Wellspring July 18, 2010
Teacher’s Guide
A. Explain that God’s word tells us in Proverbs 4, to guard our hearts because it is a wellspring of life, or out of the heart come the issues of life. Whatever is in our hearts, no matter how we try to hold it down, or hide it, it still is a wellspring, springing forth what it is made up of. If it is happy then joy springs forth on everyone around you. If it is bitter, then bitterness springs forth. We cannot control it no matter how much time and effort we put into concealing what is in our hearts, it is constantly bursting forth that which is inside. We must get the love of Christ, the Wellspring of living water supplying our hearts so that His goodness and His righteousness springs forth. (Proverbs 4:23-27; Proverbs 16:22)
1. the head or source of a spring, stream, river, etc.;fountain head.
2. a source or supply of anything, esp. when considered inexhaustible:
We understand now that a wellspring is the main supply source coming in. If there is no wellspring, the rivers and streams would dry up. God is so brilliant how He created everything to work together in unison. Each of His creation depending upon the other but ultimately depending solely upon HIM! We were not created to be independent and when we try to be that, we get into trouble, EVERY SINGLE TIME! Just like the rivers and streams depend upon the wellspring for the water supply, our hearts must have a supply coming in as well. Whatever we take in, that is what will come out. We cannot expect to take in all the things of the world all week, and then open our mouths on Sunday and expect Jesus to come out. If we want the Holy Spirit and Christ’s love to flow out of us, then we must spend some time with Him, letting Him supply our hearts with His goodness. We do this through a daily prayer life and daily study of His word!
(John 7:37-39)
C. (Read John 4:1-29) Jesus made a special trip just to introduce Himself, the wellspring, to this Samaritan woman. He knew she was in dyer need of Salvation. Her soul was dry and thirsty. I think she had been looking for a wellspring, but she was looking in all the wrong places, she was looking to find that in a husband and when they could not supply her heart, then she would try it in another, and another. There are many who do that today. Their hearts are dry, thirsty, and bitter, and so they begin the search for peace, for joy, for that wellspring. Some look for it in human relationship, but it isn’t there, others look for it in the bottle, but never find it. Some turn to drugs, others to food, and some turn to their jobs. No matter how much we search for that longing to be satisfied, for that thirst to be quenched, we will NEVER find it in any other person or thing other than Jesus Christ. Our souls were created to know Him. If one refuses his/her heart to know Him, and then they spend all of their lives in search for peace that will never be found in anything or anyone else.
D. There are others who have known Christ. They have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, but they have lost their first love. (Revelation 2:4; Hebrews 12:12-15; Jeremiah 2:13)
When we turn away from The LORD to other things, we will swivel up, dry and die spiritually. If we are dead spiritually, then we are dead physically, we are not living, only existing. We have cut off the wellspring, and there will be no peace until true repentance comes. (Luke 6:45; Proverbs 4:23)
E. We must put on the whole armor of God everyday and hold up that shield of faith to protect and guard our hearts against the tricks and attacks of satan. Out of the heart come the issues of life! If our hearts are damaged, then we will be weak and vulnerable to the evil one’s tactics. We not only want to guard our hearts to protect ourselves from evil, but we want to guard our hearts FOR the LORD. We want to remember all that He had done, all His goodness and to keep that love protected so that we do not turn away from it. God does that for us. Remember back in Exodus, when God was giving Moses the commandments and Moses wanted to see God’s Glory and so God passed before Him and proclaimed these words about HIMSELF! (Exodus 34:5-8)
What God is saying is that He maintains His mercy and His love for us. He protects or guards that FOR us. That word “keeping” in the Hebrew transliteration is natsar, and it means to guard or protect. God guards His heart For us not from us. He maintains that love and mercy so that even in our wickedness and sinfulness, He does not depart from that Love! That is amazing to me. When we surrender ourselves fully to the Glory of God, we will ALWAYS experience His goodness as well because they go together, they cannot be separated! Guard your heart for God; He guards His heart for you! What a SAVIOR! We want to guard our hearts and let Him be that wellspring for us so that we can love Him and love others as He has commanded us to do. Then we can LIVE and live joyfully! (Matthew 5:13)
We are here to love God and to love others and to represent Christ and His love to a lost and dying world. We cannot do this on our own; we must have the wellspring to supply what we need to share the good news of the gospel not just by what we say, but how we live because the world is watching, every move! Our everyday lives are the biggest testimony, the biggest light in the darkness. Some will believe our words, but only if our daily lives reflect what we are telling the. It’s true, that old saying, actions speak louder than words. They do indeed! (2 Kings 2:21-22; Colossians 4:6; John 4:14)
God Bless You All :O))