Living Water: John 4:1-30

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

WELCOME

My name is Megan Hutchinson

I am the teaching leader of our class

if you are new- welcome to Bible Study Fellowship, we are so glad you are here.

ALL CLASS FELLOWSHIP:

Anna talked about this in depth last week but just a reminder that next week is our first all class fellowship.

We hope you will make arrangements to plan to come a little early->t 9:15- and meet with your discussion groups for a time of fellowship.

If you bring children, you can drop them right at 9:15 and then head to your groups!

PRISON/TRANSFORMATION CENTER

At the beginning of the year, I announced that our class had grown by 2 additional groups.

The first is a group that meets here in Cincinnati that is a Transformational Recovery Program for women.

and the second, is in the Marysville Correctional Facility- a women’s prison- in Ohio.

Over the last 6 weeks God has both blessed and grown these groups as the word has gotten out, specifically in the prison.

So- we are in need of about 10 more books so that women in the prison can study God’s word with us through John this year

Like last time, these books are $20 dollars and if you would like to donate, you can give money to our treasurer and admin. team in the back after lecture.

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Anna- is going to tell you now about an upcoming seminar.

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Before we jump into lecture..

I want you to take a moment and think about the person who told you about Jesus.

Who invited you…to come…and see..

· Whoever the person was....they decided that your life was so valuable to God- that you needed to know just how much He loved you,

· One of our AIMS at BSF is to reach the next generation....to invite them…to Come and See Jesus…

· The truth is- our children’s leaders and student program leaders cannot reach the next generation without you- our serving sisters…

When it comes to our children and student program- we have a variety of ways for you to step in and serve.

1st would you consider giving up 1 Tuesday a month to regularly serve during our LM on Tuesday,

· Every Tuesday our leaders meet for lesson discussion and training. Many of our leaders have young children and without volunteers on Tuesday’s during leaders meeting, they would not be able to serve in their role at BSF.

2nd - Plan to serve faithfully when it is your groups week to serve! Encourage others to sign up with you and come together to pour into God’s youngest disciples.

Jesus didn’t take a week of when it was time to serve..today we saw him come....tired..and sit at the well..making sure ALL knew..the he..the I AM..had come...

3rd.. Our leaders start every Wednesday with prayer. On the weeks your group serves, come a few minutes early, spend 10 minutes with leaders kids while they pray for the hearts of the children.

4th- Pray with us…the children’s leaders pray daily for each child in their classroom BY NAME. While you don’t know there names, God does…join us in praying for these children’s hearts to be transformed as they hear the truth of the life they can have in Jesus.

- There is a place for each of you when it comes to sharing Jesus with the next generation- where is God asking you to step out in faith and serve him in this huge calling?

· I had the privilege of growing up in BSF’s children and school program

I’m here today because someone looked at my 3 year old self and said: “She is worth it- she is worth sharing Jesus with- Megan, come and see.”

· I am forever grateful to the countless women who stepped in to make sure I had the opportunity to know Jesus, and while I don’t know their names, each of those women have had a lasting impact on my life.

So I hope that you will COME and SEE what the Lord is doing in our preschool and student program as you serve Him faithfully with your groups.

Let’s Pray....

INTRODUCTION....

Water. Most of us don’t think to much about the need for water- if we are thirsty, we get a drink.

In fact- fancy water cups have even become a trend.

From water bottles that sparkle to seeing how big you can possibly get it without refilling…straws, pop-up lids. monogrammed…you name it.

There is a cup for you...

But- there are also hundreds of different types of bottled water you can get.

The options are endless. A quick google search showed me 128 different brands of bottled water.

And they often make all sorts of promises to get you to buy theirs- whether it is the most clean, has the most minerals or the purist taste.

One that I found particularly fascinating was sent to me a couple of weeks ago…

picture- apparently- this water…is eternal..

that is quite the claim.

Now- this picture came from our STL, Anna, and yesterday she told me how thirsty she had been so it seems like Anna- you should go and get your money back because that eternal water, was well…not eternally satisfying.

Jesus today in our scripture makes a similar claim…but one that is not full of false promises…

In his encounter with a Samaritan woman we are going to see him offer LIVING water that brings ultimate and eternal satisfaction.

