John

[0:00] As the Lord should be pleased to help me, I want to give you an address on a subject you will find in the Gospel of John, chapter 4, and the 10th verse.

[0:19] Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

[0:45] Chapter 4, 10th verse, the Gospel of John. This word, as you may all remember, stands in connection with the wonderful incident in the life of Jesus Christ when he dwelt on earth as verily man, verily God.

[1:16] As he went about living his life, doing love's redeeming work, he helped many poor sinners and blessed them for time and eternity too.

[1:32] And in this record, from which I hope to be helped to say something that should be of help to you, it is said that Jesus left Judea and departed again into Galilee, and he must needs go through Samaria.

[1:53] He must needs go.

[2:23] Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there.

[2:38] Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey. Mark those words, dear young people. Jesus Christ, dear young people. Jesus Christ, dear young people. Jesus Christ, as verily man, was wearied.

[2:51] He could be weary. To be weary is not a sin. But Jesus was wearied with his journey. Sat thus on the well.

[3:04] And it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said unto her, Give me to drink. For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat.

[3:21] Then the woman of Samaria said unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?

[3:31] For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Then comes our text. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

[3:58] Oh, the woman could not understand it. And she observed that Jesus had got nothing whatever to use to draw water from the well.

[4:13] And she did not realize he was not referring to the water that was in Jacob's well. And then Jesus instructed her.

[4:27] And he said, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.

[4:41] But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

[4:51] And now that is just the setting of the subject. I've just read that little record as the approach to it.

[5:05] And I want, as the Lord to help me to bring before you something which I hope will be helpful and profitable and acceptable.

[5:17] And mark how this is worded. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God.

[5:28] she did not know what was the gift of God. Do you? And who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink.

[5:41] Do you know who is he that saith or did say, Give me to drink? And now, here is the evidence that you do know the gift of God.

[5:57] If thou knewest the gift of God, thou wouldst have asked of him and he would have given thee living water. And now, dear young people, I have to address you as you know.

[6:11] It is your evening service. Do any of you ask of him? Are any of you the subject of that thirst which only living water can assuage?

[6:31] Oh, it is a wonderful mercy when a poor sinner, whatever his age, but especially in life's mourning, when he says with the Selmist, My soul thirsteth for God.

[6:47] For the living God, when shall I come and appear before God? And now, if thou knewest the gift of God, and now this gift of God, the word of God tells us elsewhere, the wages of sin is death.

[7:12] eternal life. But the gift of God is eternal life. And at this time, regarding this living water, it is very instructive in this Gospel of John how Jesus Christ, in going about, made it very plain that the gift of God is eternal life.

[7:46] And there is one reference I want to call your attention to, and it may seem at first as though I am turning away from the subject, but I am not.

[8:03] I am opening it up. And now, in the little book of Haggai, the prophet, there is this set forth.

[8:17] Do listen. In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.

[8:45] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, saith the Lord of hosts.

[8:58] And in this place, will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. And now, Haggai, as a prophet, was referring to the building of the second temple, which was very much smaller, and nothing like so beautiful as Solomon's temple had been, which was destroyed, when the children of Israel were carried into Babylonish captivity.

[9:28] But now, many of them who feared God had returned, and the foundation of another house of God had been laid, and Haggai was inspired by God to encourage them to go on building this house, because God would make it more beautiful in one sense than ever Solomon's temple was, with all the beauty that man had placed upon it in the building of it.

[10:01] I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts, and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

[10:12] And now, I read to you what is just following when Jesus Christ dealt with the woman of Samaria, and caused her to thirst for living water, and when she was born again.

[10:31] And now, it says here, 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.

[10:50] And now, that was the last day, the great day of the feast, and that feast was the feast of tabernacles.

[11:02] And that feast of tabernacles was held just about the time that Haggai refers to. In fact, this day came in it, in the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord, by the prophet Haggai.

[11:25] And when Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink, he was nearby that house which had been built as a house for God, in that house, he had read his own word, and taught the people.

[11:49] He had walked therein with his holy feet, and the glory of that latter house was indeed much greater than that of the first. And this feast, being the feast of the tabernacles, I just read you a little record of what was done then.

[12:09] The feast of tabernacles, on each of the seven feast days, a priest would fill a golden pitcher with water from the pool of Siloam, and return to the temple, accompanied by a solemn procession, with sounding of trumpets, and shouting of the multitudes, and he would pour the water through a funnel, which led to the base of the altar of burnt offering.

[12:38] It was to remind the people how the Israelites in the wilderness drank water from the rock, and as they went in procession, they sang these words, Therefore shall ye draw water with joy from the wells of salvation.

