Nick Freestone Thirst?

My question for you after a passage like that is, have you ever been thirsty?

Like seriously, seriously, dangerously, you're feeling it, you're sick, thirsty.

Why don't you stand up, give yourself 20 seconds, turn to the person you've come with or people

that you know around you, stand up and just share that story, share that time where you've

really, really felt it right now.

So drinking is actually really important.

I'm one of the pastors here, my name is Nick, I'm used to playing the guitar at the front

and leading and doing a bit of stuff behind the scenes.

I'm not used to being at the front, whenever I get up in front of people my voice just dries

up, it's like a desert and I need to drink, so I'm actually really nervous and thirsty

right now.

But we really need water, don't we?

It's actually something that gets painful pretty quick and we're dead in two or three

days if we don't get it.

We're completely in need and we can go without sleep or food or light, like when you go to

Katoomba and go on kick.

You can even go without human contact for weeks on end, but you can't go without water.

After we breathe, we need to drink and everyone knows that thirst.

Our thirst for water is mirrored in us in heaps of different ways, other desires in our life.

And I'm sure you know a kind of thirst for other things, for practical needs and extravagant

desires.

Under the surface, these desires that are in us, under the surface of those, we're all chasing

satisfaction.

We long to be satisfied.

If we can't get no satisfaction, then we're discontent.

Now I know discontent and you know it too.

Our discontentedness demands action.

It says get happy and quick and it looks like a whole bunch of things.

It can be, I think for me, it's tiredness and hunger and apathy.

It's lots of things.

We want to fill our lives with things.

When I get tired and anxious, I raid the fridge and I put a TV show on and entertain myself.

I escape.

Those things I think I know won't satisfy me, but they're good distractions for my thirstiness.

What does your discontent look like?

Finish the sentence, I'd be satisfied if only I had.

I'd be satisfied if only I was or looked like.

What do you pursue to remove that discontentedness that you feel, that thirst in you?

And may I suggest today, and this is actually really exciting, that there is an end available

to our thirst.

Somewhere to run to for water that can fill us up.

A source to go to where we are satisfied forever, to return to ongoing, into eternity, and free

for absolutely everyone.

That's a pretty big talk.

But the exciting thing is that we get to come to a pretty big God.

So I need to hear about what this water is as much as you guys.

And we're all among the thirsty today.

You guys stood up and talked pretty loudly.

So I assume you know what I'm talking about.

So let's pray for God's help to hear him over what I say today.

Let's pray.

Lord God, we come to you as thirsty people with longing in us.

We long to be satisfied, God, and I pray today that you would do that by your spirit,

by the truth of your gospel.

Amen.

Guys, our yearning and our satisfaction, our thirst, is actually a really good thing.

It's created in us.

It's not an accident.

It's given to us by God.

And he didn't leave it as an unhelpful little burden that we have to carry.

We thirst for God because he satisfies.

If we only knew our creator completely, we would not have yearnings.

We would not need endlessly.

We would not thirst our way through this life.

But naturally, humans thirst for everything but God.

And we chase after the wrong things.

We've got to somehow come back to God and get satisfied again.

We're only ever going to be satisfied in God.

And this matters.

God did not come to tell us to ignore the desires in us for satisfaction.

He wants our discontent quenched.

He came to turn us around from our sin, to bring us back to the source that we were made to come to

and provide us satisfaction and joy that's going to last.

In the beginning, it was Adam and Eve.

They had full access to God and full satisfaction in Him.

That was a wonderful relationship where they had complete access to God.

They thirsted for nothing.

They worshipped with their whole lives.

They were enamored by God's creation, His perfection and His presence.

They were satisfied in Him.

But ever since Adam and Eve chose to find their satisfaction elsewhere, we have followed them.

Our sin cost us that access to God and we lost our satisfaction.

Jesus knew this.

He knew that we were without access to God and the satisfaction that that brings.

Look at Jesus' prayer for us in Matthew 11.

It's going to be on the screen.

There it is.

No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son

and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Every one of us take our first breath of life into that situation.

