THE BRIDE IS AT THE WELL

September 12,  2004 pm
Mike Blume


  Scripture Text:
 

Genesis 29:1-12 KJV  Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.  (2)  And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth.  (3)  And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place.  (4)  And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.  (5)  And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.  (6)  And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.  (7)  And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.  (8)  And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.  (9)  And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them.  (10)  And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.  (11)  And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.  (12)  And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father.
  Message:
 


Jacob was seeking a bride.
  • He was son of Isaac, and the one who became Israel when he wrestled with the angel of God.
  • He was one of the great patriarchs of Israel.

And in seeking a bride, we read he came upon a group of three shepherds and their flocks lying beside a well in a field.
  • And this well had a great stone rolled over it to keep it safe from intruders who would steal from it or else fill it with something else.
  • And the stone was so big that it took several men to roll it away, otherwise any thief might roll it away and do damage.

Jacob noticed the stone covered the well, and saw the sheep lying by the well and gave them kind advice, being a shepherd himself, to roll away the stone and gather the sheep for watering.
  • It was high noon, or high day, as verse 7 reads.
  • There was much grazing left to be done, for they would not be gathered together until later.
  • But the men informed him that tradition was that all the shepherds and all the flocks be gathered together at the well before the stone was rolled away.

While they spoke, Rachel, daughter of Laban, Jacob's mother's brother, approached with her sheep.
  • Jacob jumped up and it seems, together with the rest of the men, rolled away the stone, since all flocks were then there.
  • And Jacob watered the sheep.
  • He gave drink.
  • And he knew right then and there that he found his bride.
  • He ran to Rachel and kissed her with a cordial kiss of greeting, and wept.
  • He was so thankful the Lord had led him to this place, and obviously praised God that he found his bride.

Mark 16:1-6 KJV  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.  (2)  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.  (3)  And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?  (4)  And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.  (5)  And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.  (6)  And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

The stone rolled away from the water well is obviously reminiscent of the tomb of Jesus Christ from which He resurrected from the dead.

And a rolled away stone therefore is associated with Christ's resurrection.

And resurrection is associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
  • We are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ, and resurrect to walk with Him in newness of life by the power of the Holy Ghost baptism.

Jesus spoke of the Holy GHost like this:

John 7:37-39 KJV  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  (38)  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  (39)  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

People would receive the Holy Ghost when they would come to Him and receive rivers of living water.

And so we also see the idea of the well of water being indicative of the same thing that the resurrection of Jesus speaks to us about -- the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the rivers of living water inside our souls!

And there is something about the Holy Spirit baptism that brings us into the Body of Christ which is the Bride of Jesus Christ, the Church!

1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

We were made to DRINK of the same Spirit of God when we were baptized by His Spirit into the church Body.

Ephesians 5:23 KJV  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Colossians 1:18 KJV  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Colossians 1:24 KJV  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

The Church is the BRIDE!

Jesus finds His bride AT THE WELL!
  • But not just any old well.
  • This is a well from which a stone had to be rolled away.
  • This is the well of the Resurrection experience we come to know when we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Isaac found his wife at a well as well!

Genesis 24:10-19 KJV  And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.  (11)  And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.  (12)  And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.  (13)  Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:  (14)  And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.  (15)  And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.  (16)  And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.  (17)  And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.  (18)  And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.  (19)  And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

Genesis 24:62-63 KJV  And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.  (63)  And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

The Bride is found at the WELL!

Just as the well was covered by  a stone so people could drink from it only after the stone was rolled away, the tomb of Jesus Christ was covered by a stone which was not rolled away until after He arose, and indicated that THE WELL OF LIVING WATERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT EXPERIENCE OF RESURRECTION IS AVAILABLE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST!

The idea of a man and woman marrying is involved in the two becoming one flesh.
  • There is a union involved here.
  • The two shall be one.

1 Corinthians 6:16-17 KJV  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.  (17)  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

A relationship of a man and a harlot might seem insignificant to the world, as a fling overnight, but in God's eyes the two have become one flesh.
  • How much more serious is it in God's eyes for the human spirit to become one spirit with the Lord.
  • And this occurs when one receives the Holy Ghost baptism.

