Today's Word Radio

Brett Meador: Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." True satisfaction to your soul comes from Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only real satisfaction.

Guest (Male): Pastor Brett Meador says worldly satisfaction is temporary. Only Jesus, the living water, can offer life-giving fulfillment.

Brett Meador: If you drink of the water of this world, you'll thirst again. But if you drink of the water of Jesus, you'll never thirst again.

Guest (Male): It's remarkable that Zechariah's prophecy concerning the future of Jerusalem and the coming millennial kingdom, depicting a fountain of water springing up, foretells the fountain of living water, the Lord Jesus Christ. In today's word, Pastor Brett Meador reflects on Jesus's work on the cross and how we will never thirst again if we drink from the living water he offers.

Brett Meador: I'd like to zoom in, if you would allow me, to one truth that's actually an amazing theme that's threaded throughout the whole Bible. It's here in Zechariah chapter 13, verse 1. Why don't we take a look? Zechariah 13:1: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."

Once again: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." A fountain opened. What a glorious thing. When's this going to happen? Well, this one literally, a fountain that we're going to talk about literally here, is going to be opened in that day. What day? Well, one thing if you're reading the book of Zechariah, it's helpful to know that we're talking about the day of the Lord.

Now, just for clarity, if you missed our previous studies, the day of the Lord is when God looks at the earth and says, "Time's up. I'm going to intervene in the world and turn all these wrongs right and fix all the problems." But when is God going to intervene? We don't know, but he will intervene. The Bible does tell us that's going to happen.

What's going to happen is the rapture of the church. That is, God's going to take his church out of this world. Then, he's going to do what we call the tribulation period, where he pours out his wrath upon a Christ-rejecting, sinful world. That's the beginning of the day of the Lord. Then, when he rules and reigns on this earth, after the seven years of tribulation, then he's seated on the throne in Jerusalem, the city of the Lord, and then he'll rule for a thousand years.

What happens after a thousand years? Well, real quick, a lot of things happen at the end of the millennial kingdom, but one of the things is there's going to be then God creating a new heaven and a new earth, and we all live happily ever after. But basically, all that to say there's some good news about this day of the Lord. Something's going to happen. A fountain is going to be opened.

You see, the Jews are not going to see Jesus as their Messiah until the tribulation period that I just talked about. Then their eyes will be opened. Right now, the Bible says blindness in part has happened to the Jews. But they're going to see that Jesus is the Messiah, and there's going to be a fountain opened, both spiritually, but also literally.

I want to just focus in on this verse. First, we have a fountain. It says that right in our text: "In that day there shall be a fountain." Zechariah 13 is speaking of a specific millennial fountain that has to do with the coming of Christ, the second coming of Christ. So, where is Jesus when he returns, his second coming? Where is he going to touch down on earth? Is it Dundee? Nope. The Mount of Olives. That's the key. That's where he ascended, right? And the Mount of Olives is right next to the Temple Mount.

What happens when his foot hits the Mount of Olives, anybody? It's going to split in two, right? And then what happens? Water gushes from that Mount of Olives and makes a river. In fact, let's go forward to chapter 14, verse 8. And there it says, "And it shall be in that day," what day? The day of the Lord, "that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea."

When we talk about the former sea, that's the eastern sea, so that would be the Dead Sea, and then the hinder sea would be the Mediterranean Sea. But this river's going to flow both directions. Now, the Dead Sea, as it turns out, is an illustration of the Jews and how there's a deadness in the Jews. When Christ comes, he's this fountain that will spring from Jerusalem, flow down the mountain into this Dead Sea, and bring this Dead Sea back to life.

He's talking about how the Jews are literally spiritually dead right now. They missed the Messiah, Jesus. But there's coming a day where all of Israel will be saved; Romans 11:25 tells us that. And the Jews will have new life breathed in. When's that going to happen? At the end of the tribulation period, when Christ returns, this millennial fountain from Jerusalem will bring the Dead Sea back to life, which is a picture of what God's going to do for the Jews.

