The Bible is different from
every other book in the world.
When energized by the Holy
Spirit, it becomes living and active.
Jesus said, Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the
mouth of God.
The Bible is food for man's
spirit.
Throughout the teaching,
you will observe that many Scriptures from the Bible are used. They
are written out in full with the appropriate references
given.
The great benefit of this
is that the Word of God is being assimilated into the reader's
spirit. And it obviously does away with the need of looking up
references in the Bible simultaneously. It is not for a moment
inferred that the Bible should not be consulted. Indeed, the
greatest compliment you could pay any teacher is to check up on him.
I most assuredly invite this. Please pay me the greatest compliment
possible. Check up on me.
Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, ans searched the
Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.
This book should not be
treated in a manner whereby it is read as quickly as possible and
then discarded.
In several areas you will
find Scriptues repeated. This is to reinforce a particular
point.
The only method I am aware
of of sowing the seed of the Word of God into your life, of allowing
the Holy Spirit to fuse it into your spirit, is by meditation and
prayerful reflection. By meditation, I do not mean that you allow
your mind to become blank, that you become vacant and stare off
without purpose into outer space. Rather, meditation is simply
thinking, relfecting, pawing over the word, musing.
Psalm 39:3
My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned; then
spake I with my tongue,
By this means the Word is
transferred from your mind to your spirit. It becomes part of you.
From this database, the Holy Spirit can bring it to your
remembrance.
Keep this principle
embedded in your mind as you explore this material. You will receive
the greatest possible assistance from God by doing this.
ISBN 0 949844
20 9
(c) Copyright
A.J. Lowe,
1987 Reprinted, 1996
All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may beproduced in any form by any means
without prior permission of the publisher. To do so violates
Christian ethics. Limited sections may be copied for personal and
review purposes, provided due acknowledgement is given.
All Scriptures
are from the Authorised Version
Additional copies
of this book are available from the publisher
JOHN
4:5-24 Then cometh he to a city of
Samaria,which is called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob
gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore,
being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was
about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water:
Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone
away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria
unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me,
which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the
gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink;
thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee LIVING
WATER. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to DRAW
with, and the well is DEEP: from whence then hast thou that living
water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the
well, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 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. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this
water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith
unto her, GO, CALL THY HUSBAND, and come hither. The woman answered
and said, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, Thou hast well
said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he
whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
The woman said unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Our fathers WORSHIPPED in this mountain; and ye say, that in
Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto
her, Woman believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in
this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship
ye know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the
Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the TRUE WORSHIPPERS
shall worship the Father in SPIRIT and in TRUTH. GOD IS A SPIRIT:
and they that worship him MUST worship him in spirit and in
truth.
Jesus sat on the well. He
was weary. I'm so glad that Jesus got tired while He was executing
His ministry here on earth. This reveals His humanity. Thank God
that there is a man in heaven today, representing man to God. And
yet, when He probed this woman's thinking with, "Go and get your
husband", and "Thou hast had five husbands, and the man you are
presently living with is not your husband", here was more than a man
talking. Here we see expressed the divinity of the Son of
God.
When Jesus lay asleep in
the back of the boat in the centre of a raging sea, here was a man.
However, when He spoke, "PEACE BE STILL!", here was more than a
man!
When He cried upon
receiving news that His friend Lazarus was dead, here was a man.
However, when He screamed, "LAZARUS, COME FORTH!", here was more
than a man.
When Jesus died in agony on
the cross, here was a man. When he BURST FROM THE GRAVE on the third
day, here was more than a man!
Jesus' thoughts no doubt
turned to Jacob, his son Joseph and this parcel of ground as He sat
on the well, as mine did, when I sat on the same spot in 1975. The
dream of Joseph was one of leadership. This well was part of that
blessing. Perhaps the Master's thoughts went back through time until
He could hear the prophetic word given by Jacob.
Joseph had a
dream.
Genesis
37:5-11 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his
brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them,
Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we
were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and also
stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made
obesiance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou
indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?
And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and
said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and
the moon and the eleven stars made obesiance to me. And he told it
to his father: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What
is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy
brethren indeed com to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And
his brethren envied him; but his father observed the
saying.
Joseph subsequently was
sold as a slave by his own brethren in Egypt. He spent fourteen long
years in prison. And yet the betrayal and imprisonment were God's
method of preparation for Joseph to become a great leader, and a
provider of food for his family in the coming time of famine!
