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Jacob's Well, Satisfying Your Deepest Thirst
We all hit dry seasons. Seasons when we do, it's easy to try to get by on routine, advice from others, or yesterday’s faith—only to realize we’re still thirsty for something real. Pastor Alan shares how easy it is to run on empty, hoping tradition or quick fixes will carry us, especially when life gets overwhelming and unpredictable. When the wells we've depended on run dry. The inherited routines. The borrowed faith.
These can't truly sustain us through the loss, confusion, and miessiness of real life.
The good news is you’re not stuck. Through the stories of Jacob’s well and Jesus at Sychar, we see the simple but courageous truth: you can dig a well. You can find a place where God will meet you and bring life and refreshing to you. It's not so much a physical place as a heart posture. And it doesn't have to wait. You can start today.
Dig a little deeper, move beyond surface-level inspiration, and let God become more than a concept. Let Him become your source, your living water.
Scriptures Referenced
Genesis 33:16-20; John 4:1-30; 1 John 1:9
Key Insights
- Shallow inspiration or inherited faith will leave you unprepared for life’s droughts.
- Every generation must dig their own well of trust in God.
- Staying spiritually nourished requires intentional habits, not just Sunday attendance.
- Protect what influences your family and personal input to keep your well pure.
- God has already provided the source. Your invitation is to do the digging and come honestly to Him.
Resources
Key Sections
00:00:00 - Welcome and Prayer
As the school year starts, we thank God for our teachers and students. Be diligent to pray for their favor, wisdom, and encouragement.
00:07:08 - God Even Works in Our Discomfort
Pastor Alan shares why he was uncomfortable bringing this message and how God has already used it to accomplish great things.
00:11:47 - Digging Wells and Taking Responsibility
Finding water doesn't usually "just happen." Digging wells requires intentionality and effort, but it's worth it because shallow wells won't sustain us when hard times come.
00:18:15 - Guarding the Well and Passing Faith
Each person must dig their own wells. We can rely on the wells of our parents and grandparents for a season, but they won't sustain us. Our responsibility as parents is to protect what goes into their family's hearts and minds, not to build reliance on routines.
00:25:15 - Practical Steps Toward Deeper Faith
Everyday moments can become opportunities for prayer and Bible study. There's space beyond. routines. We can choose worship and community that lead to a vibrant, sustaining faith.
00:29:21 - Encountering Jesus for Real Thirst
Only an encounter with Jesus truly qunches our deep spiritual thirst. But in Christ, there's hope for those who feel dry and far from God.
https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/jacobs-well-satisfying-your-deepest-thirst
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Gathering Times
- Sundays, 9:00 AM
- Sundays, 11:00 AM
- Wednesdays, 6:00 PM
Contact Info
Springhouse Church
14119 Old Nashville Highway
Smyrna TN 37167
CCLI License 2070006
Transcript
We are such a blessed body. Have you guys had a good
Speaker:summer? I'm only asking 'cause I know the kiddos go back to school this
Speaker:week and— Well, they came
Speaker:partially last week, but parents are counting down till tomorrow.
Speaker:When Ephesians 4 talks about the gifts that God has given us on
Speaker:this planet, one of them that he speaks of is teachers.
Speaker:And I think we would do a grave disservice to think that those
Speaker:teachers are only in the body of Christ. These teachers are
Speaker:everywhere, and they are making such a huge difference in the
Speaker:lives of our kids and in our lives. I had a teacher
Speaker:named Betty Langston, and she— I could not
Speaker:tell you whether she was actually serving the Lord or not,
Speaker:but what she did served the Lord, whether she meant to or not,
Speaker:because she would call out things in me. And she would say, you're
Speaker:better than that. You can do this. You're smarter.
Speaker:And have you ever thought about this? I think you should. You know what I
Speaker:see in you? And I was just like this little human
Speaker:sponge picking it up. And
Speaker:so much of what God birthed in my life,
Speaker:he birthed through teachers on a Monday through
Speaker:Friday schedule, who loved me, who
Speaker:spoke into my life and ministered to me. And
Speaker:that's why we'd like to take a second. Elders, I'm gonna call on you guys
Speaker:too. If we have teachers or students,
Speaker:can you just come? We wanna pray for you for just a minute and cover
Speaker:you and bless you. We're so grateful for you. Students, come on, you're
Speaker:going back too. Amen. They're like, no, we're not. I'm
Speaker:like, yes, you are. Come on, we wanna pray for all of
Speaker:you. And if I could get the elders to come behind me, And let's just
Speaker:pray covering over them and strength and wisdom.
Speaker:Guys, it's gonna be a good year.
