I'm turning your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 12 we come this time to verse 3 so I want to begin with verse 1 Because if you think about it verse 3 which is our text today starts with the word therefore which obviously indicates that it's building upon or making some type of Application of the previous verses and so we want to back up and read for memory's sake verses 1 to 3 and In that day you will say Oh Lord, I will praise you though. You were angry with me. Your anger is turned away and you comfort me Behold God is my salvation. I would trust and not be afraid For y'all the Lord is my strength and son. He also has become my salvation. I Therefore with joy you would draw water from the wells of salvation Verse 3 is a very beautiful verse and it has in it very rich imagery and I think as you read it, you'll probably know that There's basically three imageries or three key words in the text There's water wells and then by inference drawing Drawing out the water from the wells But let me just say a few things quickly by way of introduction before we come to those three terms As I've said verse 3 starts with the word therefore which points us back to the two previous verses Think of it like this in verse 1 you have placation Verse 2 liberation and verse 3 provision Now I've said that in Isaiah's mind, he has the rich imagery of the exodus. And he's actually speaking about a greater exodus. An exodus that far exceeded the literal exodus from Egypt. And we saw that back in chapter 11, verse 11. It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again second time to recover a remnant from all over the world. The first one recovered is people from Egyptian bondage. This recovery will concern people taken from every tribe, tongue, nation. So there's placation, liberation, and provision. Now just go back in your mind for a second to Exodus and you're going to see the same basic pattern there as here in chapter 12 of Exodus you have placation and that's the Passover and Then in chapter 15 you have liberation That's when they're liberated under Moses. Remember they stop and then give that song of praise which is almost identical to this one And that's why it starts, in that day you will say, just as they sang a hymn of praise when they were liberated from Egyptian bondage, so when I save you from this world, a greater bondage, through the blood of Christ, a better Passover, you're also gonna sing a song of praise, and that's the chapter that we're considering. Okay, but stop and think. So you have chapter 12 of Exodus, you have the Passover, a placation, Chapter 15, you have the liberation, or their liberation from bondage under Moses. And then what's the next chapter? Or the two chapters after that, chapter 17. You have the provision of God to his people, freshly liberated, as they have their wilderness journey. Okay, so what is he doing? Well, I'll just go back quickly to Exodus 17 and notice the one verse how about verse 6 Exodus 17 Okay, so they're liberated Chapter 15 and now he's going to provide for them in chapter 7 17 and verse 6 behold I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb and and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people may drink. Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Okay, so just stop and think of how beautifully similar our chapter is to these historical events of Exodus. Placation, liberation, and no sooner does he liberate them from Egypt, he provides them with what? Water. Well, this text foretells a greater placation, a greater liberation, and a greater provision. Because you have the provision, verse three, of water being drawn from the wells of salvation. Now let me, one last time very quickly, show you this. If you look ahead this time to Isaiah 48, You're gonna find something similar Isaiah 48 20 Go forth from Babylon now. Just keep in mind that Isaiah is writing to them in anticipation of them being exiled to Babylon Go forth from Babylon flee from the Chaldeans With a voice of singing declare proclaim this utter it to the end of the earth say the Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob verse 21 He's actually there at the end of verse 20, the redemption of his servant Jacob. It's a reference back to the Egyptian liberation. And notice what happened after the liberation from Egypt, verse 21. And they did not thirst when he led them through the deserts. He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them. He also split the rock and the waters gushed out. So he's actually encouraging these presently captive people in Babylon of the previous exodus, and always pointing to and promising a second exodus, that is the salvation of the elect through the blood of Jesus. But okay, so God is going to save us, that's the prophecy, go back to Isaiah 12.1, he's gonna give his son, that's gonna placate his wrath, satisfy his wrath, propitiate, his wrath and make satisfaction for our sins. And in so doing, he's gonna liberate us from our sins when he applies that by his spirit and converts us. But what does he then do after he converts us? He sent Jesus 2,000 years ago to placate his wrath. That's applied to us. Verse two, in time, when we're saved and we say, verse two, God is my salvation, et cetera, What then happens? Does