Broken Cisterns - Things Which Will Not Hold Water With God!

By Pastor D. R. Terry

Now notice these sobering words as God commissions Jeremiah to declare His people's guilt on two charges:

Jeremiah 2:13   For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

"A cistern" was a reservoir or a tank which existed for the purpose of storing water.  Cisterns existed to store water for drinking and washing in case of long periods of no rain.  So in essence what God is saying here is "You left me, the fountains of living waters, for busted reservoir or broken storage tanks which are empty of water, because they aren't capable of holding water!’ 

We've all heard the phrase "That just doesn't hold water" - well that phrase comes from a King James Bible, when it records what  God said about the things Israel had left Him for.   He says, "You left me for things that just don't hold water" - and that is what MANY people have done today!

I. A CHILD OF GOD WHO ATTEMPTS TO BE SPIRITUAL ANY OTHER WAY THAN BY CRUCIFYING THE FLESH AND WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT - IS GOING AFTER A BROKEN CISTERN WHICH HOLDS NO WATER WITH GOD!   

There are Christians who actually believe they were raised to be spiritual Christians.  Listen I don't care who raised you, and how good of a job they done - how God fearing your parents were  - all that is fine and dandy - but you need to understand that you were not raised to be spiritual!  That is an impossibility!  You might've been raised to go to church; you might've been around plain scriptural preaching; there might've been prayer at the table, and in the living room - and thank God for all that - that is absolutely great, we need more of it!  But no matter how good your parents were, and how good your raising was - you are not spiritual because of the way you were raised!   You can still be carnal and fleshly, and have great God fearing parents in your past! 

Listen you are not spiritual because you go to church now!  I am all for going to church - and if this church is going to grow our membership has got to be faithful to it's assemblies.  And if you can't be faithful, you are going to keep your church from growing!  I hope you understand I am not belittling church attendance, but just because you attend church, that will not produce the Holy Spirit's fruit in your life! 

Do you believe you can be spiritual while yielding to the lusts of the flesh?  Do you believe that a proud haughty man or woman can actually be spiritual?  In your mind is possible that a person who indulges the flesh, and yields to the flesh, and will not entertain the thought of ever crucifying the flesh can ever hope to be spiritual?  Because I am here to tell you it is impossible! 

II. CHRISTIANS CHOOSING THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD OVER FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, THEY ARE FORSAKING GOD, THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS - AND FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD DOESN'T HOLD ANY WATER WITH GOD!

I John 5:19 says "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness"!   O I know the woods are filled with worldly minded Christians who look down their noses on any child of God with any convictions whatsoever.   I realize there exists multitudes of worldlings that will insist that the things of the world are to be enjoyed by Christians, and that the last impression we want to leave upon the unsaved is that we are a "stick in the mud"!   

According to 2 Corinthians 4, Satan is the "god of this world" - so this world is in perfect tune and harmony with Satan.  He is called the prince of the power of the air!    Watch out for worldly pleasures, and worldly leisure.  Watch out for worldly music, and worldly causes.  I don't care if it is a cause that seems to have such a great importance, such as the environment

I know there are Christians who have believed "to win the world, you must be like the world" - but what they forgot was, to be friends with the world, was to lose fellowship with God!   To choose the friendship of the world over fellowship with God is to forsake God, the fountain of living waters, and choose a broken cistern which holds no water with God!

III. WHEN A CHRISTIAN CHOOSES A COMPROMISING CONGREGATION OVER A TRUE GOD CALLED ASSEMBLY - THEY ARE CHOOSING A BROKEN CISTERN WHICH DOESN'T HOLD WATER WITH GOD!

I won't spend much time on this point since I am going to be addressing this issue tonight - but suffice it to say, that simply "attending the church of your choice" is not sufficient when it comes to receiving that spiritual water that quenches the thirst of your soul, or to have access to that storage of water that can help clean you up! 

You might find some nice, lukewarm congregation who has no convictions about truth, doctrine, or righteousness - and it may even be attracting people - but it still holds no water with God!   There are counterfeits.  Instead of "armed encampments" like a NT church should be, there are merely quiet prison camps, and hospitals where the sick and wounded gather up and "share" the rest of their lives with.  They aren't fed the manna from God's word.  They know nothing of it's meat, and the health it brings to the spirit.  They are "milk fed", never understanding spiritual warfare, never seeing their responsibility, and never caring about God's commission towards the souls of lost men, and women.  They choose churches for their own personal preferences. 

They like the singings; the way people shook hands, and the youth programs, but what about the presence of God?  What about sin- was it even mentioned?   What about being challenged? What about being discipled in Bible doctrine about the grace of giving, and the support of missionaries?  A person can decide upon a church based on nothing else by fleshly reasons!   But that kind of thing holds no water with God!

IV. EVERY BIBLE VERSION ON THE MARKET OTHER THAN THE A. V. 1611 IS A BROKEN CISTERN WHICH HOLDS NO WATER WITH GOD!

Eph. 5 speaks of the work Jesus Christ is doing right now to the church - and that is, He is washing her with the water of the word.  But, Satan played a dirty trick on a lot of people, when He got into the Bible revision business, and He is the Head revisionist, make no mistake about it.  Human greed plays a part.  Carnal doubt plays a part.  Rebellion plays a part.  But don't underestimate any of these produced Bibles - there is a spirit backing all that, that is not of a human origin!  It is bearer of false light, and liar from the beginning.

V. ALL DOCTRINE WHICH PROMOTES WORKS AS A MEANS OF SALVATION IS NOTHING BUT A BROKEN CISTERN! 

Any plan of salvation outside of Jesus Christ doesn't hold any water with God!    For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved!  Christ did not come to help sinners get to heaven!  He came to save sinners from sin, and hell, and take them to heaven!   He doesn't want to help you, He wants to save you!