The tune is Ravendale, number
723. How watchful is the loving Lord,
how sweet his providential word to children that believe. Your very hairs are numbered
all, not one by force or chance can fall without your father's
leave. Since thou so kind and watchful
art, to guard my head and guard my heart and guard my very hair. Teach me with childlike mind
to sit and sing at the dear Saviour's feet without distrust or fear. Hymn number 1113, tune Ravendell,
number 723. O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright
stars ♪ ♪ Through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ O'er the ramparts we
watched, were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy Lord ♪ ♪ Holy,
holy, holy Lord ♪ ♪ The cross of death ♪ ♪ The cross
of death ♪ ♪ The cross of death ♪ ♪ The cross of death ♪ ♪ And whose broad stripes and bright
stars ♪ ♪ Through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ All blessings evermore to thee
♪ ♪ Tis the second year of my life ♪ ♪ Tis the second year
of my life ♪ ♪ God my God ♪ ♪ My God ♪ ♪ My
heavenly Father ♪ ♪ Teach me in praise of God ♪ ♪ My heart and soul
to save ♪ As in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end. ♪ The light of humility reigns
♪ ♪ Protecting, loving every saint ♪ ♪ Dear Lord, my hope
remains ♪ May we live in love, and share
in your goodness, Our reading this afternoon you'll
find in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, in chapter 2. The book of the Prophet Jeremiah
and chapter 2 Moreover the word of the Lord
came to me saying Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying
Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth,
the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in
the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness
unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase. All that devour
him shall offend. Evil shall come upon them, saith
the Lord. Hear ye the word of the Lord,
O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord. What iniquity
have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me,
and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? Neither
said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the
land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land
of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the
shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through and
where no man dwelt. And I brought you into a plentiful
country to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof, But when ye entered, ye defiled
my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. The priests said
not, where is the Lord? And they that handle the law
knew me not. The pastors also transgressed
against me, and the prophets prophesied by bail, and walked
after things that do not profit. Wherefore, I will yet plead with
you, saith the Lord, and with your children's children will
I plead. For pass over the aisles of Chittim
and see, and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and
see if there be such a thing. Hath a nation changed their gods,
which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their
glory for that which does not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens,
at this, and be horribly afraid. Be ye very desolate, saith the
Lord, for my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken
me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns.
broken cisterns that can hold no water. Is Israel a servant? Is he a home-born slave? Why is he spoiled? The young
lions roared upon him and yelled, and they made his land waste.
His cities are burned without inhabitant. Also the children
of Noth and Tarhafenes have broken the crown of thy head. Hast thou
not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the
Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way? And now, what hast
thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihur?
Or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the
waters of the river? Thine own wickedness shall correct
thee. and thy backsliding shall reprove thee. Know therefore
and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken
the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the
Lord God of hosts. For of old time I have broken
thy yoke and burst thy bands, and thou saidst, I will not transgress. when upon every high hill and
under every green tree thou wander'st, playing the harlot. Yet I have
planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed. How then art thou
turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? For
though thou wash thee with nitra and take thee much soap, Yet
thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God. How canst thou say, I am not
polluted, I have not gone after Bailyn? See thy way in the valley,
know what thou hast done. Thou art a swift dromedary, traversing
her ways. A wild ass, used to the wilderness,
that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure. In her occasion,
who can turn her away? All they that seek her will not
weary themselves. In her month they shall find
her. Withhold thy foot from being
unshod, and thy throat from thirst. But thou saidst, there is no
hope. No, for I have loved strangers,
and after them will I go. As the thief is ashamed when
he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed. They, their
kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,
saying to a stock, thou art my father, and to a stone, thou
hast brought me forth. For they've turned their back
unto me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble,
they will say, arise and save us. Where are thy gods that thou
hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save
