Scripture: John 4:1-42
THEME: What's Down In The Well Will Come Up In The Bucket
Proposition: The Holy Spirit will assist us in making sure that what's down in our life wells is Jesus' living water. He will assist us in 1. Digging Deep 2. Maintaining , Stabilizing and Protecting our Life Wells
INTRO:
Grace and peace to your from God our Father and the LORD JESUS CHRIST who has come to take away the sin of the world.
One of the greatest football coaches and motivational speakers in our country today is Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy. Tony has been both an NFL player and coach and has won a Super Bowl as both a player and coach. In 1968 he won as a defensive back with the Pittsburg Steelers and in 2006 he coached the Indianapolis Colts to win Super Bowl 41. He has authored several books including Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life and The Mentor Leader. Both books have become best sellers.
Pastor Ken Whitten has been one of Tony best friends. Pastor Ken was Tony's pastor the years that he coached the Tampa Bay Bucs. One of Ken's favorite little sayings to Tony is this little piece of wisdom - "What's down in the well will come up in the bucket."
WHAT'S DOWN IN THE WELL WILL COME UP IN THE BUCKET
It's inescapable. It makes perfect sense. It's the only thing that can happen when you give someone some time to meditate on it.
[What's down in the well will come up in the bucket.]
The Bible shares several stories surrounding wells and water. In Genesis 21 we have the stories about Abraham and all the wells that he and his servants dug. In Genesis 26 we have the stories that his Isaac had to redig. We have the faith story of Abraham's servant finding Rebekah, Isaac's future wife at a well ( Genesis 24). We have the story of Jacob and Moses both finding their future wives around a well (Genesis 29 and Exodus 2). And in our reading this morning we have Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well.
Wells were both ancient meeting places and life giving stations. We all know that water is essential for our survival. We all need water in order to live, we need it for nourishment, for bathing, for purification and for the preparation of our food. Water is essential for life.
We Americans today take easy access to water for granted. We simply go over to a faucet, turn a handle and water steams out. We forget that just 75 years ago most of America got its water either from a stream or out of a well. Over 15 million Americans still get their water from private well systems. And most most of the world still depends on water from either a well or directly from a body of water.
In our passage, Jesus used the metaphor of water to help explain to the Woman at the Well the meaning of everlasting life. He used the image of water to teach her how to meet the deepest needs of her life. She had confessed to Jesus the dryness of her life. She had confessed that nothing in her life had brought true fulfillment and lasting peace. She had tried many things but they all left her wanting.
Her life paralleled the cisterns Jeremiah speaks of in Jeremiah chapter two. Jeremiah used the image of a broken cistern to symbolize the lives of God's people who had forsaken Him. They were alive but they had experienced no joy and fulfillment in their lives. They were like a cistern that had been designed to hold life giving water but due to its brokenness were dry. No matter how much it rained God's goodness in their lives, their broken cistern life can never retain God's blessings. Without God, His people would never find true and everlasting fulfillment in this life.
Many of us can identify with this woman at the Well. All the world has ever given us are broken cisterns and empty wells. Our lives before we meet Jesus were full of empty and broken promises. We thought that many things were going to bring us fulfillment but in the end all we ended up with were lives full of broken cisterns and empty wells.
Jesus came to bring hope and newness of life. Jesus came to bring to us " a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Jesus came to restore our broken cisterns and fill our life with water that will forever satisfy our spiritual thirsts. The woman at the well received Jesus' healing and salvation. She started that day a broken woman end that day with her life well filled to the brim of Jesus' living water. She arrived at the well void of hope but left a missionary ready to tell her family and friends about Jesus. Jesus transformed her life forever. She was never the same after spending some time with Jesus. When this transformed woman went into town she was able to draw the bucket deep within her soul and come out with a message of hope, of living water and eternal salvation.
This morning, if we were able to take a bucket and lower it down into our own hearts, what would come out of our wells? What would be in our life buckets?
