Re-digging the Wells: A Call to Spiritual Renewal
Summary
In today's reflection, we delve into the story of Isaac, who, when faced with a dire need for water, chose not to seek new sources but to re-dig the wells of his father, Abraham. This narrative serves as a profound metaphor for the current state of the church and society. The pressing issue is not about finding new methods or making minor adjustments; it is about recognizing the fundamental need for life, power, and the Spirit. The church today, much like Isaac, is in a desperate situation, needing to return to the foundational truths and sources of spiritual vitality.
Isaac's decision to re-dig the old wells rather than seeking new ones highlights the importance of returning to the tried and tested sources of spiritual nourishment. This is a call to revisit the history of the church, to learn from past revivals and awakenings, and to understand that the problems we face are not new. The same God who provided for Abraham and Isaac is still present and unchanging. The challenges of modernity, whether they be technological advancements or societal shifts, do not alter the fundamental nature of God or humanity.
The narrative also warns against the distractions and obstructions that prevent us from accessing these spiritual resources. The Philistines, who filled the wells with earth, symbolize the various forces and ideologies that obscure the truth and hinder the church's mission. It is crucial to recognize these hindrances and clear them away to access the life-giving water of the Spirit.
In essence, the message is a call to return to the basics, to the core of our faith, and to the historical lessons of the church. It is a reminder that true revival and spiritual renewal come from reconnecting with the foundational truths and the power of the Spirit, not from new methods or superficial changes.
Key Takeaways:
1. Urgency of Spiritual Renewal: The church's primary need today is not new methods or superficial adjustments but a return to the fundamental source of life and power, which is the Spirit of God. This urgency mirrors Isaac's need for water, emphasizing the necessity of spiritual vitality for survival and impact. [02:29]
2. Learning from the Past: The history of the church is filled with periods of revival following times of spiritual drought. By studying these past awakenings, we can understand that our current challenges are not unique and that the solutions lie in returning to the foundational truths of our faith. [12:46]
3. The Unchanging Nature of God and Man: Despite technological and societal changes, the nature of God and humanity remains constant. Our problems are not new, and the solutions provided by God throughout history are still relevant today. [16:49]
4. Clearing the Obstructions: Just as the Philistines filled Isaac's wells with earth, various ideologies and distractions today obscure the truth and hinder spiritual growth. Recognizing and removing these obstructions is crucial to accessing the life-giving water of the Spirit. [30:59]
5. Unity and Division in the Church: While unity is important, history shows that God has often brought revival even in times of division. True spiritual unity comes from a shared experience of God's power, which can transcend organizational divisions and lead to genuine renewal. [40:31]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:40] - The Essential Need for Life
- [02:29] - The Church's Urgent Need
- [03:16] - The Radical Problem of Society
- [04:09] - Living on Past Capital
- [05:21] - The Primitive Need for Water
- [06:07] - Isaac's Response to Urgency
- [07:14] - Re-digging the Wells of Abraham
- [08:08] - The Futility of New Methods
- [10:01] - The Wisdom of Returning to the Source
- [12:12] - The Value of Church History
- [13:58] - The Influence of Darwinian Philosophy
- [16:02] - The Unchanging Nature of God and Man
- [20:15] - Lessons from Church History
- [23:42] - Revival Following Spiritual Drought
- [27:46] - The Consistent Pattern of Revivals
- [30:42] - The Work of the Philistines
- [38:29] - The Myth of the Divided Church
- [42:20] - Facing the Real Cause of Trouble
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 26:18 - "Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them."
2. Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
3. Acts 2:42 - "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
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Observation Questions:
1. What was Isaac's response to the urgent need for water, and how does this reflect on his trust in the past provisions of God? [06:07]
2. How did the Philistines obstruct Isaac's access to the wells, and what might this symbolize in the context of spiritual hindrances today? [29:16]
3. What does the sermon suggest about the nature of God and humanity despite societal and technological changes? [16:49]
4. How does the history of the church, as discussed in the sermon, illustrate the pattern of revival following spiritual drought? [23:42]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does Isaac's decision to re-dig his father's wells serve as a metaphor for the church's need to return to foundational spiritual truths? [07:14]
2. How does the sermon interpret the role of distractions and obstructions, like the Philistines filling the wells, in hindering spiritual growth? [30:59]
3. What does the sermon imply about the importance of learning from past revivals and awakenings in addressing current spiritual challenges? [12:46]
4. How does the sermon address the misconception that modern problems are unique and require entirely new solutions? [19:58]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you faced a spiritual drought. How did you attempt to "re-dig" the wells of your faith, and what was the outcome? [06:07]
2. Identify any "Philistines" in your life—distractions or ideologies that may be obstructing your spiritual growth. What steps can you take to clear these obstructions? [30:59]
3. How can you apply the lesson of returning to foundational truths in your personal spiritual journey? What specific practices or teachings might you revisit? [07:14]
4. Consider the unchanging nature of God and humanity. How does this perspective influence your approach to modern challenges in your faith? [16:49]
5. In what ways can you learn from the history of the church to address current spiritual challenges in your community? [12:46]
6. How can you foster unity within your church community, even amidst differences, to experience a shared revival of faith? [40:31]
7. What practical steps can you take this week to ensure that your spiritual life is not merely a series of minor adjustments but a return to the core of your faith? [02:29]
Devotional
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Quotes
The problem confronting us is not a problem of methods or of organization or of making a slight adjustment here or there or improving things a little bit or keeping them up to date or anything like that. It seems to me that the whole position is one in which we're rarely are down to this basic issue. [00:02:32]
Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father. Now here again is a message surely that is sorely needed because the whole outlook seems to be the very reverse of that. As one looks at it in the church in general, the kind of thing you read constantly in the books and the religious journals is this. [00:07:09]
Isaac realized that his situation was such that it was no time for experimentation. The position I say was so urgent that if they didn't have water and that very quickly they would all perish. And what how does he argue in such a position? Well, he argues like this: he says there is no need for us to prospect and send for the water divers. [00:09:48]
There is nothing that I know of that is quite so foolish as to ignore the past, and a man who does assume that does ignore the past and assumes that our problems are quite new and that therefore the past has nothing at all to teach us is a man who's not only grossly ignorant of the scriptures but he is equally ignorant of the greatest lessons even of secular history. [00:12:49]
God is still the same. There is no difference in God as between today and 100 years ago. Indeed God is the same today as he was a thousand years ago and 2,000 years ago and way back 6,000 years ago in the time of Abraham. God is from Everlasting to Everlasting. He doesn't change at all. [00:16:13]
Man is still precisely the same as he always has been. It is to me almost incredible and incomprehensible that anybody who has ever read the Bible at all or indeed even human history could possibly dispute this even for a second. What superficial thinkers we are. [00:17:12]
The story of the church has not been a straight line, a level record of achievement. It hasn't been that at all. The history of the church has been a history of ups and downs and ups and downs. It's there on the very surface. You go back into the history of the past and you'll find that. [00:20:31]
These glorious periods of Revival and of Reawakening have often followed periods of great drought, great deadness, apathy, and lifelessness in the history of the church. Everyone of as you find these great Peaks you will find the troughs. You will see that the church as many a Time been as she is today. [00:23:42]
Every time you do get one of these great and glorious and mighty periods you will find that in every instance it seems to be a returning to something that had obtained before. Indeed, I go further, you will find that every one of them seems to be a returning to what you can read and find in the book of The Acts of the Apostles. [00:25:18]
The Philistines had stopped them and filled them with Earth so that when they went back to their to these old Wells that is what they found. In other words, we can put it like this: they went back to the old Wells, yes, and the water is still there in the old Wells but they couldn't see it and the water wasn't available. [00:28:56]
The troubles confronting the church today, the problem confronting her is not the new circumstances in which we find ourselves. You see, that's what we're always being told, isn't it? Until we're all, I hope, sick and tired of it. The wireless, the television, the motor car and all the things that are being offered to the Modern Men. [00:32:14]
There were endless divisions in the church 100 years ago in America and in Northern Ireland. They were divided up into the same denominations as to today and even more so. Yet though that was the fact, God sent his Blessing and poured out his Spirit. It is a lie to say that the division of the church is the one cause of a lack of blessing. [00:38:29]
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