thee in the time of thy trouble. For according to the number of
thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. Wherefore will ye plead with
me? Ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord. In
vain have I smitten your children. They receive no correction. Your
own sword hath devoured your prophets like a destroying lion. O generation, see ye the word
of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto
Israel, a land of darkness? Wherefore say my people, we are
lords, we will come no more unto thee. Can a maid forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten
me days without number. Why trimmest thou thy way to
seek love? Therefore hast thou also taught
the wicked ones thy ways. Also in thy skirts is found the
blood of the souls of the poor innocents. Have not found it
by secret search, but upon all these. Yet thou sayest, because
I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I
will plead with thee. because thou sayest, I have not
sinned. Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? Thou
also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Syria. Yea, thou shalt go forth from
him, and thine hands upon thine head, for the Lord hath rejected
thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them. Just leave the reading of God's
word there. May we have been instructed through the reading
of it and be given that spirit of real true prayer. Most holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, blessed Trinity, That
is what we need to see this afternoon, thy holiness. And then we will come aright
before thee. We need, Lord, to see a little
of what we are in and of ourselves, that we are those that have sinned
and come short of thy glory. We need to see a little of who
thou art, the one true and living God. We need to be broad. a little
like Isaiah, where we come and say, woe is me, for I am undone,
for I am a man of unclean lips and dwell in the midst of an
unclean people. And yet, Lord, we need to be
brought to that point where we are humbled before Thee, convicted
by Thy Spirit and laid low. But Thou hast promised Thy people
that where that work will have begun. Thy spirit will reveal
unto them a precious Christ, and may that be the case too
this afternoon, so that yes, we may be searched, but we may
be comforted as well, and may have our eyes drawn away for
a season from what we are and what is about us and what our
prospects are for the coming days and weeks and months. Lord,
may we be looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith. May this be a true Sabbath rest for us. May it be a time
where we are favoured to fall before thee. Well, dear Lord, is that not
true worship? Where we are humbled and through
our humility, we are brought with a real heart of worship
to praise thy name. We praise Thee that we have Thy
day, that we have Thy word before us, that we have gathered together
this morning and this afternoon with that desire to hear Thy
word. And yet, Lord, may it be a living
word for us. May it be something that instructs
and encourages. May it be something that reproves
and straightens us. And Lord, that is the comfort
of the preached word. It is spoken, and only thou canst
apply it. And may it be so today, so that
as we begin this another week of time, we have something to
take with us through the week, something which causes our eyes
to look to thee and to ponder thy word. For Lord, we fear what
it is to be left to a week of ourselves. where we do what we
want, when we want, and how we want, when we are independent,
when we are self-sufficient, when we are not needy. Lord,
may we cry with the hymn writer, Jesus, cast a look on me, give
me sweet simplicity, cast me down and keep me low, seeking
only Thee to know. But those times, Lord, can be
hard, for we don't like it when we are brought low, and yet how
needful it is. And yet may we be continually
kept low before Thee, through good times and through bad, when
the way is rough and when the way is smooth, ever mindful of
our weakness, and that thou art the omnipresent, that thou indeed
art the one true and living God. So we bow before thee this afternoon,
and yes, our heads are bowed, but may our hearts be also, so
that we come, thanking thee, adoring thee, confessing and
supplicating thy name, Lord thou knowest. We thank thee for this
church and people once more, Lord, carry on thy work that
is taking place in this place. We pray that there may be many
encouragements for their pastor, especially at this time where
he is laid aside. May there be those that are able
to speak to him, to encourage him, so that he may, at this
time where he is laid aside, even these coming few weeks,
may be greatly encouraged and strengthened. May he be a true shepherd to
them so that he knows their needs, so he is able to care for those
that are placed under his care. And may it not be some mysterious
process, but may it be that he is in the midst of his flock,
he knows his flock, and is able to care for their spiritual health. For that is his desire, we know,
to see a people that are strengthened, to see a people that are growing. And if there be those that are
content with what they are and what they have, open their eyes,
we pray. Take away those hard hearts of
stone and give those hearts of flesh. Remove any form of satisfaction
in an exterior religion. And may there be that real burning
desire to know Thee And yet, Lord, those that do know thee,
may they be like the Apostle Paul and still pray that they
may know thee in a fuller, deeper measure. Lord, we know, we know
that thy love, thy mercy, thy attributes,
they are unfathomable. We can never reach the depths
of them, but may we have enough. to carry us through this life.