We're born without access to God.

And with the discontentedness and thirst that comes from that, nobody knew Jesus when He came

and only Jesus knew the Father.

It's going to take God for us to know God.

It's a bit confusing, but honestly, we're out of that loop.

We're all undeserving.

It's going to take an act of grace for us to ever know God.

Unless God acts, we go on thirsting.

Unless He meets our needs, we're going to stay in need.

Unless God has a way for me to be satisfied beyond my abilities to do so,

I'm going to stay anxious and weak.

Unless God is your way to satisfaction,

every underlying thirst and need in you is going to go unmet.

So let's come together as thirsty people and see what God is going to offer us.

John 4.

If you don't have your Bible out or a screen on a phone or something in front of you, get it.

Put your hand up.

Someone will find you a Bible if you don't have it.

I'm going to be jumping around in John 4.

The situation is two people meeting near a well in Samaria.

One of those was a woman getting water.

The other was Jesus.

The woman was a local Samaritan.

Here's what we know about her.

She had been in and out of marriages more than most people.

She struggled with life and that wearisome daily trek to go get water.

And she worried if she really knew who God was.

She thirsted for much more than the water in her jar.

She was discontent.

She's just like us.

Guys, today, right now, put yourself in her place.

Because like her, we get tired of everything.

We struggle with sin.

And we're reaching out for God in some way.

We're thirsty like her.

We are her.

But because God is gracious and for no merited reason,

Jesus chose this woman on that day to be offered complete, lasting, eternal satisfaction.

The first to be offered that.

He starts the conversation.

Will you give me a drink?

It's astonishing that Jesus would do this.

It is crazy culturally for him to step out and start that conversation.

A Jew would never address a Samaritan.

Wouldn't speak to them.

They would never drink from a Samaritan's cup when they'd made or touched or even been seen near.

A Jewish man would never address a woman in public.

And in verse 27, his disciples were astonished that he'd been talking to her.

But Jesus saw her.

He saw and validated her need.

He shows us that we're all in her place.

Not just culturally, but actually without him.

He came for us all.

Now, when Jesus says, will he give me a drink?

Do you think he's just asking for water?

Honestly, I think he was actually thirsty for a drink.

It's hot in that part of the world.

Like, desert hot.

Like, hotter than Sydney in the humidity in February.

Hot.

It is crazy hot there.

And I bet Jesus knew a real human thirst.

But he didn't thirst for God like we do.

He knew God and was satisfied.

He was drinking and eating like us while completely satisfied.

In God.

Jesus proved to this woman, 17 and 18, that's on the screen.

He proved that he had access to God because he knows secrets about this woman that only God could know.

Hidden things about her relationships.

And we see later that that's proof for her.

She says later, he told me everything about everything I'd ever done.

He didn't.

He gave her a short list of things that proved to her that he knew God.

He is not thirsty like we are.

But he is full of grace and mercy and compassion.

He started the conversation that she could not start and that we can't.

To show us that he offers us satisfaction.

I've always been amazed at Jesus' ability with fasting and food.

I can barely even make lunch for my kids with a full fridge of food.

I'm useless when it comes to doing the simplest things like that.

But Jesus can make food for 5,000 people.

Bam!

It's there.

That's incredible.

And he can go for weeks without eating.

I can't go for more than about an hour and I feel like I'm going to die.

But Jesus went weeks in the desert without food.

It amazes me what physical needs Jesus could put aside while satisfied with God.

He talks about it in verse 32.

He says he has food that we don't understand.

He is completely satisfied in God.

But, and this is incredible.

And if you're really tired, just catch this today because it's so incredible.

He didn't hold on to that satisfaction.

He actually gave it up so that we could have it.

Look with me at John 19.

It's going to be on the screen.

Stay in John 4 on your tablet or your Bible.

Look up here.

Later, knowing this is Jesus on the cross.

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished

and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,

Jesus said,

I am thirsty.

The God who was satisfied beyond needing anything at all,

stooped down to identify with our needs and become a man

and on the cross took on our thirst for God.

