How the Spirit Leads Us - Part 6 — Zac Poonen

Cleansing by the Word and the Blood of Christ

It from everything that's evil and sinful and wicked in this world and having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. Now this is different from the cleansing of our past sins by his blood.

Initial Cleansing and Daily Washing

See the difference. One is when we are born again and our sins are cleansed in the blood of Christ. Here it speaks about the daily washing. That means you come through, you walk through the world and God's word speaks to you saying, you got a little polluted there.

Let me cleanse you. And he cleanses us with water and water picture of the Holy Spirit in his life. So John chapter 3 is the first step where we are born again, bathed and cleansed. It's called in Titus chapter 3.

Regeneration as the Washing of the New Birth

In Paul's letter to Titus you see that born again is called by another expression. Being born again is called in Titus chapter 3 verse 5, middle of verse 5, the washing of the new birth. Generation is birth, regeneration is another birth.

It's called the washing of the new birth. And that's what Jesus told Nicodemus. The first thing you need is to be washed in a new birth with water. The Holy Spirit makes us a child of God. You know just like the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and produced supernaturally a body inside her womb, exactly the same way the Holy Spirit comes and supernaturally produces a little bit of the life of Jesus.

The Supernatural Work of the Holy Spirit in the New Birth

Just like Jesus, the body of Jesus started as a small little speck in Mary's womb. Life of Jesus starts like a small little speck in my heart. The Holy Spirit, you know like Mary I say, how can this be?

It's the same question Nicodemus asked, how can this be? How can I be born again? Mary asked, how can this be? The Holy Spirit will come upon you. How can you be born again? You can't be born again by your own efforts.

You can open your being, but you can't be born again. The Holy Spirit has to come in and give you a new birth. You know what new birth is? It's Jesus coming in through the Holy Spirit right inside your being and producing something as supernatural as a virgin having a little baby born in her womb.

You can't do it. There's no way by which a virgin can have a womb, a body in her womb, since the Holy Spirit came. That's what happened to Mary. Something similar happens to us. The Holy Spirit comes and produces this little speck of the life of Jesus.

It has to grow just like that body had to grow in Mary's womb. It has to grow, but the answer is through the Holy Spirit. That's the new birth, the Holy Spirit coming and it's called here a washing of the water.

The Well of Water and Complete Satisfaction

But then it doesn't stop there. In John chapter 4, Jesus spoke about this, this growing, you know, that means just like the baby grows or to use another picture, this water, which is just like a bucket of water enough to have a bath.

Now, it says in John 4 verse 14, becomes a well of water. Whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst, but the water that I give him will now become a well. Now, well is more than just to have a bath.

I don't need a well to have a bath. With a well, I can do so many things with water. I can cook. I can do so many things. All I can drink, all my thirst need is satisfied. I can keep on having all my needs satisfied.

That's the meaning. So first step is being born again and the second step is where the Holy Spirit satisfies me completely. Have you experienced that? That's the meaning of a well of water. You know, complete satisfaction.

That's what he said. If you drink this water, you'll thirst again. But if you drink the water that I give, he will never thirst again. Whoever will never thirst, verse 14. And don't you find in your life a thirst for something?

A thirst to see certain types of movies? And you see that movie and you thirst again. Because you want to see another one. It's true. Whoever drink through this water will thirst again. It's like the fellow who takes a drug.

You think one drug will satisfy him? No. He thirsts again. Anything in the world is like that. That's how people become drunkards. They drink a little bit, they thirst again. You got to be very careful.

Addiction to drink, addiction to cigarettes, addiction to movies, addiction to the internet. Anything that, you know, there are good things in all this. I mean, there are good things on the internet too.

But you can have an addiction. Addiction to read romantic novels. You think one romantic novel will satisfy you? No. You want to read again. Whoever drinks of any of these things in the world, the whole purpose of the devil, let me explain this to you.

The whole purpose of the devil is to make you an addict. An addict, maybe not to drugs and alcohol, but to something which doesn't look so bad. But an addiction that prevents the life of Jesus from springing up in you.

But Jesus said, if you drink of the water I give you, you will never thirst again. Think of the greatest thing, the thing that gives you the greatest pleasure on earth. The pleasure the Holy Spirit can give you in fellowship with Jesus is a million times more than that.

You think sexual pleasure is the greatest thing? If you're a worldly person, you'll think that. Multiply that by a million and you'll understand the real pleasure of the Holy Spirit gives through knowing Jesus.

Most Christians have not experienced it. You ask most Christians, even married people, have you experienced Jesus in a way far greater than you have experienced sexual pleasure? No, you haven't. There's something you're missing.

It's a million times greater. You will not thirst for other things. A lot of things we'll use on the earth, but we'll never thirst for them. It's a well. You'll never thirst again. So stage one, stage two, then stage three, John 7.

From a Well to Rivers of Living Water

In stage three, we read in John 7, verse 37, 38, 39. If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. Again, thirst. Thirst is so important. That means I'm not thirsting for the things of the world, I'm thirsting for God.

He who believes in me, if you trust him, Lord, believe means I trust you to do it in me. That's why the word faith was not found in the Old Testament. You don't need faith in the Old Testament because I got to do it.

Thou shalt, thou shalt not, thou shalt, thou shalt not. Life becomes such a headache. But here, the Lord says, I will, I will, I will, but let me do it for you. Will you believe me? Will you believe that?

It's like, as I said, submitting yourself to the surgeon. Will you trust me when I put you under anesthesia? You don't know what I'm doing to you. Yes, I trust you completely. Shame on us that we can trust an earthly doctor.

We don't trust God to give ourselves completely to him and say, I trust you, Lord, you'll do it all in me. That's belief. If you believe in me, out of your inmost being, it'll be more than a well now.

It'll be a river and more than one river, many rivers. See, the difference between a well and a river is this,.