Now, this idea of God himself being the fountain of life is not a new topic for the Jews. If you read your Old Testament, it's all throughout the Bible. Jeremiah, maybe you guys remember Jeremiah 2:13: "My people have committed two evils; they've forsaken me the fountain of living waters." Not just a fountain, they forsook the Lord himself, "me the fountain of living waters." And what did they exchange it for? They "hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."

This is where the Jews said, "We're thirsty, so we're going to go to Baal and worship him. Asherah and worship her." And all the other Canaanite gods and goddesses. And the Jews, they hewed out broken cisterns that couldn't hold any water. And when they were thirsty, they found themselves dying of thirst. That's what the Lord is saying here: "You've forsaken me the fountain of living water for these broken down cisterns."

What's interesting is when you study what these ancient people did, what do you do with an old broken cistern that's cracked? There's not a lot you can do except for two things: you can make a tomb out of it, or you can make it into a prison or like a dungeon. That's what they would do with these cisterns. They'd take a broken cistern, bury dead people in it, or make it into a prison.

Isn't it interesting that the Lord uses this analogy: "You've exchanged me, the fountain of living water, for these old broken down cisterns, prisons and tombs"? It's really the idea. So this is the fountain, specifically that's talked about Zechariah's fountain of the Mount of Olives, water coming down, healing the Dead Sea and stuff like that.

Not only number one do we have a fountain, but number two, we have a fountain opened. Check it out in our text: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David." We know that that fountain's going to be opened when Jesus touches down on Mount of Olives; we already talked about that. But we as New Testament church people, we know more about this fountain than the Old Testament believers. We know what Jesus had to say about being the fountain.

If Jesus is the source of life for us as New Testament believers, what does that mean to us? There was a fountain opened, just like this one's going to be opened to the Jews, there's one already opened for you as a Christian, or as a New Testament person. We have availability to the fountain that's open. When was the fountain opened for you and me? The answer: when Jesus was, number one, smitten and, number two, when he was pierced.

You might jot these down. When was the fountain opened? Number one, he was smitten. Remember when Jesus was smitten on the cross, wounded for our transgressions, whipped on his back, and the Old Testament foretells this, doesn't it? Remember the story there of the Exodus of Israel, and when they were leaving Egypt, they were out in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness and desert.

So they said, "Moses, we're going to die out here in the wilderness," and they chided against Moses. So Moses was told by the Lord, "Take your rod, strike the rock at Horeb," and water came gushing out and the people drank and were saved. It's an amazing picture.

Fast forward years later in the book of Numbers chapter 20, verses 8 through 12, is where we read about the second incident, where the children of Israel years later, they're out in the same wilderness. "We're going to die of thirst out here. You brought us to die out here, Moses." And Moses goes and says, "Lord, what do I do?" And the Lord says, "Moses, take your rod and gather the assembly together, you and your brother Aaron, and this time I want you to speak to the rock at Horeb, the same rock. Speak to the rock and you'll give water to the children of Israel and they'll drink."

Well, Moses took his rod and got all the people together and said, "You morons!" The Latin translation of the Hebrew Bible, that's literally the word. In the King James, he says, "You rebels!" He says, "You morons! Must we fetch water for you?" It's like me and the Lord, us getting water for you losers. And Moses is ticked off. So he grabs his rod again and strikes the rock like he did many years earlier, strikes the rock when he was told by the Lord the second time to speak to the rock.

What's so amazing about that story is the grace of God never ceases to amaze me, that the water just gushed forth and the people all came up and drank and they were okay and everything was great. And the Lord says, "Hey, Moses and Aaron, come over here for a second. You misrepresented my heart for the people. I wasn't mad at the people. I just wanted you to speak to the rock. You're the one who got mad and yelled at the people and struck the rock when I told you to speak to the rock. And because you did that, you will not go into the land which I've promised the people of Israel."

