John Chapter 7:35-39

How did we get where we think the first attempt is filled would just follow. I believe in fearing the Lord in a reverential figure living somewhere along. I got off track. We forgot to get together and worship in God should be a celebration welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee. David is a senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina were blessed to have the ground they would associate pastors with the bridge bath throughout the Bible we see the Jewish fees, joy filled parties celebrate God.

Yet our country today. Often the church is seen as stale and boy will be a if anything but that.

Today, Pastor David McGee explains how the church should be the place where you go to celebrate our Lord. So let's jump right in.

As David McGee teaches.

Are you thirsty so were at John chapter 7 and were gonna pick it up in verse 35 we ended with verse 34 last week. Jesus said we you will seek me and not find me and where I am, you cannot come in and what he saying there is a stone the religious people of the day. You know after I'm done here. I'm going back up to heaven to the father and he's telling the religious people you're not going to heaven is a sad moment, but was perceived then the Jews said among themselves. Where does he intend to go, that we shall not find it. Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks well condos but not yet. He's going to do that through a man named Paul that will learn about later in verse 36 what is this thing that he said you will seek me and not find me and where I am, you cannot come. I mean what you think Jesus is talking about there… I've heard some people say the cross. I'm not sure. I don't believe he sorry about the cross. I think he started about heaven and what's amazing about that is get the picture got he's in the middle of a bunch of religious leaders, and he's talking about going to heaven and he saying you know what you guys are going. You guys are going. Do you know what happens is that, blows her mind a little bit doesn't materialize. Some religious leaders today in some churches aren't going to heaven. See if you understand how you get to heaven. A lot of people think well you know you you do the best you can. You try the best you can and then somehow that's good enough for God. I don't know where we got it's it's certainly not a biblical concept seeing you think well as long as my good outweighs my bad. Some people say that that's not it at all because seek one bad tips the scales that's it is not a matter of God having you send meters up their personnel matters.

I guess you would call it.

That's not that's not you're not going to get to heaven and see all these little clock looking things in the longer my goodness what a loser loser centimeters we keep up with everybody we keep track and we figure out if you know the good actually actually going to go into heaven by Werther's odometer is it sounds bizarre right coming in them what it was, and you make it up there go my goodness wears. I don't see Pastor David's little doll out here. Well, yeah, we got it back were using that as a fan actually it's not a matter of your good outweighing your bad. Aren't you glad aren't you glad it's about knowing Jesus is about knowing him as your Savior. Notice I didn't say no one about him, you'd be hard-pressed to go anywhere in United States on the streets of America and find somebody that didn't know about Jesus but that's not the requested question is do you do you know Jesus brings us to our first life lesson. It does not matter how good your or how religious you are.

If you don't know Jesus, you don't go to heaven. Doesn't matter how good you are, how religious you are. You don't know Jesus, you don't go to heaven as based simply on God's word and I don't know where we got the concept that you know ever good enough or long enough or we keep most the 10 Commandments were very good outweighs her bad that we get to go to heaven.

That is an un-biblical concept well fallen world centers.

We all need salvation. We all need Jesus. And then that awesome that we can't earn it is Ephesians 289 says we asked for and receive it. It's a free gift. Ephesians says because we could earn it.

We would brag about it.

We would boast about, you know that old saying it's not you know what you know but who you know that's the deal.

Folks, is not what you know a lot of people know a lot about the Bible a lot about but they don't know Jesus. They don't know Jesus and he can woo you and he can talk on their heart. But until you respond to that. You don't know you can't know.

