Rivers of Living Water

By Jon Symes

The Gospel of John was the first book in the Bible that I read in its entirety after I became a Christian. In this Gospel, Jesus said the following: 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. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37""39). The phrase rivers of living water immediately caught my attention. For the next several years, I studied, thought about, questioned, and wondered what that really meant. The book you are about to read is the culmination of much study, prayer, and labor focused on this passage of scripture. My prayer and desire is that you come to the same conclusion that Paul did in Philippians 2:13, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." The Holy Spirit is so much more than we can ever truly comprehend, yet the Bible has a lot to say about him and how he interacts with us. It is imperative for us to better know the helper (Rom 8:26) especially in the days and times in which we live.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641913256

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Rivers of Living Water

Jon Symes

ISBN 978-1-64191-324-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64191-325-6 (digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Jon Symes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue 

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All scriptures used in the book are from the King James Version of the Bible

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light!

Acknowledgement

I want to thank my wife whose prayers and patience were instrumental in leading me to the Lord. I also want to thank her for spending many hours typing up the original manuscript on a real manual typewriter, i.e., before personal computers.

I also want to thank Derek Prince and Derek Prince Ministries and Rick Renner and Rick Renner Ministries from whom I learned and continue to learn solid Biblical teaching that set me on solid ground.

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Introduction

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood¹ and cried, saying, If any man thirst² let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given: because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

—John 7:37–39

This scripture and the words of Jesus have captured the attention of believers from the time Jesus spoke them to this very day. There has been much discussion of the meaning and application of these words to the born-again believer, especially in this latter-day outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. I do not intend to reiterate these discussions but with the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, I hope to present a deeper understanding and insight into the fullness of God’s Holy Spirit and what he desires to do in and through our lives.

Background

By way of background, the great day of the feast was the eighth or final day of the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2). Worshippers converged on the temple mount to join in the climactic celebration of the Great Hosanna. Jewish people in splendid attire came through the gates. Each carried a lulav and ethrog to be used in the service. A lulav was made of a palm branch that had sprigs of myrtle and willow tied to it by a golden thread. These branches were symbolic of Israel’s wilderness booths (Lev. 23:40). Left hands carried the ethrog, a citrus fruit that symbolized the fruit of the good land God gave them.

Females lining the balconies of the Women’s Court strained to see the priestly procession moving slowly through the crowds of pilgrims toward the water gate. The golden pitcher, filled with water from Siloam, gleamed in the hands of its priest bearer. Sharp blasts from the welcoming trumpets sounded as the companion priest bearing the wine offering swung alongside for the entry into the Court of the Priests. Eager worshipers watched the morning sacrifice being arranged on the great altar, which were bedecked with willow branches. Silver funnels waited to receive the libations carried solemnly toward the base of the altar. In response to the call from the congregants, the priest raised a hand heavenward to signify that the outpouring was taking place.

When the ceremony was completed, the singing of the Hallel began…. Upon reaching the closing lines of Psalm 118, worshipers joined the euphonious entreaty that marked the grand climax of the service. Save now… O Lord! O Lord, send now prosperity! This exclamation was followed by the words, Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord, and, God is the Lord, which hath showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar (Ps. 118:26–27)…. Sounds of the exultant refrains slowly died in the temple courts and the valleys of Jerusalem, and a momentary hush descended upon the sanctuary. This, it is believed, was the precise moment when Jesus cried out, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:37–38).³

The last or eighth day was the close of the whole festival, kept as a Sabbath (Leviticus 23:36) and apparently observed as a memorial of the entrance into Canaan. It was called the Day of the Great Hosanna, because a circuit was made seven times round the altar with Hosanna; also the Day of Willows, and the Day of Beating the Branches, because all the leaves were shaken off the willow-boughs, and the palm branches beaten in pieces by the side of the altar. Every morning, after the sacrifice, the people, led by a priest, repaired to the Fountain of Siloam, where the priest filled a golden pitcher, and brought it back to the temple amid music and joyful shouts. Advancing to the altar of burnt-offering, at the cry of the people, Lift up thy hand! he emptied the pitcher toward the west, and toward the east a cup of wine, while the people chanted, With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. It is not certain that this libation was made on the eighth day, but there can be no doubt that the words spoken by the Lord had reference to that ceremony.⁴