Genesis
49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by
a well; whose branches run over the wall:
As our Lord pondered this
mighty blessing, no doubt he gave thought as to how this prophecy
was fulfilled. Fruitfulness, the bough planted by a well, the
running of the branches over the wall. But alas! Some fourteen
testing years must pass before the leadership dream is to be
realised in the life of Joseph. He must experience BETRAYAL BY HIS
BRETHREN, be SOLD as a slave; he must spend the majority of this
time in PRISON. Oh, how like the pattern of the life of the Lord
Jesus Christ, Joseph is!
The dream of leadership
must be fulfilled. The answer to this PARADOX, for it is indeed a
paradox, a complete inversion of that which was spoken, can be found
in the book of Psalms.
Psalm
105:17-19 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was
sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid
in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord
tried him.
Notice the phrase, "Until
his TIME came, the WORD OF THE LORD TRIED HIM." There is a time and
purpose for everything under heaven. There is a specific time for
the word of the Lord to be fulfilled. When that time comes, there is
no power in heaven or earth, or, under the earth, that can withold
it from coming to pass. Be encouraged my Christian friend, when
God's time for the prophetic word to be fulfilled in your life has
arrived, it will surely comes to pass. There is nothing that can
restrain it. Did you notice that until the time comes, the word of
the Lord, the very dream of leadership that has preceded the current
working of God in our lives, is the VERY WORD THAT WILL TEST, try
and prove us!
In the midst of this heart
searching meditation, a Samaritan woman approaches to draw
water.
Jesus requests, "Give me a
drink."
The woman is startled. How
could a Jew, (the Jews despise the Samaritan people), ask something
of a Samaritan? They do not acknowledge Samaritans. They conduct no
dealings with them whatsoever.
The astonished woman is
greeted with, "If you knew the gift of God, the One who made the
request, you would have asked Him, and he would have granted LIVING
WATER. ''
The gift of God is the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
Romans
5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift, For
if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of
God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath
abounded unto many.
Romans
6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans
8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?
2 Corinthians 9:
15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Ephesians
2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
In response to living
water, the woman of Samaria retorts, "You have nothing to DRAW with,
and the well is DEEP."
Here is revealed a classic
fault of human beings, even of those who have been born again and
love the Lord Jesus Christ, namely, the confusing of spiritual truth
due to a natural application of it.
Here is revealed one of the
most powerful methods of teaching. This illustration serves to
underline one of the most majestic principles of God.
l Corinthians
15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but
that which is natural: and afterward that which is
spiritual.
Reading the account of the
Woman at the Well today poses no problem, for the reader understands
that living or spiritual water speaks of the HOLY SPIRIT.
John
7:37-39 In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to 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.
Neither is this woman alone
in her confusing of spiritual truth.
An eminent theologian
confused the new birth.
John 3:
1-13 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a
ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto
him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no
man can do the miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can
he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
THAT WHICH IS BORN OF THE FLESH IS FLESH: AND THAT WHICH IS BORN OF
THE SPIRIT IS SPIRIT. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be
born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus
answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered
and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not
these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do
know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
If I have told you EARTHLY things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of HEAVENLY things? And no man hath ascended
up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is in heaven.
Nicodemus confuses natural
birth for spiritual birth in our Lord's statement, 'Ye Must Be Born
Again.' He applies that which is earthly, fleshly and natural, to
that which is heavenly and spiritual.
FLESH AND
BLOOD
In a discourse on His flesh
and blood by the Lord Jesus, the Jews thought it quite impossible to
eat and drink them. They thought the idea repulsive: to them it
smacked of cannibalism. 'How can he give his flesh to eat?', they
reasoned. The answer can only be found when applying the spiritual
aspect of this truth.
John
6:31-58 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert: as it is
written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread
from heaven; but my Father GIVETH you the TRUE BREAD FROM HEAVEN.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth
life unto the world. Then they said unto him, Lord, evermore give us
this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he
that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me,
and believe not. And all that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came
down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that
sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that all
of which he hath given me I should loose nothing, but should raise
it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent
me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The
Jews murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came
down from heaven. And they said, is this not this Jesus, the son of
Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he
saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said
unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him
up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be
all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath
learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen
the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath
everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat
manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which
cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I
am the LIVING bread which came down from heaven: If any man eat of
this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is
my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews
therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us
his flesh to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his
blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh
my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last
day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He
that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I
in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father:
so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is the bread
which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and
are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live
forever.
Even the closest to Him,
the twelve apostles, had their moments of misunderstanding. They
also knew what it was to confuse natural and spiritual
truth.
