The World's Greatest Water

The title of today's message is, The World's Greatest Water. The world's greatest water. It has actually been said many times, you are what you eat. But have you considered you are what you drink? I found that there is a new study. Scientific study has reached the conclusion in their press release that the water found in Port William's town in southern Chile is the purest water in the entire world. Chile. We have people from all over the world, but I don't think we have anybody from Chile here. But researchers from Chile and also the University of North Texas in the United States took samples and tested it against all the waters in the entire world. The instrument used to study the sample can detect two parts, chemicals, per every million parts of water. When they tested this water out of southern Chile, there were no parts. It was as pure as anything they had ever seen. It amazed them that they could find something even in this world that had not been contaminated in the least bit. The area they described it as something out of the movie Jurassic Park. It was pure, clean, unspoiled, and as they said in the most beautiful part, there were no dinosaurs there. So, your thoughts on water? What do you think? Do you enjoy your water? Do you enjoy just drinking water? The top bottled water in the world, according to those who tested it, five of the six are up here. Voss? Anybody ever drink any voss? Oh, okay. You drink it? It's actually from Norway, one of the purest water sources they can have. After that, there's actually...where does it come here?

I have to see which one. Oh, Evian. Anybody ever drink Evian water? From France. Okay, it's one of the purest. And then we have water from Fiji. Yes, you drink that. You guys drink expensive water. Natural artesian water. And after that, you have Dasani, which I'm sure many of you have drank. And then, last but not least, to the top. Six is Aquafina. Now, the only one I do not have up here was the number one is the Mountain Valley Spring Water. Don't have that. Couldn't find it in a store. So...but those are the top bottled waters in the world. Do these compare to the samples taken in Chile? No. No. But they're the best of all the bottled waters that are out there. The purest tap water in the world. Any of you drink tap water? Still drink tap water? Yeah, many, many. Okay. You're either about to feel very good or very bad. The best tap water in the entire world is actually...number one is Denmark. Followed by Iceland, Greenland, Finland, Colombia. Some of you are like Humberto. Well, from Colombia, New Zealand, and Costa Rica are some of the purest tap waters as they've tested. So what about your water here? Your tap water here in Florida? Well, you must understand, put it in perspective, there's not a city, county, state, anywhere in the United States that even comes close to Denmark. And not even the 20, 30s. There's nowhere near as pure and clean as these other waters. But here in Florida, the best tap water in the state of Florida is in Tallahassee. Does that make you feel good now? But yet, you would drink Fiji and all the other stuff. You're the best tap water. Next is Port Lucy in the state. Followed by Miami, which may be surprising, Orlando, Cape Coral, and Pembroke Pines.

Those are the tap waters in the entire country and even in the world. So can we say you are what you drink? Well, our bodies are composed of 75% water when we are born. And as we age, it goes down in the amount, the percentage. So it's about 65% as you get older and reach a certain age. So you are somewhere between 65 and 70% water. Have you considered that? So if you do not like water, you are not going to like 70% of me or Chris or Jennifer or anyone that's here. Because we are about 70% water. Physical water, which is called H2O, according to medical science, and Adam Sandler is a water boy in the movie, is a must for all human beings. God made us that way. He made us about 70% water. Now it's interesting because scientists say that it has to be this way for all the cells to work. We are a water-based object, as they even say. That without it, we will die. With less and less water, you will become less and less alive. Your body. Evolutionists, they believe we are 70% water because of the evolutionary chain, which started with some slime that came out of the water onto land. And hence, after millions and millions of years ago, we have what is walking in front of us now. Human beings of 70% water. So why? Why did God make us so that we were made up of 70% water? Why would He do that? Because He designed it that way. But there is built in each and every one of us this great desire at different times called thirst. Thirst. All of you have probably experienced it. In fact, is there anybody that has not experienced thirst? Good. So at least I know somebody's fasting. But this great desire is there more than food. Actually, the body requires water more than actual food. More than sex. More than anything. Hence, the desire for life because that is what it entails. Therefore, I put to you today that arguably God's greatest metaphor in this Bible is water and eternal life. Water and the Spirit of God. Because it is used quite often in the pages of this book that tell us about our need, our quest, our desire for physical water, but how God designed us to also desire the spiritual water that He has brought up many times in His Scripture. I'd like you to go with me first to Psalm 42. Probably know the verse. Psalm 42 and verse 1. Psalm 42 and verse 1. It says, As the deer pants for water, the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God. Psalm 42, verse 1 and 2. The writers composed a song about how the deer thirsts for water. And then it is related to our desire to hopefully thirst for God. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Does your soul thirst for God? Does it thirst to read His word? Does it thirst to have a relationship? As Neil said, does it thirst sometimes just to sing out to God, to praise God? Go over to Psalm 63. Psalm 63. Here, David 63, verse 1. Psalm. O God, You are my God. Early I will seek You. My soul thirsts for You. Does it? We all have to answer that question. And sometimes the answer is, not really. It doesn't come natural to get up in the morning and go, Oh, I feel so great. Ah! Let me grab my bottle. Well, it doesn't for me. I don't know about you. That doesn't always happen.

