Jesus Meets Us Where We Are

John 4:1-26.

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Introduction

Aren’t firefighters really cool? How many of you all wanted to be a firefighter when you grew up, or even now want to be one. Firefighters have the job of saving lifes no matter the cost. They will go into any building and do anything they can to save people.

Today we will be looking at someone who also goes into every corner of the world to save people, and that is Jesus, the title of the sermon is:

Remember John is writing all of this why?

John 20:31 “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.”

John 4:1–26 “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have noth…”

Point 1- Jesus breaks all cultural barriers. V.1-9

Sin of Pharisees to put John the baptist and Jesus against each other

Look at how he got there. V.4

And he had to. I am gonna go a little deep here, the Greek is “dei” which John uses time and again to show that Jesus had a divine appointment to go to Sychar, more specifically the well of Jacob to meet and speak with the Samaritan woman.

The road of going through Samaria was the quickest route, BUT, it was not the safest or most welcoming route. Lets talk about the significance of someone who was a Samaritan, and look down at verse 9. Jews and Samarians had no dealings with each other. Well, why?

They could have either went the ways of the gentiles which would be some potential for problems but it was safer but it took longer. For them it was longer, but they took it more often than not. Sychar, was the quickest route to Galilee, but the Samaritans were there, and they were more likely to have more conflict.

Story of St. Louis when I accidently drove in the wrong part of town. I was just a lost dude, had no idea where to go, and i still thought i was gonna die. Imagine if they hated me. No bueno. Cairo Ky.

From my commentator, THE NAC

John 1–11 (6. The Witness to the Samaritan Woman: A Lesson for the Disciples and a Crucial Confession (4:1–42))The Samaritans were regarded by the Jews as despised half-breeds, the offspring of the resettlement policies of the cruel Assyrians, who after sacking the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. transported large groups of conquered Jews to other conquered sites and repopulated the partially vacated sites with other conquered peoples (2 Kgs 17:5–6, 24). The result was an intermingling of peoples who in the mixing of the races lost much of their former national identities and were thus forced to develop new syncretistic identities (2 Kgs 17:25–41). The Jewish desire for a pure and loyal people of God, particularly after the return from the Babylonian exile, led Ezra to develop a segregation policy that excluded Samaritans and others of mixed backgrounds (Ezra 9–10).

Through that split, the Samaritans made their own HOLY WORD, and began a cult against Judaism. They hated each other.

So They took this route, and then it is noon, which is the sixth hour. The hottest part of the day.

Jesus shows his human side, needs water. Then a Samaritan woman shows up. Look at when she shows up, noon. The worst time to get water we will talk more about later.

The men and woman were not supposed to intermingle. Men did not speak to them in public, that includes their own wife. Ladies in that time and culture, woman were not viewed as equals at all. Jesus having this conversation, let alone asking her for a favor of a drink, was breaking every single cultural ideology.

Ask about the last person Jesus had a conversation with.

Quote from John MacArthur- Put this on screen.

John 1–11: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chapter 11: The Living Water (John 4:1–26))The contrast between the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus, for example, was striking. He was a devoutly religious Jew; she was an immoral Samaritan. He was a learned theologian; she was an uneducated peasant woman. He recognized Jesus as a teacher sent by God; she had no clue who He was. He was wealthy; she was poor. He was a member of the social elite of Israel; she was the dregs of Samaritan society—an outcast among outcasts, since the Jews regarded all Samaritans as unclean pariahs. Jesus’ revelation of Himself to this woman demonstrated that God’s saving love knows no limitations; it transcends all barriers of race, gender, ethnicity, and religious tradition. In contrast to human love, divine love is indiscriminate and all-encompassing

dreg meaning she was seen as having no value.

Jesus does not care about how much or how little you know. He doesn’t care about your religious background, how much or how little you have been to church. He doesn’t care about skin color, or how much or how less money we have, he doesn’t care of the sins you have committed. He is going to come to you,

Application

Where is somewhere you are not willing to go and to share the gospel?

For me the hardest conversations were at home, with my mom and dad. My mom believes that if she does enough good things she will be saved.

Your home

Your sports team

Your friend group.

Point 2- Jesus Gives Everlasting Life. V. 10-15

John 4:10–15 “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 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.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.””

John 3:3–6 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Jesus once again is showing the double meaning of life, through living water.

Think of the setting, they are in a desert, they must have water to live. The only place to get water is this well.

