SBS Sermon Notes

SBS     Sermon Notes     Note 777A

The Last Great Day

Reading John 7

1. INTRODUCTION
The Last Great Day (22nd Ethanim) is known by several names. The Jews call it Shemini Atzereth. But I'll use the Bible term in John 7:37 - The Last Day, the Great Day of the Feast, because that's the name we are all familiar with.

John 7: 37 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.
38: He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

2. IF ANY MAN THIRST
They tell us that some 75% of the surface of the globe is covered by water; and also that the human body is about 75% water. This means that water is of vital importance to earth, its inhabitants and its vegetation. Without water we'd have no fish, no animals, no rain, no vegetation and no food. Without water the earth would be a barren wilderness; not a lot different from the moon or the other planets. In a word - lifeless!

We get our water from various sources:

In ancient Israel, as in many countries of the ancient world, towns and villages sprang up along river banks, on the shores of inland lakes or around wells of water. The village well became a social focal point and meeting place. It was in such a scene that this event happened.

John 4: 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8: (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9: Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10: Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee LIVING WATER.
11: The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12: Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13: Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Everyone here has experienced thirst. Some have gone days without anything to drink and their lips and tongues have split with dryness. But, we all know, the Saviour is not here talking about thirst for ordinary water. He is talking about the 'thirst of the soul,' the dehydration of the human spirit; that wretched state which overtakes the human mind which has not tasted of the 'Water of Life.'

The Bible tells us that the Creator made man in His own image. This means that the human soul needs the 'water of life' just as surely as the human body needs an ordinary drink. The human soul cannot go for long without feeling a 'thirst.' Few people recognise the symptoms of a 'hungry or thirsty spirit.' Desperately they try to satisfy that spiritual hunger and thirst by plunging into a binge of pleasure: eating, drinking, entertainment, travel and sport etc. But spiritual hunger and thirst are not satisfied with these things. Spiritual hunger and thirst calls for spiritual nourishment. That is why the LORD calls us in these words.

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2: Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3: Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

The Saviour voiced the same appeal in these words:

Matt:11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

3. THE RIVER OF LIFE
In the prophecy of Ezekiel we see a picture of the River of Life as it will flow during the millennial age.

Ezekiel 47:1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
2: Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
3: And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles.
4: Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
5: Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
6: And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
7: Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8: Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
9: And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

On the earth made new we see the River of Life again. As before, it flows from the throne of God.

Rev.21: 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6: And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7: He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev.22: 1 And he shewed me a pure river of Water Of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2: In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the Tree Of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5: And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6: And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7: Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book…

16: I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17: And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The Water of Life is the only spiritual drink that can satisfy a thirsty human soul. The Water of Life flows directly from the throne of God. It heals everything it touches. Have you drunk from that water lately? If your soul is thirsty, parched, bitter, broken and almost dead, then drink! Do not hesitate, but drink and live; because the Water of Life is free!

4. HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME

He that believeth ON ME, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

To believe means to accept as true. A believer is one who accepts as true all that the Scriptures teach. An unbeliever doubts the Scriptures. He doesn't accept the Bible as the Word of God!
He rejects Bible teaching. By the way, acceptance or rejection are not products of human reasoning. They are the final expressions of the human will.

Child-like Faith
Young children believe their parents, not because they have worked out all the odds and examined all the evidence; but by simply accepting as true what they are told. To believe what the Bible says is far more than an intellectual process. It is a spiritual act of the human will, an act of faith! Remember this vital point.

We adults must believe the Bible with childlike faith.
Only then will we understand the Almighty's will and purpose.

This is not to say that we are ignorant dummies who will blindly accept everything others tell us.
Oh no! What I mean is: We must believe the Bible with 'childlike faith' as the infallible Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit! I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever, but that ample proof exists that the Bible is true. But when I first began to believe the Bible, it was not because my mind was first 100% satisfied with all the scientific facts, but rather because I allowed God to place faith in my mind; faith in His Holy Word. Believe it or not, faith is a gift from God!
No one arrives at living faith by treading the scientific route of: Such a route doesn't exist. If you want living faith you must ask God for it. I repeat: Faith is a gift from God! It comes from hearing and believing the Holy Bible, not doubting it. Faith is not the end result of doubts that have been quelled by facts. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Rom:10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God
1 Cor.12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;.

If you are not willing to believe God's Word the Holy Bible, then you'll be wasting your time in your search for faith and wisdom. You'll learn nothing; because you're looking with the wrong attitude.

5. THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) is the only begotten Son of God. Strong's dictionary defines the word 'begotten' as follows:
3439 monogenes
    1) single of its kind, only
       1a) used of only sons or daughters
       1b) used of Christ, denotes the only begotten son of God
He That Believeth On Me
Do you believe that Jesus has the same (mono) genes as God the Father; that Jesus is God in human flesh; that he is the Son of God? If you do not believe that fundamental Christian doctrine, then you are not a believer as far as the Bible is concerned. Because all believers arrive at that simple act of faith by believing the Bible; not by intellectual study, discussion or experimentation; but by faith which comes from the Father above.

1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

6. THE RIVER OF LIFE WITHIN US
The River of Life has many properties:

7. SUMMARY
What is Messiah's message for us on this Last Day, the Great Day of the Feast?
His message is a matchless invitation to everlasting life! The fact is, the Almighty doesn't want anyone to perish of spiritual hunger or thirst. He wants us ALL to live - with Him - for all eternity. That is the beautiful message of the Gospel. You must accept it. You must. You must.

Vital Scriptural Facts Are

My prayer is that you will all accept it without delay.

Sincerely

Elder: David B Loughran

SBS Home   Module 77   The Everlasting Gospel


September 1999
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland