Living In The Overflow

John 4:7-14

One of the most important events recorded in the book of John occurred at a well, the most significant of these events was the encounter Christ had at a well with a Samaritan woman.

Let’s compare John 3 & the encounter Jesus had with Nicodemus, & John 4 & the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman, there are some noteworthy differences and similarities.

First the differences, the person Christ encountered in chapter 3 was a man, but in chapter 4 it was a woman. The person in chapter 3 was named, but the person in chapter 4 was not named. The person in chapter 3 had rank, but the person in chapter 4 was of lowly position. The person in chapter 3 was a Jew, but the person in chapter 4 was a Samaritan. The person in chapter 3 was upright morally, but the person in chapter 4 was a very immoral person. The encounter in John 3 took place at night; the one in John 4 took place at noon. The encounter in John 3 closes without a report of any conversions. The encounter in John 4 closes with a report of many conversions.

In regards to similarities, both the person in chapter 3 and the person in chapter 4 were very ignorant of Who Christ was. Both argued with Christ by responding to His first statement with a “How” question (John 3:4; 4:9). Each of us has carnalized the symbolic language and message of Christ at some point (spiritual birth vs human birth; spiritual water vs material water).

Now we find our Lord and Savior on the move, this time on a path that led from Judea through Samaria to Galilee, contrary to how the devout Jews traveled, He felt the need to go through Samaria, however, because of the dislike between the Jews and the Samaritans, devout Jews would take the long route, and go around Samaria.

The Samaritans to the Jews, were like those people that your mama told you to stay away from. Don’t go in their neighborhood. You know the ones; Christ had a plan.

How many of us realize that Jesus Christ had a divine appointment scheduled in Samaria, His disciples were with Him, they went on into the city to buy food, while Jesus, ‘tired from the trip’, sat at Jacob’s well in Samaria, in a city called Sychar.

Now let us look at this woman that Jesus is soon to have an encounter with…This woman seems to have had a rough time…

First of all when Jesus sees her, approaching the well in the heat of the day, at noon, and she is alone. Most times the women would gather together twice a day and talk amongst themselves as they drew water.

This woman came during the heat of the day, alone, as though she were trying to avoid the other women. Look, with me as we continue in the scriptures, this woman had been married 5 times, and now she was shacking up..

She was in sin and seemingly an outcast, who was downcast and discouraged, an outsider, a sinner and a loner…She was empty and void…looking for something and finding nothing…She had tried everything…I guess it could be said, she was looking for love in all the wrong places…

It had to be rough for this woman or child of God, because we can relate how people are.. The world calls you by your problem, by your sin, your situation, condition and position.

When you do something, you are no longer sister or brother…Now you are a liar, convict, drunkard, drug addict; the world calls you deaf, dumb, mute, sick, and depressed; the world calls you a failure, molester, fornicator and adulterer.

But when you come to know Christ He makes you new, and even though the world may still refer to you as who you were; you become who God says you are to be;

Now you are a child of God; joint heirs with Christ; more than a conqueror; able to do all things through Christ;

You are fearfully and wonderfully made; you have been given power; you are no longer empty, but now you are filled;

You are now able to do what you have never done; and able to stop doing what you have always done.

People say you can’t, God says you can. People say you won’t, God says you will . Get ready for your overflow!!

This woman was empty, but on her way to excess….she was in a spiritual drought on her way to spiritual overflow…

Jesus Christ. The giver of life, sitting at the well resting. When here comes the Samaritan woman…

Jews did not talk with women in public, especially Samaritans. Jews would not use the eating or drinking utensils from a Samaritan…But Jesus asked this woman for a drink…

But how many know that Jesus goes where nobody will go? He will sit with those no one will sit with; He will share His identity with those who some believe, don’t deserve to know; Jesus will identify with those who have the worst past; the ones voted most likely to fail; has the worst reputation and situation; Don’t know where they came from nor where they are going; They feel hopeless and helpless; down and out; empty and void…

Jesus will go to the Samaritans of the world and pull them up; turn them around; deliver them; heal them; restore them; and renew them; He will save them; He will give them help and hope; peace and joy; rest and restoration; purpose and plans; He will change them from nothing to something; from empty to overflowing…Old things are passed away, behold all things become new!!

Get ready for your overflow.

Aren’t you glad that Jesus does not judge us the way we judge each other?

Aren’t you glad that He doesn’t say we’ve been too bad.. we don’t have the right name, the right address, the right friends..

Aren’t you glad He is not interested in our degrees and our affiliations; He is not interested in how well we speak or if we stutter.

HE is not interested in the seniority of the saved if you have been saved for 5 minutes or 5 decades..

He does not care if your bible is red or black, leather or paperback.

He is not interested in what you wear or the color of your hair.

He does not care if we are male or female, young or old.

He is not interested in the type of car we drive or the size of our house.

HE does not care if we talk low or speak loudly.

Aren’t you glad that “God so loved the world that HE sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever…!!” Get ready for your overflow!