Speaker:It's gonna be a good year because God has plans for you in this
Speaker:year. Jeremy, will you come out?
Speaker:And guys, let's pray for them.
Speaker:If the body— if the body will stand, just raise your hands towards these
Speaker:people, students and teachers.
Speaker:Lord, we thank you for what a, what
Speaker:a blessed group that we are, Father God. But Father, we thank
Speaker:you for the, for the teachers, and we thank you for the students. And we,
Speaker:we just ask that you, that you guard their steps going in and
Speaker:guide them going out. And we pray for a great year with—
Speaker:for all of them to have high expectations for this year, Lord. Amen.
Speaker:We pray for supernatural favor, for your covering
Speaker:for each one of our teachers. We pray for
Speaker:supernatural favor for each one of our students. Lord, help them to be
Speaker:able to show the light of Christ to others. Help them to feel
Speaker:encouraged. Bring our students great friends.
Speaker:Bring them great— help them have great favor with teachers or
Speaker:coaches or anybody as they come in contact with. Father God, give
Speaker:them— help them to be able to have a great Great
Speaker:parents and people around them that they can talk to about anything that's going on.
Speaker:Father, help them to know that they are, they are your children and that they
Speaker:are covered for those things regardless of what their age is, from kindergarten through
Speaker:college, that you have what's best for them, Lord. Father,
Speaker:help each one of our teachers to know that each point of impact is a
Speaker:huge impact for that student, whether they are a
Speaker:believer or whether they have never heard the gospel at all whatsoever.
Speaker:We are planting seeds, Father God. Help us to be able to
Speaker:be a body that can help to be able to water those and to
Speaker:be able to help in all aspects, Father.
Speaker:Lord, help us to be a light into the world. In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker:My 5- and 6-year-old grandchildren are in the car, and I'll say this to you
Speaker:guys, teens. They were arguing in the back
Speaker:seat and Nora said, you can be
Speaker:anything you want to be. And the 6-year-old
Speaker:looked at her and said, actually— and when a 6-year-old says,
Speaker:actually, you should listen. She said, actually,
Speaker:Nora, you should be what God wants you to be.
Speaker:And you can thank the teachers in that end of the building
Speaker:and their parents for pouring that into them. But, guys, Be what
Speaker:God designed you to be. Every single day,
Speaker:be what God designed you to be. I cannot wait
Speaker:to see what he does with you in this coming year. And
Speaker:speaking of not— can't wait to see what God is going to do, we
Speaker:are blessed with teachers in this house, so blessed. And this
Speaker:morning, we get to share in the wisdom that God has
Speaker:given Pastor Allen Smith. Would you come, Allen?
Speaker:Good morning, good morning.
Speaker:I don't— I'll ask you guys. Do they still— I'll ask you guys. Y'all would
Speaker:know. Do y'all still get sent to the principal's office? Is that a thing you
Speaker:still— okay. Yes.
Speaker:For what is it? Oh, okay. I felt like I was in the
Speaker:principal's office this morning. Before I go there, let's
Speaker:do this. It's on my heart. Those that know,
Speaker:Cole and Kaylin. Her father went home to be with the
Speaker:Lord Thursday. Cole and Kaylin Burkett. And we'll
Speaker:be remembering him this coming Saturday. And then also Chris
Speaker:has had to leave. They're trying to get another
Speaker:transplant for him. He needs a transplant. And so
Speaker:he's out there because he's working on his throat,
Speaker:swallowing difficulties. And I don't think Cole
Speaker:and Kaylin are here, but can we just pray for them?
Speaker:Father, I ask that Amen. The Holy Spirit, the
Speaker:Comforter of comforters, God,, would be with the
Speaker:Burkett family. Lord, be with Darby and, and the
Speaker:children and the grandchildren, Lord. To lose
Speaker:their patriarch at 56 years of age, I can't
Speaker:imagine. And so I just ask, Holy Spirit, that you fill that family
Speaker:with your comfort, surround them With people that will love and uphold
Speaker:them and strengthen them in this season of grief. Walk with them,
Speaker:Holy Spirit. And Lord, let them have the fondness and the joys of the
Speaker:memories of a life well lived. God, be with that family. And Lord, just
Speaker:touch Chris right now, God. Help him to be able to swallow
Speaker:and help Jeannie as she procures that with him right now. And Lord, for
Speaker:favor in this opportunity for a transplant, Lord,
Speaker:I just ask that you would put his name in front of the right doctors,
Speaker:Lord, that it would go through. Amen. and that his precious little body would be
Speaker:strong enough to be able to undergo that. In Christ's name, amen.