Maybe you're sitting here this morning. You know, I've been really confused by the Bible in an and I don't really understand it will first thing that has to happen is you have to know Jesus. Because the Bible is all about him, then obviously you need somebody to to help walk you through and the teach of these things verse 37 on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, if anyone thirst, let them come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture is set out of his heart will flow rivers of living water that also come gushing rivers of living water, not a little drink cooler droplets, torrents, rivers of living water. That's when supposed to happen in the understand as Christians we should be more filled with joy and anybody else we should be more filled with joy than anybody. I understand we go through trials and and no I'm not talking about happiness because happiness what a good thing for you to remember happiness depends on what happens. So things may happen, then you lose your happiness, but joy that that joy inside that knows you can trust in the Lord and everything's gonna be all right and should leave you should be filled with joy as a matter fact you know here were talking about in chapter 7 we go back to verse to a song about the feast of the Tabernacles here, which was one of the most joyous joyous of all the Jewish feast for seven Jewish feast seven festivals. There was only one that was not a choice occasion was Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, and that was a very solid day filled with fast the rest of it was filled with music and festivals and then in food and it was a joyous occasion as a second life lesson. The Jewish feast for joy filled party celebrating God. How did we get to where we are now how did we get to where we think that Christianity is filled with just swallowed us.

Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in fearing the Lord in a reverential fear.

But I think somewhere along the line. Well I got off track.

We forgot to get together and worship in God should be a celebration should be a party that's just not right.

Pastor David talking about party and then God.

Some of you might need to forget what party and used to be sufficient evidence and works okay when I'm talking about the party and I'm talking about celebrating God, celebrating the fact that you can know and he knows you that it's a joyous thing and someone thinks because seek this thing so many of us go around and and you know I use this analogy a lot but we act like spiritual healers who go on the church know who's going to talk for a long time.

Do you want to go anymore surprise when they go. No thanks. I think I'm good one because so many times weekly act like God is likely been baptized in vinegar instead of water pickle thing going on and you know what happens. This becomes an obstacle for people coming to Jesus you know Jesus in your heart. Let your face know that your face know and it will actually open doors for you to tell people about the will of God in the goodness of God hears him on board. Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 17 tells us the Lord your God in your midst, the mighty one, will save, he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing, he will rejoice over you with singing. You know what if that's not your concept of God. It needs to be. If you don't understand that God takes pleasure in knowing you and you know and him you need to get a hold of this. Can you imagine God Creator God King of the universe looking down this morning as were in here saying it and join and then looking over you and smile.

How far is that from what most of us in Bentall and yet there it is in the Bible not making it up. Zephaniah is a real book by the way, it is the force from Leander going there is no Zephaniah come on seriously. Check it out. It's an index it's in their you been born again into the family of God and that should be a joyous thing to hang out on this this passage for is a lot of stuff here have a cook 318 says, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Life lesson here, God is God rejoices over you.

You should rejoice over your God. God rejoices over you. You should rejoice over your God should be a joyful thing now again if if you don't yet knowing only sit there, go. I just can't drum this joy up. Well, there's a reason for that. There's a reason you're not experiencing the joy that that it's updating you that you can't seem to find Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 10. The second part of this verse is the joy of the Lord is your strength. That's awesome. Chapter Nehemiah chapter 8 as a matter fact, what happens is Nehemiah's proclaiming the wall. They've got a rediscovered the Bible if you will, and the people start weeping and moaning in morning and don't grieve the joy of the Lord is your strength in the precinct don't grieve, celebrate. I'm not saying we should never be heartbroken over sin. Please don't don't make that kind of generalization and and and put something in what I'm saying.

That will lead you there, but the joy of the Lord is our strength elements question, what does that mean it means that if you don't have joy to me this is not a quantum leap in logic your gut.

If you don't have joy. Guess what, you're not strong in your faith you been weekend. So you see how perhaps the world the enemy your unsaved friends, family would not want you to be filled with joy because when you filled with joy.

Your strong ever been really strong and filled with joy around somebody that's really unhappy about the fact that your filled with joy is a little bit bizarre in. I mean, they keep trying to take your joy you know and Lord knows some of those family gatherings are just the place for that to occur, but the joy of the Lord is our strength will be right back with more from David McGee on cross the bridge right now there's a word from associate pastor DA Brown Bob want to take a minute to pray for our listeners and few cities in Florida, Panama City, St. Mark's, Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, and also in Georgia, Athens, Blue Ridge and Brunswick God, we thank you for those listening today we know that you have a special word just for them and God. We pray that they would be encouraged in following you do today they would put their trust in you with no holding back.

And Lord, that they would be an encouragement to others with what you're doing in them.