I remember as a kid reading that and going, "Oh, come on, Lord. He blew his top just one little time. Forty years leading two and a half million people and he did a pretty good job. Come on, Lord, let him in." I remember feeling like how could that be the thing that disqualifies Moses? He just got a little mad and struck the rock. Until I got older and realized how egregious Moses's behavior was and what it did.

You see, Moses, in striking the rock the second time, ruined a perfect biblical picture. And the picture is this: the rock, the first time when he struck the rock and water came forth, that's exactly what happened with Jesus. Jesus would be smitten for our transgressions, and out of him would come living water, water that where you would never thirst again. It's a beautiful picture. Jesus is that rock.

But the second time, what was Moses supposed to do? Speak to the rock. Why? Because he'd already been smitten. How many times did Jesus die on the cross? Once. Hebrews tells us Jesus died once for all. So Moses, by striking the rock a second time, sort of ruined the picture. The second time he was supposed to speak to the rock and it's a big... now, again, God's grace always amazes me.

'Cause you know what's so cool? Did you know the Lord eventually snuck Moses into the promised land? How did God sneak Moses in? Remember in Matthew 17, the Mount of Transfiguration? Peter, James, and John were taken by Jesus up the mountain, and then all of a sudden Jesus was transfigured, and there before them was Moses and Elijah and Jesus. They're all glowing.

And by the way, that's how you and I are going to get to heaven, the same way Moses got to the promised land: because God is gracious and merciful and he gets us in. Well, anyway, when did the water flow? When the rock was smitten. When does the river of life come to you and me? When Jesus died on the cross. The fountain was opened because Jesus was smitten for our sins. Smitten. That's the picture of the Bible.

But not only smitten, but also point number two, the fountain opened number two: when Jesus was pierced. When was he pierced? And what was foretold concerning that? When Jesus died on the cross, he was mocked, beaten beyond recognition. But in Zechariah chapter 12, let's back up to verse 10, and he says, "I will pour out upon the house of David," the same thing he was talking about in chapter 13, verse 1, "pouring a fountain on the house of David."

"I will, at some point in that day, I will pour out on the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, for they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

There will come a day in that day, the day of the Lord, when the Jews' eyes are opened and they see Jesus as the one who was pierced, wounded. When did Jesus get the spear in the side? Well, that's John 19:34: "But one of the soldiers came with a spear and pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water."

What an interesting thing, that blood and water came out. If you're a forensic scientist, as some doctors have studied, they believe that this tells us biologically what happened and how Jesus actually died physically. We know he died because he hung on the cross for the sins of the world. But how did he physiologically die? Well, with blood and water coming out his side, some doctors suggest that he died of literally a burst heart. That his heart literally burst, which is, by the way, one of the things about the crucifixion that would happen. But when Jesus was speared, out came blood and water and the Bible makes a big deal out of that because it was prophesied in Zechariah that he'd be pierced for our sins, and that's when that happened.

But the Jews are going to see Jesus and they'll say, "Wait a minute." In fact, look in chapter 13, verse 6, just go forward a little bit. Zechariah 13:6, the Jews are going to ask Jesus when they see him, they'll say, "And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds in thy hands?' And then he shall answer, 'Those which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'"

The Jews are going to come to a realization that they were the ones who sent their Messiah to the cross. Now, before we as Gentiles get all haughty and say, "Yeah, those Jews," we're also the ones that sent Jesus to the cross. Don't forget that. We would have done the same thing had we been there. We're all sinners, and we all need the cross of Christ.

People have used that notion that the Jews crucified Jesus and that's what led to the Holocaust and antisemitism around the world. So watch out for that false teaching that the Jews are solely responsible for Jesus's death. We're all responsible for that. But in the millennial kingdom, even though Jesus is going to come as a conquering king, there's still going to be evidence of the wounds that he endured on the cross.

So you have number one, a fountain. Number two, you have a fountain opened because he was wounded, he was smitten number one, like the rock where water came out, and he was pierced where water and blood came out. That's the fountain opened.