And where there are those that are going through this life indifferent,
unconcerned, dead in trespasses and sins, make alive and cause
them to hear, cause them to turn, cause them to repent, so that
they may indeed flee to the Saviour. And so we gather once more this
afternoon, and Lord, there are many throughout this earth that
gather to worship today. What a privilege it is and how
humbling it is that whether it be in this little village, in
this county, in this country, Lord, it is the same in another
little place, in another little town, in another little country,
in some place in this earth. And as the earth rotates, as
the day dawns and the night comes, thy praise continues. And yet,
Lord, there is that time where that praise will continue forever,
where thy one church will be with thee in glory. And may that
be, Lord, where our hearts and affections are. May we be given
that strong faith to desire to depart and to be with Christ,
which is far better. May we be given such an understanding
that everything that thou hast given us, and we mean everything,
has been given and will be taken. May we hold everything that this
life offers with a light grasp, including those we love intensely
and dearly. And Lord, may that understanding
that they will be taken from us at the appointed time, give
us that real burning desire over the souls of the unborn, so that
there may be that sweet comfort when one and another are taken
into glory. Oh Lord, what a solemn thing
it is when one and another are brought to their end and there
is no profession of faith, where all there is is an attendance
and a register mark of gathering together. Oh Lord, we pray that
we may see more souls affected, more souls set at liberty, more
souls enabled to come and tell to sinners round, what a dear
Saviour they have found. They may feel they have nothing
to say, but Lord, show them that although they have nothing, in
thee they have all things. So Lord, work in this church
and in this congregation. Be with them and bless them,
we pray. And what we pray for here, we pray for wherever thy
word is preached today. For Lord, there are so many places
away from our churches that we know, which faithfully preach
the word. And wherever that is today, Lord,
may thy rich blessing rest upon him. The churches that we are
connected with, Lord, we pray for them. And we will pray for
those, Lord, especially that hope to take up those pastorates
in the coming year. Lord, to be with each and every
one of them. But Lord, we will bring before
thee especially Tim Parish and his family, as before too long,
they will take up that position in Grand Rapids. Lord, do be
with him and his dear one and their family, close family, their
extended family, their church at Bethel too, Lord. Thou knowest
the loss and sorrow that many will feel. But Lord, thy will
has been done, and we pray that thy hand may go before them.
We pray that other pastors may be raised up over flocks, that
more may be sent forth into the ministry, but that, dear Lord,
many more may be brought into our churches too. Lord, we pray
for more to preach, but we need more to hear. Lord, we pray that
we may see those days where rather than places are closing, Lord,
places are opening. Rather than places are diminishing,
Lord, there is not enough room Bigger premises have to be saw.
Lord, we know that this is not the way things are going. But
Lord, we know that we know nothing and all is in thy hand. Lord,
what a sweet thought that it is all in thy hand. And when
we look at the situation in our country, when we look at the
wider global situation, Lord, there is much that we can trouble
ourselves about and consume our time with, may we ever remember
that we are exhorted not to fret ourselves because of evildoers. And so whatever leadership is
placed over us, Lord, we pray that we may be given the understanding
that Thou hast given them that authority, that we may bow under
it where it is legal to do so, and to know that Thou art the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But Lord, may we see days where
our land turns again. We pray that thy hand may be
seen upon our new Prime Minister and as he, in these coming weeks
and months, will seek to shape the political landscape of this
country for the coming five years or however long, he may be given
his power, Lord. May thy hand be seen. And we
pray for those organisations that seek to hold our government
to account. Lord, to be with the Christian
Institute especially, Lord, with their change of leadership, with
the home calling of their leader, their director for so many years,
Lord, we pray for them that they may be united and go forward
together, serving thy people in that way. But Lord, may we
each be led to serve thee in this way, to be prayerful and
careful about what is going on in our land. Lord, it is right
to be prayerful about these matters, but may these not detract chiefly
from thy word. Lord, may we not be as those
in thy word who were so occupied with everything about them that
they forgot the one true and living God. May we be as that
one whose eyes were up unto thee when they did not know what to
do. May that be where our eyes are
too. So do help us all together this
afternoon young and old, Lord, for we've all gathered to worship
Thee. May it be the case that we are unable to today. May it
be the case that when we leave, we do not go home empty. We do not go home with that heart
that hasn't been touched. We do not go home with that knowledge
that Thou art indeed precious unto us. So we would ask, Lord,
for Thy help, we pray, in all aspects of our worship. Lord,
we pray for thy help for this people still as they go on. And
as this once yearly occasion comes round and we see the years
increasing on one and another, the young growing up and growing taller and maturing,
we pray, Lord, that thou would keep them. Lord, show them thyself. Show them their selves. And that
together, this church, this congregation, may know thee more and more.