[13:00] But think of this gift of God and this living water, and picture if you can, how Jesus Christ as Beverly man, Beverly God, stood looking on at the priest carrying this water and the procession, and then in the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, let him come on to me and drink.

[13:37] if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

[13:55] And now I have read to you, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, the water that was obtained from Jacob's well.

[14:09] And sometimes I have seen a notice, very necessary, that it should be placed where it was, in going by a lake, and sometimes a large pond.

[14:23] This water is not fit for drinking purposes. And now that was a kind warning, that those who might be thirsty and sought to drink of the water contained in that pond or lake, they might suffer for it, they might become ill.

[14:46] But the warning was to prevent them taking advantage of slaking their thirst from water that was not drinkable. And now the word of God says, they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.

[15:05] And you read in the Old Testament, they have hewn out broken cisterns which hold no water.

[15:16] And now, dear young people, how many broken cisterns there are nowadays in the world at large, which will not hold any water drinkable that is drinkable either in this life or that which is to come.

[15:38] When you think of many of the evils of the radio and the evils of television and the evils of novel reading, evil literature that you may read with your mind thirsting to see what it is all about and maybe what you read will so poison your mind that you will find it lingering not only while you were in life's morning but when you were in life's evening time.

[16:16] I can remember much that I read in my teenage life that I wish it could be blotted out of my memory but it still remains and sometimes I get reminders of it and I have to say remember not against me oh lord the sins of my youth because that water if you drink of it you will thirst again you will never get satisfaction worth the name never get any happiness worth while anything that will profit you for this life and that which is to come because all such water is not fit for drinking purposes it is poisoned therefore what a mercy it will be if you should find it in your heart to ask of him who can and who readily will give you living water which will quench your soul's thirst and give you happiness for time and eternity too much might be said along that line of thought and there is one thing

[17:45] I want to make plain to you dear young people and especially you who are in your school life may be going on farther still and now you were taught quite a deal at school about evolution theories and remember what you hear or what you read at any time anywhere about evolution it is only a man made theory there is no foundation for it in the word of god the word of god condemns it it is not that which god is the author of and now when i was a lad which was quite a long time ago evolution was not then called evolution so much as you hear about it nowadays it was called darwinism because the man who propagated the theory of it and published his thoughts about it which went all over the land and spread like a deadly poison his name was charles darwin and i'm going to tell you what i just recently read and i've written it out so that it should be a help to you and a warning when he was on his dying bed this charles darwin a titled lady called on him and found him reading the bible she spoke to him about creation and of the treatment of it in genesis and how those who believe the theory of evolution of whom darwin himself was the first to criticize the record in the word of god do listen darwin said to her with a look of agony on his face i was a young man with unformed ideas i threw out queries and suggestions wondering all the time about everything the ideas took like wild fire people made a religion of them oh if i could only undo it but he could not a few weeks later he went to his reward and what was his reward he that rejected me and my words hath one that judgeth him the word that i have spoken it should judge him at the last day you see dear young people those who would propagate those theories to do with evolution and fill your minds with that which is contrary and not according to what set the scriptures you want to weigh these things up in the light of a dying hour and that is how charles darwin died and he was in dire agony and he went from his dying bed down into eternal misery a very solemn consideration if thou knewest the gift of god and now the next thing i want to bring before you is that in the present age in which we are living

[21:45] it is called the nuclear age in one sense you dear young people are living in wonderful times they are very perilous times from more viewpoints than one but they are wonderful in as much as there are such great inventions which men have sought out and not all of them by a long long way for the public good but much of that wisdom which god has given to man is being used ultimately if it should be permitted to do so for man's destruction and that is a very solemn consideration and now a little while ago I had these lines handed to me and I'm going to read them to you and show you the difference there is between whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again wine and the living water which is the gift of god the heading of these lines is called space and you remember we hear such a lot now about what is going to be done in space outside the world all together in the heavens in space and now the heading of this is space and grace men loudly cry with eyes aglow we are living in the age of space but I am far more glad to know we are living in the age of grace now nations vie in frenzied race to be the first to reach the moon all unaware the age of grace will end for all so very soon

[23:51] I care not on the moon to dwell for God has given me a place on earth to serve and gladly tell the story of his love and grace but far beyond the moon I'll be for I shall live by God's great grace in heaven above where I shall see my Lord and Saviour face to face that was written by a godly woman and you see dear young people she knew the gift of God if thou knewest the gift of God thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water water and then I've also had another hymn given to me where you will see what it is to ask of him and it is one I've never seen before and I've known a great deal of hymnology but I've never lighted upon this one before