Would we find them dry as a bone?
Would they have just a trickle of water at the bottom?
Would they be full of polluted water?
Would they be full of bitterness, anger and unforgiveness?
Would they be full of loneliness and despair?
Would they be filled with the refreshing living Jesus water?
Would they be filled with an abundance of living water that we could then share with others?
This morning, many of us would have to confess to "yes" to some of those things. At times we may discover our life buckets dry or nearly dry. We may find them sadly laced with contaminated water. However, I believe it is all of our desire that our life wells would perpetually be filled with the refreshing water of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
In Philippians 3:17, Paul instructs his readers to imitate him and to keep their eyes on those who walk in the same manner that he is walking with Christ. At first, that may seem arrogant and conceited, Yet, when we go back and read verses 12-16 we are able to appreciate verse 17. Paul acknowledges that he has not obtained perfection, but, it is his intention to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. It is Paul's intention to always have a bucket filled with more clean and clearer living water of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 12:3 reminds us, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” So, how can we this morning make sure that the water we draw from our life wells will be living water; water of salvation? How can we make sure that with each new bucket of water we draw from our life well that it is filled more and more with the living water of Jesus Christ? Let me share with you two major ways that I believe that the Holy Spirit desires to assist us in having living water.
I. Helping us Dig Deep Spiritual Wells
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church located in Las Cruces, New Mexico has adopted the following mission statement for their congregation - "DIGGING DEEP WELLS SO OTHERS MIGHT DRINK". They believe a major part of their church's mission is that of "helping each other live as vibrant Christians in a culture where followers of Christ are sometimes indistinguishable from other people. Digging Deep Wells is about supporting our parishioners in their daily living to transform their everyday arenas into opportunities for mission and ministry."1
It reminds me of an old story about a farmer who moved his family to a new place and needed a dependable water source. To do so he needed a water well. Therefore, he went out and hired the best well digger and his team. Within just a few hours they had found water at nine feet. At first, it seemed like a miracle; nine feet and they had found water.
The old farmer approached the man in charge and asked him if that deep enough. He wanted the best well for his family no matter the cost. The man in charge of the digging was an wise old well digger. He explained that they had only hit surface water. While it would provide water, it would not provide water during a dry season. Once the dry season hit the family would be out of water and the well would become dry.
The old farmer smiled at the man and said, " Then let's dig some more." Coming back the next day the men dug down to 15 feet and again only surface water was found. They continued to dig down to 20 feet with the same results. All of this digging at that time was done by hand. Digging a well was hard and difficult work and was taking longer than the old farmer had first anticipated.
However, he was determined to get the best water he could for his family. So, he sent the men out once again with their picks and shovels. At 27 feet the men hit an underground spring which would more than provide enough water for the family. Now, they would enjoy an abundance of cool and refreshing water that would be there for generations to come. What did not happen at 9 feet, 15 feet or even 20 feet was found at 27 feet. Getting living water meant digging deep.
A. This morning if we want abundant "living water" to come up in our life buckets we too must dig deep.
+ We should dig deep in the Word. We ought to make it a daily habit to read and meditate on God's Holy Word
+ We should dig deep in our prayer life. We must allow our prayer time to become our friendship time with the LORD. When we pray we discover that our thoughts and our will are lining up more and more with God's will.
+ We should dig deep into the ministry of spiritual formation. We should practice the spiritual disciplines that our Lord practiced - fasting, solitude, silence, simplicity, sharing, service, Sabbath and supplication.
The devil and our own laziness will attempt to convince us that we can live on spiritual surface water. The devil wall attempt to deceive us that all we need is a superficial spiritual life. He will tempt us to live by the flesh and our own reason and never dig deep into true spiritual worship.