he just leave us to our resources in this wilderness? No, brother, he does the same thing that he did to those he liberated from Egypt. He provides them with an abundance of provision, in particular water, through their wilderness journey. So let me just say in summary, verse three is speaking about the salvation we have as Christians in Christ. the ongoing provision of water and salvation that's drawn from or derived from Christ himself. So God doesn't just liberate us and then leave us, he liberates us and provides for us. And not just half of our journey, but the whole journey. Everybody he liberates from Egypt, he provides for them from this abundant well of salvation, He provides for them through the remainder of their journey, all the way into the promised land. Okay, so that's kind of the overview of the passage and how it relates to the previous verses. Now we just gotta dig, in the time remaining, a little bit deeper in the verse itself. And somewhat quickly look at these three words or concepts, water, wells, and drawing. You can see them all there in your text. First, water. This refers to the gracious activity of the Spirit in and through the Word. That's why all over the place we find that various imageries are used to help communicate the work of the Spirit. Wind and water being two of them. Oil being a third one. Those probably are three of the most popular ones, right? Oil, water, Fire, that's another imagery, isn't it? Associated with the work of the Holy Spirit. But here we have water. And I think that water is a beautiful way to illustrate or to express the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. But just keep in mind that the Holy Spirit always works in and through the word, and that's why the scriptures themselves refer to themselves with that imagery of water. So the Holy Spirit takes the water and he washes us. But water isn't just for washing, it's also for rejoicing. Therefore, with joy you will draw water, but also satisfying. And again, if you go back to the imagery of the Hebrews in the hot wilderness for those 40 years, they had the fresh, cool water that followed them through the journey, and it refreshed them. It revives them. So I think the idea of water is that it revives, it washes and cleanses, and it satisfies. And let me just look at a few texts that points to these facts. I have several texts. Let's see, let's start with one here in Isaiah and see how many of these texts we need to look up. Isaiah 44, notice verse one. Isaiah 44, one. Yet hear now, O Jacob, my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord, who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, and you, Jasheron, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground. I will pour my spirit on your descendants and my blessing on your offspring. They will spring up among the grass and willows by the watercourses. One will say, I'm the Lord's. Another will call himself by the name of Jacob. Another will write with his hand, the Lord's, and name himself by the name of Israel. This is speaking about the conversion of sinners. It's really a similar imagery, isn't it, to that famous prophecy of Joel, that he's gonna pour out his spirit upon all flesh. It's the promise of the day of Pentecost. So the Holy Spirit is given to us not only to convert us brethren But equally to sanctify us and that's really the point of of Isaiah 12 and 3 We are dry ground by nature and the Holy Spirit is poured out upon us and we bear fruit But that's not something that happens once it's something that happens ongoingly And it goes back to our study of the fruit of the spirit. It's the spirit that's poured out upon us as ground and enables us to be fruitful. So we're thirsty, spiritually speaking. We're barren, dry, spiritually speaking. And it's the ministry of the Holy Spirit, ongoingly, to wash us and cleanse us, to revive us, and dissatisfies. Let me give you maybe a few more texts. How about, oh let's see, let's just go to the New Testament. How about John 4? Where we're gonna find that the New Testament collaborates my interpretation of the Old Testament. John 4, notice verse 13. Jesus answered and said to her, whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. In other words, it's an endless fountain. Now, you know, in these days, there were two ways to get water. There was the cistern that would run out. You had to replenish it. And then there was the fountain that was tied deep underground and it never ended. And it's the latter of these, sometimes God does use the first one of himself, but it's the second one that Jesus is here talking about, and as we'll see here in a second, it's the second of these that is a fountain of living water, fresh streams that are endless, an unendless and abundant supply of water that Isaiah's referring to back in chapter 12 and verse three. Okay, so by water is meant the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, in and through the word. And then as I've said already, secondly, wells. And this refers to deep, fresh springs of endless water. Fountain of living waters. And let me just say, I think most obviously, and in particular, by wells, plural, so this is like a whole lot of water, because one well of fountain of living water, of fresh water, would have been enough to supply all of our needs. But these are wells. I think it's just underscoring the absolute abundance of grace and provision that's found in a place, because you get this water from a well, so you can't just get it anywhere. And obviously, brethren, I think it's talking about Christ. Christ is the well. From which the Holy Spirit gets the grace and communicates it to our hearts. You have to drink at this well. That's kind of what Jesus was saying, too, didn't he, back in John 4 to that woman. There's water you have to drink of. Well, where is it? It's in me. We're gonna see that here in a second when we look to John 7. That all of this abundance of water is found in Jesus. All of the grace we need to be saved and sanctified is abundantly, ongoingly, and endlessly found in this single well of Christ our Lord. Let me just show you from a text or two. Well, I've already read from Exodus 17, six. Remember when Moses striked the rock and water came out of it? But do you remember how Paul interprets that for us in 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4? And all drank the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. That is, it's shadow Christ. Because stop and think about it, not everybody who drank that water was saved. But everybody who drank the water, understanding that was a shadow of that to come, was. Okay, so Christ is the well exclusively, abundantly, and deservedly. Because he, the rock was what? Smitten. And you remember how the prophet put it, how God said it through the prophet, that you're to strike the shepherd. And so the law of Moses, God's justice, struck Christ on the cross. And if you remember when he was on the cross, literally from his side came water, blood and water. I think that was symbolic to say that there's blood to deal with our guilt and water to deal with our filth. But figuratively speaking, brethren, this water comes from Christ as the result of his crucifixion. And it comes in abundance. OK, let me if you if you're nice, just go backwards for a little bit to Psalm 114. And verse seven. Tremble, O Earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters. Now, that word translated fountain is the same Hebrew word translated wells. These are not waters that can end. They're living waters. That means they're a fountain of water. Endless supply. So God liberates his Old Testament people from Egypt, through the blood of the Passover. He provides for them water in terms of provision, an abundance of it, all the way for all the people through the whole wilderness. So too he liberates us from a greater bondage with the better blood, and he provides for us wells of salvation. These wells of salvation, as the Old Testament people of God, they follow us through the wilderness of this world. But in order for there to be this refreshment and revival, and satisfaction from the water, there has to be a necessity, drawing. There has to be the drawing and the drinking. Therefore, Isaiah 12 and three, with joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. This indicates the fact that this water, or let me just put it like this, this grace that's in Jesus, isn't native to our soul. We have to get it. And he's deposited the place to get it, Jesus. But he's not only deposited the place to get it, but he's also ordained the means to get it and the places to get it. Faith through means. The word, the sacraments, the ordinances. So God hasn't merely given us water, but he's given us an abundance of it. And he's also told us how to get it, where to get it. Let me put it like that. He's told us where to get it and how to get it, where to get it, Jesus, how to get it through a believing use of means. That's what's meant by drama. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Brethren, just stop and think about it. There's no end to the supply of grace that's in Christ. For of his fullness we've all received grace upon grace. So this indicates faith, the need to have faith, because you can't have the water unless you go get it. And that's faith. But you have to get it at the right place. And that's means. And you know that by means we mean public and private. The ordinances, those places where Christ is ordained to meet with his people and to give them water. Let me show it to you from a few texts and then I'll summarize it. Back up to Psalm 63. And notice verse one. I'll give you an Old Testament and New Testament. Oh, God, you are my God, early I will seek you, my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there's no water. OK, so here's a Christian who's thirsty to fellowship, to commune with God and to be sanctified by God. He needs water. He's thirsty and he can't find it in this desert. So where does he go to find it? Verse two. So I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory. In New Testament terms, he came to church. And there in the assembly of God's people, he was given water to satisfy his thirsty soul. Brethren, yes, you can get it at home through the private means of grace, for sure. The well is opened at home. When you open your Bible, when you bow your head to pray, when you fellowship with God's people, when you listen to Christian music, these are things, means whereby God can and does strengthen you. But that's, we can say