October 29, 2006

Dying For a Drink

Thirsty for Water

John 7:37-39

Opening Words: Did you know our physical bodies need about 3 quarts of water a day to operate efficiently? Water does several things. Water helps digest food. The blood, which is 90 percent water, carries nutrients to the cells. Water acts as a cooling agent on a hot day. Without water’s lubricating properties, our joints and muscles would grind and creak like old rusty machinery? Our spirits need water as well, the living water of Jesus! Without him our spirits become restless and parched. In the Gospel of John there are six wonderful stories about water. Each one reminds us how important Jesus is to our souls. It is for this reason I have called this sermon series Dying For a Drink.

Today we are in the seventh chapter of John. It is Jesus who is speaking. The Master does a great deal of speaking in this section of the Gospel. He wants to make it clear that he is the along awaited Messiah. He is the one that will act as a bridge between God and man. These are difficult words for his enemies but to us they are refreshing. With this little bit of understanding let us hear these words together. Let me call this message Thirsty for Water.

In the Vatican art collection sits Michelangelo's Pieta, a marble statue of Mary in anguish as she holds her crucified son. It's regarded as a masterpiece. A number of years ago it grabbed international headlines when a visitor to the gallery took a sledgehammer and started smashing the statue. By the time the guards got to him the damage was extensive. The good news is the Vatican's artists were able to restore the Pieta to near-perfect condition. Can anyone here today relate to that story?

Has anyone here today ever felt a little damaged? Just when you felt like you have all the pieces of your life together something happened? This should be a good time in your life but instead it is a hard time. Perhaps, you are sandwiched between your children and your parents. Perhaps, you are working long hours to get ahead but you find yourself going backwards. Perhaps, you find yourself underemployed. You went to college for your dream job but when you graduated the dream job didn’t exist. The only thing that existed was those student loans. Perhaps, you find your mind covering the same old ground. You are concerned about your loved one in Iraq or a friend’s treatment. Have you ever gone to bed at night feeling damaged?

There are countless churches that feel a little damaged in our time. They were once viable churches. They were change agents in their community and our world. The key word is “were.” That is past tense. They were viable churches but they are now struggling churches. They are struggling to meet the budget. They are struggling to pay the gas bill. They are struggling to hold on to members or preachers. They are struggling because they have lost the vision. The scriptures tell us clearly. Where there is no vision the people parish. These churches are broken. The pieces just don’t fit together.

Jesus is speaking to the broken world this morning. In verse 37 Jesus says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Jesus could have said if anyone is broken let him comes to me. It is really the same thing. The thirsty damaged people of our world have been coming to Jesus for generations. The thirsty damaged people of our world still are. In the text this morning we learn that Jesus is more then a counselor, who listens to our problems. He is also our friend. He will get involved in our personal lives and fix the damaged parts of our lives. Verse 38 says, “Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” Verse 39 identifies the living water. It is the Holy Spirit. The Vatican’s artists were able to save the Michelangelo’s Pieta but it will take the Holy Spirit to replace the broken pieces in your life.

Today, I am going to talk about the Holy Spirit. My goal is to expand your understanding of this living water. I am going to do this by looking at three words. Each one of these words begins with the letter R. If you have ever felt life you needed some help fixing some broken piece in your life say, “Amen!”

Redeems

Have ever felt like your best was not good enough? Or I am I the only one? Here is some good news. The Holy Spirit redeems our efforts. In other words, the best we can do is the best we can do. The Holy Spirit will finish the job.

