August's Sermons

Church Period: Pentecost Sunday
Sermon Title: Are You Thirsty?
Sermon Date: May 30, 1982
Rev. August Hauptman
Sermon Text: John 7:37-39

Dear Christian friends:

Today I want to ask you a very important question. Perhaps you will think that my question is foolish, but nevertheless I must ask it. My question is: are you thirsty? You answer, "No! Why do you ask that question?" I know you are not thirsty for water. If you were thirsty for water you would go and get a drink because we have plenty of water around here. But I still ask you that question: are you thirsty? Why? Because I want you to understand about another thirst. Not a thirst for water, but a thirst of spirit and heart. And your thirst of spirit and heart should be satisfied. You cannot live on H20 only.

In our text Jesus talks about that spiritual thirst and tells us how we can satisfy it. So this morning I ask you to think about that question:

Are You Thirsty?

You may not be aware of your thirst. All people have this "thirst," but many are not aware of it.

The Jewish leaders were not aware of their thirst. The verses preceding our text tell about their enmity against God and against His Son Jesus. (verses 14-36) They felt no hunger or thirst for Jesus. Why? They had a false God, a false religion. They were proud and self- righteous. They felt that they could be righteous by the Law. They felt no need for Jesus to save them from their sins. They refused to confess their sins and their need for a Savior. The Jewish leaders were not aware of their spiritual thirst, or they tried to satisfy it in the wrong way.

We also are not always aware of our spiritual thirst or need. We also often try to justify ourselves by the Ten Commandments. We are not eager to confess our sins and failures and to say, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." You know how hard it is for an alcoholic person to admit that he is an alcoholic. When a person joins the Alcoholics Anonymous Association (AAA) he must stand up before all the members and confess: "My name is John Doe, and I am an alcoholic." It is hard for an alcoholic to say that. So it is hard for me to say, "My name is August Hauptman, and I am a sinner, a helpless sinner."

Although it is hard, it is necessary. We must become aware of our need, our thirst. That is the first step toward help and rehabilitation for the sinner as well as the alcoholic. But when we become aware of our weaknesses and failures to be good, holy persons as God wants, and yearn for forgiveness and improvement, then we are beginning to feel spiritual thirst, like Nicodemus (John 3), the woman at Jacob's well (John 4), and Zaachaeus in the tree (Luke 19:1-10)

Are you thirsty? If your heart and spirit is not thirsty for forgiveness and improvement, you are blind and ignorant. You do not know the truth about yourself. I hope and pray that God will help us all become aware of our great spiritual thirst. Then He can quench it.

Jesus tells us how to quench our spiritual thirst. He says in our text, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink: (verse 37)

Come to Jesus. He has the water of life. Jesus told the sinful woman at Jacob's well, "If you ask Me for a drink, I will give you living water." (John 4:10) "Come to Jesus," means to believe in Him that He is who He says, the Son of God who came from heaven to live and die for the world's sin. When you believe in Jesus then you have wonderful peace in your heart and soul because you know that God loves you in spite of your sins and forgives you in Jesus. Your thirst is satisfied in Jesus. One of our hymns shows this very beautifully.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched,
my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.
(TLH 277, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, verse 2)

But one big problem! We, ourselves cannot come to Jesus. The Bible says, "No man can say that Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit." (Corinthians 12:3) And Martin Luther says, "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the one true faith." (Luther's Small Catechism, explanation of the Third Article of the Apostle's Creed). Spiritual thirst can be satisfied only by the Holy Spirit. So-Jesus quenches our thirst by sending the Holy Spirit to us. (verse 39) We cannot come to Jesus. But He can come to us.

In the Epistle Lesson, which I read to you before, it told how Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the first disciples. That was a wonderful special pouring out of the Holy Spirit with special signs, the wind and tongues of fire. Today He sends the Spirit through His Word and the Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper). In the Word and Sacraments we have the water of life which can quench our spiritual thirst and give us new life in Jesus. So it is important for us to hear the preaching regularly, attend Bible Class, read our Bibles daily and attend the Lord's Supper often.

Then our thirst will be quenched and we will be able to bring the living water of the Holy Spirit to others. In our text Jesus says, "If you believe in Me, then from your heart will flow streams of living water." (verse 38)

Many people are still thirsty. Also many deaf. Many are not aware of their thirst. We whose thirst has been quenched and who now have the Holy Spirit's water must go and bring it to the "thirsty ones" in the world, that their thirst may also be quenched.

Are you thirsty? You are whether you know it or not. May the Holy Spirit come to each one of us and make us aware of our thirst. May He also quench our thirst and then live in us and use us to bring the living water to many others who are still thirsty.

Amen.