Dear Christian friends:

The story is told of a benevolent man, that lived in a village poorly supplied with water. Dry seasons exhausted the wells, and caused the citizens much adversity since then they had to bring water from afar. About a mile distant was a never-failing spring. The water of this spring the benevolent man piped to the heart of the village, and so furnished a supply at all seasons for the villagers.

This act of generosity touched the people; and when the benevolent man died, they erected a monument to his memory by the fountain in the heart of the village.

Such a fountain Jesus has opened to quench the thirst of the world, not our physical thirst, but our terrible spiritual thirst, our thirst for eternal life.

In our text, which is the Gospel Lesson for this Pentecost Sunday, Jesus invited the Jewish teachers and leaders who highly valued the waters of this world, but not his "water", to come to him and get a real drink and a real life, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." (verse 37)

Today Jesus, watching as we vainly seek satisfaction in worldly things, as we attempt to quench our thirst at the watering holes of this world, calls out to us, as He did then, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."


I. Only Jesus can satisfy our spiritual thirst, this thirst for immortality.

A. We all have this spiritual thirst whether we realize it or not.

1. It can manifest itself in restlessness and frustration. Sometimes we feel uneasy and frustrated and there seems to be no reason for it; or we notice it in our spouse or children and we wonder what in the world is bugging him or her. Sometimes we may pick a fight or start an argument with the least provocation. St. Augustine once said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in God."

2. This spiritual thirst can become evident in a vague feeling that there is something more to life than just eating and drinking, having a family, a job and a little success and maybe fifteen years of retirement and then death and oblivion. We might join with Peggy Lee in singing a song she made famous: "If this is all there is, then lets keep on dancing."

One radio evangelist used to use that song at the beginning of all his broadcasts to grab the listener's attention.

B. We try to satisfy our thirst in various ways that really don't satisfy. The Lord through Isaiah asked His people: "Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy?" (Isaiah 55:2)

1. We work hard to get wealth, fame, power and pleasure. But when we get these things and are successful we still are thirsty and unsatisfied. For one reason or another these things turn sour and spoil on us. Riches, fame, power and pleasures, all the prized things of this world, cannot satisfy our need for God's love and eternal life.

2. We may try to satisfy our spiritual thirst by obeying the Ten Commandments and the civic laws. We think, "If I try hard to love God and my neighbor, I will find peace, happiness and hope for eternity." So we try very hard to do this. We many even join a church and try to obey all the rules and precepts of that religion. But after trying and trying, and after we sit down and honestly evaluate our performance we experience more guilt than before. O true! We may keep the letter of the law, but much of the time the spirit is not there. Real love for God and our neighbor is lacking. Trying to obey civic law and religious law cannot quench our spiritual thirst. It perhaps can keep us out of jail and on just bearable terms with our neighbor but it cannot make us right with God.

3. We may even join an evangelical church that purely preaches and teaches the gospel of forgiveness of sins in Christ's name. This church may teach that God is merciful and forgives sins, but we just don't get it. Like the church people of Jesus' day we may be interested in God only to get blessings for the here and not for the hereafter. Such a faith doesn't really satisfy our thirst. St. Paul says, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:19) Transition: All our own attempts to quench our spiritual thirst fail miserably.

C. Only Jesus can quench our spiritual thirst. He offers himself to us unconditionally, with no strings attached. He invites: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." (verse 37)

1. Jesus invites all who are painfully aware of their sinfulness and sins, those who know that they are not worthy, those who are insecure and uncertain of their relationship to God, those who feel guilty, who fear God's wrath and the judgment day. Jesus invites, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Jesus assures us, saying: "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40)

2. Jesus can say these sweet words to us because the drink that he offers is the forgiveness of sins, which he himself has earned for all mankind by his holy life and by his innocent suffering and death upon the cross. Jesus has paid it all. In Jesus the heavenly Father sees us holy and righteous as St. Paul tells us, "He has made him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

3. We receive the forgiveness of sins and the peace and hope that comes with it when we "drink", that is, believe in him. Through faith we "drink" the water of life, the water of eternal life!

4. However, even this "drinking" this believing we ourselves cannot do. It is done in us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. This is the great work and office of the Holy Spirit. He alone is able to create faith in us through the Word and the Sacraments. That is why we celebrate the Holy Spirit's person and work this Pentecost Sunday. (verses 39-40)

II. Recite the Third Article: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

"I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28)

Those whom the Spirit has made thirsty and whom he has led to Jesus to drink the water of life, not only have their thirst quenched but they become vessels of living water, to bring the message of eternal life to others.

In our text Jesus says, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (verse 38)

A. This living water flows out of every believer; no exceptions. He who has drank of Christ's living water becomes a spring or fountain of water for others.

Remember the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at Jacob's well? After Jesus gave her his living water she was so excited and happy that she left her water jar there at the well, and ran to tell all the people of Sychar that she had met the Savior God had promised. (John 4:28-30)

Remember the women who came to Jesus' empty tomb that first Easter morning? They were so moved that they, too, ran to bring the disciples the good news! (Luke 24)

Remember the twelve apostles that first Pentecost? After they had received the Holy Spirit, they could preach Jesus with great boldness to the enemies! Three thousand received baptism that very day! (Acts 2)

B. So you and I are earthen vessels endowed with the Holy Spirit and his gifts to bring the water of life to others, and not just drops or cups, but "streams of living water," Jesus says. Not only are we this as individuals doing personal evangelistic work with our family, neighbors and friends, but as members this congregation. This congregation is an oasis in a desert land. Sunday after Sunday we here proclaim the Gospel, baptize and celebrate the Holy Communion!

C. Wonderful things happen when water is brought to a desert land as we here in Southern California know first hand.

1. Isaiah describes the wonderful change when people are converted to Christ through the water of life: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; (Isaiah 35:5-6)

2. And in Revelations 7:17 John tells how people are refreshed eternally in heaven by the water of life: "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Proclaiming the Gospel will be the great activity in heaven.

Conclusion: "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Revelations 22:17)

Amen.