that he opens up a well there, but he opens up wells here. Where the word of God is read and sung and prayed, preached and partaken of. John 7 this is the text I alluded to I just want to show you that you have to have faith in the means or a Believing use of the means better put So it's not just reading your Bible. It's not just going to church. It's not just taking the sacrament if you don't have faith Notice how Jesus puts it John 7 37 on the last great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out saying if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink That's brother Nessa If you're thirsty, this is for sinners, but it's also for saints. If you're thirsty, Jesus says, let him come to me, that is, believe upon me. And what? Drink, draw waters from the wells of salvation. 38, he who believes in me. See, coming to him and drinking from him are beautiful ways to describe believing in him. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living. That is fountain waters, not stale waters that might be found in some type of cistern that's gonna run out. I mean, again, the Bible does speak of God in terms of a cistern, but ordinarily, the water that we get from Christ is spoken of as living. That means a well, a fountain, fresh water, an abundance, no end. a supply that exceeds all of our needs. And how do we get it? We come and get it. How? By faith. Where? Jesus. And this invitation is in the first place for the sinner. Brethren, if God has made provision for sinners in Christ with an abundance of water or grace, if they just come and get it, how much more has he made provision for us as his people to come back and to be replenished? Brethren, there's so much water in the well. That's why I think in part why it's called wells. Not like there's more than one Jesus. There's just an abundance of it. There's wells of living water. All right, let me close with one last text, Revelation. Revelation chapter 21, notice verse six. And he said to me, it is done. I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of water of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. And again, brethren, you can apply this text evangelistically to sinners. That's how it ends, isn't it? Or that's how it ends, the scripture. We go to verse 17 of the next chapter and the spear and the bride say, come and let him who hears come and let him thirst come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. And again, brother, and if that's true for the center, how much more for the same? OK, let me summarize it this way. Go back to Genesis in your mind for a second. And there were branches of this one river in paradise and Seemingly Adam and Eve Could have and likely did drink from those wells from those rivers And yet alas because of their sin there's a sense in which they were damned that is stopped forbidden to drink You know, the imagery we usually use is that they would have been able to eat from the tree of life, and then because of his sin, they and we in them are barred from the tree of life. That's true. Jesus uses that imagery, too. He says that, I am the tree of life, and if you come to me, you can eat from my fruit. And the Bible ends with that way, doesn't it? With the tree, with the fruit, for the healing of the nations. Those trees, if you remember in chapter 22, are on either side of what? Look at chapter 22 one. They showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal. And notice where it's coming from. Proceeding from the throne of God and of the land. Why is it that this water is coming from God the Father in and through Christ, but because God planned it? and the Holy Spirit and the Son incarnate purchased it and the Spirit of God applies it. Or I can put it more simply, all of the grace we need, all of the water we need is found at the hand or in the person of Jesus Christ. In the middle of the street and on either side of the river was a tree of life which had fruit. These leaves are the healing for the nations. There's no more curse, et cetera. So the imageries, the twin imageries of the tree of life and the water of life converge. These were just pictures of Jesus. It's in Jesus that we have life. It's in Jesus that we have an abundance of water. So in summary, all grace is found in Christ and is communicated to our needy hearts through the spirit of the ministry or through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. in humble believing use of means. And what would be a means? Well, I've already said, there's several, but the sacrament. The sacrament of the supper is a means of grace. As we come by faith, humbly but believingly, God the Father, for the sake of Christ, through the ministry of the Spirit, opens up a well, and revives and satisfies our thirsty souls. Because here we are in the middle of the wilderness. And for some of us, it's been 10, 30, 40, 50 years since we left Egypt. And for others of us, it's gonna be 50, 30, 40, 50 more years until we get to Canaan. And yet, brethren, God didn't liberate us from Egypt to let us die in the wilderness. Because he's provided for us the wells of salvation. And it's the Spirit's ministry to communicate that grace that's in Jesus to our needy and humble hearts. So as the men come forward to administer the bread, let me just remind.