Speaker:I say I felt like I was in the
Speaker:principal's office. My family was up for the weekend. My
Speaker:daughter-in-law Eden, they had a graduation for her. A
Speaker:graduation, golly, Allen. The older I get, the more I
Speaker:worry about myself.
Speaker:Is that a laughter because it's funny or you bear witness?
Speaker:Okay. I do, man. Words that I used to
Speaker:know, I forget. But anyway, I digress. Eden, my
Speaker:daughter-in-law, was having a baby shower. My
Speaker:first grandchild's due in November. So my mother
Speaker:and my father and sister surprised me and came up
Speaker:for the weekend to go to the baby shower. And we
Speaker:usually have a rule in our family. We love each
Speaker:other immensely. We really do. But 3
Speaker:days, it's like fish or trash. In 3 days, you need to take it out
Speaker:because we— you just overstay your welcome. Some of you know what I'm talking
Speaker:about. Everybody didn't have a wonderful childhood growing up. We love each other
Speaker:deeply, but you know, the first, first day you're all excited about
Speaker:seeing each other. Second day you catch up on, well, how's Aunt Sarah? And how's
Speaker:Uncle Bill? And how are you doing? Blah, blah. Day 3, then you kind of
Speaker:start nitpicking on each other. So we gotta go.
Speaker:So typically when we go there or they come here,
Speaker:Sunday's the get-off day. You leave early, and especially them, 'cause
Speaker:it's about a 6-hour drive. And so usually you're leaving by 7 o'clock,
Speaker:8 o'clock in the morning. And so we did our hugs and kisses goodbye
Speaker:last night after visiting and dinner. We celebrated their 80th birthday,
Speaker:and they were supposed to be gone. So...
Speaker:First gathering, I'm sitting down here by Carol, and we're chatting, and
Speaker:it's like quarter till 9, and I feel a presence come
Speaker:behind me in the row behind me, and I could see,
Speaker:but I've had a crick in my neck this past week, so I can't really
Speaker:turn. I have to turn, and I heard a voice say, good morning.
Speaker:And so I was polite and just went, good morning,
Speaker:and carried on my conversation. And then a little bit later— Good morning.
Speaker:Unbeknownst to me, my mother said, good morning, son.
Speaker:And I went, oh my goodness! Y'all are supposed to be past
Speaker:Bellbuckle right now. What are you doing here? And I
Speaker:just— I'll be honest with you. If you were in first
Speaker:service and if you've gone and you're going to watch
Speaker:this, I apologize. I was so nervous preaching and
Speaker:teaching in front of my parents. I got off my notes. I was—
Speaker:I— I apologize to you first service people.
Speaker:I just stumbled and felt so— but you know what?
Speaker:The altar was weird,
Speaker:but my sister came down and recommitted her
Speaker:life to Christ this morning.
Speaker:We've been praying for her family. She's been Thinking about
Speaker:leaving, and I've got 2 nephews that are so
Speaker:far from Jesus. One is
Speaker:transgender, and we've just been praying for that family.
Speaker:And my sister— in all my inadequacies and
Speaker:everything that was so disjumbled, God still worked.
Speaker:And so it was worth my sister this
Speaker:morning. And I'm just going to apologize to you too, because
Speaker:I'm not this guy.
Speaker:I'm not the techie guy. I'm not the— can I just do like we
Speaker:used to do in the '70s and '80s and just do my notes in the
Speaker:Bible and preach? Come on. And here's the other thing.
Speaker:It's not long. I only got 20—
Speaker:did I mess it up? About 25 minutes
Speaker:worth of stuff. But you know what? God can do
Speaker:something in 25 minutes and take the other time while you're talking and
Speaker:going home to move. Father, in the name of Jesus,
Speaker:use this inadequate vessel and you
Speaker:speak to your people. Whatever is mine that's
Speaker:foolish or silly, that's not worthy of remembering, let it fall,
Speaker:Lord, but let your word that is life refreshing
Speaker:water, living water, let it remain to
Speaker:minister to your people. Amen.
Speaker:If you have one of these, bring it. If you have one of
Speaker:those, you can look up Genesis
Speaker:33 starting with verse
Speaker:16, and it says,
Speaker:I'll give you a second. It says, on that day Esau started on his way
Speaker:back to Seir, but Jacob went on to Succoth. He built a
Speaker:house for himself and stalls for his cattle. That is why the place
Speaker:was called Succoth. That word means shelter or
Speaker:structure. Excuse me.