We are going to look at 2 aspects of the satisfaction that Jesus offers today

1. Ultimate Satisfaction- 4:1-18

2. Eternal Satisfaction 4:19-30

so get your Bible’s or app’s out and turn with me to John 4.

I. Ultimate Satisfaction 4:1-18

So when I say ultimate satisfaction....I mean that Jesus’ satisfaction is final and it is the best of it’s kind.

because it is: PERSONAL…LIFE GIVING....GIFT.

Ultimate Satisfaction in Jesus is PERSONAL…LIFE GIVING…and a GIFT

A. in vs. 1-8 we see that this ultimate satisfaction is PERSONAL

In vs 1-3- Jesus finds out that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining more disciples than John the baptist.

Now- we know that that is a good thing right! John the Baptist was pointing people to Jesus and they were following Him.

But this would have gained the attention of the religious leaders- who would later be involved in asking for Jesus’ death.

But…remember from John 2....Jesus’ time .…his time to die on the cross…had not. yet. come..

So, Jesus, being very much in control here- heads off to Galilee.

So typically, Jews would go around Samaria because Jews and Samaritans did NOT interact with each other.

Which if you look at this map- might feel a little ridiculous.

Jesus is in Judea in the bottom green and needs to get to the top green- I mean, how absurd to go around- especially when you are walking…this isn’t the 275 loop to avoid some traffic.

But- the feud between Jews and Samaritans was no small matter and it went back for CENTURIES.

For those who were with us last year, we studied this in 2 Kings.

In 2 Kings 17, after Israel was exiled by the Assyrians- they took over Northern Israel and the Israelites intermarried with the Assyrians in the town of Samaria and the people became known as Samaritans.

Over time, the Samaritans continued to worship 1 God like the Jews, but only embraced the 1st 5 books of the Torah, or- books of Moses. In your Bible- that would be the 1st 5 books which we also refer to sometimes as the Pentateuch.

So why the feuding...

Well, the Samaritans had been hostile to the Jews- causing issues. which we see in the book of Ezra, when they opposed the construction of the temple in Jerusalem.

They also sided against Israel in the Maccabean Revolt in 168 BC.

So Israel, retaliates by DESTROYING the Samaritan temple-

Then…the Samaritans desecrate Israel’s temple with human bones.

This is no little rivalry- this is a deep history of years of hate on both sides towards one another.

Because of this history- Jews and Samaritans DID NOT interact and avoided each other all together.

But in vs 4- John makes it clear that Jesus HAD to go through Samaria!

Imagine what his disciples must have been thinking..they probably thought that this was career suicide for Jesus!

Here he is trying to gain followers and complete his mission and he is going to go through Samaria!

Technically..Jesus could have gone around, but John tells us Jesus HAD to go through Samaria…

In other words- they had suggested other options but Jesus made it clear he was going that way and that way only.

Why? because he had an appointment he could not miss.

And in vs. 5- Jesus has arrived, ready for his appointment. John tells us in vs 5 that he was tired from his journey. Remember, Jesus was fully God AND fully human, John here shows us his humanity as he points out that he is tired- as any human would be from his travels.

We also know that it was noon, which would have been the hottest part of the day and so Jesus sits down at the well.

in vs. 7-8 we learn that the disciples had gone into town to buy food, but Jesus had stayed behind and here comes a Samaritan woman, alone, at the hottest part of the day.

And Jesus....is sitting there waiting....

Notice that this woman didn’t seek Him out- she wasn’t looking for Jesus…but Jesus was looking for her...

She wasn’t looking for a savior…she just wanted a drink.

Now- the truth is- we don’t know why she is alone, it was considered the job of the women to get water and social hour at the watering hole was typically in the morning when it was cooler.

But- something in her life had happened that had caused her to be completely alone, in the hottest part of the day to get water.

I wonder- what in her life had been so disrupted to cause her to be alone and separated from others?

Whatever it was, God did not waste it- He used it as an OPPORTUNITY to meet her and draw her to himself....

Sometimes God uses the disruptions in our life to draw us out- away from all the noise so that we can be alone with Him, because He will do whatever it takes to get our attention and to point us to Him.

What circumstance in your life might God be using to draw you to Himself?

the loss of a relationship or job?

