The Son Offers Living Water

Does anyone remember what we covered last in the Gospel Project, in our Worth the Wait study?

Last week Pastor Carl was in Proverbs but two weeks ago Josh taught.

The Son Brings Eternal Life

We were in John 3.

It was an encounter between Jesus and someone—does anyone remember his name? Nicodemus.

He comes to Jesus in the night asking questions of this Rabbi.

John 3:3 “3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.””

John 3:4 “4 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?””

John 3:6–8 “6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.””

Remember Josh took us back to the Old Testament and connected it to what OT story?

Moses and the snakes. To be saved from the snakes they had to what?

Numbers 21:8–9 “8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”

John 3:14–16 “14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

So there is salvation in Christ through the cross. We look up to the cross where we are made right.

At Summer Camp during the Q&A someone was talking about how Satan whispers in our ear, reminds us of our mistakes. Satan doesn’t have to look far to find mistakes we have made and remind us of how unworthy we are. But thats the beauty of the gospel right.

I told LaRissa afterwords I couldn’t help but think of lyrics to an old song.

When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within.

Upward I look and see Him there, Who made an end to all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free.

For God the Just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me.

So we have eternal life through the Son of God. We are going to continue along the life of Jesus and stay in the Gospel of John.

The Son Offers Living Water

We are going to cover three points:

The Son gives living water

The Son enables true worship

The Son provides an abundant harvest

Main Point: Jesus promised the Samaritan woman that all who believe in Him receive living water—the Holy Spirit—who completely satisifes the longings of the heart and enables true worship of God.

Setting: Jesus was returning home to Galilee after some time spent in Judea. Instead of going around the region of Samaria, He went through it. While in Samaria, He stopped at a well and interacted with a Samaritan woman who was known for her immoral lifestyle, seeking satisfaction from the pleasures of the world. Jesus met her and promised that He could give her living water—the Holy Spirit—who would completely satisfy her deepest longings.

Last week we looked at Nicodemus. What did we know about Nicodemus? He was well respected, a religious leader. Well respected and well known. This week we have the opposite—the other end of the spectrum. We have the Samaritan woman—known for an immoral lifestyle, had been with so many men she was probably shunned by society.

Why do we often evaluate people by their public standing or by their actions?

Discuss—Do we do this? And if so, why?

We all long for something. For some sort of satisfaction, something greater than ourselves. We want to be happy or fulfilled. The problem is we often look for satisfaction in temporal things that do not provide any joy. Love, marriage, relationships, friendships, money, possessions, safety, security, we strive for these things and find nothing.

This woman was trying to find satisfaction in the intimacy of men and found brokenness—it comes from Jesus alone.

The Son gives living water vv.7-14

John 4:7–14 “7 A woman from 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 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.) 10 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.” 11 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? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 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.””

Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman about the physical need for water to explain how, through Him, our spiritual need for eternal life is fulfilled.

With what types of people might we find it difficult to share the good news of Jesus?

So what happens in this story. Jesus is on a journey. He gets to a well and is looking for what? Water. And the only person around is a Samaritan. Jesus begins to talk to her which is such a no no, and how do we know that? Well the passage tells us.

John 4:9 “9 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.)”

So what is a Samaritan: “Samaritans were looked down on by Jews because they only believed in the authority of the Pentateuch, the first five books of Scripture from Moses. They worshiped God on Mount Gerizim in Shechem because that was where the patriarchs worshiped. Their hope in a prophet/Messiah was derived solely from Deuteronomy 18:18, where God promised to raise up a prophet like Moses. Jews and Samaritans were generally hostile toward each other.

Jews and Samaritans disagreed on theology, on who or what the Messiah is/was, etc. Do we have these disagreements today?

Yes. The Jews being high and mighty looked down on others who had different beliefs. I have a question for you to consider—I’m not going to ask if we do this, but how do we do this. Don’t answer—just think about that. Who are the people that we, the Jews, look down other groups because of their views on things. Those people who are made in the image of God. And perhaps some of those people are part of the kingdom.

So we have this Samaritan.

Last week was really hot. And what did we all want? Water. A nice cold glass of water. It brings such satisfication. It quenches your thirst.

We take for granted the so many ways we can get water here at this building. You can walk to the kitchen and get a bottled water. You have your water bottle that you want go to the drinking fountain and fill up. There are over a dozen sinks you can get water from. There are hose bibs you can drink from. There are so many options to get water easy.

But when we go to Uganda we find other parts of the world don’t live this way. What do we find? Kids, little kids, take jugs and walk sometimes a mile plus, to find a well, and pump water out to fill the cans and bring them back to the hut to have for cooking, bathing and drinking. And they do that several times a day every day of the week.

Its work to get the water we need. And thats what we find here. Jesus is thirsty. He doesn’t have a hyrdoflask to drink from. No one has a water bottle to give him. There was no sink to drink from.

He comes to well and asks for water. He asks the one type of person he shouldn’t even talk to.

And Jesus has this encounter with her, and a typical “Strange” encounter that doesn’t follow typical conversation norms or practices.