Lord, we pray for the pastors in the cities that you give them wisdom and discernment that you will be honored in the midst of that in Jesus name, amen, amen. Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse talk about this feast of Tabernacles a little bit because most of us may not understand about the feast of Tabernacles out understand there was holidays. These festivals that God ordained in the Hebrew Scriptures.

There were seven of them. Now the Jewish people of added to them a little bit but and and because these holidays and a window. You rock your boat ruin your world with Christmas and Easter were part of the original seven we'll talk about that another time.

I know the little at a time, but this feast of Tabernacles what they were doing was celebrating when they were in the desert and they all built lose and you could see the top of the blues so you could see the sky and they were remembering when they traveled to the desert.

Now they will also celebrate in the water that came from the rock and the pillar of fire that they followed in the desert.

All these things were combined and will talk more about the pillar of fire next week and the week after, but they were they were celebrate in the rock that the water came out of and you know it's awesome as Paul tells us what to do with the rock was done in pieces was Christ that was Christ. Now I'm not sure that is literal or figurative.

I'm not sure to be honest, but it's it's obviously a picture in their celebrate, and I don't want to know it's hard for us when we get 55 inches of rain a year, sometimes more, sometimes less.

It's hard for us to imagine how important water was in this desert land and enter now that what's amazing is you know you got some desert places in California get two or 3 inches a year when Israel actually gets 20 inches of rain a year. That's a lot for desert like that thing and it usually happens between late November and March. All 20 inches between March and November. There's almost no rain. Now what happens if they don't get the 20 inches box don't grow livestock.I mean they really didn't have a lot of irrigation going on back then the water was incredibly important. If you can put yourself in an errand or or you know in the air with no humidity desert land thinking about water thing about the coming season.

How much he needed water.

Then you begin to get a picture so what happened was the priest during the special and these these things were added, what I'm getting rights described to you. They were added somewhere before hundred 65 BC and and Bob about 100 BC they had added all the things I'm to be talking about. We know that because when it's in literature. It's some of the works of Josephus going back to the Talmud which were Jewish writings that started implementing these things and it's incredible.

Look at these things and what they did because one of things that did was the priest would gather at the temple and they would go down to the pool of so long was a picture and dip the picture into the pool and then go back to the halter and poured out on the altar. Now this is kind of important because what is Salome what John tells us in another couple chapters John chapter 9 verse seven and he said to them, go wash in the pool of salon which is translated, sent so we went wash and came back saying that's another story for another time. But notice alone means sent okay that's going to be important and it's interesting. By the way John is writing to post Jew and Gentile Gentile was a non-Jewish person is what that workmate and an you can tell he is right in the Gentiles, in part because he just translated a Hebrew word that most Jewish people would not translate so he tells us that the pool Salome and sent so the priest go down there. They dip up the water from the pool. That means sent they come back to the altar and they dump it out. Part of what they would be doing to is reading and singing Psalms 113 through 118. These are known as the how else they would be singing these things singing these salt and they called this grouping of Psalms. A hello snow that's important for another reason.

After the Last Supper, they went out singing.

They were singing these.

How else after the Last Supper is interesting what they say now how well hello means praise in Hebrew we say hallelujah you're speaking Hebrew hello praise the God praise God when you say hallelujah that means praise God so they were going and they were singing these how Wells as he was, you dip in the picture in the water and coming back and pouring it out on the altar and you can read the Psalms.

Another time, but let me just let me just quote a couple verses for you from Psalm 118, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing.

It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Save now. I pray the Lord, Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

We have blessed you from the house of the Lord is just a small part of those hello Psalms, the one thing you need to understand is that everybody understood that these how Wells these Psalms were messianic messianic means describing the Messiah. Everybody felt that the Psalms were describing the Messiah but gets even more interesting because what they would do while they were singing. These Psalms back at the temple as they would waive palm branches singing save now. Hosanna to that's where you may have. Hosanna, Rob is on the last great day the great day is great.

Hosanna, if you will, why is that important because that tells us. Hosanna, Robert is the last day of the feast of Tabernacles was an important additional detail in here. That's just filler material guys even the genealogies, all that begotten stuff, you know what sometimes goes on and on and on and on and on.