Maybe the promotion or title you wanted was given to someone else

maybe your life feels like a bomb went off and you dont even know how you got where you are today...

maybe your own sin and choices you made in your life have caused you to be separated from others…

if your super frustrated with your life right now- let me ask you something- is that God…desperately trying to get your attention...

The first thing Jesus does with this woman, was reveal his humanity....

“Will you give me a drink?”

Water is essential for life…you can only live 3 days without water…but the abundance of water in our culture means that most of us probably dont think twice about it.

But roughly 771 million people lack access to clean water. and today- the need for water for many is still a very real and practical need....

I dunno what caused this woman to be alone-on this day- but her need for water to survive got her out the door- to walk alone in the heat of the day to the well.

And her need for water would continue the next day..and the next…because water only temporarily satisfies.

and maybe here you are…you feel like your headed to the well…alone.

Jesus PERSONALLY pursued this woman- and he PERSONALLY pursues relationship with each and every one of us because what she needed most was not water…it was Him...and he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to meet her.

He had an appointment. and He was keeping it. Because he is ALWAYS right. on. time.

Jesus wants to offer you ultimate satisfaction in HIM as he PERSONALLY seeks you out....will you engage and listen…or will you turn away?

in vs..8 all Jesus simply says is: Will you give me a drink?

it’s almost as if Jesus is saying to her…I see you…here..alone...will you give me a chance?

Jesus is PERSONALLY waiting for you at the well, because he longs to satisfy your thirst and your emptiness and your brokenness through relationship with Him.

b. 9-14- LIFE GIVING (Living water cleanses by Jesus’ Blood)

So in vs. 1-8 we saw that Jesus’ offer of ultimate satisfaction was PERSONAL as he pursued the Samaritan woman and now in vs. 9-14 we will see him offer ultimate satisfaction that is LIFE GIVING as he offers her living water

in vs 9- the woman doesn’t turn away but is immediately struck by the fact that Jesus is even talking to her....not only was she a Samaritan, but she was also a woman.

A Jewish man would never be caught talking alone to a woman- but Jesus didn’t care..

his mission was more important than social and cultural barriers- this WOMAN was more important to Him than what culture said about her.

so in vs 9 she says...how can you ask me for a drink?

Jesus responds: 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.

Now- when the woman heard living water- she would have associated this with flowing water.

So there is normal well water that was stagnant..and then there is living, or flowing water- water that you would find in a spring..it was clean..pure...and was considered far superior to regular water.

In fact- LIVING WATER was considered so precious and valued, that, according to the Jewish Rabbinic laws- it was the ONLY water that could be used in ritual washing to make PURE unclean worshippers.

and in these wells of living water- the water would literally rise above the ground surface and flow out of the well.

so in vs 11 she says…where are you going to get this living water? Are you greater than our Father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself?

Because she knew that in Sychar there was no LIVING WATER- she recognizes that Jesus is making a bold claim here- that HE apparently has the power to bring water that was ceremonially cleansing and PURIFYING AND overflowing to Sychar...

Over and over again we see this theme of WATER in the book of John.

John the Baptist baptized people as a symbol of the CLEANSING they needed on the inside from their sin.

In John, chp. 2- we saw that Jesus turned water used for CEREMONIAL CLEANSING into wine....a symbol of his BLOOD- his blood that gives LIFE

So why water? Because without water..there is no life..and everyone knew that water was needed to survive.

But when you are thirsty…truly thirsty- and you take a drink of water..your whole body responds…water saturates every cell of your body- it gives you energy, fuel and life..it sustains life while at the same time- satisfies...

So, in vs. 13 Jesus answers her by saying listen : Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 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.

What a promise- never…thirst…again…Jesus says my water will give you life—> from the inside out..it’s going to not only cleanse, saturate and satisfy your innermost longing...

But it is going to be like a spring, that wells up and spills over..it will be abundant…and it will never stop.

The LIVING water that Jesus offers- brings LIFE to our dry and empty souls as it penetrates our deepest needs.

c. 15-18- GIFT (shows need through conviction of sin)

Finally, in our last section we see that Ultimate Satisfaction in not only PERSONAL AND LIFE GIVING, BUT also a GIFT of grace. in vs’s 15-18

vs 15: Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.

He told her....go call your husband and come back.

I have no husband, she replied.

Jesus said to her, you are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had 5 husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband, what you have said is quite true.

