GOOD NEWS FOR THIRSTY SOULS – Charles Spurgeon

Good News for Thirsty Souls

“I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.” — Revelation 21:6

Salvation is no small thing. It filled the heart and hands of the Son of God, and therefore it ought not to be neglected by us. The precious promise before us concerns the gift of eternal salvation, and it is set forth as the personal Word of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. The Apostle is very careful to make this clear, for he inserts the words, “And He said unto me,” as if John knew that poor, troubled hearts might doubt such a large promise were they not assured that Jesus, Himself, had expressly given it. John is a faithful and true witness. In this, as in another case, he could have written, “He knows what He says is true.” He declares to us that He who is Alpha and Omega, Himself, gave to him this word of promise. So especially careful was our Lord that the Gospel of Grace should be published correctly and without fail, that He delivered it, Himself, to John and also said to him, “Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Not content with committing the message in words to the Apostle, He charges him, then and there, to put it down in black and white that it might never be forgotten. Thus, He proved that He assuredly meant what He said and meant that it should stand good through all ages—“I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

It is to be noticed, too, that our Lord spoke these words as a King—“He that sat upon the Throne said, Behold, I make all things new,” and then He added, “I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Divine Sovereignty, therefore, is not opposed to the most generous promises of the Gospel! Jesus Christ may give or withhold as He pleases—but His will is to give. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and He will have compassion on whom He will have compassion, but the stern truth of His infinite Sovereignty is coupled with the sweet declaration of boundless charity—“I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.” However much we preach the Doctrines of Election and Divine Sovereignty, we never intend to limit the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, but as freely as if we had not believed in Sovereignty to publish our Lord’s generous Gospel words, “Him that comes unto Me I will in no wise cast out.”

Again, the doctrine that salvation in us as well as for us is entirely the work of God, is not opposed to the most open invitation to come to Christ, for the verse out of which we have culled our text begins thus—“I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End,” that is to say, “I am the Founder and Finisher of salvation. I am the A and the Z of all life in the soul.” This being accepted as the sure Truth of God, we may not, therefore, conclude that we are to be inactive till some miraculous work is worked upon us, for the promise is as true as the doctrine and it suggests immediate reception of Christ. “I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely,” is an invitation to drink, and it will be wise on our parts to accept it at once and drink to the fullest!

There is a splendid preface to this promise in the three words, “It is done.” This, indeed, is the reason why Grace can be so freely given! When our blessed Lord had completed His work on the Cross, He cried, “It is finished,” or, “It is done,” and then the living stream flowed freely for the sons of men! Then was the rock riven with rivers! Then was the stone rolled away from the well’s mouth! Then was the water of life made to gush from under the altar to refresh a barren world with its ever-deepening flood! When this world’s history is over—when the entire program of Christ’s mediatorial work shall have been worked out and this dispensation shall have come to an end—then our Lord, from His Throne, shall say, “It is done,” and this shall be sung to His Glory, that He freely gave to thirsty souls of the fountain of the water of life!

I am most happy to have such a text to preach from! I pray the Lord to bless every word that shall be spoken and that every one of you—from those in the uppermost gallery, to those who crowd the far corners of the area—may you ALL come, this morning, to the celestial spring and drink and thirst no more! You have drunk, some of you, many times—come again and take draughts large and deep, for the fountain is as full as ever! Some of you, spiritually, may be like those described by Coleridge—“With throats unslaked, with black lips baked.” Your tongue cleaves to the roof of your mouth with faintness and anguish. You are burning with a strong desire and pressed with an urgent need. Come! Come and welcome! Hasten even before we enter into the sermon—drink from the life-giving fountain while we linger in the porch of these prefatory sentences! The words of the redeeming Lord invite you to partake of Grace at once! O Holy Spirit, apply them with power to every heart!

I. Explanation

We shall only mention a few very simple truths of God. The first is that all souls, by nature, are in great and dire need. Our Lord here speaks of those who are “thirsty,” and thirst is the index of one of our most pressing necessities. Many things we think we need and yet we live without them. But the need of which thirst is the expression is a very urgent one, involving the loss of all comfort and even of life itself, if it is not supplied. A traveler who had experienced both hunger and thirst said, “Hunger you may palliate, but thirst is awful.” He meant much by saying, “thirst is awful.” There is no forgetting this pain and no stopping it except by drinking. When thirst swoops down upon a man from out of a burning sky, whether he wanders upon an ocean of sand or brine, it is a woeful day for him. Has Hell, itself, worse misery than to ask in vain for a drop of water to cool one’s tongue? The imagination of the ancients pictured Tantalus as thirsty and mocked by water up to the chin which fled from him as he stooped. The pain of thirst is keen to the last degree and the desire to drink is intense beyond imagination. Need of water is a terrible need, but the need of Divine Grace is even more dreadful! And such is the need of all our race. Every man, by nature, needs Grace. He does not always know what he needs and, indeed, many are so insensible that they do not feel their soul’s necessities—yet those necessities are none the less urgent! There is a void within men which the whole world cannot fill.

