Hebrews 2: 5-13 says, “For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, ‘What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.’
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, ‘I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.’ And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children God has given me.’”
This weekend, our sermon at church was from a visiting pastor, Doug Wilson. It was titled, “Working on a Building”. For much of the sermon, he discussed the prophetic nature of the passage from Ezekial 47:1-12. The concept of “living water” was expounded upon - as regenerate Christians are the fulfillment of this prophetic passage - walking around as small sources of living water through the Holy Spirit. We are walking temples of God, as our bodies are supposed to be given to Him as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1-2). In order to hear the Gospel and be converted, someone doesn’t need to be inside a church, per se, but rather can be converted anywhere, anytime. The means of conversion for many are through actual believers who have a source springing forth from them, as they are connected to the ultimate source who is God Himself. While in itself, a physical church building is a blessing in many ways, and provides a “regional well” in a sense wherever it is planted, the body of Christ is even more valuable as each person has the Spirit of God with them wherever they go. Of course, I should note that it is extremely important for the people of God to gather together in a building on Sundays, as something spiritually unique does indeed occur when the people of God are gathered together on the day of the Lord.
With this in mind, let us consider the passage above. All who are sanctified have ONE source. All those who have the living water have a singular source from which their well of water is filled, and refilled, and spilling out to share with those around them. Why is our brand called SOURCE? By now, it’s probably pretty obvious why this name was chosen. However I would like to spend some time digging into a couple ways in which we can understand this concept and apply it to our lives.
In Genesis 22:14, Abraham named the place where God commanded Him to sacrifice his son Isaac, Jehovah-Jireh. In faith, Abraham obeyed God, and in substitute of Isaac, God provided a ram for Abraham and saved his son: “The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Jehovah-Jireh means, The Lord Will Provide (verse 14), or The Lord is my Provider. “To provide”, implies that someone (the provider) is the source of something for another person. God is the provider, the source of all things. In a unique way for Christians, He is sanctifying us constantly - through challenges, discipline, blessings, joys, and experiences. And He always promises to be our provider and source through all of these things. In this Biblical narrative, Abraham's response to trial was obedience and faith in God. When it seemed as if there was no other way, God provided one. Ultimately, God has provided THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life- His only begotten Son - to die for sinners so that they might be adopted as sons and daughters by our Holy Father. He provided THE way to salvation, the only way. Though Abraham was spared his son, God gave His son so that we could be made right with Him. What a glory!
When we are walking with the Lord and pouring out all we have, how can we expect to be refreshed if we abandon the Lord when things get tough? If our response to trial is rejection of God, we will dry up like a shallow spring in the desert. Christ is our first love, and if we cut ourselves off from the source of life and sanctification, how will we expect to grow in faith and share this faith with those around us? God promises to provide for His people. We cannot reject this notion as prosperity gospel or superstition, as it would make God to be a liar. The real issue is that when He does not provide in the way that we see fit, it is easy to respond by doubting His character altogether, rather than trusting in His timing and His way.
How do we stay connected to our source in the midst of trials so that we never dry up? Well the first thing is to avoid putting up dams. For the sake of the analogy, dams can be viewed as sin. When we live in unrepentant sin, we are cutting ourselves off from the joy and life that God gives us. In another way, when we put up dams around ourselves, we cut off the living water from the world around us. When we refuse to share our faith, we are storing up living water for ourselves only- refusing to share God’s good blessing with the thirsting world around us. We are supposed to be a stream, not a reservoir. We receive so that we can give. We are connected to the source of life so that we might be a source of this life to others! Share this living water, it was given to you freely! Why would we covet such a good gift?
How else can we work to stay connected to the source? Prayer, reading His word, going to church, finding biblical mentorship, are all ways that we can continually grow in the Lord. Becoming a Christian isn't a one stop shop. You aren’t converted so that you can retreat and seclude yourself in a mountain staying as holy as possible. You were converted by God, FOR God. For His Glory and His Purposes. You are a vessel, in other words, to be used by the Lord to bring others to faith and knowledge of Him. And of course, all of this is done by faith. In some of my most difficult trials, it really was my first inclination to lash out at God in anger. "Why would you let this happen to me?!" The narrative account from Abraham reminds me that when trial comes, it is a signal to RUN into the arms of the Lord.
At SOURCE, this is the kind of Christian faith we hope to inspire. A faith that remembers who it comes from, and where it is going. As we grow in our dependency on the Lord, we want to remember that with Him, there is nothing we do and nothing that happens to us that is in vain. God assigns a purpose to all things, ultimately for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. We hope that this truth brings great comfort to you and emboldens you to share your faith. Everything you have is a gift of grace from the Lord, paid for by Christ. Do not squander this inheritance! Ask today how the Lord can use you to bring living water to this broken, dry, and thirsting world.