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). The one qualification mentioned in this passage of scripture is He that believeth on me. As with the entire word of God, God’s promises are for his children. The entire message of the Bible is contained in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ—that he is the Son of God, that he died for your sins, was dead and buried and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and sat down on the right hand of God the Father because his work was finished. This is the only entrance (John 14:6) into the kingdom of God and the fullness God has promised to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Scripture Hath Said

As the scripture hath said (John 7:38) points to God’s promises of living water in the Old Testament found in the following scriptures:

The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook. (Prov. 18:4),

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isa. 12:3), and

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 (Isa. 44:3).

Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). The Lord Jesus is telling us that the rivers of living water will flow not from our head, not from our feet, and not even from our hands, but from the very center of our being—our spirit. When we are born again, we are given a new spirit (Ezek. 36:26) and the Holy Spirit indwells our new spirit (Ezek. 36:27), confirming our adoption by God (Rom. 8:16)⁵. As children, we are heirs to the promises of God given in the Word of God. One such promise is the rivers of living water. The appropriation of this promise is imperative if the believer is to grow and mature as Jesus commands us too.

But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive (John 7:39). John identifies in this verse exactly what Jesus meant by rivers of living water—that being the Holy Spirit himself. God promised the blessing of the Holy Spirit to Abraham and his descendants, and Jesus purchased the right for all believers to appropriate this promise. However, the Holy Spirit being a gentleman, will not force his way into a believer’s life but will only move in those areas the believer allows. The Bible tells us that Jesus is Lord of all and his desire is to express his lordship in all aspects of our life. This is accomplished by our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Regardless of where the believer is in their walk with the Lord, the Scriptures promise that the fullness of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers for all areas of our life and we are commanded to:

Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:14–20)

"Be filled⁶ with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). The word filled is used because:

1. we are to be filled with a content,

2. submit to a divine demand or claim,

3. to be filled up to a specific measure,

4. to fulfill prophetic sayings, and

5. to complete.

Jesus tells us plainly to ask:

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Lk. 11:9–13)

Luke 11:9–13 can be summed up with the words ask, seek, and knock (ASK) for the fullness of God’s Holy Spirit, and that is what we receive. The rivers of living water in John 7:38 are the manifestation of the Holy Spirit moving, molding, conforming, and remaking us into the image of Christ Jesus, just as a natural river acts on everything it encounters.

The remainder of this book will deal directly with what God’s word tells us about the Holy Spirit and how the rivers of living water flow through the believer’s entire being: spirit, soul, and body. Before we go on, I would ask you to pray this prayer with me.

Heavenly Father, I truly desire to understand and enter into the fullness of your Holy Spirit. I ask that you will guide and teach me truth from your Word. I ask that the Holy Spirit will apply this truth to my personal life that I might grow and mature in the knowledge of Christ Jesus and being conformed to his image. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

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¹ Stood ( ) The imperfect, was standing; watching the ceremonies. Both Authorized. Version and Revised Version miss this graphic touch. Word Studies in the New Testament.

² If any man thirst (ean tis dipsāi). if any one is thirsty. On each of the seven preceding days, water was drawn in a golden pitcher from the pool of Siloam and carried in procession to the temple and offered by the priests as the singers chanted from Isaiah 12:3: with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. It is uncertain whether the libations were made upon the eighth day. If they were not made, the significant cessation of the striking rite on this one day of the feast would give a still more fitting occasion for the words (Westcott). Word Pictures in the New Testament.

³ The Outpouring Jesus in the Feasts of Israel pages 101-102 by Elwood McQuaid

⁴ Vincent’s Word Studies Vol. 2, The Gospel According to John

⁵ symmartyreín is a common term for "to bear