Let's #BECOME True Worshipers!

Intro:

Last week, we looked at a conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus!

And we talked about #BECOMING Citizens of the Kingdom of God!

And how we can only become citizens of His kingdom by being BORN AGAIN!

We get to continue this SAGA of CONVERSATIONS that Jesus had with real people at real times in real places!

And Today we are going to listen in on a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well!

We are going to hear about......

Jesus meeting this woman right where she was!

About Jesus offering her a gift to eternally quench her thirst.

About how this radically changes this woman’s life!

And as you listen.....It is so easy to just hear this story as another Bible Story....

And most likely, it is a story you have heard before.

A story that you know the details of....you know the the story.

BUT IT IS MUCH MORE THAN A STORY!

And so I asked Jaclyn to sing a song this morning that may MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT THE STORY DIFFERENTLY!

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL!

We will see in John 4:23 “23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

This is what I want to talk about today....

Let’s #BECOME True Worshipers!

What would that look like for you today....

Not to be here out of obligation.....rhythm.....or routine.

What if you truly Worshiped today in SPIRIT AND TRUTH!

THE FATHER IS SEEKING SUCH TO WORSHIP HIM....

CORPORATE PRAYER

I. Jesus offers Living Water to those who Thirst. (1-15)

John 4:1–15 NKJV

1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Jesus needed to go to Samaria.....This was a divine Appointment!.....He has purpose in everything he does!

I was thinking about this during the week......

There is a show called A Million Little Things.....

And I was thinking about how God works......EVERY MOVE HE MAKES and EVERY WORD HE SAYS......

DOES NOT JUST A MILLION LITTLE THINGS......BUT 10 MILLION ETERNAL THINGS!!!!

He NEEDED to do one thing....go to SAMARIA!!!

BUT IN THAT ONE THING.....HE WAS DOING 10 MILLION ETERNAL THINGS!

Was going to heal a broken woman and give her a gift of eternal life....

He was working in her life so that her testimony would draw others in....

And I believe....in that one thing.....HE HAS BEEN DOING ETERNAL THINGS THROUGHOUT EACH GENERATION....

INCLUDING.....what HE MAY BE DOING IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW!

The fact that Jesus pursues us should AMAZE us!

This was the case for the Samaritan Woman!

She could not figure out why a Jewish man was asking her (a Samaritan Woman) for a drink of water....

Jews and Samaritans could not stand each other.....and here was a Jew speaking to her.

She couldn't figure out why He was even speaking to her....

AND SHE DEFINITELY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY IN THE WORLD HE WAS WILLING TO GIVE HER A GIFT OF LIVING WATER!

AND it should AMAZE US TODAY that JESUS PURSUES US!

God who is HOLY and completely RIGHTEOUS......pursues SINFUL MAN who are UNHOLY and desperately wicked....

NOT ONLY THAT.....but we were ENEMY OF GOD....those who rejected him!

And not only did He just PURSUE US.....but HE DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE FOR US WHILE WE WERE IN THIS STATE AS SINNERS and DIED FOR US!

THIS SHOULD AMAZE US!!!!

Especially when we know the Gift that Jesus offers!

In this passage, its called LIVING WATER....

Jesus says its a different type of water....

Regular water....you drink and then you will get thirsty again…and you will need to drink again

Jesus says when you drink the living water....you will never thirst again!

Jesus says that THIS WATER will BECOME A FOUNTAIN of WATER SPRINGING UP INTO EVERLASTING LIFE!

Living water is not something you take a drink of and that drink is enough and you wont thirst!

IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU TAKE A DRINK OF…AND IT BECOMES A SPRING WITHIN YOU THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DRINK FROM!

It Satisfies the SOUL!!!

People look for answers all the time to just about everything in life....

AND THIS WORLD HAS NOTHING SATISFYING!!!

Paul tells us to AVOID…PROFANE and IDLE BABBLINGS and CONTRADICTIONS of WHAT IS FALSELY CALLED KNOWLEDGE

IT’s lies and contradictions THAT WILL NOT SATISFY!

BUT THIS WATER....that JESUS OFFERS....IT SATISFIES!!!

It gives true comfort in the deepest sorrows

It gives sweet clarity in the most confusing places

It gives Great Peace that Surpasses Understanding

IT SATISFIES....where nothing else can

WHAT A GIFT!!!