We pray for more of the fruit of the Spirit in our own hearts
and in the hearts of all thy people. We pray for the lusts
of the flesh to be subdued. We pray to know more and more,
Lord, what we are, how sinful we are. For Lord, without that,
Christ cannot be truly precious. So come, we pray this afternoon,
give us liberty in preaching. Lord, we need thee continually.
We pray for the people, for they do as well. And in the afternoon
hour, when that weariness can come upon the minds of one and
another, and there can be that drifting off, we pray to keep
them focused, give them those ears to hear, give them those
hearts prepared to receive the word so that it may do them good,
we pray. And so may this be a people seeking
thy face. May this be a people confessing
their sins. May this be a people, Lord, that
fall before thee. marvel at thy goodness, and are
unable to say at the close of this day that this is the day
that the Lord has made. We'll rejoice and be glad in
it. So to forgive all that we have
asked wrongly, we pray and do make up in giving where we fail
in our asking. We ask all for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. our service by singing hymn number
918, Junius Corinth number 669. Blessed are the poor in spirit,
who their native vileness see. They are all taught sin's demerit,
gladly own salvation free, and from Sinai to the wounds of Jesus
flee. Self-renouncing race admiring,
made unto salvation wise, matchless love their bosoms firing, oh
how sweet their songs arise, none but Jesus, from his blood
their hopes arise. Hymn number 918, June, Corinth,
number 669. you ♪ Spirit of the Holy Spirit ♪ ♪
You have made my life a blessing ♪ ♪ Pray on, Lord God, so sincerely
♪ ♪ And God's triumph, and God's
triumph ♪ ♪ Evermore shall we adore Him ♪ O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ♪ See your goodness ♪ ♪ Searching
in all the things that are ♪ ♪ And the glory ♪ ♪ And the glory ♪
♪ Take this hope ♪ ♪ O come all ye faithful ♪ ♪ Joyful
and triumphant ♪ ♪ O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem ♪ ♪ And the sacred stones arise ♪ Come, come, Jesus, Come, come,
Jesus, ♪ Let all our sins ♪ ♪ All our
sins ♪ ♪ Now in shame ♪ ♪ Now in shame ♪ ♪ Now in shame ♪ ♪ Now in shame
♪ ♪ Now in shame ♪ ♪ Praise ye and bless ye ♪ ♪ Long
live St. Paul, the Prophet, praise ye ♪ ♪ Shouts in glory ♪ ♪ Shouts
in glory to the Lord ♪ May the Lord help us each this afternoon
both in the preaching and the hearing of the word as I ask
you to turn to the chapter that we read in the book of the prophet
Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 13. Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse
13, but I'll read again from verse 9. Wherefore, I will yet plead with
you, saith the Lord, and with your children's children will
I plead. For pass over the isles of Chittim and sea, and send
unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
Have the nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods,
but my people have changed their glory for that which does not
profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens,
at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the
Lord. For my people have committed
two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain
of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns,
that can hold no water. For my people have committed
two evils, they've forsaken me, the fountain of living waters,
and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold
no water. Jeremiah, the prophet here, he
did not have a envious job, did he? Going and proclaiming the
word of God, the judgments of God to God's people. He preached to a people that
refused to listen to a large extent and to a people who preferred
to hear the voices of the many false prophets that there were
because it was easier for them, comforting to them and made their
life smoother and more pleasant. Yet Jeremiah carried on. And
Jeremiah was one of the most successful prophets there ever
was. Not in the success that man measures success, but in
the success that he carried on doing what the Lord told him
to do, despite everything that seemed to go against him. So at the start of this book
of Jeremiah, we see what Jeremiah had to do. He had to go and remind
the Jews of their God's former kindness to them, their goodness,
or his goodness to them, his faithfulness to them, his provision
for them. And to give this message to them,
why have you departed from your God? And so this word, this verse
that we consider was spoken, yes, to the children of Israel
and to Judah. And so if we take it in today,
it is being spoken to the Lord's people today, whoever that may
be in the congregation before us. And so as the Lord may help us
to consider together this afternoon. Firstly, these broken cisterns. What these broken cisterns are.