I don't think he's saying,

as he gasps for breath and bleeds out on the cross,

I don't think he's saying,

I'd really like a glass of cold water, guys.

This sucks.

He is putting his satisfaction in God aside

as the Father turns his face away from him on the cross

because he's wearing a sin.

So we would never have to be thirsty and without God ever again.

That is amazing.

Jesus became thirsty for us

so that he can offer us this drink

that we hear about in John 4.

Let's see what he's offering us exactly.

John 4 verse 10.

John 4:10

Have a look with me.

If you knew the gift of God

and who it is that asks you for a drink,

you would have asked him

and he would have given you living water.

Jump to verse 13.

Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,

but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.

Indeed, the water I give them will become in them

a spring of living water welling up to eternal life.

Jesus was promising to quench this woman's thirst forever.

What did he mean?

It's clear in the story

that the woman thought she knew what he meant.

She asks for this mysterious water

so she'd no longer have to go out every day

and get water for herself.

That's exactly what we would do.

We would take our understanding of God

and then demand it of him.

Give me a drink, Jesus.

She's thinking like Spielberg

in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

You know, the chase for the Holy Grail,

the cup of Christ.

Assuming that drinking from a cup that Jesus offered

would keep us young and alive on earth.

But Jesus is promising us so much more

than something so silly as that.

He's actually promising access to the living God,

not just a long-term hydration solution,

but a longer-than-life-long satisfaction.

So how do I get this living water

if it's not from a cup that Jesus offers?

Not a literal cup.

Look again at verse 10.

Look at how it starts.

It begins,

if you knew.

It seems that knowing God

is the way to get this drink.

The woman caught the cue

about knowing God.

When I read this passage,

I didn't.

I got really confused

as to what this woman asked Jesus.

If someone comes up to you,

tells you all your hidden secrets

of your life,

and then kind of leaves

the conversation open,

you can ask them anything.

What would you ask for?

What answers to life

would you demand from that person?

And I'd probably say,

how do I,

you know,

get more money?

Or can you help me

with all the stuff

that I do wrong?

Or can you help me?

I've got a list of like

a zillion practical things

that I could think of.

I want this,

I want that,

I want a guitar,

I want my kids to be healthy,

I want to be secure for life.

But she gets this cue,

she wants to know

if she really knows God.

She asks a religion question.

I always found that really weird,

but she gets this cue

about knowing God.

She was convinced

about Jesus' connection.

Why not see

if she knows God

like he does?

So she asked him

if Samaria's way

of knowing God,

their religious practices

were correct.

Because if they were right,

then she'd already have access

to this water, right?

Right?

Often people think

that religion

is about having our lives

in order already

to get us access to God.

Surely Jesus will just

tell us here

who is right

and who really knows him

so we can all get on board

with that one religion

and then move on, right?

No.

He says it's no longer

about how you get access

to God,

but who is

your access to God.

Not a list of things

to do

to know God.

He

is

how we know God.

He is

our access to God

and it's by his grace,

not by what we do.

He is offering

to meet our greatest need

in him.

So let's look at

Jesus' answer

to our discontentedness.

How will Jesus

do for us

what we need?

And the answer

is in two words,

spirit

and truth.

Look at verse 21

with me.

It's going to be

on the screen as well.

Woman,

Jesus replied,

believe me,

a time is coming

when you will worship

the Father

neither on this mountain

nor in Jerusalem.

You Samaritans

worship what you do not know.

We worship what we do know

for salvation

comes from the Jews.

Yet,

a time is coming

and has now come

when the true worshippers

will worship the Father

in the spirit

and in truth.

for they are the kind

of worshippers

the Father seeks.

God is spirit

and his worshippers

must worship

in the spirit

and in truth.

In the spirit

and in truth

is Jesus'

mysterious answer.

It is

how we can know

God

through him.

So it's

really important.

These are the two

things that we need

to get satisfaction

in God.

So first,

the spirit.

God inflames

our hearts

to faith

by the Holy Spirit.