Speaker:After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he
Speaker:arrived safely at the Canaanite city of
Speaker:Shechem, and he camped in front of the city,
Speaker:and he purchased a section of the field From
Speaker:the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for
Speaker:100— mine says kesitas. Who has a different
Speaker:translation besides the Holman? Whatever
Speaker:that word is. It's about— my scripture says
Speaker:the value is unknown. So he paid a priceless
Speaker:amount for it, where he pitched his tent, he
Speaker:set up an altar, and there he called it God,
Speaker:the God of Israel, El Elohim. And then if
Speaker:you'll turn to John 4:1-6. Give you a second.
Speaker:That's in the skinny part on the other side
Speaker:for those that are looking. In my book it's
Speaker:page 1547. When Jesus knew
Speaker:that the Pharisees heard He was making and baptizing more disciples than
Speaker:John, Though Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his
Speaker:disciples were. He left Judea and went again to
Speaker:Galilee. He had to travel through Samaria,
Speaker:so he came to a town of Samaria named Sychar, near the property that
Speaker:Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob's well was
Speaker:there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat
Speaker:down at the well. It was about 6 in the evening.
Speaker:Amen.
Speaker:I don't know about y'all, but I've enjoyed this
Speaker:series of Getting to the Wells.
Speaker:Pastor Barbie set us up in the first week, and she was sharing
Speaker:about Isaac and Abraham's wells, and they kept filling them
Speaker:in, and finally Isaac had to go dig his own well.
Speaker:And then we see later because of
Speaker:confrontation, if you know the story about
Speaker:Jacob and Esau, there's— Jacob was not
Speaker:quite always forthright, we'll say it that way.
Speaker:Well, his name originally meant the thiever or usurper,
Speaker:supplanter. So he kind of basically lied
Speaker:and stole the blessing and Esau wasn't real happy so confrontation
Speaker:happened. And Jacob moved out of fear. So
Speaker:he was in the northern part of the country, and Esau
Speaker:settled in the southern part. And
Speaker:Jacob was scared for his life. But God finally spoke to Jacob,
Speaker:and he had to move, so he moved south, as we heard. And when he
Speaker:settled there for his family and his people, he made
Speaker:a dwelling place. And he dug a well.
Speaker:But he had to go reconcile with Esau. And Esau was
Speaker:in Seir, and Jacob was in Haran in the northern part.
Speaker:And so if you look at the distance, Jacob was the one that made the
Speaker:sacrifice. He's the one that came the further distance of the two to
Speaker:reconcile. Did you know that sometimes in our life we have
Speaker:to go a little bit further than the other person?
Speaker:Whether we're in the wrong which he was,
Speaker:or whether we're in the right, sometimes we
Speaker:have to make the sacrifice. We have to humble ourselves and go the
Speaker:extra distance to make reconciliation in our
Speaker:life. So he goes south and then he's— they
Speaker:meet, they reconcile, and he goes to Shechem and he's
Speaker:settled in Sychar between Mount Ebal
Speaker:and Mount Gerizim. And how
Speaker:many know that in the desert— or I'm sorry if that was me—
Speaker:or in the country, to survive you've
Speaker:got to have water? And one of the first things
Speaker:you've got to do is find water and dig a well. Now
Speaker:historically, Jacob's Well
Speaker:was dug around 1900 BC. That's what
Speaker:historians, biblical scholars would tell you, between
Speaker:1904 and 1910, or the other way, it counts backwards, you
Speaker:know. So he digs this well
Speaker:and it's provided for him, his family, his servants, his
Speaker:livestock, his cattle.
Speaker:Most wells— there's 3 main
Speaker:classifications, let's do that. There's a shallow water well, Depends
Speaker:on rainwater and runoff, so it's pretty surface level. You can hit it
Speaker:at about 25, 40 feet. Problem with a shallow
Speaker:well is when the sun comes out
Speaker:like it's been for 2 weeks here— sidebar,
Speaker:if Hades is any hotter than Middle Tennessee in August,
Speaker:I will not be there. I am— Lord, whatever it is,
Speaker:I confess all my sins that you are faithful and just. Amen. To cleanse
Speaker:me from all unrighteousness, the ones I don't know about, because I don't want to
Speaker:be there. I sweat now and it's 78 in
Speaker:here. But anyway, shallow wells are
Speaker:good for a moment because it's a quick nourishment,
Speaker:but they're not sustaining. They're not going to last you.
Speaker:Young people, these friendships you have,
Speaker:these peers you have in school, And you think they feed you
Speaker:and make you feel so, so in certain ways. Those are
Speaker:surface-level wells. They're only going to carry you so
Speaker:far because they can't speak to the deep place in your life.