And then to look secondly at this fountain of living water
and what that is. And to see what we are drinking
from. To see what we are trusting in.
examine where we are in this verse. So firstly, these cisterns, these
broken cisterns, this could either refer to something that they
dug and shaped and formed to hold water, or it could be alluding
to a hole that they had dug in the ground to hold water. And whenever we see the word
water and the illustration of water in the Bible, we need to
remember the preciousness of water. We do not understand this
today. We do not value water. We turn
the tap on and it comes out and we get in all sorts of a right
state when we are without water for four hours and we have to
go and fill our shopping trolleys with bottles of it. But in this
day, they knew what it was. value water, to value every single
drop of it, because it was for them life. Without that water, there was
not life. And so as we have this picture
of a broken system, something which they valued, but actually was very leaky. They hewed out something which
they thought was for their good. And they assumed it was for their
good. But they could not see the cracks
in it, the holes in it, the emptiness of it. And what is this today
for us? Well, we have a little inclination
of what this is in verse 11. Hath the nation changed their
gods, which are yet no gods. So these broken cisterns are
false gods. You say, I don't worship false
gods. Well, let's read the rest of that 11th verse. My people
have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. That's the broken cistern. that
which doth not profit not necessarily a god of wood
a god of stone some creation it is that which doth not profit
for in life for the believer there is only one thing that
will truly profit Everything else comes secondarily, is lower
down the order. And yet, you and I, we continue
focusing supreme amount of our attention on these systems, these
things which do not profit. And you will say, well, is that
an evil? It can be, as we will try and look at later, but let
us first look at what we would really view as evil, and then
come a little lower. These evils, these sins that do so easily
beset us, those things that we continually chase after, do you
know what your lust of the flesh is? I know what mine is, and
many of them we keep between us and God, and no one knows
what they are. But we all have those evils,
we all have those sins, we all have those broken systems which
we continually go back to for our pleasure, and we find, or
the Lord's people find, that they hold no water. Let us use an illustration. We may look to something in our
life that we are looking to with anticipation. Classic example
is when we may go away on holiday, we have a holiday, if we are
favoured to once a year, and it is something that we look
to. And it is right in its own way. And it is good to go away
for a break. and it does us good in so many
ways. But do you know that feeling of great anticipation for a holiday,
and then that holiday comes, and you enjoy that time, and
that holiday goes, and you have that emptiness. That joy, that
anticipation, that which you were looking forward to, it's
all gone. It's a broken system. It can't hold any true long lasting
joy. And yet you can look at that
in anything in your life. Whether it be a career, it will
come to an end. Whether it be when you retire,
whether it be when you are unable to do it anymore in the middle
of your life. May look upon your home, it can be destroyed by
fire. You can look upon your loved
ones. They can be taken by the hand of death. All of them may
be right in their own place, but if they are lifted up above
the one true and living God, we look into broken cisterns
that can hold no water. But one of these broken cisterns
that has been on my mind One of these sins, one of these
evils, is the evil of unbelief. And it is a great evil, the sin
of unbelief. In the book of Hebrews, we read
in Hebrews chapter three, verse 12, an exhortation, take heed,
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief
in departing from the living God. Is that not a parallel to
our text this afternoon? We have in one part the living
God, the fountain, we have in the other part a broken cistern,
an evil heart of unbelief. And this is one of the greatest
broken systems I fear amongst the professing church of God
that we are connected with, an evil heart of unbelief. And it can be viewed by some
almost as a badge of honor to doubt what the Lord has done
for them. to walk around with a cast down
spirit, with a heart of unbelief. Departed from the living God,
departed from the joy and pleasure that they once knew in their
God. And what did the Apostle Paul
here encourage them to do? He encouraged them to exhort
one another daily. We see the importance and the
focus on the church. We see the importance and the
focus of fellowship one with another. While it is called today,
lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and
it is such a deceitful, insidious, subtle sin, the sin of unbelief. And we can carry on, and we have
not got time to carry on through this chapter, but read it in
your own time. We are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning
of our confidence steadfast unto the end. This is one of those
evils, dear friends, that we, the people of God, need to be
so aware of, the evil of unbelief. Thoughts go to the words in Romans
chapter four, where we read about the faith of Abraham, don't we?
