Meet The Author
Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewWhat is your story? Is it one of wealth? Of fame? Of perfection? Or, like many, is it one of bad choices and harsh consequences? We all have a story, but until we allow the Author of Life to write ours, we don't experience our true story. Come and meet the author!
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Transcript
What is the story of your life?
What is the story of your life?
We all have one…
I. Mine
A. Sex, Alcohol, Rock and Roll
B. “The more I had, the happier I’d be.”
C. I was on the road to ruin!
II. God can change that!!!
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” — C. S. Lewis
Look at John 4:1-30
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—
2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria.
5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.
18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.
20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Prayer: Father, We thank you for Your Word. We thank you for the opportunity to gather here today… We thank you for the privilege and freedom we enjoy to be able to dive in, and dig deep into it today.
Lord, Open our hearts, our minds, our ears… that we may hear and understand what you have for us today. Fill us with Your Spirit, Your Wisdom, and Your understanding today as we explore this moment in our story. May we draw closer to Jesus… May we recognize Him more in our lives… and may we respond to the Love and Grace You have given us through Him. Speak to our hearts, Lord, Guide us on our journey.
In Jesus Name we pray, AMEN
OK! Let’s unpack this scripture!
There’s a lot here…
Look at John 4:3-4 (It says that when He heard that the Pharisees were talking about Him baptizing…that He headed back to Galilee.)
4 Now he had to go through Samaria.
Why? Why did Jesus “Have to go through Samaria”?
III. Jesus ALWAYS has a purpose!
A. Jesus knew what He was going to do…
B. He knew who the Samaritan woman was!
C. He knew what the people — including the Disciples — needed.
5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
IV. Jesus makes personal contact.
A. It wasn’t the woman who spoke to Jesus…
B. Jesus initiates contact…
“Will you give me a drink”
a simple request opens the door…
C. Jesus does not wait for us to come to Him!
He comes to us…
He waited t the well…
He made the first move!!!
D. Jesus seeks a personal relationship with each of us…
Jesus reaches into the midst of our daily lives… our ordinary routines… and invites us…
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
ii. Jesus desires to walk with us in a DAILY relationship — through everything we face!
E. It’s not a One-Time event.
It’s an ongoing, dynamic relationship…
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
ii. Jesus continued engaging the woman…
iii. revealing Himself to her as their conversation progressed…
F. He does the same for us.
He speaks through His word… Prayer… and the circumstances of our lives.
He reveals His character… His love… His grace… His truth…
WHY?!?!
because we are supposed to develop HIS character.
30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
G. Not learning ABOUT Him, it’s getting to KNOW Him.
There is a huge difference between KNOWING ABOUT someone, and KNOWING someone…
(celebrities)
don’t know their character… heart… thoughts… feelings…
personal contact allows for that.
That’s the relationship Jesus wants!
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
We must desire a relationship with Him, so strongly, that nothing else matters!
27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Look how Jesus answers: Mt 19:28
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
H. Contact with Jesus is transformative.
The Samaritan woman was changed.
She went from a woman who came to the well at noon… an outcast, shunned by society… to a woman boldly proclaiming the Messiah!
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
She left her water jar…
symbol of her old life
Embrace her new life
We are transformed by His Love… His Grace… and His Truth
We are given a new identity in Him.
but, we must leave our old life…
This is where some of us get stuck!
in our past
by our experiences
by our preferences
God says: Eze 36:26
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Paul says: 2 Cor 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
but we say, “I like it the way it is! I want the Life You offer, God, but don’t change anything ok!”
I. We are NOT limited by our past… or our present!
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.
18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
The Samaritan woman had a complicated past…
married 5 times
living in adultery
Yet, Jesus didn’t define her by her past!
He saw her
He knew her
He loved her
He offered her living water — eternal life!
He does the same for us!
He SEES us!
He KNOWS us!
He LOVES us!
He OFFERS us Living Water — eternal life… regardless of our past, or our present!!!
