The Upper Spring And The Lower Spring
In this message, Jim encourages Christians to rely on God's grace, comparing a Christian's life to a journey through the desert. Jim reminds us that true sustenance comes not from our own efforts but from God, our provider, who offers us "upper and lower springs" of grace.
The "upper spring," symbolizes the eternal, unchanging grace of God secured through Christ's sacrifice - forgiveness, reconciliation, adoption as God's children, and a purpose within God's Kingdom. This is our starting point, a heavenly reality we should "bank on" and live out from.
The "lower spring" represents the resources and strength we receive from the Holy Spirit to live out our faith journey. Just as supplies flowed from the U.S. to the beaches of Normandy, God's infinite resources are available to us, especially when we acknowledge our weakness and inability to manage in our own strength.
Jim emphasizes that God provides the Holy Spirit, who reveals God to us through His Word, leads us into experiences that deepen our faith, and writes God's law on our hearts. The Spirit empowers us to love God wholeheartedly and love our neighbors as ourselves.
Jim concludes that as members of Christ's body, we are called to support and supply one another, just as soldiers support one another in battle. He encourages us to view the desert, our hardships and challenges, as "pleasant places" because we have the "two springs" of God's grace to sustain us and allow us to finish the course.
Outline of Main Points:
- Introduction: Living in the desert; God as our provider.
- The Upper Spring: God's Eternal Grace in Christ.
- Forgiveness of sins.
- Reconciliation with God.
- Adoption as God's children.
- A vocation in God's kingdom.
- The Lower Spring: God's Empowering Grace through the Holy Spirit.
- Revealing God through His Word.
- Prompting us into works of faith.
- Writing God's law on our hearts.
- Empowering us to love God and others.
- Living as the Body of Christ: Joint Suppliers of Grace.
- Conclusion: Our Inheritance – Contentment in the Desert.
