There Is a Fountain
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This song that we just sang was written by a man name William Cowper.
He lived from 1731-1800.
He was a man stricken by much grief and pain.
His mother died when he was 6.
He eventually experienced losing several others that he loved.
He suffered from severe panic attacks and deep depression.
During a season of deep depression, he attempted suicide several times. After all his failed attempts, he realized that God had protected him and didn’t want him to kill himself.
In 1771 during one of his other seasons of deep depression, Cowper wrote “There Is a Fountain”.
It was very controversial because of the graphic imagery it conjures.
It is based on Zechariah 12 and 13.
We are going to take a quick look at two of the verses from these chapters. Hopefully this will help you appreciate this hymn.
Lets talk about 4 important things regarding the Fountain we just sang about:
First, this fountain is only...
Accessed By Grace
Accessed By Grace
Zechariah 12:10a (ESV)
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy...
Here, Zechariah is talking about a future time when God will pour out His grace.
What is Grace?
We get grace because Jesus got what we deserve.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
That means we don’t work to get to the fountain.
This Fountain Is Accessed By Grace
Second, this fountain is only...
Accessed Through Jesus
Accessed Through Jesus
Zechariah 12:10b (ESV)
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced...”
To help you understand this, let talk about accessing new blockbuster movies:
These days, you can buy your movie tickets through google, fandango, the theater’s website, or even On Demand live streaming providers.
When I was your age, there was only one way I could access my a brand new movie: I had to go to the box office and purchase my ticket from a cashier. I couldn’t download the movie. I couldn’t live stream it. I couldn’t go online and order my ticket and keep the ticket on my iPhone. I had to go directly through the cashier at the box office. Only one way!
This Grace that saves us is only received when we “look on [Jesus], on Him whom they have pierced...” We access the fountain of God’s grace through Jesus alone.
Not google.
Not Fandango.
Not through our Apple TV.
Not through our parents.
Not through a pastor or priest.
Not through Alla.
Only through Jesus.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins...”
Immanuel means God with us. This was a title that the Old Testament Prophets gave to Jesus as they looked forward to His coming.
You have to go directly to Immanuel in order to access His fountain.
This Fountain Is Only Accessed Through Jesus
Third, this fountain is...
Accessed With Mourning
Accessed With Mourning
Zechariah 12:103 (ESV)
“...they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
Now, Jesus’ followers and family mourned His suffering. It effected them deeply. Just watching Him suffer as He did.
But there is also some spiritual significance for us.
Those who access the fountain, by grace, through Jesus, do so with mourning.
This means that when people look to Jesus to access the fountain, they actually get the...
Seriousness of His death: Literally, God dying for His enemies.
Seriousness of what led to His death: Human sin led to His death.
Seriousness of what His death means: God loves sinners.
The one person who has every right to abandon us and destroy us for offending Him has actually moved near to us and suffered and died in our place.
Do you understand that?
This Fountain Is Accessed With Mourning
Fourth, this fountain is...
Accessed For Cleansing
Accessed For Cleansing
“On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
The fountain that Zechariah speaks of may not be in reference to one “filled with blood”.
This is likely imagery meant to remind the people of “ritual purification”. Water being used to purify people for religious purposes in order to be clean before their deity.
So, this fountain that Zechariah is speaking of is supposed to clean people for the purpose of them getting close to God.
This “fountain” for cleaning that Zechariah is talking about can’t be a fountain with water.
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Now, by the blood of Christ shed for us, we are made clean. How that happens, hear and now, is through God’s Spirit applying that cleaning to us spiritually.
This is something every person needs.
The good news is that “being plunged” into this fountain for cleaning is freely given.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
This Fountain Is Accessed For Cleansing
Let me read the lyrics of this hymn for you...
Logos Digital Hymnal There Is a Fountain
1 There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains;
Lose all their guilty stains;
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
2 The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in His day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away;
Wash all my sins away;
Wash all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
3 Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its pow’r
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more;
Be saved to sin no more;
Be saved to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more.
So, if you want this song to be true of you… what are you to do?
Verse 4, which I didn’t read, says “Ever since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
If you want this to be true for you, all that is necessary is for you to trust its message.
Believe what I’ve told you tonight.
This Fountain is...
Accessed By Grace
Accessed Only Through Jesus
Accessed With Mourning
Accessed For Cleansing