Other Broken Cisterns
Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them. It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about. The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.
RICHES
1 Timothy 6:17 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” Note the phrase “uncertain riches”; this is clearly a broken cistern. Sometimes one can get caught up saying, “If only I had lots of money to do what I want, and then I would be truly happy”. One might consider that the same as saying: “If I had all the money I wanted then I wouldn't have to trust anyone for my daily needs!” Yet, in actuality riches are quite uncertain, they can come today and go tomorrow without warning. The Lord Jesus, however, is very certain, very stable and is worthy of our devotion and trust. Let me illustrate this by something that happened to me. I well remember a time when I was pastoring a small church in New York. The church was too small to give us a living wage and the job market in the area was very depressed so I could not find a decent job. During my time there I was brought to a place where I literally did not know where the money was going to come from to pay for our rent, utilities and daily necessities. I was so overwhelmed by this burden of how to provide for my family that in the middle of the night I was driven into the woods to cry out to God and weep before Him; while kneeling in the woods in the middle of the night I simply got one phrase, “I am your loving heavenly Father and I will take care of your needs”. At the time it was almost impossible to see how God would provide, I might have said that if I had a lot of money right now I would be happy but in truth there were other ways God was going to make me rich; rich in faith and trust and I would learn how to lean on the arm of my beloved. We did not have any extra but God provided for our every need even to this day! I didn’t need more money; I needed more grace.
Paul also said this to Timothy: 1 Timothy 6:6-8 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” Don't become caught up in vain pursuits, riches are snares, seek the one who is the fountain of living waters. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Don't fall in love with money; it will bind you. The best policy is this; don't allow yourself to trust in bank accounts and money, learn to walk in loving obedience to the Master and see the hand of the Lord provide for your daily needs.
May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson
The Second Great Comission: Luke 1:17b "...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord"
Sunday, April 09, 2006
BROKEN CISTERNS Part III
Other Broken Cisterns
Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them. It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about. The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.
MIGHT
The prophet also listed strength as a broken cistern; 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” The weak things of this world to confound the things which are mighty; it is a sign of Gods favor on your life when he touch's your strength or ignores your talents. He might touch our strength by giving some physical limitations, he could do it through pressures, He could do it through people who have authority over us. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” God has to bring us at times to the end of our strength, so we don't swell with self-confidence.
I am sure you remember what Jesus, the Son of God told everyone; John 5:19 “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Also, he continues later in the same chapter; John 5:30 “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” Later in the book of John he further drives home this point; John 8:28 “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” The Lord was trying to make his disciples understand that the power He possessed was the result of His submission to His Father. It was not of Himself; His own strength or His own might (although He was the Son of God); it was His dependency on His loving Heavenly Father. The point is further illustrated for us in John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
We want to come to the place where we know that in ourselves we can do nothing. Why is this so important? It is because man is so easily lifted up in pride and arrogance; the fallen nature wants to be recognized and praised for its accomplishments. That posses a problem for the Godhead since 1 Corinthians tells us in v: 29 “That no flesh should glory in his presence”. Also, 1 Corinthians 1:31 states “…He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” As true believers let us glory in the Lord; He is our fountain of living water!
May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson
Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them. It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about. The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.
MIGHT
The prophet also listed strength as a broken cistern; 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” The weak things of this world to confound the things which are mighty; it is a sign of Gods favor on your life when he touch's your strength or ignores your talents. He might touch our strength by giving some physical limitations, he could do it through pressures, He could do it through people who have authority over us. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” God has to bring us at times to the end of our strength, so we don't swell with self-confidence.
I am sure you remember what Jesus, the Son of God told everyone; John 5:19 “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Also, he continues later in the same chapter; John 5:30 “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” Later in the book of John he further drives home this point; John 8:28 “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” The Lord was trying to make his disciples understand that the power He possessed was the result of His submission to His Father. It was not of Himself; His own strength or His own might (although He was the Son of God); it was His dependency on His loving Heavenly Father. The point is further illustrated for us in John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
We want to come to the place where we know that in ourselves we can do nothing. Why is this so important? It is because man is so easily lifted up in pride and arrogance; the fallen nature wants to be recognized and praised for its accomplishments. That posses a problem for the Godhead since 1 Corinthians tells us in v: 29 “That no flesh should glory in his presence”. Also, 1 Corinthians 1:31 states “…He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” As true believers let us glory in the Lord; He is our fountain of living water!
May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson
BROKEN CISTERNS Part II
Other Broken Cisterns
Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them. It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about. The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.