Matthew
16:5-12 And when his disciples were come to the other side,
they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take
heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, IT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE
TAKEN NO BREAD. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye
of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have
brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the
five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets took ye up?
Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets
took ye up? How is it that you do not understand that I spake it not
to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he
bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the DOCTRINE of
the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Their original concept of
the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees? They had forgotten to
take the lunch! Nothing could be more natural than that. And these
were the men the church was to be founded upon. Take heart my
Christian brother and sister. All is not lost. Perhaps you can
become a person that can instil spiritual principles in the lives of
others in your local church.
In reference to water, it
is only natural that one must drink and drink again. But here the
Lord Jesus promises that drinking at the well that He shall give,
the partaker should never thirst again.
Many years ago I found
myself in conversation with a Seventh Day Adventist woman. She
explained, "I have found the Saviour and I am still searching", to
which I replied, "I have found the Saviour and my searching days are
over!"
The water the Lord Jesus gives issues from an
internal well. Here is a direct reference to the rivers of living
water, (the Holy Ghost), flowing from the belly, identifying the
location of the human spirit.
The SOLAR PLEXUS, the nerve
centre of man, is what is called in the Bible, the heart. The heart
is speaking of the human spirit.
Solar comes from the Latin,
solaris, which means, belonging to the sun.
Plexus is derived from the
Latin, plexus, which means twisted. It is used in anatomy to
describe a network of vessels or nerves. When a person rides a
roller coaster, experiences a sensation in the stomach when the car
in which they are travelling drops suddenly after an unsuspecting
dip in the road, feels his feet leave the floor when a high speed
elevator descends swiftly from the top floor of a building, plunges
several feet towards the earth when the aeroplane in which he is
travelling strikes an airpocket, and asserts that he has lost his
stomach, this is NOT what literally happens. What is being referred
to is the area in their person that houses their spirit. When a
person who is to address a large audience relates that he has
"butterflies in his stomach", this is NOT what literally happens. No
surgeon's knife could ever reveal butterflies in any human stomach.
No! In all these instances people are making reference to the human
spirit. The Lord Jesus did the same. Every one of these examples
prove that the human being has a spirit. This is the part of man
that experiences the miracle of the new birth when he receives the
Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour.
The human spirit is also
the realm of the sixth sense. Thousands of people have testified
that when searching for an answer to a difficult problem, question
or situation, when no longer struggling in their minds to solve the
issue, and relax both physically and mentally: suddenly the answer
appears, miraculously, as if from nowhere. When the mind lets go,
the spirit has the opportunity of making its
contribution.
This occurs in the
Christian and non-Christian alike. It proves that there is such an
existence as the human spirit.
1 Timothy
5:6 But she that liveth in pleasure is DEAD while she
liveth.
Ephesians
2:1 And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses
and sins;
It is quite possible to be
alive physically, yet at the, same time be dead spiritually. This is
the reason why the new birth is absolutely imperative if a person is
to receive eternal life and become a candidate for heaven.
A
truth that needs to be universally understood is that death is just
as much a state of life as life is! You see, in the Bible, death is
spoken of, and is easier to understand, when it is associated with
SEPARATION.
The Bible speaks of THREE
TYPES OF DEATH. These are natural death, spiritual death and the
second death.
NATURAL DEATH occurs when a
person's spirit leaves his body.
SPIRITUAL DEATH, (the
nature of Satan), dominates every person born into this world. Every
human being who has never been born again by the Spirit of God, is
spiritually dead. They are of their father, the devil. Hence the
need to be born again.
The SECOND DEATH is the
type of death where a human being's spirit is eternally separated
from God.
It falls the lot of all who
die unsaved, to spend an eternity without Christ. This is what is
commonly known as hell.
Revelation
20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
The classic example of the
Lord Jesus, (it is NOT a parable), reveals that people dwelling in a
Christless eternity have CONSCIOUSNESS, FEELING, THIRST, SIGHT, and
above all, a concern that NO PERSON END UP where they have found
themselves. These people possess un unrivalled evangelistic fervour.
Let them loose, and the world would be saved, by these unsaved, in
no time at all! Please notice the emphasis of our Lord on the Word
of God over that of the physical manifestation of the resurrection
of the dead. NOTHING SUPERSEDES THE BIBLE!