So the resurrection of Jesus is a union with Jesus.
  • That is why you hear us say so often that we died, were buried and resurrected with Jesus Christ!
  • We are WITH HIM.
  • In UNION to Him.

Coming into union with Jesus is a very special experience.
  • And it actually explains why some do not receive the Holy Ghost.
  • The fact that it is a UNION implies that there is a yielding involved so that we become ONE with Him.
  • You will be unable to receive the Spirit until you learn how to flow with the Spirit.
  • You must yield with how he moves upon your life and leave behind all preconceived notions of how you think it should be.
  • You cannot look for something to occur that you have put in your mind as something that should occur.
  • And you cannot be afraid of what His Spirit might do.

For some reason I always think of sails of a great sail ship.

John 3:7-8 KJV  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  (8)  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

The sails of a ship are flexible material that wrap and roll and sway and catch the wind.
  • Imagine plywood sheets of wood for sails in a ship.
  • Stiff and unbending boards, cemented in a certain position, and unable to turn and find the wind's direction.
  • Some people are like that.
  • A ship cannot catch the wind and sail with it using sheets of wood for sails.
  • Sails have the ability to wrap themselves around the wind and act as though they have caught the wind and surrounded it so as to take the ship in the same direction the wind is going.
  • The ship can go where the wind is  going, and even travel as fast as the wind is traveling if they can wrap themselves around the brunt of the wind in the most efficient way possible.

Catching God's Spirit is also similar to tuning a radio frequency so as to catch what wavelength God is in.
  • The folks who have their tuners locked in one predetermined position, cannot flow in the Spirit.
  • God moves on different frequencies, so to speak.
  • Sometimes He moves in a  silent manner, where reverence abounds and one just feels as though one must keep silent before HIm.
  • That is a deep moving in the human spirit.
  • At other times, there is the frequency of vibrant praise and shouts of triumph, as a victorious presence of God is moving.
  • Still, at other times He moves in a joyous, emotionally happy manner, where we laugh and dance in the Spirit.
  • And He can also move in deep, weeping-type manners, in which we weep with joy, or He moves in burdening intercession where we groan.
  • Whatever the case, we must be flexible to move in whatever way He might choose to move.
  • So the way to first receive the Spirit is the same principle we must know in order to flow with it whenever He moves.
  • And in every church service, for example, He moves in a certain way, never the same.

It's so vital to go with the flow that you sense Him moving in.
  • Let go of your predetermined thoughts of how He must move.
  • When you feel to weep, weep.
  • When you feel like He is pulling inside for you to shout, do it!
  • Cast away fear, and UNITE TO HIS PRESENCE AND WILL and go with His Spirit!

We unite with the Spirit of Resurrection power.
  • He gets His bride at the well!
  • ONe day the stone rolled away and His resurrection power was available for all.

He did not die, get buried and resurrect only to experience it Himself.
  • He did that so we could UNITE TO HIM and SHARE THAT EXPERIENCE.
  • We had to die to sin and be buried with it all, to resurrect away from it into a new creature existence.
  • So Christ did it so as to anoint us!

The two Mary's came to the tomb and required the stone to be rolled away that they might anoint Jesus' body.
  • But the stone was already rolled away because Jesus was going to anoint them!
  • They thought to come and anoint Him, but He anoints us with the resurrection power of the Holy Ghost!

Jesus died in order to set us free.
  • We had to die and resurrect from death to be freed from sin.
  • How can we do that, though, for the ones who die, die and stay dead.
  • But Jesus never sinned, and so when He died, He had the right to rise again from death.
  • Jesus experienced this so we could UNITE to HIS DEATH and satisfy the penalty of sin, and rise again from the dead, freed from the sin that was paid for.

Hebrews 2:14-15 KJV  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;  (15)  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Hebrews 2:18 KJV  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

He did it to HELP US!

He came to help pus out of sin.

Jacob had to go to the well at high noon.

It reminds of this:

John 4:4-6 KJV  And he must needs go through Samaria.  (5)  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  (6)  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

High noon, when Jesus came to a well where he met a woman, just as when Jacob arrived at the well!