Speaker:And those wells will dry up, and the wells that you thought you draw encouragement
Speaker:from, you thought you got your
Speaker:acceptance and things from, when they dry up,
Speaker:you'll be like they never knew you. Be careful who you draw from.
Speaker:Then you got aquifer wells. They're deeper, usually around
Speaker:100, sometimes 75, but they're sustained by
Speaker:porous rocks, limestone in the earth.
Speaker:And that's great because it's usually a
Speaker:longer-lasting well. It'll supply you for a longer time. But the
Speaker:problem is, if the ground around that well gets
Speaker:contaminated, that water source becomes contaminated.
Speaker:Pesticides, oil spills, anything that can contaminate and seep
Speaker:through the earth will eventually get to the
Speaker:porous rock, and it'll affect that water,
Speaker:and that cool sweet water one day you're going to draw up and
Speaker:go because it's bitter,
Speaker:it's contaminated. And then there's a third main classification of
Speaker:a well, and those are wells that are spring-fed
Speaker:Are live underwater rivers, and
Speaker:those are deeper to get to. I wonder why.
Speaker:You think it's ironic? Pastor Barbie was talking about— boy,
Speaker:I almost wore overalls and had shovels out here because she's been
Speaker:talking to us about sometimes you got to work
Speaker:to dig that well. Listen, God provided
Speaker:The source. He's provided the water for you, both natural
Speaker:and living, but we've got to do some work. Isaac
Speaker:and Jacob just didn't go, hey, boy, it'd be nice to have a well.
Speaker:I need a well. They had to get out and
Speaker:dig the earth to get to the
Speaker:resource that Jehovah had provided for. If you
Speaker:think— You includes me.
Speaker:We have English lessons. You know, English in America is— you read it and it's
Speaker:masculine-driven, but many times it means everybody.
Speaker:Where's Kurt from Memphis? It means all of us.
Speaker:When I say you, I mean me, all of us. If you
Speaker:think just coming here on Sunday
Speaker:and singing for about 20, 25 minutes,
Speaker:and I mean with your whole heart, you're engaged, you're in it.
Speaker:But if you think just doing that once a week
Speaker:and you think 2 or 3 scriptures on the board or
Speaker:you got to look up your— Come on.
Speaker:Instagram or Facebook or all the other little
Speaker:WhatsApps and knickknacks and paddywhacks that
Speaker:give you your encouraging motivational
Speaker:scripture of the day, first of all, they're
Speaker:cherry-picked. Many times they're not in a
Speaker:context, because then when you go back and read
Speaker:why it's there, you go, uh-oh, there's something
Speaker:more to this. So if you think all that is digging
Speaker:your well, you're in a shallow well, and trust me,
Speaker:when the winds of this earth and the drought of
Speaker:this world come, that well will run dry. It will
Speaker:not sustain you. Amen. Pastor Barbie
Speaker:taught us. I'm not even going to attempt to get on my hands
Speaker:and knees because 4 or 5 of you are going to come up here and
Speaker:lay hands on me suddenly to help me get up. But she gave you
Speaker:a beautiful example last week, and can I tell you this?
Speaker:That example she laid out is not for pastors learning how
Speaker:to teach a sermon the next week. That's not for a speaker
Speaker:on Wednesday night preparing for a class or Whoever's
Speaker:teaching the 12. That's for us'uns.
Speaker:Yes. We need to get out Strong's
Speaker:and the Blue Letter and the Bible Hub
Speaker:because I was one for a long time, lazy Christian.
Speaker:Whatever the preacher preached and whatever I could get from somebody, hey, I need you
Speaker:to pray for me, I need a scripture, was all I lived on. And you
Speaker:know what? I was thirsty a lot of the times. When I
Speaker:needed to quench a thirst. She showed us
Speaker:how we ought to daily— listen, I know there's 24 hours
Speaker:in a day, but you can't tell me you can't find 20 to 30 minutes.