The experiment of filling the heart with the world has been tried and it has failed! Alexander the Great, when he had conquered the known world, sat down and wept because there was not another world to conquer. Insatiable is the heart of man—you might as soon fill the bottomless pit. As the horseleech cries, “Give, give, give,” even so does man’s ravenous desire! If his soul’s thirst is not relieved, man must die as surely as though slain by the sword. To die of thirst is one of the most dreadful of deaths—may none of you perish with spiritual thirst. Dear Souls, you need a Savior! You need the pardon of your sins! You need to be made anew in Christ Jesus and, whether you know it or not, if you do not get these things you will die in your sins and, therefore, die eternally, which is the second death. If this thirst is not quenched, you are in a desperate plight, indeed, for there is nothing before you but “a fearful looking for of judgment and of fiery indignation.”

Some persons begin to be conscious of their soul’s great need and these are they of whom the Savior speaks as “thirsty”—they have a dreadful need and they know it, by His Grace. I sometimes meet with enquirers who, when they are invited to believe in Jesus, reply, “I do not feel my need enough. I wish to take the living water, but I am not thirsty enough.” I would have you know that frequently those are the most thirsty who thirst to thirst. If I know that I have a thirst, I at least have something! But if I am fearful that I do not even thirst, then my thirsting to thirst is a deeper thirst than thirst itself. I speak this way because of the infirmity of trembling hearts.

Permit me to put this before you again. You complain that you have so hard a heart that you do not even feel it to be hard—this fact is a clear proof that yours is an especially hard heart and just so when you cry, “I desire to desire,” it is clear that you have an especially strong desire. Besides, let me remind you that no man living knows to the fullest his own need of a Savior. I suppose if we could altogether see our desperate condition by nature, or know to the full the heinousness of sin, we would become mad! Do not, therefore, ask to feel your need above measure, but thank God that you know your necessity enough as to apply to Jesus for His gracious supplies. Come and drink! Come and drink at the flowing fountain of love! For if you drink, you shall live!

But a mere sense of need will not afford you relief. Remember, also, that certain pains which are supposed to be a part of spiritual thirst are not necessarily connected with it. When a man is seeking Christ, it often happens that the devil comes in and suggests all manner of blasphemies and despairing thoughts. Do not be so foolish as to conclude that you are not thirsting after Christ because you have happily been free from these diabolical insinuations. They are not the work of the Spirit of God—they are malicious inventions of the devil and you are infinitely better without them than with them! I have heard of a convert who was years before he could trust the Savior because he thought himself to be so great a sinner that the Lord could not possibly save him. Do not imitate so bad an example! Unbelieving thoughts are no part of thirsting after Christ and they are not to be desired, but dreaded.

Be very thankful if you can get to the Lord Jesus easily—it is a choice privilege. You know that you need Christ. You are sure that Christ can supply your need—therefore come and take Him without doubt or questions! Simple unquestioning faith is the very best way to come to Jesus, for it gives us speedy comfort and yields to our Lord great honor.

People are very foolish when they look upon the diseases of Christians as if they were beauties. Young children have a great many little complaints before they grow up to be men. I need not mention them—every mother knows what a succession of troubles visit a large family. But suppose you knew one who had escaped these infantine disorders—what would you think of him if he were to murmur, “I don’t think I can have been born! I don’t think I can have life, for I never felt those complaints of infancy which other people speak of”? You would say, “You silly man, you ought to be glad that you had such a healthy childhood.” Diseases are, in a measure, marks of life, for we may be sure that the dead do not suffer from them—but they are not necessary as proofs of vitality! Neither are doubts, despondencies and despairs at all necessary as tokens of regeneration.

Do you need Christ? Do you desire Him? Do you seek Him? Then you are included in this text—“I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Do not look upon your thirst as a preparation for Christ, for thus you will be seduced into making a Christ out of your own needs and that will be ridiculous and ruinous! What would you think of a man who expected to find a remedy in his disease? He must be bereft of reason who expects to find an antidote within the poison! In our case, we have to deal with an Omnipotent Physician and however remarkable may be the development of our disease, the Lord Jesus knows the situation and is able to overcome all the difficulties of it and bring us sound health. Therefore, come and trust Him!