J. It’s not just for us!
It’s meant to be shared!
The Samaritan woman didn’t keep it to herself.
29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
She invited others…
V. My Story.
through a church…(2003)
from total alcoholic jerk to pastor…
(If we want to experience His transformation in our lives)
VI. Have to Recognize Jesus.
A. That’s the central theme of this passage.
B. and in our Christian Journey.
C. She saw a weary traveler…
D. She found a Jew who broke societal norms
E. However, she discovered a prophet… and came to know the Messiah!
F. But… she had to allow Him to engage her....
How often do we not?!?!
VII. Recognition doesn’t happen instantly.
A. It is a process… a journey
We may, at first, know Him as a historical figure, a character in a story…
That’s me.
But… as we engage His Word… as we experience His presence… we recognize Him as Savior… Redeemer… King
B. That means acknowledging His Authority and Lordship.
Accepting His teachings as absolute truth
His commandments as guiding principles
It’s not about knowing who Jesus is, it’s about letting that knowledge transform our lives!
VIII. Acknowledge our need.
14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
A. The woman was in need — both physically and spiritually
B. She needed the “living water”…
C. Recognizing Jesus involves acknowledging our spiritual thirst and understanding that only He can quench it!
that’s why we engage in materialism… drinking… drugs… sex… social lives beyond our means…
we are trying to fill that thirst ourselves!
D. This is not a one-time event… it’s continuous…
our recognition of Jesus deepens as we walk with Him, learn from Him, and experience His work in our lives.
it is a journey of discovery… and it begins when…
IX. Respond to Jesus in Faith.
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
A. She leaves her water jar… goes back to town… and tells other people about her encounter with Jesus.
B. This is significant!!!
the water jar symbolizes her old life… her old ways… her old beliefs… her preferences…
She embraces the truth… and takes immediate action!
She doesn’t keep it to herself… she leaves her past behind and runs head-long into her new life!
was an outcast… and adulterer… hiding in shame… avoiding contact with “those mean people”
now she is telling every one “Could this be the Messiah?”
C. She responded in Faith!
X. What does it mean to respond in Faith?
A. It’s not just about acknowledging Him as the Messiah in our hearts…
It’s not just about admitting that He is the Son of God...
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
It’s about letting THAT Truth transform our lives AND sharing that transformation with others…
It’s leaving behind our old ways… our preferences… our comforts… and stepping into the new life Jesus offers.
B. Do you know what I realized in 2003?
I hadn’t done that!
C. Do you know what I realized in 2023?
There are still areas in my life that I haven’t done that!
Look at the townspeople’s response:
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
A. they initially believe because of her testimony, but then they go and encounter Jesus for themselves
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
B. Their faith moved from second-hand to personal.
C. Has Yours?
Our Faith in Jesus should not be based solely on what someone else says… or our church attendance… or our worship practices…
church isn’t about walls… it’s not about rituals… and it’s not about personal preferences!
It’s about our stories being rewritten by the author of the universe!
XI. We need a fresh encounter with Jesus!
A. We need to hear His words
B. We need to experience His Love
C. We need to make a personal decision to Follow Him!
When we do… We can’t help but share what He’s done!
XII. Responding to Jesus isn’t just saying a prayer…
a. It’s making decisions that honor God, even when it’s difficult.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
b. it’s standing up for what is right, even when it’s unpopular.
c. It’s sharing our faith, even when we’re afraid.
d. It’s trusting His promises, even when we can’t see a way forward.
How are you responding to Jesus in Faith?
Are we leaving behind our old ways, and stepping into the new life He offers?
Are we sharing our faith with others, who are not within our little circle?
Are we making a personal decision to follow Him each and every day?
Are we trusting in His promises, even when the road ahead seems uncertain?
Jesus is not just a character in a story… He is the living Messiah… the Savior of the World… He knows us intimately… He loves us deeply… He is the One who quenches our thirst… and offers us eternal life.
(prayer)