Three Amigos (Thirst)

Main Point: Only the Lord will be able to satisfy us.

Attention Grabber: Movie – The Three Amigos
This movie is about three television actors who travel to Mexico for what they believe is another filming. However, the town believes the Amigos are real, and has hired them to ward off a gang of banditos. This movie is very funny and save for a couple swear words, remains pretty clean in content.

Clip: Lip Balm?
This is one of the most clever scenes in the movie. The Three Amigos are traveling on horseback through Mexico. It is midday and the sun is beating down on them. The “Three” stop to drink from their canteens. The scene starts at the beginning of Chapter 14 (58:04, if you start the counter at the Orion logo). The first Amigo, Steve Martin, opens his canteen with great anticipation, only to discover there is about a teaspoon’s worth of water in it. The next Amigo, Martin Short, pours the contents of his canteen in his mouth. The canteen is full of sand—super funny. Then Chevy Chase, the third Amigo, opens his canteen and it seems as if it has an endless supply of water. It pours all over his mouth and face and shirt. He has enough water to gargle, spit, swish water in his mouth, and spit again. After his fill, he casually tosses the canteen aside. The canteen hits the ground and water comes pouring out of it. The other two Amigos have been watching this the whole time. The scene ends with Chevy Chase applying lip balm and then offering it to the other two. Pure comedy genius. The scene ends at approximately 59:38.

Transitional Statement:
We all have had a time in our lives when we felt thirsty. Perhaps it wasn’t only for water. Perhaps our thirst was for something else. But we have all felt it. We have all been in a situation when we just needed something to quench us. The Bible tells us that we are also thirsty in a spiritual sense. Right now we’re going to split up into small groups and discuss this thirst.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Have you ever had an experience of being really thirsty like that? Tell us about it. What was it like when you finally had your thirst quenched again?
2. AROUND THE CIRCLE: When you are super thirsty, what is your favorite thing to quench your thirst?
3. ASK A FEW: Have you ever been thirsty and tried quenching your thirst with the wrong thing? (I tell a story about a time I was on a run and there was only one water fountain with some really nasty water!) Tell us about it.

Psalm 63:1
Oh God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.


4. ASK A FEW: How does this passage make you feel?
5. ASK A FEW: How do you think David was feeling when he wrote this?
6. ASK A FEW: What do you think it means to thirst for God?
7. ASK A FEW: Why would thirsting for God be a good or a bad thing?
8. ASK A FEW: A long time ago, a man named St. Augustine said that every single person has a God-shaped hole in them. Do you agree with this? How do you think this relates to the passage?

Psalm 63:2-5
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.


9. ASK A FEW: This is the section right after that last passage. How does the feeling of this passage differ from the first one?
10. ASK ONE OR TWO: Why do you think David says that his “soul will be satisfied”? What exactly is satisfying him?
11. ASK A FEW: In the scene we saw, Ned had a canteen full of sand. His canteen was full, but it had all the wrong stuff in it. Obviously, his thirst would never be quenched with sand. What do you think are some things people try to use to quench their thirst for God? (Answers we’re looking for would be along the lines of money, popularity, etc.) What about the kids at your school? Are people who seek these things ever truly satisfied?
12. ASK A FEW: Have you ever said to yourself, “Oh man, if I only had __________, then I would be truly satisfied.”? Tell us about it.
13. ASK A FEW: Lucky was the name of the guy who had the right stuff in his canteen, but just not enough of it. This could be someone who has accepted Christ, who goes to church, and still isn’t satisfied. Why do you think that going to church and having accepted Christ might not be enough?
14. ASK A FEW: What do you think it is that really satisfies Christians?
15. ASK ONE OR TWO: What does our passage tell us will satisfy them?
16. ASK A FEW: Have you ever just asked God to satisfy you with Himself?
17. ASK A FEW: What do you think this would look like… being satisfied with God and trusting Him to meet all your needs?
18. AROUND THE CIRCLE: What can you do this week in order to draw closer to the Lord, so that He can quench your thirst for Him?

Wrap-Up:
We were born thirsty for the Lord. Just like David says in Psalm 63, we thirst and long for God. Everyone feels this thirst. Some people have tried to quench themselves with the wrong things, whether that be money, popularity, sports, whatever. What we need to understand is that we will never be satisfied until we allow God to quench. He is all that we need, and we will be completely fulfilled by Him and by His love. We need to be serving and loving others, we need to be drawing near to Him, and we must rely on the Lord to satisfy us. Anything else will just not be enough. As we go away from each other tonight and for this next week, let’s do what we can to draw closer to the Lord.

Written by Matt Furby