Today’s Message is part of a Series I’m calling, The Best of the Best; in this series I’m preaching what I think is the best message from each year of my 33-year pastoral ministry, which began in 1987
So far, I have done 8 Messages (1987-1994)
Today’s Message is # 9 and comes from 1995
The Message is called – ‘Come Holy Spirit’
In 1995 the Lord was continuing to expand our ministry
Early 1995, we met Pastor Frank Houston, father of Brian Houston, and he invited us to go to Sydney (Australia) to stay with him and Hazel in their home and attend their Church Services and the Hillsong Conference
So, in June 1995 Jennifer and me went to Sydney
We were inspired by the ministry of Frank’s Church that included 70 different ethnic groups. At that time, his Church, CLC Waterloo
Upon our arrival back in NZ, we told our Church Pastoral Team about the exciting things the Lord was doing in Sydney and a few months later we all went to Sydney for a long weekend to attend the CLC Waterloo Church
Upon our return to NZ, we enjoyed a time of revival in our Church
Later that year, we invited an Evangelist, Geoff Beacham, from CLC Waterloo, to come to our Church for a long weekend of Meetings
On the last night, so many people came to the Meeting, every seat was taken in the Auditorium (150 seats), 2 foyers were full of people (standing), side rooms were full of people, and a larger over-flow room behind the stage was full of people. None of these people could see the Meeting!
After the Meeting I met one of the mothers of one of our young people and she told me that she had only come to pick up her daughter from the Meeting but she got stuck in the crowd and couldn’t get out, and, gave her life to Christ!
In 1995, we were experiencing a Revival, a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Let’s come to our Text today
John 7: 37-39
The ‘festival’ that is named here is the Festival of Shelters, sometimes called Tabernacles
John 7: 37a
This festival was celebrated in Israel every year in the month of late September or mid-October
The purpose of the Feast was to celebrate God’s salvation of Israel, when He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and, provided for His people during their 40- year journey to the Promised Land
On the last day of the Feast the Jewish Religious Leaders (J.R. L’s) would carry pots of water from the Pool of Siloam and pour out the water down the steps of the Altar which was situated in Temple area
The water, pouring down the steps, represented God’s salvation and provision, poured out like water upon His people
In the Old Testament, the Lord said that, as the Source of salvation and provision for His people, His people had abandoned Him
Jeremiah 2: 13 ‘They have abandoned Me — the fountain of living water’
Here, in out Text, we are reminded that, yes, generally speaking, God’s people had abandoned the Lord
We also learn, in abandoning the Lord, they had replaced Him with traditions (Pouring water down the steps)
For this reason, Jesus condemned their traditions
Matthew 15:3 “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God”’?
Now, Jesus calls the people to come to Him
John 7: 37b “Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me!”
Jesus was saying that tradition can’t save anyone and that He is the Source of salvation and provision for His people
Hebrews 5: 9 ‘He became the source (the fountain of living water) of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him’.
Jesus went on to say that those who believe in Him, those who come to Him and obey Him, would receive salvation and provision like ‘rivers of living water’ that would ‘flow from (the) heart’
John 7: 38
1/ The ‘living water’ that Jesus talked about…brings new life into our barren lives
Isaiah 43: 19 ‘I will create rivers in the dry wasteland’
God gave Isaiah a vision/revelation of the living water bringing new life to His people
2/ The ‘living water’ that Jesus talked about…brings us into a deeper relationship with God
God gave Ezekiel a vision/revelation of the living water flow out from the Temple in Heaven bringing His people into a deeper relationship with Himself
Ezekiel 47: 1-5
3b ‘The water was up to my ankles’
4a ‘This time the water was up to my knees’
4b ‘it was up to my waist’
5b ‘the river was too deep to walk across…too deep to walk through’
Ezekiel 47: 9 ‘Life will flourish wherever this water flows’
3/ The ‘living water’ that Jesus talked about…brings blessing into our most important relationships
Psalm 36: 8b ‘drink from Your river of delights’
The original Hebrew translates ‘delights’, = pleasure/goodness/Eden
Genesis 2: 10 ‘A river flowed from the land of Eden’
Eden was the place of Adam and Eve’s creation, and, where they enjoyed perfect fellowship with God and with each other
Their relationships in Eden were filled with delights, pleasure and goodness
4/ The ‘living water’ that Jesus talked about…brings joy into the House of God
Psalm 46: 4 ‘A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High’. (Revelation 3: 12)
Jesus said that the ‘living water’ is the Holy Spirit
John 7: 39
My Prayer is: Holy Spirit come!
Come to Jesus and receive this ‘living water’
revdotdavid 
Hi David thanks or this message, I remember this time with great joy. I loved what you did for Easter of 1995 that message and service has stayed with me always. Bearing in mind that I had only just been born again.
God bless you all and have a great day,
Regards and love Paul
Yes, it was great time in the Lord and very special for us enjoying you and Kaye becoming our life-long friends