So Jesus asks this woman for a drink, and she had this bewildered look on her face, because the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.. He begins to tell her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water….

He goes on to tell her…”Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” Get ready for your overflow!

Jesus is saying… Continue to drink of the water you have and it will only fill you temporarily. We have been searching for something to fill the void.. something to complete us.. And nothing is working; nothing is filling…

But I have something that will not only fill you & I, but it will cause us to walk in overflow; it will complete us and then spill over on our circumstances; it will spill over on our family and our friends and our co-workers…It is overflowing and ever flowing.. it never ends, but keeps us full

You know how it is…Somebody here today is thirsty and wanting to be filled;

Just like the Samaritan woman, you’ve had a number of husbands, but your husbands are whatever you have tried to do outside of Christ, to be filled.

It may be drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, cigarettes, over eating, overspending, bad relationships, or gambling; whatever you’ve tried, there is nobody like Jesus, so if you have not tried Jesus, you are still empty, and still thirsty.

Get ready for your overflow!

This woman was now interested in getting some of this water…Jesus told her to go and get her husband…

After HE told her about herself…she thought Him to be a prophet..and began to question Him about the proper place to worship. (Jerusalem or in the mountain)

Jesus’ response was that the hour is coming, and now is, that people will not worship in the mountain or in Jerusalem, but the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth…

He was saying it does not matter where but it does to matters how…

Is your worship fake or is it real..

Do you believe or are you counterfeit?

Do you love Him or are you perpetrating?

Are you committed or do you waiver?

Is your worship dependent on your circumstances?

When your worship is for real, you don’t sit back and watch others worship and praise…When your worship is for real, you aren’t standing back to see how someone sings..when your worship is for real, you don’t care who is watching…

You begin to think about who God is..You begin to think about His love and His faithfulness..

You begin to think about His goodness; You think about His grace and mercy; You begin to say “thank you Lord! Thank for what you’ve done!

Thank you for who you are! Thank you for your love!

Thank you for provision! Thank you for protection!

Thank you for my family! Thank you for my friends!

Thank you for my church! Thank you for never leaving nor forsaking me! Thank you for keeping me when I did not deserve to be kept!

Thank you Jesus, for dying in my place; thank you for everlasting life; thank you for paying the price for me! Thank you for my senses!

Thank you for a roof over my head, clothes on my back and shoes on my feet! Thank you! Thank you!!

Nobody can stop you from praising when you experience the overflow!

The woman told Jesus, “the Messiah is coming and HE will tell us everything.”

Then Jesus revealed Himself to the woman…

The disciples came returned

The woman left her water pot and went to town..she told everyone, “Come, see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

This woman did not learn about Jesus in the church..The town did not learn about Jesus in the church. We have to take the gospel outside of the 4 walls of the church, church!!!

This woman said she had to tell it all ..She forgot about her emptiness; she forgot about her problems; she forgot about her loneliness; she forgot about her thirst!! She was walking in the overflow!

She had gone from empty to overflowing. Her joy and excitement was spilling out on everyone she came in contact with. The people came to see Jesus for themselves.

Because of her witness the town was saved..She could not keep it to herself..She was in the overflow…

When you find that there is something better than where you have been and what you have been through, you want to tell everyone including those who turned their backs on you,

When you were down; those who talked about you, when you messed up; those who criticized you, when you could only do what you knew to do;

Those you thought poorly of you, because you could not do what they did and did not have what they had;

Those who tried to set you up to fail and those who tried to sit you down . ..

You just want to tell everybody the love of Christ that compel you, you’re walking in the overflow!

She was filled and overfilled. If we are filled with the Truth and the Spirit of God, we will not be able to keep it to ourselves..It just goes all over the place…We can’t help it…We have to be witnesses..We have to tell everybody and anybody.

Are you filled? If you are filled, then are you telling everybody about somebody who can save anybody?

Jesus called on us to take the message of unconditional love and forgiveness to all the people and to witness this message; we are to; share it, speak it, spread it, teach it, but most importantly, we are to live it.

It does not matter if it’s your family, your job; if it is across the sea or across the street; if it’s with someone you know or someone you just met. You need to be a witness.

The theme today is, be still and be filled; it is not be filled and be still; God is not looking for sponges to soak up, but for dispensers who will take in and give out.

You need to tell somebody, when you are filled with the Holy Ghost and filled with the Word of God;

When you become new, and give your cares to Christ;

When you call on Jesus and surrender to God, turning from the world and turning from destruction;

You need to tell somebody that God will set you free; deliver you from bondage; make a way out of no way; supply your need; save your family; answer your prayer; give you joy’, provide you peace; heal your wounds; comfort your heart; order your steps; direct your path;

You need to tell somebody that salvation is free, and eternal life is forever; that God loves you most and God loved you first;

You need to tell somebody that God knows your pain and He understands your struggles; that He will hear your cry and make your enemies your footstool;

You need to tell somebody that God will put food on your table and clothes on your back;

He will pay your bills and bring your joy back!

