone else, we have lost ourselves.
The shepherd did not abandon it to fend for itself. Who does the shepherd refer to? It refers to our Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus came to the world, He came to seek that lost sheep. After leaving the ninety-nine in the pen, He went to find the one lost sheep. Our God came to this world to seek us, just like lost sheep, wandering our own way, unable to find the way back home. Jesus came to seek us.
Today, Jesus sitting by Jacob’s well is to save this woman. Of course, when He came to save her, He had to say something, so Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” When Jesus asked this woman for water, she was very surprised!
John 4:9 says, “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
This was her instinctive reaction. She was looked down upon by the people in her town, and even in this situation, her self-awareness still existed. She was unwilling to have any dealings with Jews and held on to her so-called correctness and some traditions of her ancestors. Just like some people who believe in Jesus, even when they are clearly wrong, they still cannot accept others’ advice. When someone points out a bit of truth to them, they will argue in many ways. This means that if the situation is already terrible, it is better to let go of what you have received. Perhaps viewing life and God’s words from a different perspective will bring new insights! However, many people do not even have this humble heart to listen. This is the self of man, but after a while, this woman left her water jar and ran into the town to proclaim Christ.
John 4:28-29:
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
Why did this woman initially have such a strong defensive mindset and such a serious inferiority complex, fearing that others would know her story? In a short time, she was able to change so much, no longer afraid of what others would say about her, and began to have the strength to face her past! What changed her? It is actually very simple; her heart was filled with Christ, Amen.
When Jesus communicates with people, He gives them life and hope! When a person is centered on Jesus, they no longer focus on their problems and past. As long as their heart is filled with Jesus, the power of Jesus will fill them, and living water will flow from within them! At this moment, when this woman went into the town to proclaim Christ, she was already filled with living water in her heart.
When you want to give someone a cup of water, you must have a bucket of water inside you to give it away, so that when you give it, you do not feel like you are losing anything; if you only have a cup of water, it is really difficult to give away a cup of water! The love of Jesus fills us, and when the truth of Christ fills our hearts, we will be very willing to give it away! When this woman’s heart was filled with the words of Christ, she was immediately released from her self-centeredness. She centered on Jesus and saw Christ’s forgiveness, acceptance, and love, realizing that God’s grace is greater than sin. Therefore, she no longer feared what others said about her. She rushed into the town and began to proclaim the gospel to everyone.
“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
Why did she have such great courage? It was because when Jesus pointed out those issues, He did so with love and acceptance, not condemnation. The people in her town surely knew her problems. When facing this woman, they might have looked down on her, perhaps with disdain, and more likely gossiped behind her back, making her feel increasingly guilty and uncomfortable. But when Jesus pointed out her problems, He offered love, acceptance, and forgiveness, making this woman feel instantly loved and accepted! She realized that only Christ could do such a thing, so she rushed into the town to proclaim the gospel to those who looked down on her. Hallelujah!
When a person is completely filled with the words of Christ, they will, like this woman, completely detach from their self-centeredness and face life with confidence and strength! I know that many people have not had an easy time this year. Many are worried, anxious, and fearful. When filled with these things, doing anything becomes difficult, and they may even hesitate to take a step forward. I suggest you return to the words of Christ and meditate on God’s words.
When reading the Bible, meditate like this: this is Jesus speaking to you, this is our God speaking to you. When you read His promises, please hold on to those promises, just like this woman held on to the words Jesus spoke to her. She held on to acceptance and love, letting go of what she had tightly clung to in the past, rushing into the town, and in an instant, she was filled with love. Hallelujah! I also believe that she would live very confidently in the future, able to face her past and easily overcome all problems. Hallelujah!
The second point to share: Jesus is the living water.
John 4:10: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
Jesus’ way of evangelizing may differ from that of some people. Some people grab someone and tell them they need to believe in Jesus, or they will go to hell; if they believe in Jesus, they will go to heaven. This method is very rigid, and many people find it hard to accept. When they hear someone evangelizing, they feel very uncomfortable, reject it, and feel condemned.
Look at how Jesus evangelized to this woman. He started with water. Since Jesus felt tired and sat down to rest, and this woman happened to come to draw water, He used this as an opening line, asking, “Can you give me a drink?” If this woman were filled with God’s love and had no issues, even without prejudice, she would have naturally said, “Sure!” It was precisely because she had this self-centered thought that her problems began to surface.