And there's always something in their sometimes it takes they can find it, but were told this so you have to come ask yourself why will you see on the last great day of the feast of Tabernacles did some different all the priest still went down there is still went down to the pool.

Salome the pool that is sent came back they still saying the how Wells when they came back but he did some a little bit different on that last David Breen treating me.

He took the water and he mixed it with one before he poured out on the altar. Now we know we've got the advantage of hindsight. Looking back on what wine means to us. Some people use wine or grape juice in communion, meaning the blood of the Lord and Susan water in the wind symbolizing blood poured out on the altar and if you remember most of you probably do. John 1934 it says that one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and immediately blood and water came only gets better and I want to build the picture so you get an accurate picture of what's going on here because many of you read this several times and and and your you didn't get the picture of what was really going on, because on the seventh day when they went down and they walked around altar, not once, but seven times the Cornell just not water from the pool of sent they mixed it with wine imported out on the altar and they sang a interesting song will not seventh day from Isaiah 12 versus three therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Now get this in your head because pouring out water and blood on the altar. They just got through seeing in the how else are waving palm branches and then they start to sing a song with this first when you've attended the Thursday night studies. You may know what's coming. This word salvation here an interesting salvation in the English what is it in the Hebrew hiking shoe. The Lord saves you probably know the word but you know a different form of AC that the English word of the Hebrew word is Joshua.

I know that you know that word but you see, you probably know that word even more than you think you're more familiar with the Greek word that you used for the Hebrew word yes you at your shoe. In the Hebrew really familiar with the Greek form of the word is Jesus. So now you're starting to get the picture of me and in the temple then taken a vase filled with the water of sent some would say him who is sent filling it with one pouring it out on the altar waving palm branches singing the how Wells and then say in therefore with joy.

You will drink water from the wells of your shoe and in the middle of this all a sudden fish young man from Galilee stands up interrupts the proceedings from my say rudely and proclaims if anyone thirst, let them come to me and drink.

He who believes in the as the Scripture said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water in Bible study. Cool.

I mean, say, I just get jazzed and excited when these things come together and understand because we we don't know the Hebrew Scriptures the Old Testament the way we should. We miss out on a lot of the stuff guys about Jesus, and on that day. He said if there's anybody thirsty, come to me and I'll give them water give them the real deal. The real water is probably safe to assume that there's probably some thirsty people in here this morning, friend. You can find water here this morning water that will quench your thirst like no water you've ever experienced some of you been really frustrating going from this to that this to that trying to quench that thirst is only one thing is going to quench your thirst. Miss not Gatorade that living water, that's what you're thirsty for that's what you thirsty for now we switch gears for just a second. We as believers if you're in here and you already know Jesus as your Messiah as your Savior, then it says out of you should be flowing these rivers released torrents of water in verse 39 it says, but this he spoke concerning the spirit who knows believing in him would receive for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified by believe that the Lord provides an empowerment or infilling with his Holy Spirit for the believer, I would encourage you all to asked for God to fill you with his Holy Spirit to overflowing, but we are to become channels of blessing to a thirsty world when they see us. In AC there are joy and then in the go I don't have that joy.

Where can I get that. That's when witnessing.

It's really easy in the gospel.

Let me tell you where you can get were supposed to be like this clear, pure ice and water resource so that other people go you know and you hold that out thirsty, you know, this is what were supposed to be like friend.

You know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now own Legion. A short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. God want you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life now done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you.

All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick, not the righteous to congratulations bring you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make.

God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you.

You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working in your life will DA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider a daily reading plan and a thought to meditate on throughout your day. From the heart of David McGee. That sounds good Pastor day and again. It's been great to have you with us on the program today but tell us what else can a listers find on cross the bridge.com.

If you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday. Why not join us for our life, say 10 AM Eastern time or on Thursday night at 7 PM this visit, cross the bridge.com and click on a lifestream link. There you will experience a live service from David's home church.

The bridge North Carolina again. That website is cross the bridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time.

As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the gospel of John