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Sermon #1169

Rivers of Living Water

A Sermon on John 4:13-14

Originally preached May 14, 1967

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Scripture

John 4:13-14 ESV KJV
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” …

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Sermon Description

What makes Christians different from everybody else? The answer is found in the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms believers and sets them apart from the world. This indwelling of the Holy Spirt ought to make believers more peaceful, joyful, and loving. This is seen in the early church as recorded in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirt comes upon the church at Pentecost and transforms them. They are given strength and boldness as the Holy Spirit grants them joy and peace in Christ. Sadly, many believers do not allow the Holy Spirit to work in them because they quench the work of the Spirit. In this sermon on John 4:13–14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones warns against this quenching of the Spirit, but he also says that the Christian must not fall into excesses. They must look to God’s word to define who the Spirit is and how He works in the church and world. All Christians are commanded to live not in their own strength, but to rest wholly in the Spirit of Christ. It is in the work of the Spirit that Christians can experience joy, peace, and the love of God. All Christians should look to the Spirit of God who is given as the great comforter to all of God’s children.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon text comes from John 4:13-14 where Jesus tells the Samaritan woman about the living water he offers.
  2. Jesus was speaking to an outcast woman, showing his offer of salvation is for all.
  3. The living water represents the complete satisfaction Jesus offers, especially emotionally and spiritually.
  4. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus offering living water through the Holy Spirit. The prophets spoke of God giving soft, responsive hearts.
  5. John the Baptist said Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, representing new life.
  6. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out, bringing transformation. The disciples were joyful, bold, and praised God.
  7. The Holy Spirit produces Christian character and satisfaction. Christians are not just religious, moral or hoping to be saved. They have peace, joy and power.
  8. Paul said Christians have not received a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control. The Spirit confirms we are God's children, producing assurance and joy.
  9. The Spirit works directly, pouring out God's love into our hearts so we know his love in a deep, experiential way. This brings delight, rapture and ecstasy in God.
  10. Examples from Christians like Henry Venn and Charles Simeon show this outpouring of God's love. It brings an inexpressible impression of God's love, lifting us out of ourselves.
  11. This is the fullness Jesus offers - freedom, joy, abandonment to God. Do we know anything of this? When the church knows this, the world sees the difference.
  12. We should ask if we know this joy and our neighbors see the difference in us. Jesus offers living water so we never thirst again.

Sermon Q&A

Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on John 4:13-14

What does Jesus mean when He says "whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst"?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Jesus is making an extraordinary claim that Christianity gives "full, complete and final satisfaction to all who partake of it." This is an exclusive claim that Christ alone can fully satisfy the deepest thirst of the human soul. Unlike the temporary satisfactions of the world (symbolized by the water from the well) which never truly satisfy, Christ offers permanent and complete satisfaction. This satisfaction applies to both the intellect (mind) and emotions (heart). The promise means those who receive Christ's living water will "never know, never thirst as long as the world standeth."

How does the Holy Spirit produce heart satisfaction in believers?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Holy Spirit produces heart satisfaction in two main ways:

  1. Direct method: The Spirit acts directly upon the heart and will, not just through intellectual understanding. He "pours forth His Spirit, sheds abroad in our hearts in greater profusion and abundance" God's love. This is described as God's love being "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost" (Romans 5), creating a corresponding love to Him in our hearts.

  2. Indirect method: The Spirit works through the mind, understanding, and teaching of the Scriptures. This is the "normal" and "common method" but should not be seen as the only way the Spirit works.

The direct action produces experiences where believers are "lifted up and out of themselves" with a joy that is "unspeakable and full of glory."

What was the visible effect of the Holy Spirit on believers at Pentecost?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the visible effects of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost included:

  1. A remarkable release and freedom - they were set at liberty from fear and inhibitions
  2. A sense of abandon and joyful freedom
  3. Radiant faces and outward happiness
  4. An ecstatic element - they seemed "beside themselves" with joy
  5. Complete independence from their circumstances - no longer afraid of authorities
  6. A compelling desire to speak about "the wonderful works of God"
  7. A generosity of spirit - wanting everyone to hear and share in their wonderful blessing
  8. Daily devotion to "apostles' doctrine and fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers"
  9. "Gladness and singleness of heart" as they praised God

This was so noticeable that some observers mockingly said, "These men are full of new wine."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones differentiate between being religious and being Christian?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a clear distinction between being merely religious and being truly Christian:

  1. Religious people follow duties and obligations, while Christians experience joy and freedom
  2. Religious people are legalistic (like Old Testament saints under the law), while Christians are led by the Spirit
  3. Religious people are "merely hoping to be saved," while Christians have assurance
  4. Religious people are "always struggling, striving," while Christians experience release
  5. Religious people are "fearful" and "full of problems," while Christians have peace and confidence
  6. Religious people see their faith as "a task, a burden, a load," while to Christians it is "the delight of their life"

He states: "We are religious as Christians, but we are not only religious. In other words, our religion is not merely a matter of duty to us."

What warning does Dr. Lloyd-Jones give about quenching the Spirit in church life?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that many in the church today are "so afraid of excesses, so afraid of the ecstatic, that they go to the other extreme and quench the Spirit." He identifies this as "the main trouble with the Christian Church at the present time in all its sections - evangelical quite as much as others."

Specifically, he cautions against: - Being "so decent, so controlled, and everything so perfect, so ordered and so perfectly organized" - Having everything "under our control, beginning and end" - Becoming so structured that we "never allow the Spirit to have freedom" - Being "so mechanically perfect and correct" that "the Spirit can never come upon you"

He exhorts believers to "leave room for the freedom of the Spirit, leave room for revival, leave room for the unusual, leave room for the direct action of the Spirit," citing 1 Thessalonians 5:19: "Quench not the Spirit."

How can a person know if they are experiencing the fullness of what Christ offers?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, you can know if you're experiencing the fullness Christ offers by examining these signs:

  1. Your religion is no longer a task or duty but "the delight of your life"
  2. You experience a "heart lifted up and out of itself"
  3. You have "joy unspeakable and full of glory"
  4. You manifest such joy that neighbors are "amazed" and "find it difficult to understand you"
  5. You stand up to trials and tribulations with supernatural strength
  6. You are "more than conqueror" in life's challenges
  7. You don't have "a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind"
  8. You experience God's love "shed abroad" in your heart
  9. You have times when you are "lost in wonder, love and praise"
  10. Your heart finds complete satisfaction in Christ

This is not just for certain psychological types but "is for all" because "it is something that is done by Him to us and therefore is independent of our natural constitution and makeup."

The Book of John

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.