Intro

We’ve come to the month of October.  For those of us that live in California that means we can finally look forward to the end of our devastating “fire season”, and the promise of our brief-but vital- rainy season.   When the rains come they change the entire landscape from golden brown to green almost overnight, and each year we carefully watch the rains to see whether we will have enough water to get thru the next year.

In anticipation of this gift of rain, I thought we would make this post about the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture and Commentary

John 7:37-39

37 It was the last and most important day of the feast. Jesus stood up and spoke in a loud voice. He said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Does anyone believe in me? Then, just as Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from inside them.” 39 When he said this, he meant the Holy Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit later. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given. This was because Jesus had not yet received glory.

Matthew 3:11

11 I baptize you with water, calling you to turn away from your sins. But after me, someone is coming who is more powerful than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus used analogies of water and baptism in reference to the Holy Spirit.  This should have been familiar to the Jews, because the prophets had referred to a coming outpouring of God’s Spirit in similar ways.

Isaiah 44:3

3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.

Joel 2:28-29

28 “After that, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.   Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will have dreams.  Your young men will have visions.  29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit on those who serve me, men and women alike.

So the promise of the Holy Spirit coming to us as a gift from God preceded the arrival of Messiah, and throughout the Sprit was compared to water.  But now that the Spirit has come, what are the ramifications?  Let’s explore 4 ways in which the Holy Spirit works in our life as Living Water:

1. He cleanses and purifies us through salvation, allowing us to be reborn

Titus 3:5

⁵ He saved us. It wasn’t because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. We were born again. The Holy Spirit gave us new life.

I Corinthians 12:13

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Isaiah 12:3

3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

2. He waters our branches through the True Vine, so that we can bear fruit as evidence of our salvation.

John 15:1-8

“I am the true vine. My Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch joined to me that does not bear fruit. He trims every branch that does bear fruit. Then it will bear even more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain joined to me, just as I also remain joined to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain joined to the vine. In the same way, you can’t bear fruit unless you remain joined to me. 5 “I am the vine. You are the branches. If you remain joined to me, and I to you, you will bear a lot of fruit. You can’t do anything without me. 6 If you don’t remain joined to me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain joined to me and my words remain in you, ask for anything you wish. And it will be done for you. 8 When you bear a lot of fruit, it brings glory to my Father. It shows that you are my disciples.

Did you know that most fruits are more than 85% water?  Connection to the True Vine, and nourishment by the Holy Spirit, is essential to producing fruits as described in Galatians:

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit the Holy Spirit produces is love, joy and peace. It is being patient, kind and good. It is being faithful 23 and gentle and having control of oneself. There is no law against things of that kind.

3. He provides the spiritual gifts and guidance for our ministry

I Corinthians 12:7-11

7 The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all. 8 To some people the Spirit gives a message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives a message of knowledge. 9 To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. 10 To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages. 11 All the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives gifts to each person, just as he decides.

Luke 12:11

11 “You will be brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities. But do not worry about how to stand up for yourselves or what to say. 12 The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

Proverbs 18:4

4 The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

4. He nourishes us from within, and intercedes for us from salvation to eternal life

John 4:13-14

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14 But anyone who drinks the water I give them will never be thirsty. In fact, the water I give them will become a spring of water in them. It will flow up into eternal life.”

Romans 8:26-27

26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don’t know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays through groans too deep for words. 27 God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God’s people just as God wants him to pray.

What a comfort this verse is!  It can be hard to know how to pray in an uncertain world, but what a relief to know the Everlasting God in His perfect wisdom has provided the answer to this dilemma.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, please share.

Be blessed.

K