WORD TREASURES 6/04/23
"On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whosoever believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of His heart will flow rivers of living water.' Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were about to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (Jn. 7:37-39)
Jesus, at the last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, stands and cries out this great promise. Jesus announced that God's very Presence, the Holy Spirit, will live in the heart of every believer in the Christian age. The distance between God and those who are His children would be no more! Jesus Himself, the One who walked the earth, raised the dead, healed the sick, gained total victory over demons, commands all nature; the One who never sinned but always obeyed His Father in heaven; the One who died for us all and then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit at God's right hand; the One who ever lives to intercede for those of us who come to God through Him for the mercy and grace needed for life--THAT ONE--would live "BIG" inside every Christian!!
Jesus would live in Christians by the power and Presence of the Holy Spirit. The KJV (King James Bible) frequently refers to the Holy Spirit as the "Holy Ghost." Why such a term? Because the King James translators wanted to convey the idea of the Holy Spirit as the very Presence (Ghost) of Jesus. And hasn't it been exactly as Jesus here predicted? I write to the true believer reading these articles. Didn't a great change take place inside you when you repented and believed? Isn't your life radically different from before you turned to Christ? This lasting change in the life of the believer today is the same experience of the disciples who were utterly changed when they were filled with the Holy Spirit!
Before they were filled, they were jealous and fought with each other over who would be the greatest and best among them. After they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they loved, served, sacrificed for, and preferred each other! Before they were filled, they were afraid to die. After, they rejoiced at persecution and gladly gave their lives for the cause of Christ! Before--they wanted an earthly kingdom. After, they wanted His rule in their hearts and lived for heaven and the advancement of God's Kingdom. Before--they fell asleep when asked to pray for one hour. After--they prayed all night at times and their prayer meetings shook with power. Before--they didn't understand who Jesus was and/or why He had come. After--they knew they were called and assigned to spread the good news and proclaim His love and lordship throughout the world. Before--they had no power or strength but were slaves to sin and selfishness. After--they "turned the world upside down," lived holy lives of love (even loving their enemies) and had undeniable Kingdom impact everywhere they went. Before--they looked to Jesus who was with them in the flesh. After--they looked to Jesus who was with them in the Spirit (2 Cor. 5:16)!
Since Christ came--Jesus is with all believers in the Spirit! He fulfills His promise by filling His children--every one of them--with His Presence. It is His choice--His plan--and He does not have Plan B! Can we see why whatever distracts us from this promise is completely opposed to God's will?! This promise Jesus announced that day--that last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles--was the culmination of the Gospel. It was the perfect day to announce that next vital stage of the Gospel age--of Christianity--God's people would be His habitation--where He lived and they would never be alone again! "Lo, I am with you even to the close of the age." (Matt. 28:20)
Next week we will closely examine 2 common distractions that misguide believers to look away from the essence of this greatest of promises to the neutralization, weakness, and ruin of so many. Instead, they engage in senseless controversies that can never help but only diminish the Christian. Till then, whatever questions or controversies that occupy the reader's heart--SET THOSE ASIDE and trust the Lord for His plain will! We need not understand it all! I dare say that no preacher understands it all! A little humility in church leaders would go a long way for the greater Body of Christ! Hear it again, "Whosoever believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." If the reader believes--then Jesus lives within! (Rom. 8:9-11)
Pastor Mike
