Jesus Has Already Been Glorified

From: October 9 – 15, 2012

Mega Zoe Christian Church Pastor: Edith Cruz

TOPIC: "Jesus Has Already Been Glorified" John 7:37-39

The Tabernacle Feast was being celebrated in Jerusalem. This annual feast was given to Israel since the times of Moses (Numbers 29:12). The feast was celebrated in memory of the exodus of the nation of Israel when they left Egypt and dwelt in the desert in tabernacles or tents. Now, in the time of Jesus, a new custom was added to the feast, although this was not mentioned in the Old Testament. The Jews performed a ceremony of carrying water from the pond of Siloam and pouring it into a silver basin adjacent to the altar of the holocaust in Solomon’s temple. This was done during each one of the first seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. But, on the eighth day, which was the last day of the feast, that ritual was not done. For such reason, this would result surprising to those who were there, Christ's offering of the water of eternal life precisely on that day. After the Feast of Tabernacles another great solemn feast of the Passover was celebrated about six months later. There, during the Feast of Passover, the days of Jesus would soon come to an end, dying on the cross to pay the price for our sins. But, Jesus wanted those who were at the Feast of Tabernacles to acknowledge him before he would perish in the following six months to come. John 7: 37 say that Jesus stood and raised his voice to speak to them. How the Lord yearned for men to acknowledge the truth! That was the posture that Jesus assumed to satiate those with a thirsty soul. On that last and greatest day of the Feast Jesus stood and raised His voice to address the Jews who had attended. He invited them to come to receive Him and find the abundant spiritual satisfaction. He said, "...If anyone is thirsty ....” He spoke of that spiritual need that man has. Nevertheless, not everyone acknowledged or received Him. Even knowing how wrongful they are, men continue to escape. Many who know they are sinners never want to be saved. Although they realize they are lost, they do not want to be found by God. They are aware of a great spiritual lack in their lives, but do not want to go to the Lord to have that necessity supplied. That is the sad reality!

Even knowing how men are, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice to God to allow the opportunity for repentance and salvation. How much love! The Savior invites the thirsty soul to go only to Him, not to the church or the preacher, or the waters of baptism, or the Lord's Table, but rather to Him. He clearly said: "Come to me ... and ... drink." Here, to drink means to take possession of Christ. It means trusting in Him as Lord and Savior. It means, to take Him, to drink Him in our lives as we would drink in our bodies a glass of water. To turn to Christ and "drink Him" is the same as being able to "see Him." All who believe in Him will have all their needs covered and streams of living water will flow from within them. This speaks of the freshness and cleanliness that the water produces in us. That living water is always flowing from within us. That is how Christ is in me and in you! From within the believer streams of living water flows and flows. There is no danger of it running out and becoming thirsty again. This shows that the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit are not to remain inert as in the stillness of a pond, but rather to move all the time and be used for our benefit and the benefit of others. How great, kind, and loving is our God!

The river is known by its flow as the tree is known by its fruit. How is your flow of the river of God that should be flowing for you and for others? Where the Spirit is, His power flows! Otherwise, if there is no flow, He is not there! One can drink water in small sips or drinks, but what the Lord is offering us is multiplied to a powerful junction (or confluence) of streams that flows. No one can be inhabited by the Spirit of God and keep to themselves this Spirit. Jesus spoke to those men who would later believe in Him. He told them that after He was glorified those believers would receive the Holy Spirit that would flow in their interior, like rivers of living water! (John 7:39) We indeed enjoy it because…JESUS WAS ALREADY GLORIFIED! HE WENT TO HEAVEN; HE WAS EXALTED GIVING HIM THE GLORY! HE RECEIVED THE FATHER’S SUPPORT TO CONQUER AND TO DISTRIBUTE THE PLUNDER POURING THE HOLY SPIRIT WITH HIS GIFTS! In the same way that believers can not become the greatest possible blessing to the world until they have received the Holy Spirit with power (Acts 1:8), so also the Holy Spirit could not be poured until Jesus Christ was glorified. Since Christ was glorified, all of us who have repented from our sins and accepted Him as our Savior have the blessing of being forgiven and baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit with power! In the Holy Spirit there is power to overcome the temptations of sin and the devil and to burn the scum in our lives. So, don’t ever shut it out in your life! Let it burn in you like fire every day! Let it always flow in you like rivers of living water! Amen.