[25:06] Jesus the sinner's friend to thee lost and undone for aid I plead weary of earth myself and sin open thine arms and take me in pity and save my sin sick soul it is only thou canst make me whole dark till in me thine image shine and lost I am till thou art mine at length I own it cannot be that I should fit myself for thee here now to thee I all resign thine is the work and only thine what shall I say thy grace to move Lord I am sin but thou art love I give up every plea beside

[26:06] Lord I am lost but thou hast died that is how one poor sinner was enabled to ask of God for this wondrous gift if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water and now to help you I'm going to take the word water and I will give you something for each letter of that word to help you think on this living water it is a wonderful adjective living water water of life reminds me

[27:07] I knew an instance of a godly woman on her dying bed she did not quite realize how near she was to death and she said to the loved one waiting on her give me some water to drink and as the loved one was going to get the water from where it was in the room she said no no here is my savior I am going to drink living water at the fountain head forever and she died that is what it means whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life and now the letter

[28:13] W stands for wonderful this water of which the savior was speaking to the woman at the well living water is indeed wonderful and I read to you in the book of revelation about the wonder of it maybe you did not notice it godly john who was inspired of god to record the book of revelation says and he showed me the pure river of water of life clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of god and of the land it is wonderful water it is said to be a pure river and so it is pure in its origin much of the water that you drink and

[29:21] I has to be purified that we may be able to drink it and get no ill in drinking it but this water is so wonderful it flows from the throne of god and why should it say proceeding out of the throne of god and of the lamb how shall I help you to understand that do you remember I told you that when the priest at the feast of tabernacles carried a golden pitcher filled with water he poured it down through a funnel so that it should reach the base of the altar of burnt offering and now god so loved the world that is the father god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and now there is a connection between the living water and the altar of burnt offering if

[30:46] Jesus Christ had never been offered on the altar as a burnt offering in other words if he had not died in our stead on Calvary's cross this river of water of life would never have proceeded out of the throne of God and of the lamb it is to show to us that this river flows hard by Calvary's cross and what was done there on and that is how it is it can reach poor sinners of all ages therefore it can well be described as wonderful water wonderful in its nature it comes from heaven the source of it is the throne of God and of the lamb and they that are favored to drink of it will one day be found before that throne of God and of the lamb and see

[31:48] Jesus as he is where he is dwell forever with the Lord the letter A stands for abundant the water of life that Jesus refers to is indeed abundant millions have drunk of this living water whose redeemed spirits are in heaven and this Sabbath Eve there are millions on the earth north south east and west who are drinking of it and yet it is the river of God which is full of water I do like that description of the dear Selmist and I have told you sometimes although so many millions have drunk of that river it is still as full of water as ever it was from the time when it first of all flowed from the throne of

[32:54] God and of the land there has been no diminution whatever in that river though so many millions have drunk of its streams and been fitted to dwell forever with the Lord in the realms of bliss the great thing is to remember what I read to you and let him that is the thirst come and do so ever will let him take the water of life freely much might be said along that line of thought so that the letter A stands for abundant this river of God is still flowing in the means of grace and you can ask of God for this wondrous gift in your felt need of it and you will find he will give you living water the letter

[34:05] T stands for transforming and how sometimes you have varied feelings if you are a sinner born again and as you are journeying on through life and sometimes you cannot feel as you would like to feel that matters are going well and you are brought low thereby the godly psalmist will help you to understand this he wrote two psalms one was when he said my soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God and he said oh my God my soul is cast down within me and that is what he felt he had a cast down soul but

[35:08] God gave him his request and that wondrous thirst he was the subject of God satisfied it and he helped the psalmist to drink of that river of God which is full of water and he wrote in another psalm there is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God but when his soul was satisfied then he wrote another psalm what did he say then bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases so that he felt that this living water transformed him in his outlook on the dealings of God and he was no longer cast down wondering how matters would fall he could see that the

[36:14] Lord was with him and leading him forth by the right way and here I have a little record I want to read to you of what this water will do in transforming poor sinners and making them to be real Christians this is a very striking instance and I wrote it out on purpose to be able to read it to you once an Indian lived alone hunting and trapping in the South Kirk mountains his family had all been killed by a band of white hunters and he grew up a wild young man after a while another white man came to the mountains to live he was kind and patient and one that believed in