Luke
16:19-31 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in
purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there
was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full
of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the
rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And
it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels
into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in
HELL he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar
off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip
of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy
lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil
things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside
all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that
they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they
pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee
therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they
also come to this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They
have MOSES AND THE PROPHETS; let them hear them. And he said, Nay,
father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will
repent. And he said unto him, IF THEY HEAR NOT Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the
dead.
The well of the human
spirit, flowing with the mighty Spirit of God, will satisfy any and
every human thirst and appetite. In a well, there is a constant
supply of water. One of the primary lessons the Christian is to
learn very early on in his experience, is to rely on this hidden
source of life. This eliminates the tendency of living from Sunday
to Sunday, getting filled with barely enough of the river of life to
just get by. The promise of the Lord Jesus is that RIVERS of living
water are available. Not trickles, not squirts, not streams, but
rivers!
A friend of mine says,
"Jesus satisfies us with a dissatisfying satisfaction." What he is
saying is that there will always remain a small vacuum that He alone
can satisfy, thus causing the Christian to rely wholly upon Him.
That sufficiency can not be found in any human frame. The believer
is to remain totally dependent upon the Lord. Our God is a God of
abundance.
John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy: I
am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly.
Ezekiel
47:5 Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river
that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to
swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
The release of the abundant
waters of the Spirit of God flowing through the individual human
vessel is the intended experience of God for every Christian. There
are no exceptions. There is one initial baptism of the Holy Spirit,
but there are many infillings.
Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were
assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and they spake the word of God with boldness. This experience came
AFTER the initial descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost.
Ephesians
5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit;
The Greek language records,
"Be on being filled." That is, stay continually filled with the
Spirit, at all times. Therefore, there is no need to run low on the
waters of the Spirit. Have you checked your dipstick
lately?
The Lord Jesus received the
Holy Spirit without measure. He represents those who are to realise
His statement of RIVERS of living water flowing through the human
spirit. The terminology is directly related to the FEAST OF
TABERNACLES, the third and final appointment the church is to yet
keep before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in all His power and
glory.
John 3:34
For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him.
John 7:2
Now the Jews feast of tabernacles was at hand.
This interview, from its
inception, is designed to touch the Samaritan woman in the depths of
her spirit. It was created to satisfy every longing in her soul.
From Jesus' opening statement, "Give me to drink", through "living
water", to this present expression, "give me this water", the intent
is designed to awaken a spiritual hunger. The probe penetrates
through the realms of the human mind, to the depths of the human
spirit. It culminates with the interviewee arriving at the place, "I
want it!"
Now our Lord directs the
discussion to the very core of her being. The woman explains, "the
well is deep". She, of course, is making reference to the natural
well. The Master is now to unveil to this sincere seeker, the
spiritual application of the very same truth - just how deep this
well is. He is not referring to a hole in the ground but the
concealed DEPTHS of the human soul. He is going to plummet these
depths.
"Go call thy
husband".
"I have no
husband".
"Thou hast well said, I
have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou
now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly".
This is getting right to
the heart of the matter. The woman has said the well is deep. Jesus
is showing her just HOW DEEP!
If the seeker is to
experience the abundant life of God, he must be honest. He must be
honest both to himself and God. He may endeavour to deceive other
people, but here are the two he can not deceive: God and himself.
"To thine own self be true." The seeker must be honest. Above every
other area in life he must be honest in the depths of his heart when
seeking God.
Psalm 51:6
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden
part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
An alternative rendering
for inward parts, is "covered thing." It is that part of our lives
that we try so desperately to conceal from God, our family, our
intimate friends. It is that part that is sheilded, protected. It is
that part that we seek earnestly to cover.
Honesty is the best policy?
It is the only policy.
In the parable of the
sower, the Lord spoke of four types of soil. Only one of those
brought forth fruit. In an another expression, only 25% of the soil
was productive. That means 75%, the majority of the sowing was
counterproductive. This is an unproductivity factor of three to one.
Three quarters of the seed is wasted! And when it is reflected that
even in the productive 25%, only one third realises its full
potential. This represents astonishing 8% of the combined total. It
is tragic. But, it is tragically true.
What then, is the key to
good ground?
Luke
8:11-15 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of
God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the
devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they
should BELIEVE AND BE SAVED. They on the rock are they, which, when
they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which
for a while believe, and in the time of temptation fall away. And
that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard
go forth, and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of
this life, and bring forth no fruit to perfection. But that on the
good ground are they, which in an HONEST AND GOOD HEART, having
heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The woman of Samaria was
one of the last category. Irrespective of the cost, she was going to
pay the price. Nothing would intercept the fulfilling of her soul's
desire. Oh, how that must have hurt, having the inner secrets of her
heart made known. But this could not deter her. It only made her
more willing to face the facts.