Jesus began with this question to share the gospel with her, starting with water and ultimately giving this woman living water! Jesus knew everything about this woman. When Jesus asked her for water, He was actually offering her living water, giving her life. When we live centered on Jesus, is God’s heart satisfied? Every time we go to church and raise our hands to worship God, is our God joyful? Does our God lack worshipers? Don’t the angels sing better than us? Does our God need to find a sense of existence in people? Of course not!
Living centered on Jesus means we benefit; our hearts are satisfied, Amen! Just like this woman, when she communicated with Jesus, her heart was satisfied, released from self-centeredness, guilt, and condemnation! When we raise our hands to worship God, it is not that our God is joyful because He sees us worshiping Him; rather, when we worship Him, our hearts focus on Jesus, and our hearts become joyful, released from the sorrows, worries, and fears of the world, filled with joy!
God knows we have such needs, so He asks us to raise our hands to worship Him, to fill us with joy! When we praise God, it is not because of our praise that our God enjoys it; our God does not lack worshipers. It is because we lack praise; our hearts are usually filled with bitterness and various difficulties. So when we come before God, we should not discuss how difficult things are. Instead, we should turn around and offer Him praise, and the bitter water will turn sweet. Hallelujah!
Even if our God has no one to honor Him or praise Him, He is still God. If He only feels satisfied because someone praised Him, it means our God is incomplete. Remember that our Lord is a complete God, lacking nothing. When we draw near to Him, worship Him, and glorify Him, we are actually glorifying ourselves! He gives to us, and He will not lose anything. He can give to you, and He can give to another person. He can give to ten thousand people without losing anything; that is our Lord!
Because He is love, love has a characteristic of being willing to share with others. He Himself is love, so He also wants you to be filled with love! When you are filled with love, you will become a sharer of love, released from sorrow and pain. Many people also hope to come out of difficulties, sorrows, and pain. The more they focus on these problems, the harder it is to be released from them. Some people, having been hurt emotionally, say they must forget that person. They think about it every day, only to find that their hatred and hurt increase. In fact, the simplest way to forget someone is not to declare that you must forget them; you will forget them naturally, right, brothers and sisters?
Our problem lies here, and it is real. How do we solve this problem? It is not to say, “Lord, I am so troubled; what should I do?” Repeating this problem every day will deepen your fear of it. You need to turn from this problem to Jesus, worship Him, and praise Him. Fill our hearts with His truth, and we will be completely released from it!
Jesus wanted to release this woman from her prejudices about the truth of the past. He said, “If you knew the gift of God,” which in the original language means, “If you knew the grace that God gives freely, if you knew who is speaking to you, you would have asked Him.” From this statement, we can see that Jesus did not necessarily lack this water; rather, through this water, He wanted to give her truth and living water! Because this woman did not know Him, nor did she understand the grace that God gives freely, she lived very hard in her self-efforts, perhaps not knowing the value and meaning of her life. She kept searching for satisfaction but could never find it. The people around her did not accept her, only giving her condemnation, criticism, and gossip.
Jesus said, “You need to know the grace that God gives freely.” We also need to understand the grace that God gives freely. When we do not know God, we live in self-centeredness, thinking that the world cannot turn without us, even considering ourselves very important. When others point out our problems, we cannot accept it. That is because we do not know the grace that God gives freely.
If you know and understand that your Father is an omnipotent, all-knowing, and omnipresent God, who can bless you with the best things, even if we suffer losses now, our hearts will not remain in such pain, because we believe that God will bless us again and give us even better!
Just like Adam, who originally lived very well in the Garden of Eden, but because he listened to the devil’s lies, he was forced to be driven out of the Garden of Eden by God. Many people say, “If Adam had not sinned, how wonderful it would be! We would have no pain in life.” But Jesus came not to bring you back to the Garden of Eden but to give you something better! Through Jesus, we are to enter a new heaven and a new earth, a place more beautiful than the Garden of Eden! You need to understand that God’s grace is given freely, and there is no failure in our God.
