DISCOVERY OF THE FACTS
1. Our Lord, the Giver of the Living Water, vv. 37–39
To what day does the 37th v. take us? What and why did our Lord cry on the last day of the feast? What ceremony suggested the invitation? (Lev. 23:36.) Could a mere man give such an invitation as that? Why could our Lord? (Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:33; John 1:33; 20:31.) How do we see in His attitude the eagerness of His desire that men should accept that invitation? Whom did He invite? What does “thirst” mean? (Is. 44:3; 55:1; Matt. 5:6; Rev. 22:17.) What is the deepest thirst of the human soul? (Ps. 42:4; 63:1; 143:6.) Where alone can this thirst for God be satisfied? (John 14:6.) To whom must he go? Will coming to a creed, a church or to ceremonies satisfy a man who is athirst? What must he do beside “come”? Will our Lord allow a wicked man or a skeptical man to come? (John 6:37.) What sort of water is it He gives? (4:10.) What is the first result of drinking? (4:14.) What is the second result (v. 38)? Before we can have the rivers of living water flowing out to others what must we first do ourselves? Why is it then that there are no rivers flowing out from some of us? Why does believing on Him cause rivers to flow from us? From whence in O. T. prophecy do we see the rivers of living water flowing forth? (Ez. 47:1.) Is there any connection between the rivers flowing forth from the temple and from the believer? (1 Cor. 6:19.) From whose dwelling place will rivers always flow forth? (Rev. 22:1; Zech. 14:8.)
Whence did our Lord derive this figure of rivers or floods of water? (Is. 44:3.) When the Spirit comes to men in what streams does He pour forth His power from them? (Acts 2:4; 4:31.) Were all that believe to receive the Holy Spirit? (v. 38; Ro. 8:9.) Do all believers have the baptism with the Spirit? (Acts 8:12, 15, 16.) Can all believers have it? (Acts 2:38; Eph. 5:18.) How is the Spirit received? (Gal. 3:1, 14.) When? (Eph. 1:13.)
What was necessary before this gift of the Spirit could be bestowed? (v. 39; John 16:7.) When was it that Christ received this gift to bestow upon His people? (Ps. 68:18; Acts 2:33.) Are we to understand that the Holy Spirit was not in the world at all until our Lord was glorified? (Take a concordance and see.) Was this glory something He had never known before? (John 17:5.)
2. Our Lord the Divider of Men, vv. 40–53
What was the effect of His wonderful words upon the multitude who heard them? What did some recognize in Him? What difficulty did others see in the way of accepting Him as the Christ? Was the difficulty a real one? Were they right in their interpretation of Scripture? (Ps. 132:11; Is. 11:1; Micah 5:2.) Where then was their mistake? When we have difficulties with the Scriptures or with Christ, is the source of the difficulty in the Scriptures and Christ or in ourselves? What was the result of all their discussion (v. 43)? Was that the only instance in which Christ caused a division among men? (v. 12; John 9:16; 10:19; Acts 14:4.) Does He cause division among men today? (Luke 12:51.) Where does He cause division oftentimes? (Matt. 10:35, 36; Luke 12:52, 53.) What is the reason? Who is to blame? How far did the antagonism of some go? Did they succeed in their awful purpose? Why not? (v. 30; John 8:20; Acts 18:10.)
What attempt had been made against Him by the leaders (v. 32)? Was it successful (v. 45)? What was all that it had resulted in (v. 46)? Of what is that an illustration? (Ps. 76:10.) What was the testimony of the officers sent to arrest Him? Was that testimony true? If “never man so spake,” who was He? Did the rulers deny that He spake as never man spake? What was all their reply? Do men nowadays try to settle the claims of a doctrine or a person by an appeal to what “the rulers” think? Would it have proved that our Lord was not the Christ or the Son of God even if none of the rulers had believed upon Him? Is it generally to great men that God especially reveals His truth? (Matt. 11:25; 1 Cor. 1:20, 22–28; 2:8.) Was it true that none of the rulers believed upon Him? (3:2; 12:42.) Did their belief count for much? Why not? What opinion did the leaders hold of the multitude (v. 49, R. V.)? Who was it that was really “accursed”? (Gal. 3:10.)
Who lifted a voice in defense of our Lord? What progress do we see here in Nicodemus? Did he ever get beyond this? (John 19:39, 40.) Was his point well taken? How did the leaders try to get around it? Is it a common mode of procedure when men can’t answer a point to seek to get around it by calling the man who makes it names? What point did the Pharisees try to make? Were they right about that? (Is. 9:1, 2; Matt. 4:13–16.) Is it common to make very positive assertions that men will find things in the Bible which are not there at all?
CLASSIFICATION OF TEACHINGS
1. Our Lord
(1). His nature:
Human, 39; divine, 37, 38, 46.
(2). His characteristics:
Familiarity with the Scriptures, earnestness as a preacher, compassion for the thirsty, 37, 39.
(3). How He was treated by men:
Some thought Him the prophet, 40; some the Christ, 41; some came and drank and were satisfied, 37–39; some stumbled at Him, 42; some (the rulers generally) rejected Him, 48; some hated Him and sought to destroy Him, 44.
(4). What He did:
Spake as never man spake, awed by His teaching the officers sent to arrest Him, 45, 46; invited all the thirsty to come to Him, gave living water to all who would take it, 37; made all who drank the living water themselves fountains from whom “rivers of living water” flowed forth to others, 38; gave the Spirit to all who believed, 39; caused division between those who were of God and those who were not, 43.
2. The Holy Spirit
Christ’s gift, all who thirst (intensely desire) can have, all who believe on Christ receive, makes those who do receive Him a fountain from which rivers of living water flow forth to others, not given until Jesus was glorified, 37–39.
3. All Who–
All who thirst invited to our Lord, all who come can drink and be satisfied, 37; all who believe on Him receive the Holy Spirit, 39; all who believe on Him made fountains of blessing to others, 38.
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R.A. Torrey (1856 - 1928)
An American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. Called by D. L. Moody to head Bible institute in Chicago (now Moody Bible Institute). Dean of Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Pastorates included Chicago Avenue Church (now Moody Memorial) and Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles. Worldwide evangelistic meetings with Charlie Alexander. Founded Montrose Bible Conference, PA. Wrote more than forty books.Torrey held his last evangelistic meeting in Florida in 1927, additional meetings being canceled because of his failing health. He died at home in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 26, 1928, having preached throughout the world and written more than 40 books. Torrey-Gray Auditorium, the main auditorium at Moody, was named for Torrey and his successor, James M. Gray. At Biola, the Torrey Honors Institute honors him, as does the university's annual Bible conference.
Reuben Archer Torrey was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. Held evangelistic meetings around the world with song leader Charlie Alexander. Called by D.L. Moody to head the Bible Institute of the Chicago Evangelization Society (now Moody Bible Institute); Dean of Bible Institute of Los Angeles; pastorates included Chicago Avenue Church (now Moody Memorial Church) and Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles.
Besides his obvious gifts in all these areas, he was also a man of prayer, a student of the Bible, and an outstanding personal soul-winner. It is said that he daily read the Bible in four languages, having a good working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. Some students of church history feel he did more to promote personal evangelism than any other one man since the days of the apostles. His prayer life has seldom been equaled in the annals of Christendom.
Reuben A. Torrey wrote some forty books and his practical writings on the Holy Spirit, prayer, salvation, soul-winning, and evangelism are still favorites of many Christians.