But David said, My soul thirsts for You. My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land. Isn't it amazing when our land here, metaphorically, our land gets awfully dry. We're going through some tough times. We go through some times that are very lean, dry, drought, parched, our life.

It's amazing how we can all of a sudden get close to God, doesn't it? It just happens that way because we're human. I like to turn back to John 4. That's an incredible metaphor that you used.

Here in chapter 4 of John, we have the story of Jesus Christ being left outside of a town by a well. Wells were very important back then because that's where everybody got their water in, that dry land in the Middle East. And here we have the story of the disciples going in town to get some food.

Christ is staying there by himself, by this well that had been dug. And this woman comes up to him, a Samaritan woman. And he asks her, can I have some water? And she's amazed and actually tells him, I can't believe you've asked me that because Jews typically don't have anything to do with Samaritans.

Didn't really like them, didn't have much conversation with them.

In verse 10, Jesus answered and said to her, if you knew the gift, if you knew the gift, what was gift? Well, Romans 6.23, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.

So it's a gift. Eternal life is a gift. But he said, if you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living waters. Living waters. Well, of course, she didn't understand because a woman said to him, sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.

Where then do you get that living water? She's thinking what? Physical. Physical water. And he's thinking what? Spiritual water.

I'm going to offer you something that's incredible. And so here it is, this powerful metaphor of physical and spiritual water.

The woman said to sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself as well as his sons and his livestock? This was a very well that Jacob had used. And so she's like, wait a minute, you're going to give us better water than this because the water had been there for hundreds and hundreds of years.

It was there. And it just kept bringing fresh water up. They could water the stock. They could get their fresh water to drink out of it. The whole city could go and use this water. And you're offering me something greater than this? Is what she's saying? Jesus answered in verse 13 and said to her, whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst. Would that confuse you? I think it really confused her. Unless you understood what Christ is talking about, you would not understand it either. But he clarifies it here. He says, but the water that I shall give him will become.

We need to make sure we understand and underline that word. Will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life. He is talking about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit he will give you. It's like that water. The more you use it, the more he can give you. And so it will become not just a little stream of water, but a fountain of water, which will then, at your death, qualify you for eternal life, the gift that he will give. So this Holy Spirit that's given to us, this water supply, spiritual water supply, is only a down payment.

It's only a deposit to see how we use it and to see if we will use it and see if it will spring forth or whether we quench it. Hmm. So he clarifies this so well. But the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life. It's what's required for eternal life is to have the spiritual water.

The woman said to him, sir, give me this water that I may not thirst nor come to draw again. So Christ tells her, don't think she ever really got it. But he tells us all these years later exactly how it works and why this metaphor for water is used. Because, like everyone here, basically you have had an undeniable thirst at times. You had a time where you just needed water. Your body longed for it.

You would do about anything for it. And so, God desires for you to have that quest for him and that spiritual water as much as you do for the physical water that we all seem to love to drink. Matter of fact, if we can turn over to John 7, a few chapters over.

John 7, verse 37 on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, it says in verse 37 of John 7 on the last day, that great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, if anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. Now, did he have a whole bunch of water there, sitting there going, hey, come and get water?

Don't think so. Because he who believes in me and the Scripture is said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. The Holy Spirit, it will become obvious. Obvious to many of us, those who have springs of living water. Verse 39, but this, talking of water, but this, he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in him would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. The Holy Spirit hadn't been given in Mass yet, but it was about to be given. And that Spirit will feed us spiritually.

It will nourish us. And almost everyone in here said they have experienced thirst. Well, Jesus Christ, on the Sermon of the Mount, even said, blessed are the Old English version. Are you happy? Are you who thirst for water? No. For what? Righteousness. Blessed are you, hunger and thirst for righteousness. Just think, what does physical water do for you? Think about it. It helps us to not thirst. It quenches our thirst.