---now-at first its like- hold up Jesus…why are you changing the subject?

She asked for living water- and you turn around and point out that she is living with a man that isn’t her husband…

but he isn’t off topic at all here-

He wants to offer her ULTIMATE satisfaction in Him- but she has to first recognize where she is looking for satisfaction in things other than Him.

Don’t hyper focus on her 5 husbands here…this isn’t a commentary for us to read into on what may or may not have happened with these 5 husbands…this is about where she was looking for satisfaction...

because Jesus knew that in order for her to GET LIVING water— she had to STOP looking for satisfaction in her current relationships and look to Him.

This woman’s search for satisfaction had led to sin in this relationship she was currently in with another man.

It was like she had started to dig a well, in search for water…and the more she dug, the deeper the hole got…but on the other end there was no water..no hope....and no escape…

Where in your life are you digging a well, searching for LIFE GIVING water to no avail?

the truth is- that eventually, that hole will become your grave unless someone pulls you back out.

Sin pulls you away from God..and without Jesus every single one of us is living in the bottom of a dry and empty pit- longing for water.

But that is why Jesus is here…He met this woman at the well to REVEAL the pit she was in…and he CAME to rescue her by dying on the cross to redeem her..

Through his death on the cross, Jesus became the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for YOUR sin…paying the debt you could not pay. He has Redeemed you out of the grave…out of the pit...

and as you look up out of the pit, and look to Jesus- suddenly, your pit becomes a spring…overflowing with water…and you rise up, not because of anything that you have done, but ALL because of Him…

that is salvation and that is the GIFT of Grace offered to all who believe.

Jesus satisfied the wrath of God on the cross when his blood was spilled out to pay for your sin debt so that you could have ultimate satisfaction in Him.

Jesus has come to get YOU out of the PIT..LOOK UP..LOOK AT HIM and let Him fill your every longing and deepest need with LIVING WATER as He gives you LIFE with HIM.

Principle: Only Jesus can satisfy your deepest longing.

Maybe you have believed in Jesus- you have life but yet- you are still looking for satisfaction in the things around you.

Where is Jesus offering you living water by revealing a place in your life where you are desperately looking for satisfaction?

in marriage

children-

relationships

acceptance by friends

control in your life

career

money

wealth

status

religion

appearance

the list could go on and on.

Look up…He died for you…get out the pit..because as we are going to see in vs. 4:19-30- eternal satisfaction has come…so tell everyone....

II. Eternal Satisfaction 4:19-30

ETERNAL satisfaction…HAS COME…so TELL EVERYONE...

So let’s see how his eternal satisfaction HAS COME in vs’s 19-23

a. Has Come (through) Jesus) 4:19-23

Ok so Jesus has just revealed her sin but also pointed out that she had 5 husbands.

Now- we have no idea what happened in her life that caused her to have 5 husbands…but I feel confident in assuming that that isn’t how she saw her life going.

I have never met anyone who got married thinking, man, I hope I do this 5 more times.

so Jesus has revealed not only her sin, but also details the presumably would have brought up pain and hurt

but in vs 19- we see her response to Jesus…Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.

notice her response here....she isn’t angry…Jesus just revealed her sin but he also revealed that he knew a piece of her life that only God could know.

and instead of shame we see her begin to start to see Jesus for who he truly is…

and where does her mind go after he reveals her sin...

to worship..she wanted to worship...

When we are satisfied in Jesus- we don’t need anything else…and our only response is worship...

so...her mind is racing as she tries to process all this.

so she responds in vs 20: Our Ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.

so she is like..wait..Samaritans worship here on this mountain... and Jews worship in the temple..

oh no, where do I worship??... I better ask…

Basically- she wants Jesus to answer the question…hey- who got worship right- the Jews or the Samaritans? cuz I need to know what to do next...

Clearly- she hasn’t quite gotten Jesus’ message, but Jesus is so patient with her, just like he was last week with Nicodemus, and just like He is with us.

he gently addresses her in vs. 21- “Woman…believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mount nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

Jesus here answers hers question- and says- well- the Jewish scriptures are correct, but neither the Jews nor Samaritans got it right. Because both missed the point.

How often are you more focused on the mode of worship than on the who?

Christian culture is constantly arguing over denominational differences and nominal things like: music, attire, length of service, type of service....

