1. Superman Vs. Batman
There was an interesting article in Time magazine some time ago. It was about Superman -- and it seems this superhero has fallen on hard times lately. Even though, as a cartoon character he is the icon of DC comics he trails behind Batman in popularity.
At DC Comics, Jim Lee, who was a popular illustrator of the Batman comic series was tapped to take over the art on Superman. He said he looks on this as a serious challenge.
"Batman is a more modern-era type character," Lee says. "(Batman is) fueled by vengeance; he's the boogeyman. Superman is the altruistic alien hero (kind of like God) that protects us all. It's difficult to make that believable in this day and age."
Now... at the end of the article there are these final words: "Superman... is a metaphor for America, but an outdated, obsolete America: invulnerable to attack, always on the side of right, always ready to save the rest of the world from its villainy whether or not it wants to be saved. In the past, every decade has got the Superman it deserves, and don't worry, we'll get ours, but he will probably be flawed, more man than super."
Now catch these last few words... "Americans don't want to be told what to aspire to anymore, who we should be." (Lev Grossman, 5/17/04)
a. We have become our own standards and gods
b. We want to dig our own wells and drink our own water
c. We stopped wanting the God of the bible with his standards and expectations and prefer to be our own gods
d. Not New -- Jeremiah 2.4-13
2. Shepherds in the wilderness have a hard life -- even today [Bedouin slides
3. Focus on free-flowing water (i.e., Living Water
4. Comes from God with no human effort
I. The High Standard -- Living Water
[Coke and the Real Thing
A. Living Water Comes Freely with No Effort
1. Rain and Wadis -- display the gift of God
2. Rivers -- John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan; Naaman -- 2 Kings 5; Paul at Philippi -- Acts 16.13-15
3. Ocean -- Philip and Eunuch on Via Maris -- Acts 8
4. Mikveh -- ceremonial and conversion baptisms -- Acts 2 [Slides of Qumran and temple steps and mikvehot complex in Jerusalem
B. Living Water is Symbolic
1. Grace of God -- Deuteronomy 8.6-7; John 4
6 So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills,
a. Requires cooperation -- Jeremiah 2.13; 7.13
b. Accompanied by actions -- Titus 2.11-14
2. Spirit of God -- John 7
3. To get God's water there is a price:
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Isaiah 55:1-2
a. ... you have to come to God
b. ... you have to listen to what Jesus has to say
c. ... and you have to accept His standards and live according to His desires.
II. The Harsh Substitute -- Stagnant Waters
Substituting Generic for Real
Many of us buy generic. We'll go to the pharmacy and we'll ask for the "generic" version of the medicine the Doctor has prescribed. Or, we'll go the grocery store and purchase the store version of a product that may have on the shelves -- cereals, soft drinks, etc.
And we don't feel bad because there are times when accepting "substitutes"... SEEMS to make sense. Sometimes there's ALMOST NO DIFFERENCE between the name brand and a substitute. But, of course, that's not always true
Centuries ago, when food production moved from the home to the factory, the pressures of large-scale manufacturing and marketing prompted merchants to resort to... shortcuts.
* Cash-hungry bakers got more dough for their dough by adding alum and sulfur of copper.
* Dairymen sold cream thickened with flour, watered down milk and often added chalk or plaster of Paris to perk up the color of milk that came from diseased cows.
* To stretch sugar, grocers routinely added sand.
Buying butter could be an exercise in futility. Merchants would sometimes put together a collection of calcium, gypsum, gelatin fat and mashed potatoes that they passed off as butter.
* But oleomargarine - which was known as "bogus butter" - could be even worse. It was distilled from hog fat, bleach and other unsavory substances.
* One of the most blatant cases of food adulteration occurred as recently as 1969, when a man in England was charged with selling phony grated Parmesan cheese. What he was really selling was ground up umbrella handles.
* Like I said, sometimes substitutes can be as good as the original - but sometimes not.
A. Stagnant for Fresh
1. Sometimes it was necessary to use stored water -- early and latter rains were often stored for later use
2. Sometimes people chose stagnant over the fresh -- Jeremiah 2.13
a. THEIR cisterns
b. Ownership -- do as please
B. Cisterns
1. Artificial reservoirs for storing water, specifically, an underground tank for catching and storing rainwater. For about half the year, rainfall in Palestine is scarce, falling mainly during the winter months. As a result, it was important that water be stored during the rainy months for the long dry season. [Masada Cistern pictures
2. Used as a prison -- Empty cisterns were used as prisons. So Joseph was cast into a "pit" or a cistern (Genesis 37). Jeremiah was placed into one miry at the bottom, and so deep that he was let down by cords (Jeremiah 37.16; 38.6ff). Cisterns yield only a limited supply of water, not an ever flowing spring; The stonework of the tanks often becomes broken, and the water leaks into the earth; and, at best, the water is not fresh long.
C. Wells
1. Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well -- John 4
2. Abraham at Beersheva
D. Symbolism:
1. Human Effort
2. Source of Contention -- still fight over water rights
3. No lasting fulfillment -- John 4.13-14
13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
1. Repeatedly scripture speaks of the grace of God -- unearned blessings
2. God often contrasts our efforts with his
3. When we comply with his conditions we receive more than we deserve
4. First Gulf War and God's ways
During the first Gulf War Ann Landers encouraged Americans to send letters of encouragement to our soldiers. She asked we address the letters to "ANY SERVICE MEMBER, OPERATION DESERT STORM, APO New York," and put Operation Dear Abby on the return address.
Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, heard about the campaign, he decided to get involved. He purchased a million tracts printed in Arabic and distributed them to Churches, who in turn gave them to their members to send with their letters for the soldiers to distribute in Saudi Arabia.
Now, this didn't set well with the Arabs, who, though they were glad to have the Americans shed their blood to defend them, they wouldn't allow them to share their faith. American soldier were not even allowed wear a cross.
So, General Schwartzkopf called in a Military chaplain, with the rank of Colonel, and ordered him to call Franklin and confront him about what he was doing.
In his book, "Rebel With A Cause," Graham tells of the conversation with this chaplain:
The chaplain said ''We, as chaplains, are not here to evangelize. We're here to provide for the spiritual needs of our men and women in uniform. Our responsibility is to them only. Period. Is that understood, Mr. Graham?"
Graham replied "Colonel, I appreciate that. Everyone in this country is backing and supporting our men and women in uniform. We're proud of you. But I'm going to be honest with you, sir. The religious unfairness has upset me and a lot of others in America. Our men and women are being asked to put their lives on the line - possibly to spill their blood to protect the oil there. And you, a chaplain, can't even wear your cross in public! The Saudis want our blood, but not what we believe in."
Graham wrote: After I finished; a hush fell over the line. The Colonel finally replied: "I understand what you're trying to do. I'm an evangelical as well. But I'm under orders..."
Graham interrupted with these words: "So am I, sir - orders from the King of kings and Lord of lords - to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples of every nation."