HUMAN WISDOM
A broken cistern of today that Gods people are turning to for satisfaction is human wisdom. One needs to be careful here; let us remember that human wisdom stems from the fallen human nature. God has made it very clear in the scriptures that our thoughts are not His thoughts and our ways are not His ways; we also have this that the human mind is continually at enmity with God. Peter speaking out of his own human thinking argued with the Lord when Jesus spoke of His soon departure and the method of His death, “surely this shall not be”, Peter made an assumption using his own reasoning and The Lord Himself rebuked his little declaration and condemned his speech as the words of Satan. We must be very careful in this area, there is only one truth, there is only one right and it is founded in the Word of God and the Words of Jesus Christ.
I want to give a little counsel to those who depend on psychology, even Christian psychology. Psychology is the study of the human mind and how it works. One should be very careful about feeding on this, the human mind is incapable of discerning Gods thoughts; at it’s best it is unreliable, and at it’s worst it is wicked. Bear in mind what Jeremiah said in 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Why study the mind to try and figure it out? The book of Proverbs tells us the fool is the one who seeks to know his own heart: Proverbs 18:2 “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.”
We find the real power over the mind in Romans 12:2 “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This comes by seeking he who is the fountain of living waters. This word transformed is actually “metamorpho”, which is where we get our word “metamorphosis” or “to transform”. It is the same process that changes a caterpillar into a butterfly. We don't need to know the human mind; we want to know the mind of Christ. This word for “transform” is also translated “transfigure” in Matthew 17:2, and Mark. 9:2. The same word is used in 2 Corinthians 3:18 and is translated “Changed”. 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
In reality this is where the metamorphosis takes place; our human minds are fallen, corrupt, we don't need intellect we need The Spirit of God to touch us and renew our minds. The Lord is the fountain of living water, only He can satisfy. He is the only one we need. The Apostle Paul also gives stern warning in the book of Colossians: Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Psychology is vain deceit after the rudiment of this world; it is not of Christ and therefore, it can only leave one with more questions about truth than they started with. Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” On He can satisfy, complete us. Is Jesus satisfying to us or do we need other things? Answer the following questions as honestly as you can:
Do you need to have earthly things to be happy and secure?
Do you feel confident in your own strength and abilities?
Does your intellect need to be titillated with human wisdom?
If any of these are true of us, then we may be drinking from a broken cistern and we may have already forsaken the fountain of living water. Dear ones let us conclude this essay with words from the book of Colossians: Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Christ came that we might find in him our all sufficiency; let us do His sacrifice for us justice by making Him our all in all.
May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson
Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them. It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about. The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.
HUMAN WISDOM
A broken cistern of today that Gods people are turning to for satisfaction is human wisdom. One needs to be careful here; let us remember that human wisdom stems from the fallen human nature. God has made it very clear in the scriptures that our thoughts are not His thoughts and our ways are not His ways; we also have this that the human mind is continually at enmity with God. Peter speaking out of his own human thinking argued with the Lord when Jesus spoke of His soon departure and the method of His death, “surely this shall not be”, Peter made an assumption using his own reasoning and The Lord Himself rebuked his little declaration and condemned his speech as the words of Satan. We must be very careful in this area, there is only one truth, there is only one right and it is founded in the Word of God and the Words of Jesus Christ.
I want to give a little counsel to those who depend on psychology, even Christian psychology. Psychology is the study of the human mind and how it works. One should be very careful about feeding on this, the human mind is incapable of discerning Gods thoughts; at it’s best it is unreliable, and at it’s worst it is wicked. Bear in mind what Jeremiah said in 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Why study the mind to try and figure it out? The book of Proverbs tells us the fool is the one who seeks to know his own heart: Proverbs 18:2 “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.”
We find the real power over the mind in Romans 12:2 “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This comes by seeking he who is the fountain of living waters. This word transformed is actually “metamorpho”, which is where we get our word “metamorphosis” or “to transform”. It is the same process that changes a caterpillar into a butterfly. We don't need to know the human mind; we want to know the mind of Christ. This word for “transform” is also translated “transfigure” in Matthew 17:2, and Mark. 9:2. The same word is used in 2 Corinthians 3:18 and is translated “Changed”. 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
In reality this is where the metamorphosis takes place; our human minds are fallen, corrupt, we don't need intellect we need The Spirit of God to touch us and renew our minds. The Lord is the fountain of living water, only He can satisfy. He is the only one we need. The Apostle Paul also gives stern warning in the book of Colossians: Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Psychology is vain deceit after the rudiment of this world; it is not of Christ and therefore, it can only leave one with more questions about truth than they started with. Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” On He can satisfy, complete us. Is Jesus satisfying to us or do we need other things? Answer the following questions as honestly as you can:
Do you need to have earthly things to be happy and secure?
