John 7:37-52 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.… I. CHRIST THE CLOVEN ROCK. 1. The smitten rock. Moses smote and Christ was smitten to save a perishing people. 2. The spring of life flowing therefrom. 3. Its inexhaustible fulness (John 4:14). The spring in the desert is now dry. 4. Its wonderful adaptability. Tropical suns cannot evaporate it, nor Polar breezes freeze it. It is adapted to every climate, and wise and foolish, rich and poor, must drink and cleanse themselves here. II. THE SINNER AND THE FOUNTAIN. 1. The sinner thirsts. Life is a desert, provoking craving for satisfaction. 2. His consciousness of it. Desire for higher, purer experiences will awake in every rational soul. Then do what he will he cannot reason it away. 3. Its evidences. Man's endeavour to find rest somewhere; unnatural activity of mind and body; oft a desperate effort to drown the voice of God. 4. False waters. (1) Wilful blindness. (2) So-called innocent pleasures. (3) Sinful indulgence — Marahs, or Dead Seas. 5. The thirst assuaged. (1) By recognizing the terrible malady of sin. (2) By confessing guilt. (3) By coming to the fountain. The first draught allays the burning fever of the soul. III. THE BELIEVER AND THE FOUNTAIN. 1. The disciple's thirst. Every draught creates a new longing. He thirsts for a sanctified life, for Christian work, for victory over sin, for conformity to Christ. 2. His need for the fountain. Only near the fountain can he live and grow. 3. Its reflecting power. Here he learns to know himself; what he ought to be and what he is. 4. Its purifying power. 5. The visits to that fountain the thermometer of the Christian's inner life. (H. Dosker.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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