But we all know when dry times come and they will come, surface water spirituality dissipates and disappears. In times of trials and temptations instead of experiencing life giving water we will discover our spiritual life wells empty and dry. It is at that time that we will be tempted to complain, argue, murmur and gossip. We may even attempt to find some more spiritual surface water somewhere else, but, in the end the result will be the same; we will have empty wells and empty buckets. Even the spiritual rain that comes from revivals, conferences and seminars will not last long if our spiritual wells are not dug deep.
We have to dig deep for the LORD has provided all of us an abundance of deep living water. All it takes is digging deep. Digging deep enough to find the living water that will get us through the most difficult of times. Digging deep to find the living water that will provide nourishment for our thirsty souls. Digging deep that will find the living water that will enable us to be refreshed and able to witness and share with others.. All it requires is for us to dig deep.
We have to possess the same determination as that old farmer who instead of stopping at nine feet or even 25 feet went on until they hit the main source. He wanted the best for his family. We too must want the best for our own spiritual walk with the LORD. We must dig deep for only then will we hit the underground springs of everlasting spiritual water. So, grab your spiritual shovel and pick and start digging deep. You will be glad that you did!
II. By helping us constantly maintain our deep spiritual wells
In Genesis 26:18 we read the story of Isaac having to reopen some of the wells of Abraham's well. Abraham had his servants dig some deep water wells (see Genesis 21). Well that were designed to provide water for generations. They had dug them deep and lined them with the proper materials so they would be sound and fit. They had hit an underground source of water that would provide refreshing nourishment to any who lowered their bucket to take a drink.
However, under the direction of King Abimelech, the Philistines had stopped them up. They had filled the wells with dirt, rocks and all kinds of debris. In order to use them again, Isaac and his servants had to go in and spend time digging out the wells and returning them back to their proper shape. It was not easy work. In fact, like digging a well, it is very hard work to clean one out that has been filled with rocks, dirt and other debris. Isaac and his men didn't focus on the harshness of the task but instead focused on the goal of being able to have a viable working well. Their future and the future of their cattle, sheep and goats depended on it.
They also made sure that the walls of the wells were sound and that any harmful sediments or trash had been removed. Only then could the wells be safe. Then they set about making sure that no one else could tamper with the well.
For as important as it is to dig a well, it is just as important to maintain a well. You have to make sure that they stay structurally sound so that the walls don't cave therefore ruining the well. You have to protect the well from any outside force that would contaminate its waters.
In like manner we have to do the same with our life wells. With Isaac it was Abimelech and his men. With us today it is the Devil and our sinful world.
The Holy Spirit will help us
+Provide a protective cover over our life wells
The Devil will do his best to get us to have our life wells filled with such things as sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, sorcery, drunkenness, and idolatry. He will do his best to get us to fill our lives with sinful things to the point where we no longer can get to the living water of Jesus.
I remember as a boy my grandparents had a well. You could go out and lower a water tube down into the well and bring up over a gallon of fresh tasting water. They keep it covered all the time to protect it from trash and anyone putting anything down it. They made sure that we grandchildren understood that we were not to ever throw anything down the well. Grandma was very serious about the whole matter. She depended on that well water for drinking water, water to cook, water to bathe and water to wash her clothes. That well meant life for my grandparents.
We know this morning that the more things of the world that the Devil can throw into our wells the better chance he has to stop us and destroy us. To combat that we need to have the cover of the Holy Spirit over our lives. Ps. 34:7 reminds us "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them."
When Satan came to attack Job the accusation he leveled against God was that Job had a supernatural covering - "Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land." (Job 1:10).
What that angel did in Psalms 34:7 and the LORD did in Job 1:10, God's Holy Spirit wants to do for all of us this morning. Isaiah 59:19 (NKJV) tells us " So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him."
We cannot defeat Satan's attacks on our own. For our battles are not with flesh and blood but with rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil. We must pray at all times in the Spirit and ask for God's covering, for the armor of God in our lives. This is the only way we will be able to protect the covering of our life wells.