Watch the principle of yielding to Jesus, as this woman represents the ones who become the church, the bride of Christ.

John 4:7-26 KJV  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.  (8)  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)  (9)  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.  (10)  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.  (11)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?  (12)  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?  (13)  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  (14)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.  (15)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.  (16)  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.  (17)  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:  (18)  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.  (19)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.  (20)  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.  (21)  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  (22)  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  (23)  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  (24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.  (25)  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.  (26)  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

The disciples are sent away so Jesus can get down to deep wounds and hurts of the woman that she must begin to deal with with Him.

And he has to confront her.

So many get afraid when God confronts them.

Everything is fine as she hears Jesus speak as though he is better than Jacob since he had water better than the well of Jacob.
  • He was better!
  • He was Jacob's GOD!
  • And when He shows HIs supernatural power, and indicates to her that she had five husbands and is with a live-in at the time, she suddenly becomes uncomfortable.

People become afraid when God's power hits their lives.
  • The reason is because they are not in control and God is in control.
  • They do not like that,.
  • And they fear they will be made to look dirty and filthy.

The reason some people do not like loud worship, and vibrant praise, is because they are SACRED OF GOD'S PRESENCE CONFRONTING THEM.
  • His holiness comes forth and they start to see their sin.
  • His light shines and they see themselves.
  • And He does this because He needs ot clean us out if He is going to fill us with His Holy Spirit and live through us.
  • But we think he will come and embarrass us.
  • NO.
  • He sent eh 12 away so she could get open.
  • And he merely wanted to clean her life up, but she had to confess it first.

Adam said:

Genesis 3:10 KJV  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

And between God calling Adam from behind a bush, hiding in fear, and solving Adam's problem of nakedness, GOD SLEW A CREATURE TO CLOTHE HIM.

Isaiah saw God and became afraid.

Isaiah 6:1 KJV  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isaiah 6:5-8 KJV  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.  (6)  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  (7)  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.  (8)  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Between God seeing Isaiah afraid, and Isaiah being aided, the seraphim WENT TO AN ALTAR AND GOT A LIVE COAL.
  • Altars speak of sacrifice.

The death of Jesus is our answer.
  • The sacrifice of Jesus is our solution!
  • But He must confront us in our sins to help us out of them.

Moses sees God and is afraid as well.

Everyone gets afraid.

Exodus 3:6 KJV  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exodus 4:1-7 KJV  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.  (2)  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.  (3)  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.  (4)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:  (5)  That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.  (6)  And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.  (7)  And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

God saw Moses' fear and went to deal with it.

He told him to cast a rod down.
  • Sort of like Adam cast from the Garden.
  • And then it turned into a serpent, as mankind sin in the Garden and took on the nature of the serpent.
  • But the same hand that cast it down, then was to reach down and hold it while it was a serpent.
  • God loved us so much that WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS HE LOVED US.

Romans 5:8 KJV  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

His hand reached down and took hold and united to us.
  • The UNION WAS HIS DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION.
  • And when he united with us in resurrection power, the serpent nature left and we returned to what we were before Adam sinned.

He loves us.

And the hand was put into his bosom, where man was in God's bosom.
  • And it was removed and was leprous as sin.
  • And while it was still leprous, he told Moses to put it back into his bosom.
  • And God so loved us that while we were sinners, HE TOOK US TO HIMSELF AND LOVED US.
  • And we were changed back and made free from sin!

Revelation 1:17-18 KJV  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:  (18)  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Jesus dealt with John's DEATH of fear by saying to not Fear, John, BECAUSE I WAS DEAD AND AM ALIVE NOW.

In other words, I died because of the very reason you are in fear.
  • This is your remedy!
  • The one you feared is the very one who came to remove your fear and make you comfortable around God again.

So until you become comfortable around His presence, and TRUST HIM, He cannot help you since you will not unite to Him.

Revelation 21:6 KJV  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Revelation 21:9 KJV  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Revelation 21:10 KJV  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Revelation 22:1-3 KJV  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.  (2)  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  (3)  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

The Bride is at the well!!