You need to tell somebody that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose; and that there is nothing impossible for Him; nothing is too hard for Him;

You need to tell somebody that He knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb, and before you were born He sanctified you (set you apart for His purpose) Tell somebody that God will give you overflow!!!

God’s overflow will spill over into your family…

God will fix your marriage and bring your children home;

He will protect you and keep you; and in your weakness He is strong.

He will lift you up when you are down and He will open doors no man can shut.

If you only knew that the Lord is able; His hand is not shortened that it can not save;

Nor His ear heavy that He cannot hear

Jesus is the Living Water,

If you have not experienced the overflow of the Holy Spirit, you need to ask Jesus for a drink of Living water today!!

If you have not experienced His goodness; If you don’t know about His grace and mercy….Ask Jesus for a drink of Living Water…

Exchange your emptiness for overflow..

Exchange your loneliness for overflow..

exchange your thirst for overflow..

exchange your hurt for overflow..

exchange your habits for overflow..

exchange your sickness for overflow..

exchange your weariness for overflow…

exchange your unforgiveness for overflow…

exchange your adulteress relationship for overflow..

exchange your addiction for overflow…

exchange your drought for overflow..

exchange your hopelessness for overflow…

God wants us to experience the overflow, the fountain of living water springing up on the inside of us..…

Jesus said, ‘He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” The Spirit of God has power to change you; to change your situation; to change your mind; to change your condition!! The overflow!!!

Jesus is calling you out of fake religion into real relationship, experience and receive the overflow!

He wants us to know that He can change our current condition and our past position..

For those who are not sure what He can do, let me remind you….ladies

How there was a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years, and after spending all she had, and trying every remedy there was, seeking ever doctor she knew, but only growing worse..she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was made whole; the overflow

How the Syrophoenician woman came and stood in the gap for her demon possessed daughter, crying out, ‘have mercy on me!’ and Jesus healed her daughter that same hour. The Overflow

How accusers brought an adulteress to Jesus and they wanted to stone her, but Jesus said, ‘He who is without sin, cast the first stone,’ and they left the woman alone. The Overflow

How Sarah, at the age of 90, had a baby when her womb should have been dead; and how Hannah had a baby, after being barren, when she cried out to God; The Overflow

I’ll remind us….men

How blind Bartimaeus, sitting by the side the roadside yelling, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,’ and Jesus gave him his sight. The Overflow

How Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethesda who had an infirmity for 38 years. The Overflow

How the man with the withered hand and how Jesus told him, ‘stretch forth thine hand,’ and it was restored; The Overflow

And since we have youth today, I would have told you how Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead; The Overflow

I would have told you how Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, while some were mourning and some were laughing because they did not believe; The Overflow

I would have told you, how Jesus called all of the little children to himself, and took them in His arms and blessed them; The Overflow

The Lord wants you to know who He is today….

He wants to offer you an overflow of blessings and an overflow of life…

In John 10:10b, “I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”

And to those who have not committed; those who are not yet filled; those who keep stopping by the church, instead of being in the church; those who feel that there is no hope and there is not help…

God is looking for you, and bought you here today…

Jesus has an appointment with you today, just like He had an appointment with the woman at the well…

He wants you to know Him, and who He is; He wants you to know that you do not have to hunger and thirst, because He is the Living Water and can cause you an overflow!

He says, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

If only you knew the gift of God and who it is that is speaking to you this morning, you would ask Him for living water.

If you knew who is it that says today, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

If only you knew the Lord is ready to take you from the bondage of your past to the freedom of your future; He will take away your thirst and emptiness, and He will cause an overflow…

You would not be able to wait another day without telling everybody about your Savior; about your Lord; about your Father; about your new life; about your deliverance; about your healing; about your restoration; about your overflow!

All that you have done and all that you have tried will not compare to the filling that comes when you give your life to Christ.

Just like the samaritan woman was ready to receive the overflow; the fountain of the Living Water. You can receive your overflow!!

I just stopped by to tell you about a man, who told me all that I ever did.

I just stopped by to tell you about a man who can save you from destruction; who can deliver you from your pains and hurts; a man who can supply your needs and lift your head; a man who has all power and authority in His hands;

I just stopped by to tell you about a man who sticks closer than a brother and who loved you enough to lay down His life for you!!

I came by to tell you about a man named Jesus who is able to cause you to do what you have never done before…

He can cause you to be who you have never been before …

He can fill you like you have never been filled before…

I just stopped by to tell you about a man, that if you only knew who He was; If you only knew what He could do…You would come and receive your overflow!!

I’m just a nobody, trying to everybody about somebody who can save anybody!!!

Somebody give God praise for the fountain of Living Water today..

Somebody give God praise for choosing you and loving you and providing for you…

Somebody give God praise for deliverance taking place and healing taking place and restoration taking place right now!!…

Somebody give God praise for the overflow!!!!