+Stabilize the integrity of our walls
If the Devil cannot fill our life wells with his worldly garbage, he will do his best to get us to compromise. He will do His best to compromise the walls of our life wells. He will do his best to get us to compromise our holy walk with anger, wrath, malice, dissensions, divisions and slander.
The Devil knows if he can get us to compromise then the spiritual walls of our life wells will cave in and again we will be removed from the life giving water of Jesus. Psalms 1 reminds us that we cannot tolerate compromise. We must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of the sinner or even sit in the seat of those who would belittle our Lord. C. S. Lewis in his famous little book, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS reveals to us the danger of compromise:
“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,...Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.”
The Devil will do his best to get us to get into the wrong personal relationships, the wrong social relationships and even the wrong spiritual relationships. King Jehoshaphat had all the potential of being one of the greatest kings in Judah's history. However, he entered into a wrong relationship with the evil King Ahab who lured him onto the road of compromise. In a matter of a few years, Jehoshaphat found himself going against the LORD. He found himself fighting against God's prophets and against God Himself. Instead of leaving behind a great spiritual legacy, King Jehoshaphat was tragically killed in battle and his heir to the throne, Jehoram led God's people even deeper into idolatry.2 Jehoshaphat's compromise not only doomed his own life, but the lives of generations of his people that followed.
Romans 12:2 shares with us that instead of taking the road of compromise we can allow the Holy Spirit to transform our minds and give us the ability to test whether something is the will of God or not. Paul shares that through the Holy Spirit we do not have to walk the road of compromise. God will enable us to discern the truth paths that we are to follow.
+Maintain and continually test for heart purity
Aside from pollution coming from above wells have to be protected all around as well. In Ireland over 720,000 people depend on well water as their source of drinking water. Each year they must test their well water to make sure that something has leaked inside the well. All around the wells are septic tanks, chemical storage facilities, fuel storage tanks along with streams that have been overrun with animal waste by products.
All of these can contaminate the wells. So, each year the owners of these well have tests run on their well water. That way they will not have a well which looks like it is giving life giving water instead be filled with contaminated water which will bring disease and perhaps even death.
The Devil tries the same tricks with our life wells. He will do his best to contaminate our lives with such things as jealousies, envy, strife, unforgiveness and impatience. He will do his best to cause little irritations to come into our lives and like a cancer take over our lives, our relationships and ruin the living water of Jesus in our lives.
1 John 4 reminds us to do a little spiritual testing in our lives. We are not to believe every spirit, but we are to test the spirits to see whether they are from God.
In the New Testament we read of a man named Demas. The first two times that we find his name (Philemon 1:24; Colossians 4:14) he is mentioned along with Luke and is called a "fellow worker." The last time we hear his name is in 2 Timothy 4:10a where we read for Demas, because he loved this world, he has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.
Demas started off well. He kept his life well water clean. He kept the walls of his well strong and secure. But he allowed the poisons of the world to slip into the living waters of his life well and that poison turned his heart against His Lord.
We must protect ourselves from the poisons of this world. Paul instructs us to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6). We must always understand that the Devil is determined to destroy us any way he can.
Three verses that have helped me a great deal are
Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. (ESV)
James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (ESV)
1 John 4:4
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (ESV)
I depend greatly that last passage. For our God is greater than anything the Devil can throw at us. Our God can cover us, maintain us, stabilize us and protect us.
This morning, as we come to a close we need to understand a couple of important facts:
+What's down in your life well will come up in the bucket.
+It's the only thing that can come up in your life bucket.
This morning, as we close let's take some time to reflect and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives -
+Today, what is in your life well?
+ What is in your bucket after you bring it up from the depths of your heart, mind and soul?
This morning, if you desire the fresh living water of Jesus our altars are open for you.
This morning, if you need some garbage taken out, some repair work done on your life walls and if you are in need of some cleansing, our altars are open.
As we close let's listen to "COME TO THE WATER"
1 http://saintandrewslc.org/about-us/
2See 2 Chronicles 17 -20
