THE ETERNAL THIRST QUENCHER

HOOK

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We all know Gatorade to be a “thirst quencher” of athletes a like. One of their slogan goes “is it in you?”

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Naya, a Canadian natural spring water company, markets their product saying: “Hungry For Life. Thirsty For Naya.”

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Then another bottled water brand, Dasani has a slogan that goes: “You can’t live without it.”

But there is a water that is a forever thirst quencher, one that you cannot live eternally with, and will not keep you thirsty for other kinds of water. This water when it will flow in you will spring up life everlasting. This is the living water, eternal life offered by the life giver, Jesus Christ.

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Lesson Points:

Consume the Living Water

Preach the Living Water

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BOOK

We have here a long verse in John 4:1-42. Please open your Bibles and try to read along as I simplify the narrative with pictures.

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Jesus and the disciples separated ways for a while when the disciples had gone away to get food for Jesus in the city.

Jesus met with a woman from Samaria in Jacob’s well there and asked her to give Him water.

The Samaritan woman declined and said “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans”

Jesus then had a conversation with her at that time. In their conversation, Jesus implies to her that:

He offers to give living water as God’s gift to whomsoever asks from Him.

The one who receives the water He offers will never thirst again, but will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.

Other things Jesus pointed to her:

Her many husbands where the one she has now is not her husband.

Worship of the Father will no longer be limited to the Jews in Jerusalem; and true worship will be to the Father in spirit and truth.

Lastly, Jesus reveals to her that He is the Messiah.

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The disciples came back, and the woman left.

Jesus said to the disciples:

His food is to do the will of the Father who sent Him.

The harvest is white for harvest.

Those who sow and reap rejoices when they will receive wages, and see the fruit of eternal life.

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The Samaritan woman came to the city of Samaria and told other Samaritans about Jesus.

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They all went to Jesus then believed in Him.

Her testimony brought the men to Jesus and subsequently they believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world.

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LOOK

The story of the Samaritan woman and her conversation with Jesus is rich with a lot of biblical truths. It touches mostly on two doctrines: Soteriology, and Evangelism

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We can parallel Jesus’ conversation with the woman on eternal life and with the disciples on evangelism. The woman represents the offer of eternal life to all unbelievers; while the disciples represent the command to all believers to evangelize.

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A. Eternal life is:

1. Accorded for free to all unbelievers (4:10)

It is a gift of God offered to all.

Jesus will freely give this gift to those who asks Him of it.

Jesus said to the woman in verse 10: “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 giving water.”

We just need to ask for it and He will freely give it to us.

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2. Appropriated once (4:13-14)

Once the living water (Et. Life) is “drank” (appropriated), future consumption is no longer possible.

It’s effects are instant (“will spring up into everlasting life”)

Jesus said to the woman in verse 13 and 14: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” We can only be born again once. There is no other way to have eternal life but only through Him.

Once we accept the living water, Jesus said it will become to us a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. The effects are instant. We instantly receive the eternal life.

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3. Access to the Father (4:21-24)

All who believes:

Can call God as Father; and

Worship Him by His Spirit in spirit and truth.

We can read in verse 21-23 that the worship will no longer be limited to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles (non-Jews) as all who believes will be able to worship God.

Worship to God will no longer be in a material or fleshly way, but in spiritual means with the Spirit that lives in us.

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B. Evangelism is:

1. Afforded costly to all believers (4:34-35,38)

An obligation and an opportunity

God’s desires and sends all believers to preach

Just as it is the desire (“thelema”) of the Father for Jesus to finish the work of salvation on earth, so is His desire for all believers to share the Gospel of salvation to the world, the harvest field).

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2. Advanced repeatedly (4:36-42)

Sowing and reaping:

Is a repeated practice until fruit is produced.

Is intentional and initiated

Can involve more than one believer

John used the present tense for “sowing” and “reaping” implying a continuous or repeated practice. The believer’s intention is for the one they are sowing and/or reaping to produce the fruit of eternal life.

We can observe throughout the assigned passages that Jesus was the one who initiated the conversation with the Samaritan woman. Sometimes, conversations could be started by the unbeliever. But most of the time, it would be best if we initiate it and be intentional with the purpose of bringing the person to salvation.

Lastly, one may sow, while another reap. The sowing of one believer might not produce the intended fruit of eternal life. But another believer who comes after may reap the harvest through his work, and finally see that fruit produced in the now turned believer.

We actually see this in verse 39-42 where the Samaritan, now believer, sowed the seed to the other Samaritans in the city. They all went to Jesus where Jesus reaped the harvest when they finally believed in Him.

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3. Ante up by the Father (4:36)

Master-servant relationship

God will reward the sower and reaper.

The worker will rejoice with the wages, and seeing the new believer

Evangelism establishes a master-slave relationship where God will compensate believers who preach the message of salvation to the world.

When will the evangelizer rejoice?

On earth when they see the fruit of eternal life in the new believer.

In the Kingdom when their works are judged in the Judgement Seat of Christ.

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TOOK

Salvation towards eternal life is very simple. Unbelievers just need to accept the offered gift of God. Once accepted, the Spirit will be bestowed by God to the new believer so he can approach and worship God their Father in spirit and in truth.

On the other end, evangelism is a difficult work of all believers as it needs repetition, continuous efforts, patience, resources and time. God knows the difficulty of this work; thus, He offers to pay us back once we enter His presence in the Kingdom.

Finally, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman can be taken as an example of evangelism. There is no exact method of how to do it, but like in our passages, let us be intentional in our goal to see the seed of the Gospel sowed in a person, take the initiative to approach people who has not yet believed, and be patient in waiting to see the fruit of eternal life in that person.

Challenge:

Just as Jesus did, let’s try this simple conversation guides to say to an unbeliever we can approach on the streets today:

You: I see that you may be thirsty this time. I have here a glass of water (or any kind of beverage you have on hand).

Unbeliever: “Sure, let me take a drink!”

You: <once he finishes the drink> Do you know that the water that Jesus offers for all to drink will cause us to never thirst again?

<be spontaneous to whatever his/her reaction; but be sensitive to lead the conversation back to the water>

You: The living water Jesus offers is life eternal with Him in Heaven. All you need to do is accept it by believing that Jesus is both God and Savior. He died on the cross and rose again from the grave so that you don’t have to experience the penalty of sin - eternal damnation in Hell; but be with Him eternally in Heaven. The moment you believe, you can now have access to God as your Father and worship Him in spirit and in truth.

References

Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003)

https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/1h4cas/gatorades_old_sloganlogo/

https://naya.com/en/history

https://museumoffailure.com/exhibition/coca-cola-dasani

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/who-is-the-woman-at-the-well.html

https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/jesus/beginning-ministry/teaches-samaritan-woman/

https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-stories-lessons/12/the-woman-at-the-well/