What do we read there about Abraham and his faith? We read in, trying
to find the verse off of my mind, we read there in verse 20 about
Abraham. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God. Is it your desire to give glory
to God? Well, we need to pray then, don't
we? Lord, I believe. Help thou mine
unbelief. We need to be on our guard against
insidious sin of unbelief in us and in one another, and exhort
one another, encourage one another, being fully persuaded that what
he has promised, he is able also to perform. Because as we will
hope to look at later, Christ is no leaky cistern. Christ is
no breakup of promises. And what he has promised, he
is able to perform. My people have committed two
evils. They've forsaken the fountain of living waters and hewed them
out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Those evils. And when we think
of evils, we think of Hitler, we think of a murderer, we think
of anybody else that deserves to be in prison. We think of great and terrible
things, but do we think of the little
things? Do we think of everything that
takes us away from our God? I often think about those children
of Israel when they were in the wilderness, when the Lord had
remarkably delivered them out of captivity, made that way through
the Red Sea, given them manna from heaven, enabled them to
draw water from seemingly impossible situations. And then we find them, with all
this, doing what? Looking for cucumbers and melons
and leeks and onions and garlic, looking to the minor things when
all their needs were supplied. But we're no different. We are
no different. We look to these minor things. We get consumed with these minor
things and forget the living fountain. What we need is what I quoted
in prayer, and may it be so. We need a greater view of our
God. That's what we're in desperate need of today. We are in desperate
need of a greater view of our God, a greater view of his holiness,
a greater view of his power and his might. We need Isaiah's vision,
or we need a tiny bit of Isaiah's vision of the Lord and his glory,
so that you and I fall before him and say, woe is me, for I
am undone, I'm a man of unclean lips. That's what we need. So we're humbled, we're brought
low, and then everything will be in its right order. Then the
broken systems will be seen for what they are, worthiness. What we really want to focus
on this afternoon is the fountains. of living waters. You can try whatever you want,
dear friends, but the joy of this life, you will prove continually,
it will not hold. It will empty, and you will be
left wanting. So, these people are committed
to evils, They committed the evil of hewing out cisterns,
but they had forsaken the fountain of living waters. And forsaking
this, dear friends, how sad it is. Paul said, didn't he, to
the church at Rome, he said in Romans chapter one about Because
when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened. They forsook the one true God. And what a place it is to get into,
where God leaves us to our own devices and sends leanness into
our souls. He gives us that which we request,
which is not himself, and gives us leanness. He says, yes, if
you want the broken cistern, I'll give you the broken cistern,
but I won't give you myself. Oh, what we need is Christ, because
turning only away from the broken cisterns and not turning unto
Christ will still leave us empty. You may attempt this afternoon,
and remember, it's two evils. It's two evils. You may say,
oh, this has touched me a little bit this afternoon. I know I've
been pursuing this, and I know it's a broken system, I know
it's evil, I know it's wrong. I will turn away from that. If
that's all you do, that'll be rank legalism. All you'll be
trying to do is to turn away from an evil. And we have a heart,
and if something is removed from our heart, something else will
fill it. And if it is not the fountain of living water, it
will do you no good. There's two evils, looking to
the broken cistern and forsaking the fountain of living waters. And this fountain is Christ. You know, when we were in Montana
recently, One of the days out, we went down to Great Falls in
Montana. And there's a place there called
Giant Springs. And it is an enormous natural
spring where, I can't remember the statistics, but thousands
of gallons of water every minute are coming up through the ground
from the snow melt, hundreds of miles away where it melts,
is forced under the ground, and then bubbles up. And that water
is the clearest water you will ever see in your life. It is
beautifully clear, it is beautifully crisp, it is perfectly fresh. And those of you that know a
little of your American history, it is where Lewis and Clark,
when they explored America from the East to the West, they came
to these giant springs and they stayed there for a long period
of time. because it was a great source
of life for them. It was a great source of all
that they needed or something to a very great extent that they
needed. And that water is still flowing
those hundreds or so year later. That water is still flowing today. It is still coming up. And yet
that broken cistern down the road that little old reservoir
or whatever else, some point it will become empty, some point
it will be nearly empty and will be all muddy and filthy, but
this fresh water still flows. This is a picture of Christ,
the fountain of living waters, perfectly fresh, perfectly satisfying,
without impurity, and truly that which does us good. Do you know
it, dear friend? Do you know the fountain of living
water? The woman at the well of Samaria
did. She knew, didn't she? That living
water. And yet there was one day, just
like any other day, where she was going about her daily life. She went down to the well, She
went to get her water. She would have gone home again
and would have carried out her daily duty, trying to satisfy
herself and think that she was getting on okay in life, despite
of all her evils. And yet that day, the living
fountain came to her. Jesus said, didn't he, 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. This is the gift of God to the
believer. This is the living water, that
which is implanted within the believer, that well of goodness,
which is not in us by nature, That work of regeneration when
new life is given and life flows forth. It's a well of water and
it is an everlasting well. That woman, what had she done to deserve
it? If that is what you were saying this afternoon, well,
I don't deserve, I've been looking to those broken cisterns forever.