He confirms

we're saved

by the Holy Spirit's

dwelling in us.

He speaks

through his word

in the Bible

by his spirit.

And the spirit

is a Christian's

connection

to God.

The spirit

does not let go.

The Holy Spirit

is like

the hand

that takes

hold of ours

and leads

us to God.

It is our

constant comfort

and assurance

that we are saved.

It's his grace

in action

drawing us

to him.

But it is

the spirit

and truth

together

that bring us

to God.

So

the truth

part of it

sounds a little

confusing.

So let Jesus

clarify it for you.

Can we have

John 14

up on the screen?

verse 6.

I am the way

the truth

and the life.

No one comes

to the Father

except

through me.

Jesus

himself

is

the truth.

Everything

he was

and said

and achieved

his life

his death

his resurrection

it is all

the truth.

The truth

is

the gospel

of Christ.

All we know

from him

from the gospels.

His perfect

life for us

that we might

live.

His death

is an innocent

man that he

died for

sinners.

His resurrection

that proves

that Jesus

won us

a way

back to God.

The gospel

is what Jesus

came to live

out so we

could get

God back.

It's what we

sang about

in that first

song

from the

squalor

of a stable.

virgin born

walked our

road

felt our

pain

defeated

death

crowned

with glory.

So the

truth

is

the whole

gospel of

Christ.

So then

we get

God

by the

spirit

by means

of the

gospel

itself.

The gospel

is like

an open

door

door.

An open

door

to God

and the

spirit

is like

the hand

that leads

us through

it.

They go

together

to open

access to

God and

to

satisfaction.

In spirit

and in

truth

we are

satisfied

and connecting

with God

through the

gospel by

the spirit

is drinking

living water.

It is that

action.

We can only

come to

God through

the door

of the

gospel.

We are not

getting in

any other

way.

And when we

do, we

revel in it

and soak it

up.

We respond

with prayers of

thanksgiving and

praise.

Those overflow

into singing

and serving

and loving

and giving up

our lives

for the

gospel.

The gospel

becomes our

joy and

our motivation.

It becomes

the source

of our

worship.

But it is

only by the

spirit that we

come at all.

The spirit

is our

reminder of

the gospel's

effectiveness.

The spirit

speaks through

God's word.

The spirit

inspires our

prayers.

The spirit

guides us,

inspires,

upholds,

holds,

and remains

with us.

Together the

gospel and

spirit satisfy

because through

them, through

the door, by

the hand of

God, we

get God.

And we

know we're

satisfied because

our satisfaction

overflows in

worship.

have you

ever had a

really nice

cold drink of

water on a

sweltering day?

For me, it's

a cold beer

with dinner

because,

honestly,

that's as good

as it gets

for me.

Do you know

that elation,

that

after you've

taken that

first swallow?

If I did

that every

night at

dinner, I'd

kind of get

frowned on,

but do you

know that

that

is

worship.

Thankfulness,

joy, and

pleasure just

erupt out of

us.

It's worship.

We're responding

to the

satisfaction that

we've found in

the drink.

the

worshipers

Jesus is

after aren't

doers of

worship.

No, Jesus

was the

doer for

us, and

now is our

reason to

worship.

We're

responders in

worship, and

can you see

how that

undoes the

woman's

expectations?

The

ah

isn't a

set way of

doing church

or life.

It's entirely

dependent and

responsive to

his provision

for us.

That

ah

is the

mark of

our

satisfaction

in Jesus.

There's got

to be some

sort of

response that

has to be

part of

our every

day.

It's got

to be the

boldest

colour of

our Sunday

services.

if we

don't

look

satisfied,

are we?

Jesus'

offer to

come and

drink is

open to

you.

Be

satisfied

once and

for all.

Jesus'

offer does

satisfy once

for all.

I've got to be

honest, life

stays hard.

We're sinful

and we're

still kind of

yearning for

something.

As a

Christian, the

yearning is

still there.

The

discontentedness

often remains.

Does that

mean that

Jesus hasn't

satisfied us?

No.

He has.

