In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried, saying, IF ANY MAN THIRST, LET HIM
COME UNTO ME, AND DRINK. He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water.
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe
on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet
given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Many of the people therefore, when they heard this
saying, said, of a truth this is the Prophet.
John 7:37-40

1. Is anyone thirsty? Yes, we are all thirsty. Men are
always seeking to quench their thirst in the wrong
way. Men try to quench their thirst with money.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for
riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away
as an eagle toward heaven.
Proverbs 23:5

2. Is anyone thirsty? Yes, we are all thirsty. Men try to
quench their thirst by seeking knowledge.
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
2 Timothy 3:7
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth
knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:18

3. Is anyone thirsty? Yes, we are all thirsty. Men try to
quench their thirst by seeking pleasure.
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought
the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness,
lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and
abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that
ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking
evil of you:
1 Peter 4:3-4

4. Is anyone thirsty? Yes, we are all thirsty. Men try to
quench their thirst through alcohol.
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they
may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine
inflame them!
Isaiah 5:11

Quenching Thirst With Alcohol

One day I was on night duty at the emergency ward. A twentyfive year old man was brought in on a stretcher. This young man
was weak and dying because he had been vomiting blood all day.
On further questioning I found out that this young man drank
a locally manufactured alcoholic drink called akpeteshie from
early morning to late evening. He had been doing this for many
years even though he was only twenty-five years old.
We admitted him and rushed to get some blood for him.
This young man continued retching and vomiting all night. By
morning, the walls and the floor, around the bed in his ward were
covered with bright red blood. Finally this young man died in
the morning in spite of all the care and blood transfusions we
gave him. This young man had oesophageal varices, which he
developed from cirrhosis of the liver due to chronic alcoholism.
This young man had virtually drunk himself to death.
He had searched for happiness in alcohol. His friends, who
brought him to the emergency room, told us that he would start
drinking several tots of the locally-brewed alcohol from very
early in the morning. The young man who had obviously become
a chronic alcoholic, continued drinking throughout the day until
he developed cirrhosis of the liver and oesophageal varices from
which he died.

5. Is anyone thirsty? Yes, we are all thirsty. Men try to
quench their thirst with sex.
I once spoke to a man who was tired of having sex. He said
to me “I have had hundreds of girlfriends and I am sick and tired
of them.” He had drunk of these sexual waters for so long but
was still not satisfied.
Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her
paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many
strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way
to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Proverbs 7:25-27

6. Is anyone thirsty? Yes, we are all thirsty. Men try to
quench their thirst by endless hard work.
They go to the office from morning to evening, working
tirelessly. They are driven from one project to the other, never
finding what they are searching for.
There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath
neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his
labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith
he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good?
This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
Ecclesiastes 4:8

7. Is anyone thirsty? Yes, we are all thirsty. Only Christ
can quench the thirst of man. Only Christ can quench
the search of man.
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall
be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 4:14