One of the finest preachers of our time is Zan Holmes. He tells the story being a first year seminary student. It was his job in worship to read the scripture. On one particular Sunday he read the scripture and sat down expecting the Senior Minister to preach. The Senior Minister stood in the pulpit of that large church and said, “I am very proud of Mr. Holmes. He is a bright young man and God certainly has a special calling for him.” It was then that the Senior Minister did something Holmes would never forget. The Senior Minister looked at the congregation and said, “Wouldn’t you like to hear Mr. Holmes preach the sermon this morning?” The congregation started to applaud and Zan Holmes stood in the pulpit. He wasn’t prepared to preach. He didn’t have a single note. He said a prayer and remembered a sermon he had written for a class. With all the emotion and energy he could muster he preached that sermon. It lasted about three and a half minutes. (Don’t you wish you could hear a three and a half minute sermon?) At the end of the sermon Zan Holmes just stood there. He admitted later he almost cried. It was at that moment he saw the spirit move. He gentleman in the back raised his hand and said, “Amen!” Another people said, “Amen!” Everyone started to sing and the spirit was thick. Zan Holmes learned that day the best you can do is the best you can do. It is the Holy Spirit that finished the work. Maybe that is something you need to remember the next time you feel a little damaged. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Reminds

Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Have you ever lost some perspective on your life? Or am I the only one? The Holy Spirit reminds us of the truth. The truth is God is good! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with life? That was how I felt on Thursday. There was not enough time to get everything done I need to get done. I had to go to the hospital. I had to write a few letters. I had to fill out some forms for the District Office so they could sit in the filing cabinet for the next few decades. I had to make some phone calls. I had to work on this message. I was scheduled to go to two meetings but I couldn’t go. I had to take my mother-in-law out to dinner for her birthday. (The meetings would have been more fun.) We are in the middle of this Youth Director/Director of Christian Education search and we are forming a steering committee to bring Group Workcamps to Youngstown. Did I mention my yard was filled with leaves from the 32 trees on my lot? I had too much to do and I felt overwhelmed. Do you know what I did? I went to the hospital, made the phone calls, wrote the letters and filled out the forms. I looked at the weather and discovered it may rain on Friday, so I decided to tackle the leaves before I took my mother-in-law out for dinner. I had my rake and my leaf blower. I was moving as fast as I could but I was frustrated that I wasn’t moving fast enough, when some quite remarkable happened. I looked down on the ground and I saw a caterpillar. I stopped my leaf raking and picked up the caterpillar. It was fuzzy and soft. I watched it move, ever so slowly. It slowed me down. I looked up and I saw the beautiful blue sky. I felt the clear cool breeze on my face. I heard the child getting off the school bus. I found myself thanking God for my home, my yard and leaves, my family and friends, my job and my life. This little thanksgiving happened because a little caterpillar caught my eye. However, maybe it wasn’t a caterpillar? Maybe it was the Holy Spirit reminding me about the truth. God is good! And all of God’s people said, ”Amen!”

Restores

Has anyone here ever felt tired and alone? Have you ever felt like you are the only one who gets it? Or am I the only one? The Holy Spirit restores our tired spirits. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do more then we ever imagined!

One of the great people in history was John Wesley. We think of him as a lion of the faith but he was considered a failure until the age of 35. He failed as both a local church pastor and a missionary to the Indians in Georgia. The day that changed him was May 24, 1738. He tasted that living water of Jesus and the pieces of his broken life came together. He was touched by the Holy Spirit and went on to do great things for God. Justin Wroe once wrote, “We use physical power but spiritual power uses us.” Wesley’s life illustrates that quote.

Did you know John Wesley rode 250,000 miles on horse back to preach the Gospel? Did you know he preached 40,000 sermons and wrote more then 7000 hymns with his brother Charles? Did you know that John Wesley was a medical book and open clinics for the poor? Did you know this 5’3” man had more then 140,000 followers in England and North America when he died in 1791? He did so much with his life and no one was more surprised then him. These were not things he did himself. They were done with the Holy Spirit.

No one here today is going to ride 250,000 on horse back or preach 40,000 sermons. However, how much more can we do with the Holy Spirit? Have you ever felt like you are the only one who gets it? You are dead wrong! The Holy Spirit restores our tired spirits. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do more then we ever imagined! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Michelangelo’s Pieta sat broken. Vatican artists were able to fix her but they can not fix you. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. The living water of Jesus who redeems, reminds and restores. And all of God’s people said, ”Amen!”