Building For The Next Generations

“Building For the Next Generations”

Date: September 7, 2003 A.M Service

Place: Allendale Baptist Church

Text: John 4:5-14

Introduction

Harold Myra says; “In addition to the saints in Scripture, we have nearly 2,000 years of history that can and should be used as challenges to piety and faith. We Christians have been so concerned about avoiding the worship of the saints that we often have bypassed a rich heritage, a rich heritage of faith. Just as the book of Hebrews gives a roll call of believers, so we can look to countless examples of equally courageous lovers of God.

It is good for us from time to time to be reminded the privileges and benefits that we enjoy as ours. But many of theses privileges and benefits are not ours by achievement but by inheritance.

 Remember the children of Israel who came into the Promised Land and occupied houses which they did not build, and ate from orchards they did not plant or tend, and drank from wells they did not dig.

 We too are enjoying things we have not earned, but are ours by the grace of God and the labors and sacrifices of those who have gone on before us.

 Surely as they labored they did not realize that they were building for the next generation and the next.

Maybe it was with them as it was for Jacob, that godly patriarch, whose obscure, seemingly unnoticeable labors held such great significance.

In one of the most familiar stories told in the Gospels, tells us that Jesus and His disciples were journeying from Jerusalem to Galilee by way of Samaria. There Jesus sent His disciples on ahead of Him and He made a noonday stop by the wayside and “Jacob’s well was there.”

Reading of Scripture

 What may seem to be a casual observation has more than a casual significance.

 What is remarkable to see in this story is that this well had been there for about 1700 years.

 For seventeen centuries this well had been fulfilling its purpose; providing water for household needs and refreshing weary and thirsty travelers.

 This wayside well, which is still intact today and which has blessed the world for some 4000 years, is a fitting symbol to the life of its godly builder.

This morning as we look at the topic of “Building for the next generations”, we can see three things that pay tribute to the godly builder of this wayside well.

I. His Work Has Endured.

“Now Jacob’s well was there” verse 6

First we see a…

A. Reflection of the character of the builder.

 When we see a piece of work that is neat and sound we know without being told that behind it was a soundness of character...

 To think of the conditions, Jacob probably built this wayside well under great difficulty.

 To dig a well 90-100 feet deep, mostly through rock is no small task.

 This shows us the fortitude it must have taken to build with the crude facilities and tools of 4000 years ago.

 Possibly Jacob could have gotten by without building a well at all. He could have been like some of the tribesmen in ancient days that settled on new land with their camels, goats and donkeys wherever there was grass and water and remained there until the grass was all eaten and the water all drank; then moved on.

My dear friend isn’t that what some are doing in our families, our communities and yea our churches today? Never building anything that will last; not building anything of a legacy to impact the next generations.

Next we notice a…

B. Reflection of greater wisdom than the builder ever realized.

 If only Jacob could have known that someday his Lord would be traveling that dusty road and would stop by that wayside well to make use of it.

 Several years ago at a Baptist convention in New Jersey, the chairman noticed in the audience and old gentlemen who had been for years the Sunday School teacher of Charles Evans Hughes, the young boy who would one day become Chief Justice of the United States and the first President of the Northern Baptist Convention. He had for many years without any idea, built into the life of a man that would influence our country from the highest judicial bench in the land.

Let me stop and ask this question to parents today: what are you building into the lives of the children God has so blessed you with?

Christian; what are you building that will last and endure for generations to come?

So His Work Has Endured

And next…

II. His Work Has Never Ceased To Be A Blessing

“There came a woman of Samaria to draw water” verse 7