I don't deserve to, drink from the living water? No, neither
did she. But she accepted the living water.
When the living water was shown to her, when Christ spoke to
her, when she was given a desire for that living water, what did
the woman do? The woman left her water pot.
She left her broken cistern. Yes, it satisfied her daily needs
when she had that water to drink. She went her way into the city.
And she said to the men, come see a man which told me all things
that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? Is not
this the fountain? Think of a few chapters over.
The words of Jesus Christ himself in John chapter seven. At the
last day of the feast, Jesus stood, didn't he? In that great
day of the feast, and he cried saying, if any man thirst, let
him come unto me and drink. So you broken cistern lovers
here this afternoon, Have you been shown that you
are looking to broken systems? Have you been taught by the work
of the Spirit that you are in need of something other than
what you've got at the moment? What does Jesus say to the thirsty
soul then? If any man thirsts, let him come
unto me and drink. Let him come unto me. This is
the gospel invitation. This is the blood of Jesus Christ. This is the precious cleansing
flood that cleanses the sinner from all their sins. Because we're not redeemed with
corruptible things. We're not redeemed with broken
systems. but we're redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ. We're redeemed with that sin-cleansing
fountain. That's what redeems the people
of God. Those that are thirsty are brought
to the fountain, the fountain of life. And those that are brought to
that fountain It's those that overcome. You know, I often mention
those words in the book of Revelation and the varying promises we have
in the book of Revelation. Who are they to? They're to the
overcomers. And we read in chapter 21, don't
we? Verse six. He said unto me, it
is done. I'm Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give unto him that is
a thirst. of the fountain of the water
of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit
all things. He that overcometh the sin of
unbelief shall inherit all things. And I will be his God and he
shall be my son. But the fearful, the fearful
and unbelieving, they're categorized with the abominable. And murder,
do you see there? The sin of unbelief, the evil
of unbelief is categorized in the same verse with murderers
and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars. Do we see the depth of that evil? Do we see the depth of that trouble
that we will be in? If, when we are brought to feel
our need of that water, we turn our back upon it and walk away
from it, what the end will be? Because as with the promise in
Matthew 11, 28, and as with that promise of Jesus in John chapter
seven, if any man thirsts, Let him come unto me. It doesn't
say, when you have quenched your thirst, come unto me. No, because the coming is by
faith. The coming is overcoming the
unbelief. And in that overcoming of the
sin of unbelief, as faith is given to trust and to come to
that one that can satisfy us, the thirst is quenched. The fountain
is reached. The blood cleanses. The soul
is set free. And I fear there are many that
stand at a distance because they are waiting for their thirst
to be quenched and then they will come. Or they are waiting
to come when they have experienced that rest. And you know, I've
had the pleasure recently to speak to another one that has
come through the waters of baptism. And the rest that they know in
coming. It's always the same. It's the
rest in coming. It's the thirst satisfied in
coming. Because what is it? The overcoming
of the broken system of unbelief. My people have committed two
evils. And there are so many that will
depart or try to depart from the broken system. but they forsake
the fountain of living waters. But dear sinner, if you are tempted
this afternoon and you say, well, I knew the fountain of living
water, and yet I keep on coming back to the broken cisterns. I keep on coming back to that
which I know is evil, Well, draw comfort. You're not
alone. The apostle Paul knew what it
was, well, to drink from that fountain of living water. He
knew what it was to be deeply blessed by the Lord appearing
for him, but he also knew what it was to say, that which I do,
I allow not, for what I would, that do I not, but what I hate,
that do I. He knew what it was to return
to the filthy, dirty cisterns of water and to drink from them. He knew what it was to carry
on through this life as a sinner. He knew what it was to say the
good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not,
that I do. He knew what it was to cry out,
