Jeremiah 2:13
The sermon highlights the dangers of forsaking God and turning to man-made systems, which ultimately prove empty and unable to satisfy our deepest needs.
Chuck Smith discusses the profound message of Jeremiah 2:13, emphasizing how the nation of Israel forsook God, the 'Fountain of Living Water,' in favor of their own broken cisterns. He illustrates how their initial dependence on God during times of weakness turned into a reliance on their own resources during prosperity, leading to spiritual decay. Smith warns that when individuals turn away from God, they inevitably worship something else, which ultimately proves to be unfulfilling and inadequate. The sermon highlights the futility of human philosophies that cannot sustain life, contrasting them with the life-giving presence of God.
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Intro: Jeremiah was called by God to the difficult task of watching the death of a nation. He
was to see it in its final convulsions as it died.
I. THE DEADLY MALADY, "THEY HAVE FORSAKEN ME, THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER."
A. The nation was brought to birth by God.
1. He brought them out of Egypt.
2. He established the basis for their relationship giving them the law.
B. God was at the center of their national life.
1. They were in love with God and followed Him. vs. 2.
2. He was the center of their national life.
3. Because of this they were dynamic and strong.
C. They in their prosperity turned from their trust in God.
1. Easier to trust in God when you are weak than when you are strong.
2. When you are poor than when you are rich.
D. "Fountain of living water."
1. Water essential for life.
2. Early cities always built around water supply.
a. Where the highway crossed a river.
b. Where there was an adequate spring.
3. Living water was running water.
II. "HEWED-OUT CISTERNS."
A. As Jerusalem grew, it eventually became too large for its water supply - the Gihon
spring.
1. Large cisterns carved out of rock all over the city.
a. These were reservoirs to hold the run-off water from the rain.
b. The water in them would become stale.
1. Moss and algae would build up.
2. Used for irrigation mainly.
B. "Broken cisterns that could hold no water."
1. Sometimes after months or years of labor hewing out of solid stone these
huge caverns, when the rains came, great disappointment.
a. A fracture in the rock.
b. It won't hold water.
2. At this point, it usually became a tomb.
III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN A MAN FORSAKES GOD AND BEGINS TO CHIP OUT A CISTERN?
A. Every man has to worship something.
1. If he refuses to worship God, he will worship his car, job, home.
B. Every man has a God, even the avowed atheist.
1. Your God is that master passion of your life.
2. That motivating drive.
3. That principle, ideal or philosophy that controls your life.
C. Sad to see men forsake God, because his philosophies can't hold water.
1. Today the philosophy of existentialism that has become the God of our
secular educational system is proving to be a broken cistern.
a. Brought man to despair.
b. Destroyed any true universal base.
c. Made each man a little deserted island all to himself.
Sermon Outline
- THE DEADLY MALADY, 'THEY HAVE FORSAKEN ME, THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER' points: - The nation was brought to birth by God - God was at the center of their national life - They in their prosperity turned from their trust in God - Fountain of living water
- HEWED-OUT CISTERNS points: - As Jerusalem grew, it eventually became too large for its water supply - Broken cisterns that could hold no water
- WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN A MAN FORSAKES GOD AND BEGINS TO CHIP OUT A CISTERN? points: - Every man has to worship something - Every man has a God, even the avowed atheist - Sad to see men forsake God, because his philosophies can't hold water
Key Quotes
“They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” — Chuck Smith
“Every man has to worship something.” — Chuck Smith
“Every man has a God, even the avowed atheist.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- We must be careful not to turn away from God in times of prosperity, but instead continue to trust and follow Him.
- Every person has a God, whether they acknowledge it or not, and it's essential to recognize and worship the true God.
- Man-made systems and philosophies, such as existentialism, can lead to emptiness and despair if they replace God as the source of life and meaning.