But number three, a fountain still open. Brett, you said that already. Nope, it's still open for you and me. And the reason I say that is I'm so glad that the fountain is perpetual. It says here that that fountain, we read in our text, that it's going to run summer and winter year-round, and it's going to be an everlasting fountain. That's Jesus, the fountain that we believe in.

I love that. You know, this idea of the water of life, Jesus talked all about that several times. Maybe one of the biggest mentions is John chapter 4. Remember the woman at the well, the woman of Samaria? And she starts talking to him about water, and Jesus asked for water and she says, "Well, sure, but how is it that you, being a Jew, ask me, a woman, to give you water? Like, that's unheard of." And Jesus said, "Well, if you only knew the water that I give."

In fact, what did he say? "Whoever drinks of this water," probably pointing to the well, he says, "you'll thirst again. But if you drink of the water that I give, they'll never thirst again. But the water that I'll give will be a well of water springing up into everlasting life." This is what Jesus told the woman at the well. And what an amazing message to a woman who was probably a prostitute, who was someone who was despised by so many, especially the Jews, and the Lord giving her the everlasting life. She realized he was the Messiah. So she leaves her water pots and runs into town proclaiming Jesus, satisfied by what he said.

If you drink of the water of this world, you'll thirst again. That's the broken down cisterns. But if you drink of the water of Jesus, you'll never thirst again. Jesus also said in John 6:35, not only of the water but of the bread, he said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." True satisfaction to your soul comes from Jesus Christ. Whether you want to believe it or not, it's the truth. And many of us in this room could say, "Yep, it's true. Jesus is the only real satisfaction."

The Jews had a prophecy about the fountain that would be opened. So you know what they did? The Jews had a practice on the Feast of Tabernacles, where several of the priests would hike down the hill to the pool of Siloam, fill up these buckets of water, and carry them ceremonially up the hill, up the southern steps, and then they'd go into this big celebration on the Feast of Tabernacles and they'd pour out water.

But on the last day of the feast of the Tabernacles, they'd do the same thing, but the last bucket they would pour out but it would be empty. They'd leave it empty and they'd pour it out and kind of empty. What was that? It was a symbol that the fountain would someday be opened, but it's not opened yet. The Jews realize that they hadn't met their Messiah and they would keep pouring that empty bucket out every year until their Messiah would come.

So what's happening? Jesus is there at the Feast of Tabernacles on the last day of the feast. And what happens? Well, it's John 7:37. And Jesus says there: "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' But this he spake of the Holy Spirit." He goes on to talk about.

You see, Jesus was declaring that he was the filling of that empty bucket of the Jews. He was the Messiah. By the way, you want to know what scripture the Jews would be chanting and celebrating on the Feast of Tabernacles as they're pouring out the empty bucket? They would declare Isaiah 44:3 that says this: "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring."

The Jews were sitting there singing about the water that's coming and there's the water of life, Jesus, standing on the Temple Mount that day. It's amazing. So in this category, the fountain is still open. Man, his water doesn't run out. It continues.

By the way, there's an interesting thing that we haven't really talked about, but remember when they speared him? We talked about the piercing. Why did they stick a spear in the side? Well, as it turns out, the Romans, experts on death and crucifixion, what did they do? They got a club and they went to break the legs of the guys on the cross. Once their legs were broken, they would literally suffocate to death.

So they broke the thieves' legs on the cross, the thieves, but when they came to Jesus, they didn't break his legs because the Bible says what? He was already dead. But they did take a spear and they stuck it in his side just to make certain he was really dead. I think that if he was still alive as some people suggest, "I think he still was alive," do you think he would have jolted a little bit when that spear came in? But he didn't. They knew he was dead and out came blood and water.

But the reason that's kind of cool is not only was that a fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy that he'd be pierced with a spear in the side, but it also is another prophecy. John chapter 19 tells us: "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, forthwith came there out blood and water, and he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: he knows that he saith is true, that you might believe. For these things were done that the scripture might be fulfilled," check this out, "a bone of him shall not be broken."