O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body
of this death? He knew the cisterns. But he didn't stay in that point. He didn't stay in Romans seven
and stay in the wretchedness, in the cistern. He returned through
faith to the fountain to say, I thank God. Through Jesus Christ
our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God,
but with the flesh, the law of sin. so that he could return
to the fountain and say, ah, there is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. He could now go on to speak about
the works of sanctification. He could now go on to speak about
the works of the Holy Spirit of God in his life, knowing that
he was not perfect, that he would never be perfect, but that he
could trust in this fountain. And what this fountain had done
and what this fountain yet promised to do, whom he had justified,
he also glorified. So where are we this afternoon
in this verse? Are we still looking to these
broken cisterns and have we never turned from these broken cisterns? We may have a veneer of a religion
We may look the part, but we know nothing of the fountain
of living waters. I often think of those words
of Samuel Rutherford and that beautiful verse in that hymn,
O Christ, he is the fountain, the deep, sweet well of love,
the streams on earth I've tasted, more deep I'll drink above. there
to an ocean fullness, his mercy, there we have it again, his mercy
doth expand and glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's land. Christ, dear friends, he's the
fountain. Are you forsaking the fountain
of living waters? Are you ashamed of Jesus, that
dear friend on whom your hopes of heaven depend? Are you content
with that unbelief? Have you given up asking and
seeking and knocking, thinking the Lord will never appear? The
word of the Lord is to those that feel like that, come unto
me. Come you that are thirsty, I'll give you drink. Come to
the fountain through faith, I'll supply your needs. May we ever
be spared from committing these two evils, looking to the broken systems
and forsaking the living waters. And you know what it is when
we do taste that fresh water personally, when we do taste
the blood of Jesus Christ that cleansed us from all sins, When
we have fellowship and peace with Him, oh, there's nothing
greater, is there? And yet, as we try to say this
morning, how frequently we will go away from it, how frequently
we will forsake it. Yes, it has satisfied, but the
lusts of the flesh take over again. So as we close, This afternoon,
with these remarks upon this great verse, Jeremiah had a great
job to do. Jeremiah had a hard job to do,
to point out to the people their errors, their evils, their ways. May we ever be kept from these
broken cisterns. And may we ever be kept at the
fountain of living water, for that alone can truly satisfy. Amen. We conclude our service this
afternoon by singing hymn number 160 to Tunis Belmont, number
101. There is a fountain filled with
blood Drawn from Emmanuel's veins And sinners plunged beneath that
flood Lose all their guilty stains E'er since, by faith, I saw the
stream, Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die. Hymn number 160, June, Belmont,
number 101 you ♪ In heav'n above ♪ ♪ To the glory
of your saints ♪ ♪ And to the church
in heaven above ♪ ♪ Christ is born ♪ ♪ And I am lifted up to see Him
♪ ♪ The mountain in his hand ♪ ♪ And to the island rest our
mercy ♪ Pushed to my sin's abode ♪ In der Erde ♪ ♪ Ein herrschendes
Land ♪ ♪ Schöne, fröhliche Stadt ♪ ♪ Der Ruhm, ♪ Ever joyful ♪ ♪ E'en to thee
♪ ♪ This hymn of praise ♪ ♪ This hymn of praise ♪ ♪ My soul on
earth still ♪ ♪ I know that He lives ♪ ♪ Somewhere on high ♪ Redeemer, have mercy upon me,
and to help me to the right path. ♪ God bless this ♪ ♪ Eternal time
♪ ♪ Christ, the Lord God ♪ ♪ In the grave ♪ Lay me under the seat of God.
Oh, take my breath away. Most holy Lord God, we pray now
that those that have been hewing out those broken cisterns may, through the eyes of faith
given, turn to the fountain of living water, that alone which
can truly satisfy and grant eternal life. Pray that today, Thy word
may be used as thou seest fit, and that which has been of myself
may be removed from the minds of the people, so that they may
go on their way rejoicing. They may go on their way having
truly worshipped today, and may indeed know what it is for thy
sweet presence to go before them. May we taste that fountain continually,
and draw all our strength and nourishment from the veins, the
precious blood of Jesus Christ. So forgive our many sins, we
beg, but that which has been of thee do truly bless for the
good of never-dying souls. Now may the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.