It hydrates us, right? What else? Well, yes, it flushes, cleans, removes toxins from our body when we do that. It refreshes us, replenishes our cells that need it when we have exhausted the water. But it also, we use water to what? Clean. Taking a shower. Taking about washing. You know, when you've been out and say you've run out of water or there's water problems and you don't have it and you haven't been able to shower for a day or two, a week, two weeks, well, it's not going any further than that.

Right? But you all know. And man, doesn't it feel so good to get in a shower and just have that all washed off? Well, the Holy Spirit helps us to cleanse also, doesn't it? Helps us to read His Word, to inspire us, to draw closer to God, to show us that we need repentance to help cleanse this temple that He has given to us. It's amazing, He says that we are only the temple when the Holy Spirit dwells in us, as He says in Corinthians.

Well, what the physical water does for our human bodies, the spiritual water, this Holy Spirit does for us in the spiritual world. Because that's why He says actually to walk in the Spirit. Why? Be led by that Spirit. And the more we feed it by His Word, the more we share it, the more it becomes a part of our life, the more spiritually healthy we are.

Try to be a physical athlete and not consume water. You're not going to last very long. These soccer players are, as you call it, football in third world countries and other countries other than ours. And here, Brazil, who I was actually watching in a World Cup, kind of why I was pulling for Brazil, but I just picked somebody. Certainly didn't have to worry about the United States being good enough to be in there. But those athletes ran up and down that field, miles upon miles. Could they have done it without water? No. No. Can we go miles and miles in our spiritual walk and try to do that in a desert? Desert that is called this world where people really don't want God. And you do it with no Bible study, no prayer, no meditation. Very, very hard. Just think of all the stories that are in the Bible about water. Here we have Moses. You remember he was supposed to speak to the rock and water would come out. You have Abraham, who had all those wells dug. Why? Because water was hard to find. And guess what? God let Abraham tell him where to dig and he dug and water. Many times. Many, many times. And the lessons we learned from the Scriptures. Isaac, Jacob, both found wives that were well. I guess you would call it the watering hole of their day. Right? And so here, both their wives were found at this well. Has anyone here ever had a well dug? Anybody ever dug one? Well, we've got two. Yes? How far did you have to dig? Stephen? Ah, and the first one you had more than one. Ah, which was a lot better. Nameth, you had one dug?

Ah, well, water is just so important as it is for that city that he was from. How, you know, if you're, there's a feeling like no other. If you're a farmer, a gardener, right? Landscaper, even? A rancher? My wife and I had one dug before we ever built our house. Ah, we had a plot of land that one acre we were going to build a house on. Well, there wasn't any city or county water at the time there, so we had to have water. So we, before we ever built the house, we had to have water. And we really wanted to build the house. So this guy took this big machine and came in there and dug well. Hit water about 60 foot and dug down to 90 foot. But there was no feeling like being there when he hit that water. Because I knew him. I actually worked with him at another job, and then he became a welder. And dug this well, and you were sitting there coming up, and he'd sit there and anticipate. Because basically, if there was not going to be any water found, couldn't build the house. And it was so funny because when he came out, I said, well, tell me, how do you know I have this whole acre? How do you know where to dig? I said, I've always heard of witching wells. You know? He had a certain say. He said, yes. He said, I've actually done that before. But he said, most of the time I can see the layout of the land and look at things and the way things grow. And everything in the 20 years he'd been digging wells. And he said, I've actually done that because somebody just took a thing out and turned it down when I was where I thought I should dig.

So whether that's true or not, I don't know. But he said, I think right here. And so he dug and he hit. And it was such a great feeling when he hit that water and he just all came up and just like, shh!

How much greater feeling was it, though, when I... realized I had received the gift of the Holy Spirit? How about you? When I had the spiritual water, did I realize that the air was baptized and the hands laid upon me and I'm like walking out? Well, that's me! It wasn't till later when I started studying God's Word. I started reading and praying and all of a sudden this... I realized things were different. Spiritually hydrated is what I had become, and many of you, very same way. How important the spiritual water is. And so not only is it important to us today, God makes it clear that in the coming Kingdom of God, in the future, water is a game changer.

Water changes everything physically and spiritually. If you go to Ezekiel, you don't have to turn there now, but Ezekiel 47 goes into great detail about water in the future. As a matter of fact, if you're studying Ezekiel, that I know Bruce and I were talking when he was going through there, the amazing part about Ezekiel is that chapters 40 through 48 all deal with starting the time of Jesus Christ's return.

Not pre-return, but after his return. Talks about what takes place as you read those eight chapters. But I'd like you to turn with me to Isaiah 35.