[37:14] God and gradually the young Indian came to trust this man and to love him and the white man taught him about Jesus and slowly he received the knowledge of him as the sinner's friend after after many months of seeking one moonlight night on a mountain peak the young Indian dressed himself in all his heathen finery and took his white friend's hand and knelt down and prayed then he rose up and made his confession of his new purpose in life suiting the action to the world do listen this is what the young Indian said Indian lay down blanket Indian lay down pipe Indian lay down tomahawk

[38:16] Indian lay down Indian hence forth he desired to live in newness of life unto God and our holy bible tells us if any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature behold old things have passed away all things are become new dear friends you older ones you will see this young Indian who was such a wild young man in his early life how he was led into the truth and got right down to bedrock he not only laid down the things which were to do with his heathen life as he had lived it for years but he got right down to what is the essence of living the life of the righteous when he said

[39:16] Indian lay down Indian what do you sing sometimes oh crucify this self that I know more in me but thee may live did all my vile affections die nor let one hateful lust survive in all things nothing may I be nothing desire for seek but thee you might think that over it is to do with this word transforming and now we come to the letter E and that stands for essential and by that I mean it is essential that you dear young people should know this gift of God and that you should ask him for it and that you should realize the wonderful mercy of what it is to drink of this living water it is essential because if you never know what it is to thirst for it you will be lost and you know my thoughts about being lost

[40:33] I have told you not all the preachers God has ever sent to preach put together trying to tell you something about it could tell you a millionth part of what it means to be lost to go down into eternal misery and there remain and I just want to read you this to show you how essential it is there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table moreover the dogs came and licked his sores and it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into

[41:33] Abraham's bosom listen the rich man also died and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and see it Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom and he cried and said father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame but Abraham said son remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things now he is comforted and thou art tormented and beside all this between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from then you see dear friends

[42:39] I said the letter E stands for this water being essential so that if you never thirst for it if you go on living your life without any concern to ever drink of it and realize the amazing benefit there is in doing so this is what is beyond the grave for such characters who set it aside and despise it have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame you see Jesus Christ himself drew that picture and it just means that to drink of this water the gift of God oh it is essential otherwise you will know a tormenting thirst that can never be assuaged and that forever and ever which is a tremendous subject to think about and now the letter

[43:58] R and the letter R stands for refreshing oh this living water some of us have known the mercy of what it is to drink of it here a little and there a little and it is refreshing beyond words to describe but I read last week an instance where it is so wonderfully evident that this living water is refreshing that I will read to you what I wrote out that I might be able to read it to you and this is to do with a good woman who was a queen in one of the friendly islands in the south pacific and her name is Queen

[45:01] Saloti and she was the queen of an island called Tonga and some little while back she was over in England on a visit and it was very evident that she was a very likeable and lovable lady and that she did indeed fear God and was not ashamed to acknowledge that she did and now this is what I read when the late Queen Saloti was leaving Tonga to go into hospital in New Zealand she realised the end of life's journey was not far away in a farewell letter which she handed to one of the heads of the Methodist church to which she belonged the Queen said I am about to leave for New Zealand I do not know what will happen but it makes no difference I have realised that time may be short and my thoughts have dwelt upon an approaching event

[46:05] I want you the leaders of our church to know that all is well all preparations have been made and not just recently are in a hurry long ago I was helped to commit my life to Jesus Christ my readiness is not my doing I trust alone in the redeeming work of Jesus whenever the call comes I am ready to answer my name my family and nation and the government are left if I have done anything useful for them it is the Lord's doing I am not anxious or fearful on the contrary I have peace and joy in believing my Lord is with me this is my strength my blessing and I give you my assurance that I believe it will remain with me to the end when I read this the word came to me that

[47:06] Zachariah spoke concerning John the Baptist that his life work would be to make manifest people made ready for the Lord and I felt that this godly queen in that far off island was made ready for the Lord and she did not return she went to heaven from the hospital water you see she knew what it was to drink of this living water and she found it to be what the Lord Jesus has declared whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life so that godly queen found it and now remember what these letters stand for wonderful abundant transforming essential refreshing and

[48:25] I have thought of one hymn writer where in one of our hymns and we sometimes sing it he concludes on this note ye thirsty poor and needy souls for you this wondrous river rolls though sin and sorrow make you sad yet drink and let your hearts be glad and now dear young people that is just what our desires are those who teach you and those who love you atone and the pastor who often sends up his desires to heaven on your behalf oh that is what we want you to be made thirsty poor and needy souls to know the gift of god and to ask for it and if you are favoured to ask for it and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth is speaking you will have a wonderful experience and it will abide with you for time and eternity too for another hymn writer said this 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 dear young people dear children the lord grant you that religion and if you should be favoured to possess it it will be well with you while you live and when you die well in time and well in eternity amen