THE WATER OF LIFE

Revelation 22:1-2 tells us, "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." This river of life flowing from the Throne of God makes the heart glad and has affected every moment in history, one way or another. One of the most beautiful scenes of the Bible is described in these two verses of Revelation. John was given a vision of the great River of Life that flows from the Throne of God and of the Lamb. This crystal clear river begins as a trickle from the Throne and then flows throughout the New Jerusalem to provide healing and life for all who lives on its shores.

The Water of Life is a symbol of eternal life. Jesus used this same image with the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-14. When Jesus left Judea to return to Galilee, He had to go through Samaria on the way, and He stopped by Jacob's Well. As Jesus was sitting there a Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus asked her for a drink of water. Now please remember that this woman was first a Samaritan, a member of the hated mixed race. Secondly, she had a bad reputation, and thirdly they were in a public place and no respectable Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances. But Jesus did. The woman wanted to know why was even willing to associate with her when usually a Jew wouldn't stoop to ask them for anything. But Jesus' reply was, "If you only knew what a wonderful gift God has for you, and who I am, you would ask me for some living water! (John 4:10)" Jesus was letting her know that He was the Messiah and only the Messiah could give this free gift that satisfies the desires of the soul.

As our bodies hunger and thirst for water, so do our souls, but our souls thirst for spiritual food and water. This Samaritan woman confused the two kinds of water, spiritual and physical. But perhaps no one has ever had a conversation with her about the difference between spiritual and physical thirst. We would never think about depriving our bodies of food and water when it needs it. So why should we deprive our souls? The living Word which is Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hunger and thirst for our souls. But the woman realized that there was no bucket to draw the water because the well was very deep. So she posed the question, "Where would you get this living water? Besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob? How can you offer better water than this which he and his sons and cattle enjoyed? (John 4:11-12).

But Jesus responded by telling her that people soon becomes thirsty again after drinking this water. "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:14). She begs Jesus to please give her some of that water and that she will never be thirsty again and she would not have to make the long trip to the well everyday. Jesus tells her to go and get her husband and then she tells Jesus that she is not married. Jesus' reply was, "For you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now." (John 4:18). She confirms that His comment was correct. Jesus had placed His finger on an area of sin and shame in her life. The water that He speaks of does not to quench a physical thirst, but a spiritual thirst. Then she brought up a theological issue, were is the correct place to worship, Jerusalem or here at Mount Gerizim? Jesus informed her its not where you worship but how you worship. Your worship needs to be spiritual and real, because we need to help of the Holy Spirit. For God is Spirit and we must have His help to worship as we should. The conversation ends when Jesus tells her plainly that He is the promised Messiah, and then she goes and tells the whole town to come out and listen to what Jesus has to say.

In John 7, on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus mentions this Water of Life or Living Water again. He stood up and called out in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: 'Streams of living water will flow from within him.' He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him; but the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus had not yet returned to his glory in heaven" (John 7:37-39).

Praise the Lord, there is a real source of the Water of Life and of the River of God. Every provision for our needs are met in the precious Blood of the Lamb who was killed for the salvation of the world. As the River of Life journeys through the heart of every human, and it does so much for us. This amazing Water brings us life. Let's look at John 4:14 again, "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

Those who choose to be washed in Jesus' blood through the repentance of their sins, confess with your mouth and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, surrender their life to Him with this same well of living water springing up from within your heart, then you will be saved.

How is this so? Jesus is the source of this Water of Life and He dwells in the hearts of every believer. As a believer the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, is the manifestation of this amazing water or river of life, because He interacts with us as He speaks through us, leads us, and teaches us everyday of our lives. But because we live in an evil thirsty, barren, desolate, and sin sick world, life is very hard and we must always be on guard against the power of sin, because the devil and his minions will try to do everything they can to achieve his goals.

No matter what the devil throws at you, God will not allow the power of the devil to overcome you, but will come quickly to our aid to deliver us from temptation. God has promised us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." God has also promised us everyday answers for everyday life. God always has a answer. Each and everyday we are to put on the full "Armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-18) to withstand the schemes of the enemy. The more the devil comest at you, the more you will begin to recognize what he is up to.

Jesus is the Water of Life. The River of God which is at the Throne of God and of the Lamb, this water comes from the foot of Calvary's Cross and it gives us the power to overcome, it gives us the power to be satisfied by the Spirit of God in every circumstance that we are confronted with, because we know that God has everything under control. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The concept of "whosoever" serves as a reminder of the inclusive nature of the gospel and the responsibility it shares with all people. It challenges Christians to transcends cultural and social barriers in their evangelistic efforts, reflecting God's love and grace to everyone they encounter. Simplified, "whosoever" means any and all people can come to Jesus because there is absolutely no limit to the cleansing power of His blood. Jesus willingly poured out His blood for us so that we can all experience His cleansing power.

Jesus did not come to die for a few, because it is God's will that all men should be saved and that none should perish. All throughout mankind, and history has proven it, the Water of life, the Living Water, the River of Life, has and will continue its journey. The Blood of the Lamb will never lose its power.