There Is A Fountain

Introduction

Just this passed Friday evening at our communion service, we sang the words, "There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins; and sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains." These are the words of the hymn "There Is a Fountain" by William Cowper. This hymn is a powerful reminder of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross for our sins.

The Bible tells us that Romans 3:23 “...all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

This means that we are all sinners and that we deserve to be punished for our sins. But God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve so that we can be forgiven and have eternal life.

The Bible also tells us that Romans 6:23 “...the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

This means that the punishment for our sins is death, but God offers us the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. If we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven and have eternal life.

The fountain that Cowper sings about in his hymn is a symbol of the forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers us. When we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ, we are plunged beneath the flood of His blood and our sins are forgiven. We are made clean and new in God's sight.

Cowper was inspired to write the hymn “There Is A Fountain” on the promise of God from the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah prophesied that there would one day be a fountain from God that would cleanse from sin and bring forgiveness.

Zechariah 13:1 KJV 1900

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.

The fountain that Zechariah prophesied about, and William Cowper wrote about, is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ blood was shed for us and cleanses us from all sin. We are going to look at three texts this morning and preach on the thought, “There Is A Fountain”:

1-The Fountain Revealed

Matthew 26:26–29 KJV 1900

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

We read this passage on Friday as we remembered our Saviour by partaking in the Lord’s supper. This passage is where we understand what the institution of communion is.

This passage is where the fountain is revealed!

The Disciples and Jesus had come together to eat the Passover, but Jesus had some new revelations to impart to His disciples. He would institute and change the former things and His disciples would have something new to celebrate.

The Passover was a meal they ate every year to remember God’s deliverance from Egypt.

For Passover, the Israelites were instructed to slaughter a spotless lamb and then put its blood above the doorposts of their house. When God came in judgment on the homes of the Israelites and the Egyptians, He would put to death the firstborn son in any home that did not have blood over the doorpost. God provided the blood of a lamb, a substitute sacrifice, to save His people from the payment of sin.

God’s people would celebrate this meal every year, taking these lambs to be slaughtered. The Israelites would gather together in their homes and remember the original Passover night in Egypt.

With that backdrop, Jesus refers to the cup in the Last Supper as signifying “My blood,” which is “shed for many for the remission of sins”.

He is the Passover lamb (Exod 12) who saves us with His blood. When God’s wrath and judgment come, we hide under the blood of a substitute sacrifice, Jesus the Lamb of God, and we are saved.

Moving forward, the Church had a new ordinance, the Lord’s supper. We partake of the bread as a symbol of His broken body, and the wine as a symbol of His precious blood!

The truth of Christ’s substitutionary death is good news for sinners. Before the cross, we were headed to eternal death; because of the cross, we now have eternal life.

At the Last Supper, in verse 29, Jesus promised His disciples that they would again drink of the fruit of the vine in His Father’s kingdom…the picture is, this is not the end. Jesus is going to the cross in Matthew chapter 26, but He knows there’s a feast that’s coming. There’s a banquet that’s coming in the future for all who’ve trusted in him. He is coming back eventually and we are going to feast with him in his father’s kingdom.

John Phillips wrote, “He gave thanks because He could see beyond the tears, beyond the torment, beyond the anguish and pain to the great multitude, which no one can number, from all the races of mankind and from all the ages of time. He could see them ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, washed in His blood, saved from their sins, forever like Him.”

It’s because of the blood of Jesus that we can celebrate deliverance from sin. As William Cowper wrote in the first stanza,

There is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

We see “The Fountain Revealed” in Matthew 26, then we see:

2-The Fountain Reviled

Matthew 27:35–44 KJV 1900

35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there; 37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. 39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

And they crucified him, and parted his garments...Jesus lost even His clothing at the cross. He was nailed to the cross as a naked, humiliated man.

Jesus came all the way down the ladder to accomplish our salvation. He let go of absolutely everything – even His clothes – becoming completely poor for us, so we could become completely rich in Him.

He was reviled by the people who pass by him on the cross.

Jesus was not executed in a quiet building, away from the city’s noise and activity. He was executed on a public highway, on a day when perhaps hundreds of people were traveling. The fact that His indictment was written in three languages—Greek, Hebrew, and Latin—indicates that all sort of people passed by Golgotha. This in itself was humiliating, for the passersby could stare and shout bitter mockery at the victims, and this mockery from the crowd had been predicted...

Psalm 22:6–8 KJV 1900

6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

Spurgeon wrote, “Nothing torments a man when in pain more than mockery. When Jesus Christ most wanted words of pity and looks of kindness, they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads.”

It was bad enough that the unruly crowd was mocking Him that day, but even the Jewish leaders joined the attack. They said, “He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him.”

Oh, they mocked Him, they reviled our precious Saviour on the cross that day!

He had saved others. But if He saved Himself, then nobody else could be saved! He did not come to save His life, but to give it as a ransom for sinners.

Warren W. Wiersbe wrote, “It was the fact that He stayed on the cross that proved His divine Sonship.”

It’s significant that the crowd that day mocked Jesus for who He really was and is.

· They mocked Him as a Savior.

· They mocked Him as a King.

· They mocked Him as a believer who trusted in God.

· They mocked Him as the Son of God.

We find “The Fountain Reviled” in Matthew 27, then we see:

3-The Fountain Revered

Luke 23:39–43 KJV 1900

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

The story of the repentant thief is found only in Luke's account of the crucifixion.

This thief that had slandered, ridiculed and reviled the Son of God came to His senses. The other criminal still hurled insults at the Son of God, but this criminal began to see the light. This criminal rebuked the other and sought forgiveness from Christ. This man understood that he was dying because of His crimes, but He also came to understand that Jesus was also dying for his crimes as well.

Jesus died for my crimes and your crimes. He died in our place!

The criminal knew that it was because of his deeds that they were dying, but he came to understand that Jesus was totally innocent.

The only crown that this world had for Jesus was a crown of thorns.

The only honor this world would offer was to accept Jesus as King if He would come down from the cross.

The only tribute this world would pay Jesus was a mocking title nailed to the most hideous tool of torment ever devised by fallen man.

But this thief cried, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom,”

This man was saved by faith!

He saw the King of glory from (Psalm 24:7).

He saw the King of all the earth from (Psalm 47:7).

He saw the King of heaven from (Daniel 4:37).

He saw the King of Israel from (John 1:49).

He saw the everlasting King from (Jeremiah 10:10).

He saw the King of righteousness and the King of peace from (Hebrews 7:2).

He saw the King of saints from (Revelation 16:5).

He saw the King of kings from (Revelation 19:16).

Beyond the cross, he saw a crown.

As William Cowper wrote,

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in his day,

And there may I, though vile as he

Wash all my sins away.

Jesus is the hope of Heaven. Jesus is the promise. Jesus is the reward. Jesus is the fountain filled with blood!

In the 4th stanza, Cowper wrote,

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

Conclusion

When I look at Calvary, I see a Savior Who loved me so much that He willingly took my place on the cross so that I could be saved from my sins and miss the fires of Hell!

I see that hill as the place where my past was erased and my future was forever secured!

I see that fountain where all my sins were washed away!

We will all make a choice to either revile the Fountain or revere the Fountain! Would you today trust in Jesus, call upon the name of the Lord and be saved?

Have you mocked the Lord with your lifestyle? Have you reviled Him with your mouth?

Have you condemned Him with criminals? Have you mocked Him with hypocritical worship?

There is a Fountain filled with blood that was shed for you and I. Please do not take this fountain for granted.