Introduction

The average male is: 5' 9" tall and 173 pounds. Is married, 1.8 years older than his wife and would marry her again. Has not completed college. Earns $28,605 per year. Prefers showering to taking a bath. Sends about 7.2 hours a week eating. Does not know his cholesterol count, but it's 211. Watches 26 hours and 44 minutes of TV a week. Takes out the garbage in his household. Prefers white underwear to colored. Cries about once a month--one fourth as much as Jane Doe. Falls in love an average of six times during his life. Eats his corn on the cob in circles, not straight across, and prefers his steak medium. Can't whistle by inserting his fingers in his mouth. Will not stop to ask for directions when he's in the car. From Men's Health, quoted in Parade Magazine, December 29, 1991 , p. 5.
What does average life look like here in Susanville?
What purpose, what makes life exciting?
Yet Jesus came to give us life, and that abundantly
John 10:10
One of the most important things for us is to drink water
Water gives life, food sustains
Without water you will die in a very short time
Jesus recognized this in John 7:37-39
On the Last Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests would draw water from the pool of Siloam in a gold pitcher, bring it to the temple, and pour it out as an offering to God, seeking adequate rainfall for crops
Jesus used this water as a symbol of something hugely important, an announcement of how man could live an extraordinary life!

The River of Life

Ezek 47:1-12
This prophecy by Ezekiel was written to the house of Israel in exile, while Ezekiel was in captivity in Babylon
This was a bad time for the whole nation
God here prophesies about something that will happen when Jesus returns
When Jesus returns his feet will stand on the mount of olives, and the mountain will split in two
A river will flow from the temple, the seat of Jesus’ government, and will flow out to the Dead Sea, and to the Mediterranean
This river symbolizes the river of life that flows from God, to each of us

The Holy Spirit

The Holy spirit brings life
He emanates or proceeds from the Father – John 15:26
When man was created God breathed into him the breath of life, ruach
This was the Holy Spirit who gave us life
Ro 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Life comes through the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is presented to us in different metaphors, in the Bible
He is poured out
Acts 2:33
This is why we speak of being filled with the Holy Spirit
We can open ourselves up to a portion of the Spirit, which guarantees our inheritance
Eph 1:14
Or we can be filled with the Holy Spirit, as is talked about throughout the book of Acts
When we are filled with the HS, we are allowing the Spirit to take up every vestige of our life
But the Holy Spirit at the same time is a person
He is as much God as Jesus is God and the Father is God
They work in total synch, total unity
The Holy Spirit is promised by Jesus as being our Comforter, or Helper, our Advocate
These are attributes of a person
The Holy spirit longs to be a comforter to us, being that close
He fills us, and he longs for closeness with us
When we grieve the Holy Spirit – Eph 4:30 – we hurt him and he withdraws from that closeness
That closeness comes from spending time with him

Flowing from us

John 7:37-39
Jesus here promises the Jews that their life can be far better than average and normal
We can live a supernatural life
The Holy Spirit Jesus promised would come to dwell in us
But that is not where the Spirit stops
Like God’s Word which does not return to him void (Isa 55:11) – the Holy Spirit also accomplishes God’s purpose
That river of life flows from God’s throne, into us
But then it accomplishes God’s purpose and overflows from us to other people around us
The river of life is meant not for a select group of people but for all men
Life is intended for everyone
God is not willing that any should perish – 2 Pet 3:9
He wants all men to come to repentance
His heart cries out wanting to give the river of life to each person
And he has given us the opportunity to be instruments of life
2 Cor 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Conclusion

God offers us the water of life
He will give us to drink, as much as we want
It is up to us: do we want a mediocre, average life, or do we want to live life abundantly, above average, exceptionally
It is to this that you have been called!

Invitation

Do you want that river of life flowing through you and accomplishing God’s purpose?
Your life will become extraordinary
If anyone here wants that life today, please raise your hand
I will now pray a prayer asking for forgiveness of sins, and surrender to Jesus
And then I invite each one who wants this extraordinary life to come forward and we will lay hands on you and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit!
This is exciting, nothing to be afraid of
But it takes motivation to step from average, into what God has for us

Gerry van der Wende