Don’t get so caught up in HOW you are worshipping that you forget WHO you are worshiping.

Jesus continues to address worship in vs. 23…he says...: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in the truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

This phrase “a time is coming” is also translated “an hour is coming...”

Jesus here is pointing to himself, specifically his death on the cross.

This is the same phrase Jesus used when he spoke with his mother in chp 2 to tell her his hour had not yet come…and it’s the same one that John uses over and over to refer to Jesus’ death.

The hour was coming when he- would die-and because of his death- He is worthy of ALL of our praise and worship.

the location of worship didn’t matter.

Because, the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father full of grace and truth...

Jesus makes it clear here that there is a right way to worship....and it trumps race and culture and tradition...

if you want to know how to worship…learn WHO to worship…because when you open up truth-the truth of God’s word alone…both the Old and new testament..there there you will find Jesus…the WHO of worship.

in vs. 25- she seems to be getting it..she responds…I know that Messiah is coming…and when he comes, he will explain everything to us.

and here…Jesus reveals himself to her…and says.. “I, the one speaking to you. I am He.”

Ladies- Jesus. is. here. He has come…and He is worthy..

and his death on the cross was once and for all..so that you could have ETERNAL satisfaction and life in Him..

we don’t have to worry- to search…we get to worship…that should be our response.

because once you are filled with Him- you are filled forever.

so how will you worship HIM today knowing that in Him you are fully satisfied, regardless of your past or the circumstances surrounding you today?

so.....HE HAS COME…now..TELL EVERYONE

b. TELL EVERYONE 4:27-30

So the disciples come back and see him talking with this samaritan woman…and their inner thoughts are clearly exploding.

Do you hear them…SURELY NOT…SURELY NOT HER…A WOMAN....A SAMARITAN… doesn’t Jesus know....

But..Jesus does know,..Jesus came for the whole world....for everyone...

not just Jews…not just Gentiles...

For every race, tribe and nation...

and the very first person He reveals himself to outside of his disciples…is a woman, who also happens to a Samaritan…in the minds of the disciples- it didn’t get much lower than that...

Meanwhile…the woman doesn’t even care, she leaves her water jar and goes back into the town...

Jesus had given her everything she needed- so much so that she forgot her water jars- during the hottest part of the day.

Suddenly that thirst for physical water didn’t matter because she had experienced ultimate and eternal satisfaction from THE LIVING WATER.

and she couldn’t hold it in..as the living water overflowed from the inside out, it spilled out of her as she told everyone she knew about the ultimate and eternal satisfaction she had found in Jesus....

“Come…see a man who told me everything I ever did…Could this be the Messiah?”

this woman became the most effective evangelist in the Bible…we know that from her testimony many samaritans believed!

Yesterday one leader pointed out that there was no big miracle…no sign…no water being turned to wine...just Jesus..that was enough…to make her drop everything and invite everyone she knew..to come…and see...

“Come…and see...”

Who is God putting on your heart to come and see?

Invite them to open up God’s word through the study of BSF with you. Tell them what Jesus has done for you and how he has satisfied your deepest longings…invite them to look up..and come up out of the pit...

One pastor frequently says that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Her heart was satisfied…her longings and desires- the relationship she craved no longer mattered because that void had been filled with Jesus’ living water....and her response was worship..

and as she worshiped God got all the glory as she invited others to come and see for themselves...

And that brings us to our final truth of today:

PRINCIPLE: Hearts satisfied in Jesus overflow in worship.

Does your satisfaction in Jesus lead you to worship?

if not....why not? What is blocking you from worshiping God in spirit and in truth?

Respond in worship today, because he is worthy...

CONCLUSION

At the start of Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well..he started the conversation by showing his humanity…

if Jesus wasn’t thirsty…she would have never found the living water.

Later in the book of John in chapter 19- we will again see Jesus show his humanity on the cross when he says…

I thirst..

But this thirst he was experiencing could not be quenched by a drink of water…this time- it was the ultimate thirst for righteousness as the wrath of God was poured down on Him...

and he thirsted...

....so that you could find true and lasting satisfaction in Him..

Jesus- the son of God…came to earth....to die…he thirsted, so that you would thirst no more.

Let’s pray.

Don’t forget, if you would like to donate for books for the prison you can do that in the back now.