Jesus seeking water, the water will quench his thirst, and her own thirst.

The spring of water that last forever, is from the Lord. And Jesus is now offering the everlasting water to the Jews “rival” in a sense. He is bringing into fullness that all people will be offered the gospel.

Isaiah 55:1–5 ““Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.”

Even though Jesus is saying and implying the double language of the water, She only wants the water Jesus is speaking about to avoid the physical drudgery of having to come and get water.

Jesus then asks her to go and get her husband which leads us to our next point.

Point 3-Jesus sees our real heart. V. 16-20

How many of us, tell half truths or only part of the story.

I am guilty of this. Growing up getting sick at school. I got grossed out quick, but not necessarily sick. However, i knew how to make myself upchuck. Was I really telling the truth?

John 4:16–20 “Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.””

Look at the Samaritan womans response to Jesus telling her to go and get her husband

I don’t have one.

But look who knew the truth Jesus did.

She has had 5 husbands and the one she has, is not her husband. She is entrenched in sin. Reminder of the time of day she went to the well.

The sin of the woman, she kept living in a lie, in a half truth. There is a continual avoidance, and redirection of this conversation.

Jesus is offering and wants to give her living water, but she cant receive it, and continues in her sexual sin.

She deflects and brings up where they are to worship, the proper temple.

How many of us deflect our own sin

I only lie kind of

Cheating on a test

Throwing a brother or sister under the bus even though you did it.

Blaming other people for what you did.

Point 4- Jesus is THE Christ- V. 21- 26

John 4:21–26 “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 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. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 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.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.””

Jesus, The Christ.

As I was growing spiritually after the Lord saved me, I thought Jesus Christ was his first and last name, and maybe you are there too. Well I learned that was not the case, Christ was a title that was given to Jesus as he was the anointed one, it comes from the Greek word “Chrīstós” which means Christ, and the anointed one.

Salvation is from the Jews, not singularly for the Jews.

Jesus in being the Christ, is crashing all thoughts on how the Israelites were to be saved. They thought salvation was only for them, that is was a physical redemption from Roman reign. That the Messiah, would be a mighty earthly king.

But we see here that the Messiah has made himself truly known to a woman, to a Samaritan. The people group the Jews hated. Jesus is offering himself and meeting all people where we are. The Jew, Greek, gentile, samaritan. Jesus is for all people.

Her response once again, I know of the Messiah, when he comes, he knows all.

If i were Jesus, i would have wanted to punch this lady. ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME???

But Jesus, is patient, loving. His response is simply, I am the Messiah. I’m Him.

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,”

John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”

Jesus drops the mic and the conversation is over. Next week we will see her response to the declaration.

CONCLUSION- Jesus meets us where we are.

The whole story of the Samaritan. She went to the well at the hottest point in the day to receive water. Jesus the Jew sparks a conversation with her, and she has no idea who he is. Jesus encourages her that he will give her living water.

Who Needs Jesus? Who does Jesus go and save?

The student who is confused of their sexual identity.

The student that has a single mom or dad. Or step parents/siblings.

The student who is the class clown that is broken at their root and ashamed of who they are.

The student who is under pressure to look or act a certain way.

The student who goes from relationship to relationship because they never were shown true love from their home.

The student who’s identity is in what they do. Sport, video game, phone, relationship

The student who thinks this is the end.

The student who does not think they are worthy of being loved.

If this is you, or you think you live a pretty good life, either way, I love you guys, these other leaders in this room love you guys. But even better than how we love. Jesus loves you, God the Father loves you, he wants a relationship with you. He wants you to put your faith and trust in Him, and to receive everlasting life.

I am not saying Jesus does not care about sin, what i am saying is Jesus is meeting all people of all cultural and spiritual backgrounds and he wants and desires to love you, to have a relationship with you. He wants, and he can deal with the sin later. You can not fix yourself first, then give your life to Jesus.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

Where are you?

Have you been deflecting Jesus? Making excuses? Finding other things to give you life?

firefighter illustration again if time. Will you receive him?

Make Jesus the Lord of your life tonight if you have not already.

Talk to any leader, we want to serve you in that way.

Pray.

Small Group Questions:

What are some barriers that you need to remove to either receive Jesus as Lord of your life, or to go and tell others of the gospel?

What are you relying on to give you life?

What are some half truths that you use to justify sin areas in your life?

Where have you seen the love of Jesus in your own life?