Jesus Gives Living Water (Part 2 of 3)
Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 40:05
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· 5 viewsJesus focuses the woman’s attention on the three main truths of Christianity: she is a sinner, he is the Savior, and salvation comes through faith in him.
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Key Texts:
REFLECTION: Isaiah 12:1-6
1 You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. 2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. 6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
SERMON READING: John 4:15-26
MEMORY: Matthew 5:23-24
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
BENEDICTION / CLOSING: Romans 15:5-6
5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Last week, we looked at the OPPORTUNITY
This week, we’ll look at the ENCOUNTER.
Next week, the FRUIT or RESULTS.
Last week, we recognized that Jesus...
WENT PLACES OTHERS WOULDN’T GO...
DID THINGS OTHERS WOULDN’T DO...
REACHED PEOPLE OTHERS WOULDN’T REACH...
That was some of our takeaway from the first “bite” of this incredible encounter with Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.
This is a rich and rewarding transformational encounter that John allows us to peek in and see.
Some of the scenes that John covers in His Gospel account he covers in summary form.
Others in greater detail with dialog before us.
All of it is from God Himself...
not only
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
But John already gave us the spoiler alert on His Gospel writing:
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The Gospel is inescapable in the Gospels.
There is a feast here for the believer as well.
We get to see the lover of our soul in action
We are challenged IMPLICITLY and EXPLICITLY as we see Jesus preaching the Kingdom of God and cutting a new and living way with the machete of His love
We are HOPEFULLY drawn closer in as worshipers.
Sometimes that is the greater need isn’t it?
If God is seeking worshipers…surely EVERY SUNDAY and EVERY TEXT offers us the opportunity to lean in to who HE is
TRANSITION
TRANSITION
Today, as we look more carefully at the exchange between Jesus and this woman.
We also get to see the SON OF GOD describe the kind of WORSHIP that HONORS HIS FATHER...
Let’s LEAN IN TOGETHER...
LET’S PRAY...
Two things come to light today that will remind us who this story is really about.
We’ll see how simple salvation really is...
We’ll see how God’s instructions for true worship are for His pleasure and our good!
This is NOT REALLY about the Samaritan woman - if it was, we’d have her name.
This is about the one who IS named in the text…the LORD Jesus Christ.
He will reveal Himself to her and to us…on His terms.
Recall the scene...
Jesus is at Jacob’s well.
Jesus meets this non-Jewish woman at a well.
Isaac (through his father’s servant) did the same thing. (Gen 24)
Jacob met his wife at a well. (Gen 29)
Moses met his wife at a well. (Ex. 2:16–17).
Those that follow Jesus - that are in Christ are referred to as the bride of Christ.
Isn’t that beautiful?
All this OT parallel, and they are at Jacob’s well (John 4:5). She even asks Jesus if he is greater than Jacob (4:12).
There are lots of hints throughout the Old Testament that the Gentiles would be brought into the new covenant.
In Isaiah 2 and Isaiah 49, the word picture used is that the nations would “flow” to Zion’s Hill - that’s a picture of where God dwells.
Later, we’ll see the Samaritans come “streaming” to Jesus (John 4:30), calling him the Savior of the world (4:42).
QUESTION: What flows and streams?
A: Water…Jesus is offering Living Water!
There’s an explanation, but what’s the application/impact for us?
At a very high level, we’re reminded over and over again as we study God’s Word...
God’s will is perfect.
God’s plan works.
God will do what He said He will do.
YOU CAN TRUST GOD’S WORD -
Even when you don’t understand what’s going on in front of you.
Even when you can’t make sense of how the Lord is working.
Even when everything seems to take a left turn…GOD IS AT WORK! It is HIS will that that people from every nation, tribe, and tongue come into the family of God.
Let’s dive in...
Jesus speaks of Living Water…
1. Jesus Shows us New Life
1. Jesus Shows us New Life
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Think about it.
He would have to completely transform this woman for her to understand what it meant to be satisfied.
She didn’t know her greatest need.
She didn’t know who Jesus is.
(That describes all of us before we came to understand that we were sinners in need of a Savior.)
Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes about trying to quench his thirst.
10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Exalting Jesus in John Jesus Promises Her Lasting Satisfaction (John 4:14–18)
C. S. Lewis called this “an ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure” (Screwtape, 44).
Jesus wants her to understand her truest and deepest thirst…so that she will desire the living water that He will offer...
(NOTE: Next week, I want to spend a few minutes talking about this river of life…the HOLY SPIRIT…the fruit of this encounter and our own transforming confrontation with Jesus.
I’m not ignoring that, but I believe for teaching and preaching, it fits better with the outcome of this encounter.)
To experience the NEW LIFE THAT JESUS IS SHOWING HER,
Jesus Has to Deal with Sin
Jesus Has to Deal with Sin
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
She has sought fulfillment and identity in the arms of men.
She has tried and failed at covenant-keeping on her own.
She has earned the reputation that she has.
and yet…SHE IS LOVED BY A SAVIOR WHO HAS STOPPED BY THIS WELL ON THIS DAY TO GIVE HER THE LIVING WATER which flows from the throne of Grace.
