Be like water.
The Bruce Lee parable.
Sermon by: Pastor Johnathan Bloch
Firestonee Park Baptist Church, Akron Ohio.
Bruce Lee, the Martial Artist, Philosopher and the ultimate Asian Icon, had many wise words to illustrate the philosophies of Jeet Kune Do, the martial arts style he founded. His philosphies have many applications to our walk with Jesus Christ as well. Bruce had studied martial arts for many years and had done very well with himself until one day he lost a fight that almost ended his corrier, He had to re-think the way he did everything, the way he moved, the way he acted and reacted. You see, the style he had learned as a youth told him the only time you can throw a punch is if you are standing exactly like this, or the only time you can throw a kick is if your target is only moving in this one way. Bruce questioned why he lost, he learned that by only doing things the way he had been taught limmited what he could do, he needed to find a way to break free from the limits that had been placed in his life. So, he spent years rethinking his style and his application till it hit him one day, WATER, I MUST BE LIKE WATER. he noticed that water holds no form yet it takes on any form its placed into, that water can be calm and peaceful and yet it can be all powerfull and destructive. Durring an interveiw this is what he said about being like water.
"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."
Doesnt that sum up what we should be like? that we as christians shouldnt just hold to what we know best, but we should be able to adapt and change forms that address the issues in the best way.
Lets look at some scripture to help us understand what water can do.
Job14:19a
As water wears away stone,
water wearing away stone, water can be a very destructive force, just look around the world. the grand canyon was formed by water, time and time again we see how water can tear away homes and alter live's. We used water to break away large stone from the feilds, we would use a pick and hammer and chisle a hole into large rocks, then as winter came, we would pour water into the holes we chisled, when it would freeze it would expand and crack the large rocks, then come spring we would have small rocks to remove and not large ones. We needed to remove them from the feild to make the feild useful. Even God used the destructive force of water to remove things he couldnt use to be productive from his harvest feilds when He flooded the earth.
Psalms 23:2b
He leads me besides still waters.
Water is such a destructive force yet it can also bring comfort and security. Water can be tranquil and refreashing.
Have you seen or heard of the stress therapy of listening to water? They record the sound of a slow moving stream or of the ocean shore and the sounds of it can relax and calm you. Across the world man has always taken the time to seek out a fresh supply of clean water, its not just a luxuary its needed to support life. Every major civilization has always been based around a water suply, its a need. However, water is also used as a tool, it can be used for cleaning, it can be used for growth of crops, it can be used to produce electric power, it can be used in physical therapy.
now then, just so we have a very clear understanding of what water can do for us, its uses and its power lets recap a few things.
the power of water,
1. its a destructive force 2. it can change the face of the earth 3. when water is not under control it can take life and cause massive damage to life. however, when water is under control it is...1. it supports life, 2, it naturally attracts life to it. 3. it produces power. and its theraputic.
Now lets see how this all comes together with God. How this all comes clear to us when we look at Jesus.
John 4:9-15
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.
John 4:9-15 (KJV)
Wow, that should be self explanitory and we should just stop right now but we are going to go into this just alittle deeper just incase you missed it. Water can do anything it wants to do, it can take any form and bring life or take life. Jesus Christ is the living water, His water can do all the things that our water can do plus something else, his water will give all who drinks of it everylasting satisfaction, such a refreashing drink that you will never be thirsty again. His water will give him a well of water that springs up to everlasting life. Look at the verse with me again.
whosoever drinketh of the water that i shall give him shall never thirst. do you get that? nomatter how dry you are, nomatter what your envirourment is, nomatter how hot and firery your surroundings are...You will never thirst again. Nomatter what is going on in your life, nomatter what dead and dry place you are in, the thirst you once had will never control you again. Christ is saying this, .. once you have what i am giving you, you will never suffer the pain of thirst again, you will never have to ask the questions of now what? what do i do now? how can i fix my issues? how can i not hurt? how can i not feel alone and empty? I know that there is something else in life that im thirsting for yet i can find it. Once you have allowed Christ into your heart the questions all have awnsers. Once you allow Christ into your life all your needs have been satisfied. Once you bring Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Saviour, He sastisfies your thirst in a way that you will never thrist again.