Speaker:You can't. I told— there was a young lady, I think she's in
Speaker:the room. She was like, I just have a hard time
Speaker:praying and connecting to God. I can't find time in my day. I
Speaker:said, honey, when you're driving to the grocery store, and you ain't
Speaker:got the kids, you can pray. When you're sitting in line at the bank
Speaker:and you're waiting for that return receipt to come back, you can
Speaker:pray. When you're standing in the grocery waiting behind
Speaker:Meemaw with 53 coupons and paying with pennies, you
Speaker:can pray. And I said, if you'll start with just those, I
Speaker:can promise you they will grow. And before long,
Speaker:you'll be going, man, I got to find time to do other things, because it's
Speaker:going to become so rich to you that 5 minutes becomes 20, 20
Speaker:becomes 30, Yeah. It's like Barbie said, she's having to write sidebar things
Speaker:because I'm coming back to that, but right now I'll go out and focus on
Speaker:this, but this was so out of the place or unordinary that I want to
Speaker:research more about that, and you'll find yourself digging a
Speaker:deeper well because He's already supplied the
Speaker:source, but we got to do the work. I
Speaker:don't want to be a lazy Christian. I want to dig a
Speaker:well. She's talking about Abraham, Isaac, and now we're getting to
Speaker:Jacob. Because here's the thing, how many in here are parents? Give me an oh
Speaker:me or an amen. Oh me. Yeah,
Speaker:I kind of figured Justin would give me that. Grandparents? Oh me
Speaker:or aye? Possibly any great-grandparents in here? A
Speaker:few. I'm talking to y'all right now.
Speaker:Actually, everybody under 30 I'm talking to, but specifically y'all.
Speaker:You can only live— let me get here in your face so
Speaker:I can sweat on you.
Speaker:If I smell real good,
Speaker:it's horse liniment from Tractor Supply for all my old
Speaker:joints. If I stink, it's horse liniment, just so you know why the smell
Speaker:is. I hugged a lady between service. She went, oh, you smell
Speaker:good. And I Said, well, that's old-day horse liniment from Doc.
Speaker:Here's the deal. Your parents and your
Speaker:grandparents that are believers,
Speaker:their faith has dug wells,
Speaker:and they've dug deeper than surface. They're digging deep
Speaker:because they want to sustain you, because right now
Speaker:you're developing your faith. And you may not be
Speaker:really great at digging your own well yet. You're gonna make mistakes.
Speaker:You're gonna hit dry spots and have to go find a different
Speaker:place to dig. And so right now
Speaker:you're living on your parents' and your grandparents'
Speaker:and maybe grandparents' wells. But there's gonna come a
Speaker:time that you have to dig your own well. You've got
Speaker:to dig your well so that the resource from God is yours.
Speaker:You can't depend because one day the way this world is,
Speaker:Because of sin, your grandparents are going to go home.
Speaker:Your parents are going to pass, and you're not going to be able to go
Speaker:back to those wells. You've got to have your own well to
Speaker:sustain you and to hold you up. I've been digging a well
Speaker:for 37 years with Renee for my children, and now
Speaker:I've got a grandbaby coming. But one day little
Speaker:Annie's got to dig her own well because she can't come to mine. Amen.
Speaker:Parents and grandparents, great-grandparents.
Speaker:We've got to keep our well pure. Pastor Barbie talked about she
Speaker:had to be careful going to that well, not bumping the
Speaker:walls and things, because your dirt becomes—
Speaker:That's right. Becomes our dirt. We've got
Speaker:to keep our wells pure. This ain't a
Speaker:You know, we used to— everybody over 50 knows the phrase, a
Speaker:clothesline sermon, where we talked about how you dress and all that.
Speaker:You and God got to settle this out, but you better be careful what you
Speaker:let your kids watch on TV.
Speaker:I don't watch— I guess I'm going to have to start in
Speaker:8 months, but I don't know Bluey from Peppa
Speaker:to any of them. But that
Speaker:TV is not a babysitter. You
Speaker:better watch what your children are watching. Come on. Because the
Speaker:era I had kids, Rugrats and Simpsons and some of these,
Speaker:all it taught was the dad was an idiot, the mama was some
Speaker:kind of something usurping authority, and the kids
Speaker:talked back. Don't you let your kids watch that junk.
Speaker:You gotta protect that well. 'Cause that dirt will
Speaker:dirty that water. You better be careful what you
Speaker:listen to on the radio while they're— I love, I love
Speaker:when Pastor Barbie uses Rowan and Nora's examples.
Speaker:Sitting in the back seat, Nana, did you know? They're
Speaker:not talking about all the stuff in this world. They're
Speaker:talking about God and Jesus and how to do God this and
Speaker:Jesus that. You better be careful what you play on that
Speaker:radio. Listen, I love the '70s and '80s rock and
Speaker:roll. I love it. But some of the message, even though the groove
Speaker:is good, I turn that
Speaker:off. I don't want my little precious daughter hearing some of them women
Speaker:songs that were degrading to women. Gotta be careful. You gotta protect that
Speaker:well. Gotta keep that water pure. Amen.