Verse 19 feels abrupt…but it makes sense in that context.
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
It has been typical for preachers and commentators to imagine that the Samaritan woman’s quick response to Jesus’ devastating revelation was a clever attempt to divert the conversation.
I’m not sure this captures the cultural realities of the day.
The Samaritans, as well as the Jews, at that time believed a prophet was sometimes given special insight into people’s problems.
So it makes a lot of sense that these 2 major claims that Jesus is making:
- knowledge of her present/past
- his claim to provide for her “a spring of water welling up to eternal life,”
…it makes sense that he might be a prophet.
THEN SHE MOVES TO THE BIG PICTURE OF WORSHIP.
The first commandment.
If she’s to love the Lord and have no other gods before Him…she’s getting conflicting directions on what that looks like.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
There are conflicting views on worship!
Well…aren’t you glad that’s not an issue today? LOL
She didn’t know who to worship…WHERE to worship…or HOW to worship.
JESUS SHOWS US NEW LIFE
HE DEALS WITH OUR SINS
Jesus Leads us to True Worship
Jesus Leads us to True Worship
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The only faith that God will accept is that which came through the Jews.
The Bible is of Jewish origin, and our Saviour was a Jew.
The first Christians were Jews.
Jesus was Jewish (not American).
Only those who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and who obey the truth, can worship God acceptably.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Maybe you’re like SO MANY that come to this very popular phrase, “worship Him in Spirit and Truth” and you think this is speaking about what we do AS Christians on Sunday morning in corporate worship.
IT DOES HELP US THERE…BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT THE POINT IS HERE.
Think about it. What are we talking about?
Jesus is the Living Water.
This woman doesn’t realize she’s thirsty for something more until Jesus points it out.
He is unpacking her WRONG THINKING ABOUT GOD...
not helping her “get her praise on” on the Sabbath at Temple
Yes - these are helpful words to tether us in our worship gatherings.
We should animated by the Holy Spirit of God and following the revealed Word of God in the Bible as our ultimate worship guide.
YES - we should engage all of our MIND and our SOUL as we worship.
(Not hyper-emotionalism - I’ve never leaned or pointed you that way as your pastor....BUT THERE OUGHT TO BE A BLIP ON THE EKG WHEN WE GATHER TO WORSHIP)
It’s a helpful application but IT IS NOT THE PRIMARY MEANING OF THE TEXT.
CONTEXT - an explanation of the gospel to a non-Christian.
Notice the words “in Spirit and in truth” in verse 24.
JOHN 3:31-34 pointed us toward this...
To worship God in spirit and in truth means we have received the truth—the testimony about who Jesus Christ is—
and we have received the Spirit.
Jesus is describing salvation.
We turn from the lies and error of this world and embrace the truth about Jesus.
We turn from the spirit of the “age” which is anti-Christ from the word “go” and receive his Spirit, who then dwells inside each one who believes.
We worship God rightly because we are IN THE TRUTH - Hidden in Christ.
We worship God rightly because we have the HOLY SPIRIT - guiding us into all truth and pointing us toward Jesus!
(“Matt Carter and Josh Wredberg” help us here)
Jesus is saying to her (and us) in effect,
“I am salvation.
True salvation makes people worshipers of God.
They have turned from self-worship—vowing allegiance to their own efforts and own desires and own glory—and have knelt in obedience and allegiance to the one true God.
The only way people turn from self-worship to God worship, from rebellion to obedience, is by embracing the truth about me and receiving the Holy Spirit.
This is the salvation I bring.”
Jesus is God!
Jesus is God!
(God is the ultimate authority on what pleases Him.)
25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
She hears him.
She says, listen… “When the Messiah gets here, he’ll clear all of this up.”
Jesus says, “you’re talking about me!”
He could point the way to NEW LIFE - because HE IS THE LORD, THE CHRIST, THE MESSIAH
He could confront her in her sin with authority - because HE IS THE LORD, THE CHRIST, THE MESSIAH
He could lead her to true worship - because HE IS THE LORD, THE CHRIST, THE MESSIAH
CALL FOR MUSICIANS
He can and will direct your path…because HE KNOWS THE WAY - HE IS THE WAY!
He can and will deal with your sin…because HE IS HOLY!
He can and will lead you in worship…because HE is the TRUTH and He promised HIS SPIRIT!
This encounter should light us ablaze as worshipers!
This encounter should remind us that WE DON’T HAVE TO BE CONFUSED ON WHO GOD IS OR WHAT HE LIKES.
This encounter reminds us that we have LIFE from GOD FLOWING THROUGH OUR SOULS!
Brother or Sister in Christ - be encouraged that Jesus met with you, called you out of your sin, and has given life instead of death.
Dear friend - if you don’t yet know Him as Lord and Savior - YOU CAN.
He knows everything about you, and he is inviting you to meet with Him on His terms today.
Repent and Believe on Jesus.
(SETUP FOR NEXT WEEK)
HE HAS PROMISED TO GIVE HER THE LIVING WATER…not only that; HE HAS PROMISED
A Spring of water welling up to eternal life!
What will that look like for her?
What will it look like for the church…for us?
Don’t miss next week!