Outpoured and Overflowing - Outpour at Pentecost

In John 7 a ritual with water was being observed during the last day of a great feast when Jesus spoke up;

John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,  “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Jesus issues the invitation; “if you’re thirsty, if your bone dry, if you’re dehydrated, if there is a craving inside of you that needs to be satisfied, come to me and drink.

And when we drink not only would we be satisfied but there would be more than enough flowing out of us to others.

Jesus followers are the people of the living water.

Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you withwater for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you withthe Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus wasn’t bringing a new tradition.

Jesus wasn’t bringing a new ritual.

Jesus wasn’t going to be just the new teacher with the new thing.

Jesus wasn’t going to start a church that would fight over buildings and carpets and paint on the walls and music.

Jesus wasn’t going to build a new kind of Noah’s ark to keep us all safe from the bad bad world.

No. He was coming to baptize people with the holy spirit and with fire. A Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire; it would be the essential and primary thing that Jesus would do in us. It would be the mark on our lives.

Jesus talked a lot about the Holy Spirit. The great word that describes the Holy Spirit is the word “helper.” John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth…

The Holy Spirit is going to take on the role of doing at least six things in your life.

1. He connects you to the regenerating power of the cross and the resurrection.
2. He is a revealer. The Holy Spirit teaches you in the ways of God.
3. He empowers you to reach a lost world. Acts 1:8
4. He gives us gifts to serve his people - his church.
5. The Holy Spirit satisfies us.
6. In a sense the Holy Spirit is the emotion of God.

Here is a well-traveled belief that blunts this reality of Holy Spirit baptism – that you have been saved mainly so that you can go to heaven. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a ticket to heaven.

If I could put the baptism of the spirit in a sentence, it might be like this; it is the extraordinary power and presence of Jesus filling you for Jesus exalting, living and serving.

Out of you, Jesus follower, shall flow rivers of living water.

With Acts 2:37“Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Believe, and identify with Jesus and you too will be filled with the spirit.