Speaker:You got to dig your wells, and y'all
Speaker:aren't the little ones in those classes out there. Y'all are big
Speaker:enough that your hands work. You
Speaker:better crack that Bible open. Come
Speaker:on. Don't you depend on Pastor Doug and Pastor Jody. Don't you
Speaker:depend on the Andersons, the
Speaker:Horners. You got to do it. You
Speaker:got time to scroll and play and do other things, You got time
Speaker:to open a Bible and say, Holy Spirit, I need you to teach
Speaker:me and show me how to dig. Patty
Speaker:cake worship ain't gonna get it. You gotta be able to sing.
Speaker:She talked about it her first week, well, the week setting up
Speaker:about worship anyway. You better get a song. You
Speaker:better have a song. When I find myself in a dry
Speaker:season, I love the songs we do today, But Alan
Speaker:throws on them hymns and I go back to the stuff
Speaker:that got me through as a kid and a teenager. I
Speaker:gotta find that song that I can draw the
Speaker:resource from that will refresh my soul and
Speaker:better my soul. Jesus meets her. The
Speaker:disciples go off to get food. It says Jesus was
Speaker:tired. Anybody been tired? He's the Son of
Speaker:God, but Jesus knows what it's like to be
Speaker:tired. I wonder how His knees are or were
Speaker:because He walked everywhere. My knees are terrible.
Speaker:I'm bone on bone. I hurt all the time. I can't imagine walking everywhere
Speaker:Jesus did, but it says He was tired. That means
Speaker:He understands how we feel sometimes.
Speaker:He was just as much flesh as He was deity. Amen. He knows how
Speaker:you feel. And as He comes, the Scripture
Speaker:says Jesus had—
Speaker:I emphasize it, capitalize it— He had to go through Samaria.
Speaker:But if you know your Bible, Jews didn't go
Speaker:through Samaria. They were considered half-breed.
Speaker:They were less than because they weren't pure Jews. Amen. And a
Speaker:good Jew traveling north to south or south to north
Speaker:would go almost as far as the Jordan, 'cause there's mountains through
Speaker:there, almost as far as the Jordan, even crossing the Jordan,
Speaker:and add about a day and a half to their journey. Or they go
Speaker:almost to the Mediterranean of the West Bank of Israel to
Speaker:avoid encountering Samaritans.
Speaker:Versus the direct, quickest way. My God, how many times
Speaker:have I taken the long way to avoid somebody because I
Speaker:didn't view them worthy of time with me?
Speaker:Forgive me, Jesus.
Speaker:But Jesus said, I had to go to Samaria. He gets
Speaker:there and He's at the well. This well
Speaker:is almost 2,000 years at that time.
Speaker:Still with fresh water. Because it—
Speaker:there's a gentleman that went, Mr. W. F.
Speaker:Albright, I think it's E. Dub, but you'll
Speaker:have to look it up. He died in '74, but from
Speaker:'56 to '71 he did a lot of excavations and
Speaker:things in Israel, and he went to Jacob's
Speaker:Well, and it was proven that that well is
Speaker:built or drawn from a live spring. Running
Speaker:water. They would call it living water
Speaker:because it never stagnated, it never sat,
Speaker:it was continually flowing. So Jesus meets
Speaker:her. Isn't that like God? I'll send Jacob
Speaker:2,000 years ago south to reconcile, send
Speaker:him west toward the ocean, settle him in
Speaker:where he shouldn't be, And digs a well so
Speaker:that his son would meet a woman one day.
Speaker:Can I tell you, if he will do that for her, what he won't do
Speaker:for you? He
Speaker:has already put into place things before you can even think
Speaker:to meet you in a place that you have been or you have yet to
Speaker:be. He has already set the situation up for you for
Speaker:the provision. Amen. For your salvation, for
Speaker:whatever your need is. That's my kind of God.
Speaker:Don't mean you don't get away with— you got to work. It takes some time.
Speaker:You're going to have to put in some effort, but he's already resourced it and
Speaker:he's waiting on you. He's waiting on you to get there.
Speaker:Jesus goes on and talks with her and he asks
Speaker:for water. What are you
Speaker:But you asking me, a Samaritan woman, to give you
Speaker:drink? You don't even have
Speaker:anything to draw with, and this well,
Speaker:Jacob's well, our father's well, is deep.
Speaker:Are you greater than him?
Speaker:And He gives her an answer that starts something on
Speaker:the inside of her. That changes this from drinking water to
Speaker:drinking water.
Speaker:If you knew who it was, if you knew the
Speaker:gift before you and who he is that
Speaker:has spoken this to you, you would have asked me
Speaker:for water.
Speaker:See, you know the story. You know about her life and we don't have to
Speaker:go there. Read it. Verse
Speaker:16, John 4:16 through about 24.
Speaker:Jesus explains it to her. I know who you are.