The one verse 37 is the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy, but the bone not being broken was a fulfillment of Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12 about not a bone of his body would be broken. Question: where is the blood created in your body? In the marrow of your bones. Blood comes from the marrow. I think it's an interesting illustration here. Lord says not a bone of his body was broken. The implication most Bible scholars believe is they would have a fountain of blood that would continually come if you would spiritually from the body of Christ. Symbolically his blood would continue to flow.

I like that. That there's a fountain that's still open and it remains open. The fountain of the cleansing blood of Christ and the water of Christ. And you know, in 1818 women were dying and all they needed to do was wash. So easy. Same thing today: many people are going to hell because of their sins, but all you got to do is wash and it's there for the taking.

I end with this last story. Back in the old days, some Spanish conquistadors or whatever, they were in a ship making their way towards South America in their ship, but they became a little disoriented. They were all dying of thirst because it was hot and there wasn't much wind and they had been going for weeks and weeks. And they were literally dying on their ship deck when suddenly another ship came up, these Peruvian guys.

And the Peruvian guys said, "What's wrong?" "We need water! Water!" They didn't know they were only about a mile and a half offshore from where the Amazon River came out. The Peruvians are like, "Just get a bucket and dip it in the ocean. Pull up water." Like, "We don't need salt water! We need water!" They said, "Just get the bucket." So the Spaniards took the bucket and dipped it, brought it up, and to their shock, it was fresh water. Why? Because they were right at the mouth of the Amazon River that came into the ocean; the water was all fresh there. They were dying, meanwhile there was fresh water under them the whole time.

That's what I liken the average worldling who doesn't know what it means to be saved. Man, you're headed for destruction, hell, and death eternal. Meanwhile, the water of life is right there, ready to be taken, ready to taste. Like the psalmist: taste and see that the Lord, he is good. Don't miss another day without being saved and drinking of the water of life. Like the Bible says, "restore to me the joy of thy salvation." Man, we need to remember the joy of drinking of the water of life. What a great reminder today that there's a fountain that's opened and it stays open. Praise be the Lord. Amen?

Guest (Male): Pastor Brett Meador with another fascinating Old Testament account of the sacrificial work of the Lord both on the cross and the coming end times, revealed to us by the prophet Zechariah in today's word. And Pastor Brett plans to close in prayer before we conclude for today in just a moment. I hope you'll stick around for that.

But first, we invite you to listen each day at this same time for more of Today's Word. If you missed any portion of our study, you'll find all of Pastor Brett's messages, including this one, online at TodaysWordRadio.com. You can also watch full video messages from Pastor Brett by going to TodaysWordRadio.com.

I also want to mention that if you're in the Portland, Oregon area and don't have a church home of your own, we'd like to invite you to Athey Creek Church in West Linn, Oregon. We have several service times every weekend and throughout the week. Just go to TodaysWordRadio.com for more information. We also have two other locations in Hillsboro and McMinnville. For more information, go to TodaysWordRadio.com and click on the link 'Locations'. Well, once again, here is Pastor Brett Meador to close our program today.

Brett Meador: Let's pray. Lord, would you just reveal your love and your goodness to these people? Lord, I pray that you'd wrap your loving arms around them, that they might just know the magnitude of your mercy and how true it is. How you forgive sin and you remember our sins no more. Brand new fresh start.

Lord, for the old crusty Christians here, Lord, I pray that you'd keep us, our salvation and remembering what you did fresh. Restore unto us the joy of our salvation, Lord. And I pray that we would know that you are still the fountain and help us to forsake the broken down cisterns, the old watering holes. Help us to go back to you, to realize you are the source of refreshment and joy that we all need. So bless the congregation today, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Guest (Male): Amen. Pastor Brett Meador, closing our time here on Today's Word. And that's all the time we have. Next time, Pastor Brett will continue another verse-by-verse study in the book of Zechariah. Today's Word with Pastor Brett Meador is an outreach of Athey Creek Church in West Linn, Oregon.