Jesus asks for water, she says you can’t talk to me, Jesus responds I have this living water you can have.

She responds with—you are asking me for water and the well is deep, you have no way to get water but yet your offering me living water?

She responds with our father Jacob gave us this well. He has been so good to us, do you think you are better than he?

This is the same argument we face today right? Is Jesus really better than our traditions and ancestory. We have been so “good”, is this Jesus way better than that?

John 4:13–14 “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.””

vv.13-14 Jesus is greater than Jacob because His gift is greater—one sip from the water that Jesus offers is enough to never thirst again.

You can drink of that water but than you will want more. And more. And more. And more. It is never enough. Drink of the water and thirst no more.

2. The Son Enables True Worship vv.19-24

Do you know what we missed from verses 14-22? Jesus exposes this woman for her lifestyle.

John 4:16 “16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.””

John 4:17–18 “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.””

And so with that in mind the story continues:

John 4:19–24 “19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to 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.””

KEY DOCTRINE #90: Worship: While many reduce worship to an event or the singing of worship songs, worship is first and foremost something of the heart and extends to all areas of life. The aim and focus of worship is God, giving Him the exact due of praise and adoration that He deserves. Worship should be carried out not only at a personal level within a Christian’s life but also in joining with other Christians in the corporate act of worship and stewarding our gifts for the glory of God. Corporate worship serves to edify and strengthen other Christians, but it also serves as a witness to non-believers of the greatness of God.

True worship comes from knowing the truth of the identity and work of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and from being indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

There is a theological difference amongst Jews & Samaritans on who God was and where to worship. In is fleshed out some in this passage. We worship at the mountain—you worship are Jerusalem.

Jesus deflects this statement.

John 4:21 “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.”

Location doesn’t matter to me—I don’t care where you worship I care how you worship and to whom you worship.

John 4:22 “22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

You ignore the rest of the OT so you don’t know the whole story. The Jews have the entire OT they have the story unfolded. All pointing to what? A coming Savior.

Its important to point out here—what is the point of the Old Testament? It all points to Jesus. Whether it be a passage of Jesus appearing or Christ-like appearances or pictures of salvation or there need of a Savior or simply that the Messiah is to come, the entire OT points to Jesus.

And when you ignore the OT, when you discredit those books you don’t appreciate or understand what or who exactly is coming to make it right. Because Prophets, priests and kings can’t make it right. But there is one who is THE Prophet, THE Priest, and THE King who will make it right.

3. The Son Provides an Abundant Harvest

John 4:34–38 “34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.””

Jesus used the need for food and nourishment to teach His disciples about the importance of doing God’s will, especially in terms of evangelism and mission.

The woman runs and tells others of her encounter. And the scene shifts to Jesus encounter with his disciples. Jesus talks with this women, she runs and tells others perhaps this is the Christ, and people are amazed. And do you know how the disciples responded?

John 4:31 “31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.””

And so Jesus responds, I am not worreid about food, I am here to do the work I was sent to do. He was sent to tell the good news, to warn people of upcoming destruction!

Discuss: Why is evangelism so important to God? (because His main mission is to save sinners into His kingdom and family; because He desires love and worship from all; because there is an urgency to save as many as possible; because He wants what’s best for His image-bearers)

“Jesus told His disciples that there was greater nourishment in doing the Father’s will than in any food they had to offer Him. And what was the Father’s will? To save people from every nation, tribe, and tongue—all humankind—and bring them into the kingdom of God. Jesus, in revealing His identity to the Samaritan woman and telling her of the good news of living water, did just that. And she in turn would share that good news—the gospel—with others. For Jesus, there was greater satisfaction in doing that than any meal this world has to offer.”

He is not discrediting the need for food. We saw this in the wilderness, he does need to eat because he is fully man. But we get so caught up in the tasks of the day we lose site of the big picture.

Imagine you come to a densely wooded forest. There is a lake in the middle of it that you want to be able to take your boat to. How would you get your boat to the lake? You would have to build a road. Well how would you build a road? You have to clear the trees. You can get so focused on the tree in front of you and getting that one down that if you lose sight of the path you are trying to make or the direction your trying to go you can wander in circles. You can clear thousands of trees and get no where near the water.

vv.36-38 Whether sowing or reaping in the harvest of souls, all roles are important in the mission of God.

The work begins now. Not when your older or more mature or understand the bible better. Your work begins now. Go, tell people the good news.

Discuss: How can we have a stronger sense of urgency in sharing with others the good news of Jesus? (praying for more opportunities for boldness; reading Scripture and seeing God’s heart to see people come to Him; putting time in our schedule to seek out people who need to know the gospel message)

Because Christ satisfies our deepest longing, we worship Him as a way of life, praying that God might use us to draw others to Himself so that their thirst might be quenched as well.

Conclusion: Jesus told the Samaritan woman that a day was coming when worshipers would not focus on the physical location of their worship but would worship God in Spirit and truth. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, our worship is no longer confined by geography. We worship Jesus as the Savior of the whole world wherever we are, knowing that God indwells us always.