Secondly, you need to understand who is speaking to you. If this woman had known that she was speaking to Christ, she would have gladly drawn water for Christ. Jesus would certainly have given her truth and accepted her, and she would not have spent so long searching for a sense of existence. She would have asked Jesus for comfort. So, brothers and sisters, when you are centered on Jesus, you will not lack security and will not lose your direction! Regardless of how those around you live, you will not doubt this God.
Many people often say, “I feel so weak lately. I hope to see a miracle because I do not see any beautiful testimonies of Christ around me, no testimonies of healing from illness, and no testimonies of wealth turning around. I do not feel that this God exists.” In fact, you should not look for Jesus in these people. You should return to the truth and believe in the Christ written in the Bible! Even if the people around you do not live out the image of Christ, you can! You can be the first! Therefore, place your faith and focus on Jesus, center on Jesus, and living water will flow from within you, becoming a testimony to those around you!
Just like this woman today, I believe the people in her town did not know Christ and had no supply of living water, but through this woman, she brought Christ into the town of Samaria, allowing that group of lost people to find direction. Hallelujah! When you center on Christ, living water will flow from your heart, filling not only yourself but also allowing those around you to see the beauty of Christ! You will know the mission in this world and the greatest meaning of living, no longer worrying about trivial gains and losses every day.
Matthew 18:19-20:
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Gatherings should also be centered on Jesus, exalting the works of Jesus. In such gatherings, living water will flow through this person, through this preacher, becoming a supply for everyone. Amen. Today, we see that when Jesus communicated the truth with this woman, He gave her living water, and she became a proclaimer of the gospel. Through her, the gospel was brought into the town.
If during the gathering, the message is about something else, discussing worldly theories, discussing scams, or worldly ways of dealing with people, etc., and not speaking the words of Jesus, it will not bring the power of the Holy Spirit. People may feel that what is said makes sense, but it lacks power. What is conveyed may just be some history; these things make sense, and we cannot deny them, but they will not awaken people’s hearts unless we preach Jesus and the work He accomplished on the cross for us.
When people hear the name of Jesus and what He has done, the Holy Spirit will awaken their hearts through these truths, piercing through the hardest parts of them, awakening their souls, and they will be able to be released from death, illness, and even pain! Let Christ become the center of our lives, and God will supply others through you.
Jesus traveled a long way to find this woman to give her living water. This is our Lord; it is not this woman seeking Jesus; it is always Jesus seeking us, always waiting for us! People often become entangled in trivial matters, losing direction. Sometimes they walk ahead of Jesus. At this time, I suggest you wait a moment. Don’t be in such a hurry; wait for your Lord. Sometimes they lose direction and fall behind. At this time, don’t wander around anymore, because you may not find Jesus. What should you do? Still wait a moment, waiting for Jesus to come and find you!
Some say, “I don’t know when Jesus will come to find me.” It is actually very simple. If you are under a lot of pressure about something now and do not know what to do, and you have prayed about it, and someone comes to you to share the truth, regardless of whether you feel annoyed or whatever after hearing it, first accept it and pray before God. Perhaps God is using that person to give you the answer, Amen!
It does not have to be a bright light from heaven, and you cannot see anything for three days to acknowledge that it is God giving you an answer! It does not have to be like Paul’s way of repentance to see God; nor does it have to be a dream at night where Jesus personally tells you something. Many times, angels are right beside us, and God gives us answers through the people around us. In short, wait a moment; do not be too anxious to wander around looking for answers. The more you walk, the further you may get from the answer.
Sheep have a characteristic, a weakness, which is that their eyes are short-sighted, so they cannot see far. They are different from the shepherd, who is taller and can see further; sheep see closer. If a sheep gets lost, it is impossible for it to find its way home. Unlike dogs or lions, which have their unique ways to find their way home, sheep cannot. The only way for them to return is for the shepherd to seek them.
If you are indeed encountering many problems in life now, do not rush to seek human answers. Instead, calm down and pray, return to the truth, or seek answers through listening to sermons, reading the Bible, or praying to Jesus. Pay attention to the changes in your surroundings and the people around you. Perhaps the environment has changed, and through it, you will see what God’s will is for you. Perhaps certain people suddenly visit you and share some truth, or someone online chats with you about some truth, or you think of someone and want to communicate with them. God may be using that person to give you some answers. After receiving the answer, pray before God: “Lord, is this where I need to adjust?” Amen!