The wonderful thing with
God is that when the soul cries out to Him, He has a place in His
massive heart to MEET that cry.
Psalm 42:7
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy
waves and thy billows are gone over me.
You see, before there ever
was a cry in your life, or for that matter, any human soul, there
existed in God a capacity to answer and satisfy that cry and
longing.
Before there was a fish to
swim in the sea, there had to first be a sea for the fish to swim
in. Before there ever was a bird to fly in the sky, there had to
first be a sky for the bird to fly in. Before there ever was a tiger
in the jungle, there first had to be a jungle for the tiger to roam
in. Yes, my precious friend, believe this with all your heart;
BEFORE THERE EVER WAS A CRY IN YOUR HEART, THERE HAD TO BE A GOD
SOMEWHERE TO ANSWER THAT CRY! Seek Him with all of your heart. He
can and will be found of you, providing of course, that you are
honest with both Him and yourself.
Oh, how DEEP that well
is!
Another powerful
illustration comes from the time of Noah. You see, not only did it
rain forty days and forty nights to bring a flood upon the earth,
but the Bible records that the FOUNTAINS OF THE GREAT DEEP were
opened up.
Genesis
7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the
second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were
all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of
heaven were opened.
Just 70 miles from where we
pastored our second church in New Zealand, there is a magnificent
sight. The Golden Bay Promotions Association list it the largest
fresh water spring in the world. Named the Pupu Springs, it pumps a
phenomenal 475,000,000 (imperial) gallons (1,798,065,000 litres)
[1.8 billion] of water per day. At its mouth the water issues from
the ground at such great pressure that it has defied lead-laden
divers entry.
Driving beyond Motueka and
ascending the Takaka Hill, the traveller is greeted near the summit
with an unusual spectacle. Turning right and traversing a metal road
across what is aptly named the Wilderness, one is met with a large
expanse of a grassed open field appropriately named Canaan. Parking
in the car park, a brisk walk through a bush track finally ends
abruptly at its destination, Harwood's Hole. This is the deepest
known Southern Hemisphere chasm, the twelfth deepest in the world,
370 meters. Its main entrance is surrounded by sheer 60m to 90m
cliffs. Speleologists have found side passages, and a subterranean
stream.
It is my considered opinion that this hole was one
of those fountains of the great deep that ejected multiplied
millions of gallons of water at the time of Noah's flood, when the
entire earth became completely engulfed in water. The super-smooth
stones in the Wilderness certainly leaves the impression that
astronomical volumes of water have left their ageless mark. This has
made them a much sought after treasure of the modern
landscaper.
Certainly Jesus had here
probed the inner depths of a human life. In responding, the woman
discovered exactly how DEEP, and what the cost was to become a
drinker at the well that never runs dry.
DRAW
With the agility
of a seasoned politician, feeling the heat of conviction and its
accompanying embarrassment becoming too strong, she endeavoured to
change the subject. The reader will kindly observe how politicians
have the ability to transfer the heat from themselves, focusing it
on an unsuspecting third party.
Said
she, "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain."
1 Corinthians
2:9-14 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them
unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the
deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save
the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit
of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the
things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we
speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the
Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned.
There would certainly be no
point in Jesus telling me to go and get my husband. I don't have
one. I have never had one. I'm sure that in the future I will never
have one.
To the rich young ruler,
Jesus never said, "Get your husband!" He didn't have one either.
However, if this man would know the abundant waters from the well of
life, Jesus, in consistency with his requirement of the Woman at the
Well, must POINT to the individual depth within him.
Mark 10:
17-22 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came
one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what
shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him,
Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Thou knowest the the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not
kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour
thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master,
all these I have observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him
loved him, and said unto him, ONE THING THOU LACKEST: go thy way,
SELL WHATSOEVER THOU HAST, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And
he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: FOR HE HAD GREAT
POSSESSIONS.
The young man turned down
the offer of eternal life. To him the price was too steep. The cost
was too great. Jesus loved him, but kindly observe that He allowed
this young ruler to walk away. He did not follow him, pleading with
him to change his mind. Each person must come the same way, counting
the same cost. Only then can the waters of life flow through him.
This candidate for the LIVING WATER was simply not hungry enough.
How like many today.