But if we are not careful.....we stand before JESUS WHO HAS THIS GREAT GIFT READY TO GIVE US.....

AND we get LOST IN THE DETAILS.

The Samaritan woman got lost in the details....

Why do you have dealing with a Samaritan....

What will you use to get this Living Water....

For you have nothing to draw it out with....

And OH…YEAH....This well is so deep…how will you get it!

You know we can be like this SAMARITAN WOMAN!

Jesus stands offering JOY, PEACE, RESTORATION....

And we say…well what about this…or what about that!?

PRAISE THE LORD that HE OFFERS LIVING WATER FOR THOSE WHO THIRST!!

II. The Hour has Come for us to #BECOME True Worshipers. (16-26)

John 4:16–26 NKJV

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (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.”

SO LET”S COME BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED.....LET’S #BECOME TRUE WORSHIPERS!

But To truly Worship, we must first FACE OUR BROKENNESS.

Jesus spoke truth to her about her brokenness....about her marriages and the man she was currently with!

This Brokenness exposes her spiritual thirst....just how thirsty she was for this living water!

You may come today trying to hide your brokenness before one another, and perhaps even the LORD.....

And today, HE SIMPLY WANTS TO EXPOSE YOUR BROKENNESS TO SHOW YOU HOW THIRSTY YOU ARE FOR LIVING WATER!

Drinking this Living Water leads to TRUE WORSHIP!

And Jesus says this True Worship is in the SPIRIT and TRUTH!

You see…When Jesus asked her to get her husband....she spoke in a deceptive way.....Saying I have no Husband

And technically, this was true.....but she was using the truth for deception!

Isn’t this the way it is when we want something our way....

We use nuggets of truth to deceive people away from the real TRUTH that we do not want them to know!

KIDS.... HAVE THIS DOWN AS AN ART...

“How did that end up broken and on the floor?..”

“Well, I didnt touch it.”

“Did Jayla touch it?”

No, neither one of us did.”

AND COME TO FIND OUT....they didnt touch it because they both had gloves on as they threw it back and forth....

TEENAGERS ARE REALLY GOOD AT THIS...

USING TRUTH TO DECEIVE IS NOT TRUTH AT ALL!

And maybe you are deceiving yourself just enough with little technical truths.....that you really have forgotten how much you need this living water!

The Hour has come for TRUE WORSHIP in the SPIRIT and TRUTH!

Our worship is made TRUE when it is based on the SPIRIT AND ACTUAL TRUTH!

By in Spirit....I mean when God has miraculous and graciously aligned the soul of man with the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD!

And there are times when you are aware of this HOLY ALIGNMENT and other times when you struggle!

But the TRUTH IS WHAT GOD HAS DONE....and whether we feel it our not....

TRUE WORSHIP COMES FROM AN ADORATION OF GOD....A LOVE FOR GOD!

III. True Worshipers Testify of the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. (27-42)

John 4:27–42 NKJV

27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

WHEN WE TRULY RECOGNIZE WHAT GOD HAS DONE....HIS GIFT......WE CANT HELP BUT TO GO AND TELL!!

This woman even left her waterpot....

She knew that she didnt need that waterpot to draw this LIVING WATER....

THIS LIVING WATER WAS GIVEN TO HER....and HAD BECOME A FOUNTAIN OF WATER SPRINGING UP INTO ETERNAL LIFE!!!

AND SHE WANTED EVERYONE TO DRINK FROM THIS FOUNTAIN THAT HAD SPRUNG UP IN HER!!!!

And many did......Many Believed

In fact, They came to Jesus after listening to her....because they were THIRSTY!

Do we lead others to Jesus

The fields are white for harvest for those to KNOW THAT THIS IS INDEED THE CHRIST, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

THERE ARE SO MANY THAT ARE THIRSTY....

There is nothing in this world that will quench it for them....

Only does the LIVING WATER SATISFY!!!!

Let’s #BECOME TRUE WORSHIPERS TODAY!!!

I. Jesus offers Living Water to those who Thirst. (1-15)

II. The Hour has Come for us to #BECOME True Worshipers. (16-26)

III. True Worshipers Testify of the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. (27-42)