If this sheep gets lost, when the shepherd comes to find it, it only needs to follow the shepherd and not think about anything else. Amen. Please remember, at any time, we need to walk with Jesus and let the Holy Spirit guide us. If we walk on our own, we will always lose our direction. Whenever you feel weary, tired, or discouraged, please stop and meditate. Think about Him as your Lord, your God, the one who blesses you! You need to stop and think, “Is Jesus really at the center of my life?” Or when you are doing something, do you do it with Jesus at the center? Then it will become different.
Many people want to live centered on Jesus but do not know how to do it. They also hope to have more living water flowing out of them, not only to satisfy themselves but also to satisfy those around them. I want this too, but I do not know how to do it! In fact, it is very simple; it has nothing to do with what job you do. The key is what our motives are when we do things.
For example, when going to work, many people think, “I need to support my family! I have to work! If I don’t work, my mortgage, my car loan, and my family life will face problems.” If you go to work with this mindset, viewing work this way, you will indeed feel very weary and tired. Change your perspective; know that we are sent by God to this world. I am a prince from heaven, and I came to this world to manifest Christ’s glory and proclaim His gospel!
There are many ways to evangelize, one of which is through ourselves. We ourselves are the embodiment of the gospel, allowing others to see the beauty of Christ through us! How do we see this? When you go to work, remember that Jesus sent me into this company to manifest His image. Every day, live out Jesus’ image before your colleagues, so just receive Christ’s grace and give that grace away.
First, let the truth of Christ fill you. You can imagine that Jesus manifests the beauty of the gospel through you. Just like this woman, she needed living water. Jesus gave her living water, and through her, she also gave this living water to the people in her town. The people in her town also needed living water. How could they get this living water? It is simple; this woman changed, and everyone found it very strange. If it were someone else, it might not have had the same effect!
As soon as this woman entered the town, she said, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” Everyone thought it was very strange! Why? Why was she able to change so much and come to us proactively instead of avoiding us as she used to? Is it because of this person’s change? When we go to work, the life flowing out of us is the manifestation of living water! When those around you see your change, they will say, “This person is different; they are not the same as before. In the past, her temper was explosive; how come this person suddenly speaks to me differently?” We are not asking everyone to pretend to be a sheep; it is truly that you are filled with living water, and the power of Jesus fills you. The way you live out your image will be lasting. If it is just pretending, it may last for a while, and everyone will say it is just an act.
It is genuinely our lives being changed by Jesus, living out that image so that everyone sees you are no longer the same. They will pay attention to you and see the power of the gospel in you. The key is the motive. When we do these things, when we go to work, we know it is not just for ourselves; it is to glorify my Lord, and that is enough. Some may say, “I can’t do it.” If you cannot do it, you need to first receive from Jesus like this woman. When you understand Jesus’ love for you, His acceptance, and His forgiveness, your life will naturally change! What we need to learn is not a set of theories or knowledge, but to truly know that Jesus loves me. This needs to be meditated upon, to stop and let our hearts calm down, meditating on Christ’s love for you, which is real and not just a theory.
Many people want to earn a lot of money, want greater influence, want to become famous in the world, and have more influence in the future, thinking that others will respect them! If this is the case, you will fall into a self-centered mindset. You may have money, but when others point fingers at you, you will feel even worse, right? Those influential people have even more people speaking ill of them and saying negative things! What will you do then? You will feel even worse!
The point is not to elevate yourself to a certain level of influence; the point is that if you center on Christ, God is very willing to give you these things! Since we have been talking about Jesus, the most precious thing in the kingdom of heaven, God did not spare Him but gave Him to us. Will He not also graciously give us all things? This shows that God is willing to make all things work for our good, but the fear is that we become self-centered, thinking only of ourselves, which will harm us.
If you are willing to center on Christ and supply others like living water, with such a heart, God is willing to give you more revelations. God is willing to give you more money because no matter how much wealth God gives you, you will not be bound by it or get caught up in it, Amen. If you do not see this point, once you have money, you will truly forget who you are, and that will harm you. God knows our hearts. We must not say it won’t happen. I know myself better than I know myself; in fact, Jesus knows you better than you know yourself! Amen.
