Rabbi Schneider - How To Drink of The Spirit
Most of you know of the last day of the feast and the ceremony that took place during this day the water pouring ceremony, Hoshana Rabbah, written about in the Gospel of John chapter 7.
And now Yeshua was in the temple. During this last great day of Sukkot, He was ministering to the people. And it was on the same day we know that the priest would go to the pool of Siloam, gather water from the pool of Siloam, bring it back to the altar at the temple, pour that water upon the altar and everybody just praising God, we read reports of rabbi, somersaults and praising God standing on their heads.
And the question is, why such exaltation of joy? It was because, and I know many of you know this, that when that water was poured upon the altar of the temple, it represented the future blessing of the winter rains that would be coming. So it was an expectation of future blessing and it represented the water that would be poured out, symbolizing the Spirit that'd be pour out when Mashiach, when Messiah came. And it was a time of great messianic expectation.
The Jews is Israel were looking for the Messiah. Many false messiahs had emerged. And they're looking for Mashiah to come and liberate Israel. So when that water was poured out upon that altar of the temple, that was a signal for them that Mashiah is coming, and when He does, the Spirit will be poured out.
And so, was on the same day, the Yeshua said, "If you will drink from Me, any man that drinks of the water that I will give him, that water will become within him a well of living water, springing up to eternal life. Rivers of living water will flow from your innermost being."
In order to drink from the living water the Yeshua promised in Hashanah Rabbah, what we first have to do is repent. I'm talking about repenting personally. And when we speak about repent, we also speak about returning: returning to the Lord. Like the Lord said to the children of Israel through the ancient prophet, "Why are you trying to drink water from cisterns that hold no water? Return to Me, return to the ancient path".
So, when I speak of repentance right now, I'm talking about returning to the Lord, and making our first priority our own walk with him. And I'm speaking specifically now of becoming self-aware, cause the scripture says that if we will examine ourselves, that will not come under the discipline of the Lord.
So every day we need to be developing a conscious awareness of the Lord's authority over our life. We need to be developing a conscious awareness of His Word over our life. We need, beloved ones, to come under the blade and the authority of the Kingdom of God and the Ruach HaKodesh so that our soul comes under the humility of Yeshua, so that we bring our heart, our energy, our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our actions all under the blade of the authority of the truth so that all day long we walk under a spirit of self-examination that comes from the Holy Spirit. Because we're always needing to pull ourselves back from the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life.
So we're continually monitoring ourselves is my conversation a pleasing aroma to the Lord? Not only in the words that we're saying, but in the motivation of our heart. Is what I'm speaking of coming from a pure place? And then we watch our thoughts because the enemy is always wanting to distract us and to get us off focus and to cause us to make mountains out of molehills-to make things bigger than they are. And he's wanting us to focus on on an accusation and condemnation and criticism and anger. He's wanting us to be frustrated. He's wanting to rob us of peace.
So it's a constant battle every day to pull our mind back, to pull our thoughts back, to abide under the peace of Hashem. So every day to come under the waters of God's Spirit, to come under the glory of His throne, to come under the sea that's as still as glass that we read about in the book of Revelation. We have to always be pulling ourselves back to abide under the Lord's authority.
This is why the Lord said, "Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God". So, Father, right now I speak peace and stillness over these beloved ones, Lord, that are running on empty or even running in the flesh. So, Father, I call Your bride back to You today to be right now refreshed in the Ruach HaKodesh and to drink, Yeshua, from the river of living water.