Jesus knew where to point
His finger precisely to activate the deep, in the spirit of the
Woman at the Well. He knew exactly where to touch the rich young
ruler. He has touched me where it was necessary for me. My precious
friend, I know on the strength of these illustrations that He knows
exactly where to place His finger on your life. I think you do also.
If you are tired of your shallow, meaningless expression of
Christianity, approach the Master as this woman did. He will receive
you. Ask Him to show you what is required to enter another realm in
Christian experience. Believe me, He will show you. Be prepared to
count the cost, to pay the price. When you desire the waters of life
more than any other interest, you will receive. But not until then!
Allow Him to touch you. Allow Him to show you. Allow Him to unclog
the hindrances to the well, and the abundance of living waters
flowing from your innermost being will indeed be yours.
The mountain referred to in
this section of Scripture is Mount Gerizim, the mountain upon which
half the tribes of Israel recited the blessings. The other was Mount
Ebal, the mount where the curses were recited. I could not help but
notice and subsequently remark on the fact that when I was in the
holy land in 1975, all the houses in the area were located on Mount
Gerizim, the mount of blessing. In vivid contrast, none appeared on
Mount Ebal! How true this is of man's nature. He will take good from
God, but not bad. He accepts the positive and rejects the negative.
He embraces the blessings and spurns the curses. Consider the
popular promise boxes. All Scriptures found in them are of a
positive nature. There is not one negative word from God to be found
therein. How lopsided man is. In the natural realm, every school boy
knows that positive and negative are required for the flow of
electricity. Without this dual concept there can be no current! By
all means accentuate the positive, but do not disregard the
negative.
Matthew
16:21-27 From that time forth Jesus began to show unto his
disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many
things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed,
and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to
rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be
unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me,
Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the
things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus
unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will
save his life shall loose it: and whosoever will loose his life for
my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and loose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of
his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man
according to his works.
One is to recall that this
rebuke immediately follows a revelation from the Holy Ghost that
"thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!"
There is a serious
challenge to all who would follow the Master: "Let him DENY HIMSELF,
and TAKE UP HIS CROSS, and FOLLOW ME." This is the price. This is
the cost. This is what it means to allow the Spirit of God to touch
the deep within the human breast.
Luke
14:25-35 And there went great multitudes with him: and he
turned and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And
whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not
down first, and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to
finish it. Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not
able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying,
this man, began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king,
going to make war with another king, sitteth not down first, and
consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that
cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is
a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of
peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all
that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the
salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is
neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it
out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Job 2:10
But he said unto her, Thou speaketh as one of the foolish women
speaketh. What? shall we receive GOOD at the hand of God, and shall
we not receive EVIL? In all this did not Job sin with his
lips.
If Jesus is the Lily of the
Valley, and He is, how can He be found on the top of a
mountain?
Water finds its own level.
It always runs to the lowest point. This speaks of the majestic
quality of humility.
For every three mountain
tops (experiences in God), there are FOUR VALLEYS! There are not
many teachers who will point this out or even attempt to explain
this.
1 2
3 [Three Mountain Tops]
1 2 3
4 [Four Valleys]
JESUS HUMBLED
HIMSELF! Let the believer do likewise. Perhaps he should endeavour
to fall on the rock in an effort to be broken, rather than have it
fall on him and grind him to powder.
Matthew
21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be
broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder.
God knows only too well how
to humble a person.
Philippians
2:7-11 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
Our Lord now proceeds to
explain that the true worship of God knows no geographical
limitation. One can be as close to God at the South Pole, or in the
midst of an African jungle, as he can in a cathedral, church
building, or the grave where the body of Jesus lay for three days
and three nights.
People have said to me, "It
must have been wonderful to see the place where Jesus
lay."
I respond, "Yes it was." To
think this is the very place where the dead body of Jesus lay for
three days and three nights. I spoke in tongues at this site and
prayed for all the people in the church I was then pastoring. Yet,
in regard to all this, would you like to know something? You can
worship God anywhere. Do you know that I feel as close to God right
here, in Brisbane, Australia, as I did in the holy land? You see,
God is omnipresent, that means He is all over the world at one time.
He is a Spirit.
It is because this is so
that He can be in all places throughout His mighty universe at the
same time! Yes, I have been to Israel, and will probably go again.
Do you understand that deep in the heart of man there exists a
desire to make pilgrimages? There is absolutely nothing wrong with
this. Only please don't do it in an effort to get closer to God or
to somehow seek His favour by this means. You cannot notch up points
with Him in this manner. It simply doesn't work that way. My friend,
believe this with all your heart.