Many times, we overestimate our abilities. It is better to quiet down before Jesus, listen to His words, and acknowledge that without the Lord, we can do nothing. As long as we believe correctly and our hearts are willing and humble to serve the Lord, God is willing to let the resources around us serve you. God will not give to someone else and not to you because of prejudice or disdain! We started by saying that God is love, and the characteristic of love is to share willingly. He sees you happy, and He is even happier; when He sees you prosperous, He is even happier; when He sees you joyful, He is even more joyful. Hallelujah! When He sees your life flourishing, that is when our God’s heart is satisfied!
He says, “That’s wonderful!” Sometimes when we help others, we can also experience this joy and satisfaction, right? When we see the people we help flourish in life, their situations improve, we are genuinely very happy! The happiest thing for me is to hear that some people’s lives have been transformed because they listened to the sermon, their families have been transformed, and there are many beautiful testimonies in their lives. I am truly very joyful because they have learned how to rely on Jesus. That is the best. Amen!
If we can use money correctly to let more people know the gospel, willing to help more people, and support the work of the gospel, no longer being stingy but being very generous, God will not stop this supply, Amen. So stop and think, “Is Jesus really at the center of my life?” In this matter, we need to pray individually to God. Others cannot help you unless our hearts are opened. Then, like this woman, change will happen. Hallelujah!
Finally, let’s look at a passage from the Bible, John 7:37-39:
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this, 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.
When reading the Bible, it is essential to distinguish between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Before Jesus went to the cross, He was almost entirely under the Old Testament. Jesus would speak some laws and encourage people to seek Him, and there were still some things that were not yet completed. For example, the words we are discussing today, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” When Jesus spoke these words, even if a person believed in Jesus immediately, they could not receive the Holy Spirit right away because the time had not yet come. They had to wait until when? They had to wait for the arrival of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given and would fill them. As long as they were willing to drink this living water from Jesus, they would immediately receive the Holy Spirit.
In the Book of Acts, we see these things. When Peter preached, the Gentiles listened to Peter, and the Holy Spirit immediately came upon them. They began to speak in tongues, prophesy, and praise God. This is what Jesus was referring to, which was already fulfilled and realized because the Book of Acts was already under the New Testament. We are now only under the New Testament, right? We cannot go back to the Old Testament; we are already in the New Testament.
We tell everyone that if anyone feels thirsty, what does it mean? It means you have a lack inside, you are weak, you have problems, and you come to Jesus. What do you come to do? To drink! His water is free but is the best living water. When you come to Jesus to drink, you do not have to worry; He has a continuous supply. God can supply you, He can supply him, and He can supply everyone. How do you drink? Believe in Him. Believe that Jesus can solve your problems, believe that Jesus loves you, believe that no matter what, Jesus is willing to accept you!
Place this faith in your heart. When you view Jesus, read the truth, and believe the truth with this faith, you will be released inside. You will receive Jesus’ forgiveness, Jesus’ acceptance, and Jesus’ love, and living water will flow from within you! What you receive is what will flow out, Hallelujah! What you receive is the Holy Spirit, and you will be willing to live according to the Holy Spirit, willing to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and willing to live centered on Jesus because the Holy Spirit comes to testify of Jesus, to help us understand the truth of Christ. Hallelujah!
Thank you and praise the Lord. May our brothers and sisters understand these truths with the help of the Holy Spirit when reading the Bible; when praying, let the Holy Spirit help us pray together and understand the Father’s heart; when doing things, let the Holy Spirit guide us, helping us know how to walk the path ahead. Thank you and praise the Lord. As a new week begins, we first come before God to receive His words. We are determined to live centered on Jesus, receiving His living water, believing that from our innermost being, rivers of living water will flow, and people will see the beauty of Christ, the love of Christ, the forgiveness of Christ, and the peace of Christ. Thank you and praise the Lord. Jesus loves you.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you. Thank you for blessing all the brothers and sisters who listen to the sermon. We believe that all things belong to you, and you are willing to bless us and also bless the work of our brothers and sisters’ hands. Those who believe in you will have rivers of living water flowing from within them. Bless all the brothers and sisters who listen to the sermon, wherever they go this week, may the Holy Spirit be with them, reminding them of the words of truth, guiding their steps with this truth, so they do not deviate from God’s words! I also believe that this week, they will experience God’s beautiful blessings, no matter where they are or what they do; you will let them see God’s glory in these matters! Thank you and praise the Lord. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you all. Amen!