Isaiah 35. Isaiah talks a lot about the future. And this one, he tells us all as a heading of my chapter 35 and my new King James is a future glory of Zion. This is talking about the coming Kingdom of God. This has not taken place yet. Can't find it. Even the world's theologians realize that. But chapter 35 and verse 1, what will happen when Christ returns and installs the Kingdom of God here on earth? The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them. The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice. How's that going to happen? How is the desert shall rejoice? It was amazing we were in Hawaii and we were on the big island of Hawaii and we were on the side of Kona, which is the desert part. It's actually very dry. It's more like a desert with lava rock. But it's amazing that the lava rock is so fertile that all you have to do is throw seed and water. And you water it and it will...it's amazing. On the other side of the island where we used to live near Hilo, as they were calling it on the tropical side, the wet side, we had water, man, every day almost, during the night and so forth. And it just green and it just grows everywhere. The deserts, all they need is water. And in the coming King of God, there's not going to be the Sahara Desert. It's not going to be these large places with no water where it's just...it looks like it's dying. Everything's going to be alive and it says the wilderness shall rejoice. The birds will be singing. People will be living there. They'll be able to sing the praises of God. Because how abundant the food will be, the rain will be, the water will be. Verse 2, it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even the joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be upon it, like where the cedars of Lebanon, the great place where they grew, all the great cedars were used in the temple. It was such a beautiful place to see, as you would see all these huge trees. And then it says the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. The excellence of Carmel and Sharon? Wait a minute. Carmel and Sharon were two areas that were considered the richest area to grow food. Everything grew in abundance in Carmel and Sharon. They were just this certain place back in biblical times. And it says the excellence of Carmel and Sharon? They shall see the glory. So even what they thought was great then is going to be nothing compared to how it is in the coming kingdom of God. That's what it's saying. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God. The whole world will be able to see prosperity, food. Matter of fact, down in verse 5, it says, Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, as we read about every year at the feats of tabernacles. Then the lame shall leap like a deer in the tongue of the dumb. Sing, For the water shall burst forth in the wilderness. We've got wilderness places today. There is no water. Wilderness places even in Israel. There's places that are not like deserts, but all there are rocks. They're just rocks and caves and nothing grows. It's just kind of a ruffle area. It's not going to be that way.

It says, The water shall burst forth in the desert, and streams in the desert. Our burst forth in wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool and a thirsty land of springs of water. In the habitation of jackals where they lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes. Where the jackals just hung out in the worst land. All the land is going to be great. And why? Water. Physical water is going to change the whole surface of the entire world and the future and the plan for the entire world. It's a beautiful vision we see.

That's why he says in Isaiah 55 verse 1, he says, Oh, everyone who thirsts come to the waters.

But he's talking about spiritual. God desires all of us to want more water. Spiritual water. Desire it. Want more truth. Want the spirit to stir up in us.

So that we can be like no other. So that we can have a time and a life of prosperity. Let's talk about that time in Ezekiel 36.

Ezekiel 36 verse 24. In a future time, he says, For I will take you from among the nations, Gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, And you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from your filthiness and from all your idols. Not just talking about cleaning you up physically, but cleaning you up spiritually. A time in the future where his spirit will be poured forth, as Peter said on that great day of Paul, over all the earth. Verse 26, I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you. I will take out the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. So we're not going to have that harsh, hard heart that is so prevalent today. And then in 27, I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments, and do them. Why? Because the Holy Spirit guides us. It is a guide. It is a teacher. And Christ said before, if I don't leave, the teacher can't come. Your helper, your teacher, this is going to take place all over the world. And God so relates that future time when Christ will rule on earth with the saints. He actually says in Isaiah 11.9 that what? For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That is a future time. And he uses the analogy, he uses that metaphor of water, that the whole earth will be full of the knowledge of God. There won't be, well, I don't know about him over here, I have another name for him here. No. The whole earth, as it pictures that wonderful time, and all of our futures. But brethren, that is then, and this is now. Let us continue to drink the world's greatest water. And I don't mean vos, and I don't mean evian. As a matter of fact, I'm going to go to one last scripture. If you will, Isaiah 58. Let Isaiah finish this picture today. Isaiah 58. Let us continue to drink the world's greatest water, because if you do, Isaiah 58 and verse 11, if you do, verse 11, the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in what? In drought. And strengthen your bone, you shall be watered like a garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. There's one translation, never fails. That's what we're promised. So brethren, this week, drink it in. Drink in the world's greatest water, for you are what you drink.