Quench That Thirst Series

Quench That Thirst

CCCAG June 10th, 2018

Scripture- Highlighting John 7:32-39

Gatorade Thirst Quencher commercials

Anyone remember that commercial? Here is some of the history of that drink

How many people here have been to the deep south, like Alabama or Florida in August or September? It’s hot, it’s humid, and if you are not careful, you will be dehydrated in no time and even suffering heat exhaustion just spending the day at the beach.

Now imagine doing something like competitive sports? Think for a moment about being a football player doing 2-3 practices a day in that oppressive heat.

This experience was what The Florida Gators football team was going through every single year. The coaching staff asked the college’s school of medicine for help because water just wasn’t cutting it- the player would drink gallons of water and would still suffer from heat exhaustion and cramping.

The school of Medicine came up with a recipe for fluid replacement which included water, sodium, sugar, potassium, phosphate, and lemon juice.

Basically, they took the IV solution of Lactated Ringers and made it taste good.

The coaching staff immediately saw a much better performance during practices, and they dominated teams in the second half of football games played in Florida over the opposing teams, and is even credited for the Florida Gators winning the 1967 Orange Bowl. The university decided to market the drink to other athletic programs, and Gatorade was born.

Today if you walk through the supermarket or even Kwik Trip and look for something to drink, you see dozens of options.

Coffee Drinks, Fruit Drinks, flavored waters, protein drinks, and of course a few dozen different brands of soda. That doesn’t even include the various beers and alcoholic beverages available.

Quenching thirst, just with soft drinks, is a 200 billion dollar/year industry in our country, and competition is fierce to provide that one drink everyone will love.

Bringing it back to the scripture we are studying this morning, first century Israel is a desert climate. Jesus is teaching during the Feast of Tabernacles, so it’s August or September where Temperatures in Jerusalem average 90’s to 100 degrees F. Everyone he is talking to is probably at least a little thirsty, so Jesus masterfully uses the topic of thirst to make a very critical point about living a life that is pleasing to God.

Prayer

Jesus sets up this teaching about thirst by pointing out the difference between the religion of Judaism that everyone listening had grown up with, and the relationship with God that Jesus was there to repair and bring people back into. He does so in a very subtle way, but in a way that makes the crowds and the Jewish officials question the very thing that Jesus will later drive home.

I. 33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

This is a very mysterious statement that Jesus gives, but it is a statement meant to make the person question what He is talking about. In the video, you saw the Jewish religious leaders going crazy trying to figure out what Jesus is talking about.

Is He going away to the Gentiles to teach Jewish people outside of Jerusalem? That makes sense- we won’t go there and live among the unwashed heathen so if Jesus goes there then we are rid of him, and if he comes back after living among the Gentiles we can discredit him for breaking the Law.

Maybe Jesus is talking about suicide- making a religious or political statement by killing himself in a public manner to protest Roman rule, as some people had done in the past.

As usual, the religious leaders and most of the people were trying to find an earthly answer to a spiritual question.

Nothing messes up people’s lives like trying to find an earthly answer to a spiritual question (elaborate if time)

What they didn’t realize is Jesus is making a spiritual statement.

“You can’t come where I am going.”

The undercurrent of what Jesus was saying is “I am going to the Father. Heaven is a completely different environment than earth, and you cannot survive there as you are today”

Several years ago, scientists studying genetics released a press statement stating that the DNA of a human being and other things in nature are very close.

For example

You and I, regardless of our ancestry, are 99.999% genetically similar

Chimpanzee and humans- 96%

Dogs and Cats- 90%, with dogs edging out cats in my opinion

Human and mouse- 85%

Human and cow- 80%

Human and fruit fly-65%

The scientists further asserted that this proves evolution is a fact since we are genetically similar to all other animals.