But we

yearn and

hurt and

struggle and

even doubt

because we're

waiting for a

final satisfaction

in eternity

with God.

And we're

not there

yet.

But we

have the

glorious

opportunity to

go there

every day

and drink.

The

gospel

is there

to satisfy

us

ongoing

every day.

Look,

cover to

cover,

this thing

is all

the water

you will

ever need

ever.

that's

what you

need to

survive as

a Christian.

Everything in

here points

to Jesus,

it's about

Jesus and

it's leading

us to look

forward to

an eternity

with him.

It provides

our hope in

hurt and

struggle and

turns back the

strongest doubts

and fears.

This good

news, this

gospel, this

word of God

is there every

day for us as

a reminder of

Jesus'

provision for

us.

But as

Christians, we

still don't

always drink from

satisfying the

satisfying source of

the gospel.

We go elsewhere.

I still stand

over an empty

fridge and wonder

why I'm standing

there.

We still go in

all the wrong

directions, chasing

desires.

We go to money

and to power and

to other stuff

that will not

last.

And as a

Christian, if

you aren't

drinking regularly,

you're needlessly

thirsty and

missing out on

joy that Jesus

is offering you.

Doubt and

pain and fear

and uncertainty

get continually

pushed aside

when we drink.

So why don't

we do that?

Why don't we

drink a little

together?

Look with me

at the

culmination of

the gospel's

promises to

us, to the

end of our

thirst, the

satisfaction of

eternity with

Jesus.

Guys, this is

the hope for

every Christian.

Never again

will they

hunger.

Never again

will they

thirst.

The sun will

not beat down

on them, nor

any scorching

heat, for the

lambs at the

centre of the

throne will be

their shepherd.

He will lead

them to springs

of living water

and God will

wipe away

every tear

from their

eyes.

Compare

our

discontented

cries from

earlier.

I'd be

satisfied if

only I had.

I'd be

satisfied.

That

discontentedness

is, how

does that

compare to

how you

are lifted

up and

given joy

by what is

there in

Revelation 7?

Does your

lack of

satisfaction

now pale in

comparison to

how you

yearn for what

God will have

in store in

the future

for you?

That Jesus

himself will

be leading

us, feeding

us, and

wiping away

our tears?

things.

And the

heat of the

day and

struggle will

soon be over

and we will

thirst no

more.

That picture is

complete

satisfaction.

Revelation 7

is what we

are thirsting

toward.

And we're

crazy if we

do not come to

the Spirit and

the truth of

the gospel to

drink.

guys, in

the last

few weeks,

friends of

mine and

Sam's lost

their baby at

30 weeks of

pregnancy.

It was a

shock and it

was awful.

A guy I

went to

college with

this week

actually committed

suicide and

it's devastated

everyone I

knew at

college.

We've got a

church member,

530 member,

staring death in

the face,

fighting cancer

right now,

tonight.

How do

those involved

in this stuff

get satisfied

in God while

life serves up

this mess?

How do we

stay satisfied

while we're

watching it?

By the

Spirit of

God, through

the truth of

the gospel,

Christ.

And if we

go anywhere

else, we're

drinking dust.

And it's

going to leave

us empty.

As the band

come up right

now, soon

we're going to

sing together

and respond to

what we just

drank in

Revelation 7.

But before we

sing, remember,

we will

go to the

God.

We will

be satisfied

in God.

Jesus offers

satisfaction free

to anyone.

No matter who

you are, he

offers it now,

once, and

every day, and

on into

eternity.

And if you

find discontent

in you now,

and it's

still raging,

as a

Christian,

already knowing

satisfaction, yet

struggling,

know he is

ready to deal

with your

discontent by

the Spirit and

by the means of

the gospel.

And this,

he took your

discontent,

thirst, and

yearning for

God, and he

wore it on the

cross, so you

never have to.

You can have

satisfaction now,

and you can have

it forever, by

the Spirit, by the

means of the

gospel and his

word.

So let's come to

God by his

grace, by his

spirit through the

gospel, come as

thirsty people, and

get satisfied.