Do you feel confident in your own strength and abilities?
Does your intellect need to be titillated with human wisdom?
If any of these are true of us, then we may be drinking from a broken cistern and we may have already forsaken the fountain of living water. Dear ones let us conclude this essay with words from the book of Colossians: Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Christ came that we might find in him our all sufficiency; let us do His sacrifice for us justice by making Him our all in all.
May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
BROKEN CISTERNS
BROKEN CISTERNS
Part I
I want to ask us all one simple question, Is Jesus Christ our fountain of living water? Does Jesus Christ truly satisfy us?
I assume you know, of course, that not all of God's people are satisfied with him alone. Some turn to other things of this world for their satisfaction. I want to consider with you something Jeremiah said to the people of his day that applies to our day as well. Namely that Gods people, ones who once burned for him, can become cold and look to other worldly things to satisfy them. This was indeed the condition of Jeremiah's time; Jeremiah 2:12, 13 “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”
Forsaking the Fountain of Living Waters for Broken Cisterns
The prophet Jeremiah points out to his generation that there are 2 evils being committed (by His people): First, they had forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. This very much has application to us today because in order for us to be truly committed Christians we must be convinced that only Jesus Christ truly satisfies, He is our fountain of living water. This truth is exemplified for us in John 7:37,38 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Secondly, Gods people had hewn out for themselves broken cisterns. A cistern is a reservoir made out of earth, like a pond, or carved out of rock; metaphorically these cisterns are other pleasures that were pursued for satisfaction and fulfillment. They had before them the Lord Himself, the fountain of living water, and yet they turn to a manmade broken cistern; a device that is faulty and can fail in its duty to hold water, not to mention problems with stagnation.
Therefore the prophet continues his indictment: Jeremiah 2:18 “And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt (World), to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
The people of God were finding their satisfaction from the rivers of Egypt and Assyria. Here's the problem in a nutshell, Gods people are drinking from the waters of Egypt! Egypt has long been recognized as speaking of the world, to put it into today’s setting we would say these cisterns represent the music of the world, dress of the world, talk of the world, entertainment of the world etc. When one drinks from the waters of Egypt, their desire for the Lord begins to die and they no longer find that he satisfies. They become disconnected from Him and become bored with the church and Gods people.
Here is the inevitable end of those who turn to the things of this world Jeremiah 2:19 “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings 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.” It is indeed a tragic thing, when the people of God make the wrong choices in what they choose to satisfy themselves, the consequences of those choices more times than not is that these things end up hindering their walk and hold them back from the things of God.
Part I
I want to ask us all one simple question, Is Jesus Christ our fountain of living water? Does Jesus Christ truly satisfy us?
I assume you know, of course, that not all of God's people are satisfied with him alone. Some turn to other things of this world for their satisfaction. I want to consider with you something Jeremiah said to the people of his day that applies to our day as well. Namely that Gods people, ones who once burned for him, can become cold and look to other worldly things to satisfy them. This was indeed the condition of Jeremiah's time; Jeremiah 2:12, 13 “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”
Forsaking the Fountain of Living Waters for Broken Cisterns
The prophet Jeremiah points out to his generation that there are 2 evils being committed (by His people): First, they had forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. This very much has application to us today because in order for us to be truly committed Christians we must be convinced that only Jesus Christ truly satisfies, He is our fountain of living water. This truth is exemplified for us in John 7:37,38 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Secondly, Gods people had hewn out for themselves broken cisterns. A cistern is a reservoir made out of earth, like a pond, or carved out of rock; metaphorically these cisterns are other pleasures that were pursued for satisfaction and fulfillment. They had before them the Lord Himself, the fountain of living water, and yet they turn to a manmade broken cistern; a device that is faulty and can fail in its duty to hold water, not to mention problems with stagnation.
Therefore the prophet continues his indictment: Jeremiah 2:18 “And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt (World), to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
The people of God were finding their satisfaction from the rivers of Egypt and Assyria. Here's the problem in a nutshell, Gods people are drinking from the waters of Egypt! Egypt has long been recognized as speaking of the world, to put it into today’s setting we would say these cisterns represent the music of the world, dress of the world, talk of the world, entertainment of the world etc. When one drinks from the waters of Egypt, their desire for the Lord begins to die and they no longer find that he satisfies. They become disconnected from Him and become bored with the church and Gods people.
Here is the inevitable end of those who turn to the things of this world Jeremiah 2:19 “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings 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.” It is indeed a tragic thing, when the people of God make the wrong choices in what they choose to satisfy themselves, the consequences of those choices more times than not is that these things end up hindering their walk and hold them back from the things of God.
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