Do you perceive your nature’s great and urgent need of Christ and do you desire Christ? If so, this text is for you, “I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Thirst is a desire arising out of a need. Now, so long as you have that desire, you need not stop to question your right to take Christ! A man is thirsty, even if he cannot explain what thirst is and how it comes. I must confess, myself, that I could not give you a physiological account of the origin and effect of the phenomenon of thirst. I suppose that certain organs which require moisture begin to dry up or collapse without it and so disarrange the functions and cause pain. If I were some learned anatomist I could give you a lecture upon the theory of thirst and yet, though I cannot do this, I know practically what thirst is as well as a doctor could tell me.

When I am thirsty and am invited to drink, I do not refuse because I cannot explain my thirst. Nor is there any absolute necessity, in order to salvation, that you should know all about how it is that Christ can supply your needs! I may not be able to explain scientifically why this glass of water quenches my thirst, but I know that it does—the liquid gets at the various organs and supplies them with what they require. I know enough about water to drink it when I am in need and, practically, that is all that is needed. If you know enough about Christ to understand that He can meet every need of your soul—and if you take Him to be your All in All—the matter is done!

Remember, Jesus Christ often saves poor, simple-minded men when He does not save philosophers. If you take the Lord Jesus to be yours, you shall as truly have the benefit of His salvation as if you were a father in Israel. Let us notice, once again, that being thirsty is not enough. The text promises water from the fountain of life to the man who is thirsty, but thirst cannot quench thirst! Some seekers act as if they thought it would. “Oh,” they say, “I am not thirsty enough. I wish I felt my need more!” But, my dear Friend, your thirst will not be quenched by being increased!

“I should have some hope,” says one, “if I were more sensible of my danger.” Yet that is not a Gospel hope. Why should a man’s despairing because of his danger operate to deliver him from danger? As long as you stay where you are, you may get more and more sensible of danger until you reach the sensitiveness of morbid despondency—but you will be no nearer salvation. It is not your sense of need, it is Christ’s power to bless you and your yielding yourself up to Christ that will bring you salvation!

The remedy for the thirsty soul is very plainly hinted at in the text. What does a thirsty man do to get rid of his thirst? He drinks. Perhaps there is no better representation of faith in all the Word of God than that. To drink is to receive—to take in the refreshing draught—and that is all. A man’s face may be unwashed, but yet he can drink! He may be a very unworthy character, but yet a draught of water will remove his thirst! Drinking is such a remarkably easy thing—it is even more simple than eating. I heard, the other day, of a sad, sad case of a man with cancer of the tongue who cannot eat. He has not taken solid nourishment for six months, but still, he can receive food by drinking. When people are dying you can still moisten their lips. When nothing else can possibly pass their throats, they can receive liquid.

So, dear Soul, whatever your state may be, you can surely receive Christ, for He comes to you like a cup of cold water! Does not water run down the throat of itself? So is it with the Gospel. Only be willing to open your mouth to have it and it is yours! Nothing is simpler. Sometimes divines explain faith until nobody knows what it is and often and often I have known sinners look at their faith until they have quite forgotten to look to Jesus. This is as foolish as if a man desired to see a star and, having found a telescope, stood gazing at it instead of through it. Look how much he thinks of his telescope! He lengthens and shortens the tube and examines it up and down to see whether it is a good instrument. But he does not see the star! No, and he never will till he uses the telescope properly and looks through it.

Do not think of believing in your own faith, but believe in Jesus! Subordinate faith to Christ? It would be ill, indeed, to prefer your cup to the fountain! When you need comfort, neither muse upon your need, nor study yourself, nor weigh your faith, but set your whole mind upon Him who is Heaven’s Glory and the sinner’s only hope! The essence of faith lies in having done with self and in receiving from without and that, not by any laborious process, but as easily as men receive water by drinking. We do not drink by machinery—we just open our mouths and allow the water to run down—even thus we receive Christ.

Be willing to have Grace, be ready, as it were, to imbibe it by the mouth of faith. O blessed faith, which is nothing of itself and yet enriches its possessor! O blessed Grace, Divine living water, which is ours as soon as we are willing to have it! Surely there is sweet encouragement, here, to those poor souls who have said, “I cannot trust Christ. I dare not receive Him.” You may freely receive Him and if you do but get Him, He will never leave you!

If I were very, very thirsty and I found myself in your room and saw water on the table, I would not ask whether I might drink—I would drink first and ask you afterwards—knowing that you could not take it away from me after I had once drank it! A poor dog stands at the door of a butcher’s shop. He sees meat, but he does not know whether he may have it. If he is very, very hungry, he makes a snatch at it and when he once gets it he runs off to eat it, for he knows that although the butcher may take it away from him when it is in his mouth, he cannot take it from him after he has eaten it.

Now then, needy ones, receive the Grace of God into your inmost hearts! Receive Jesus into yourselves and there is no possibility that He will be taken away from you! Drink, thirsty one! Drink to the full! You can never be deprived of that which you have received into your inmost self!

Charles Spurgeon