Speaker:And then He offers her that water. And the
Speaker:Scripture goes on to say in verse 27, 28,
Speaker:That she left her pitcher,
Speaker:what she needed to gather water, and she went
Speaker:back to the city and told them, come and meet a man
Speaker:that told me everything about me. Could He be the
Speaker:Messiah? See, she had to come to the well at that time of
Speaker:day. There was a reason.
Speaker:But He was already waiting. She had a thirst that
Speaker:was far beyond what earthly water will fill.
Speaker:She could have drunk from that well and had been for who knows how long,
Speaker:but that day, if you read it and I read it
Speaker:correctly, she never got a drink of that water again.
Speaker:I'm not talking about going forward. That day she didn't drink that water. That's right.
Speaker:The interchange happens. She doesn't draw. It says she left her pitcher.
Speaker:But because of the encounter with him, the
Speaker:deepest thirst— there ain't nothing like a good cold
Speaker:drop of water. We had a well
Speaker:on both of my parents'— grandparents' property. They had city
Speaker:water by the time I was born and old enough. And I got in trouble—
Speaker:well, some of my cousins got in trouble for throwing
Speaker:stuff in the well. But on hot summer days,
Speaker:pulling that metal ladle out of that well and drinking that water.
Speaker:You talk about quenching a thirst.
Speaker:But Jacob's well could not quench the thirst that she had,
Speaker:but Jesus did. I don't
Speaker:know what your vessel is today. Musicians,
Speaker:come out. I don't
Speaker:know what kind of well you have,
Speaker:I hope you got one. And you know what? If it's a shallow well,
Speaker:praise God, you're starting to dig.
Speaker:But I can tell you from life experience, it won't last.
Speaker:My well was shallow when my son was born.
Speaker:He was preemie, and my well was not where it needed
Speaker:to be. And I went back to my mama.
Speaker:You gotta pray for Jeremy. I went to
Speaker:older people in the faith that I knew had deeper wells than me.
Speaker:I need you to pray. I need what you've got because
Speaker:mine's dry.
Speaker:So if you've got a shallow well, don't be ashamed of it, but
Speaker:today's an opportunity for you to dig deeper. He's
Speaker:not going to dig it for you. He's not going to
Speaker:guard your eyes and protect your mouth and the things.
Speaker:You've got to do that. You've got to ask Holy Spirit to
Speaker:do that for you. He don't just do it. There
Speaker:is an encounter or an interaction that takes
Speaker:place. But the great thing is he's already
Speaker:provided. We just gotta— Amen. Pardon the pun, we gotta tap
Speaker:in. It's one thing to have a well where you gotta crank.
Speaker:Now we got people that have wells that are on pumps and it
Speaker:constantly comes. He's better than a pump well,
Speaker:'cause, and I'm not gonna preach his message, he's got it next week,
Speaker:but he can put living water. It says later,
Speaker:he told her that I'll give you a wellspring.
Speaker:of living water that wells up from within you that you'll
Speaker:never— We're taught in
Speaker:counseling never use the words never and always
Speaker:in counseling. But when it comes to Jehovah
Speaker:and it comes to God, He will put in you, if
Speaker:you'll let Him, a wellspring that will never
Speaker:Run dry. As you get ready
Speaker:to— elders, I'm going to— I didn't do it first service. Elders,
Speaker:those that'll pray,
Speaker:please come down. Come
Speaker:down. Come on. Wide open
Speaker:altarcall. My well is not
Speaker:sufficient. Come down.
Speaker:Find the deep well. I've
Speaker:contaminated my well. I'm
Speaker:allowing things to get into my well that contaminates the water.
Speaker:I've been there. I've sat in this room and gone thirsty. Great worship,
Speaker:great message, and I've sat here thirsty because I've allowed things in my
Speaker:life. That's why 1 John 1:9 is so important.
Speaker:It's not just a memory verse you say, because if I will
Speaker:confess my sins,
Speaker:He'll forgive them. And cleanse me from all
Speaker:unrighteousness. He refreshes that water.
Speaker:So maybe you're there, and maybe you're in the
Speaker:room and you've never started a well. Are you
Speaker:like my sister this morning who used to drink
Speaker:from the well, but she strayed from it? Maybe
Speaker:today you need to come back to the well. That's
Speaker:this altarcall. Just say, worship, allow the
Speaker:Holy Spirit to lead you and just come. Here's
Speaker:the deal. You could sit there and you may well
Speaker:sit there and that's fine. Jacob would have
Speaker:never had a well if he didn't go and dig.
Speaker:Sometimes it takes a physical response.
Speaker:Team.
