January 21, 2018
Morning Service

In chapter 3 we sat beside Nicodemus as Jesus explained to us what He meant about being “born again.”  It is a spiritual rebirth where we become a “new creation in Christ” where old thing pass away and all things have become new.  We are resurrected from our death in the waters of baptism to enjoy a new life with the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit which is our eternal life.  A free gift offered to “whosoever will” is in fact the greatest gift ever given to all mankind.  The chapter ended as we got a glimpse into the life of John the Baptist.  He knew his role and fulfilled it diligently until the end with an attitude we all could learn from.  He said of Jesus; “He must increase and I must decrease.”  As we begin chapter 4, we are now traveling with Jesus and the disciples ministering to those that we meet.

John 4:1-8 Therefore when the Lord knew how 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 went away again into Galilee.  (4)  And it was necessary for Him to go through Samaria,  (5)  Then He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  (6)  And Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus upon the well. It was about the sixth hour.  (7)  A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me to drink.”  (8)  (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)

·         Samaria was north of Jerusalem and it was an area that most Jews would avoid.  When Assyria conquered this area, they deported many of the Jews back to their home country and brought in some of their own people to settle in the land in an effort to keep peace.  There was much intermarriage between the two which created a mixed race which they called the Samaritans.  The “pure” Jews despised them for betraying their heritage.  The division became so great that the Samaritans built their own temple to worship.  Though it was shorter to travel through Samaria a devout Jew would choose to take the long route just to avoid the Samaritans.  John states “it was necessary for Him to go through Samaria.”

·         The well would have been a gathering place for the women as they customarily came every morning and evening to draw water.  Notice this woman came at noon (sixth hour) to avoid any contact with others.  She is surprised that Jesus even speaks to her.

John 4:9-15 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria?” For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans.  (10)  Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water.”  (11)  The woman said to Him, “Sir, you have no vessel, and the well is deep. From where then do you have that living water?  (12) Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his children and his cattle?”  (13)  Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again,  (14)  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”  (15)  The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not thirst nor come here to draw.”

 

·         We again as with Nicodemus, find Jesus speaking on the spiritual realm while His listener was thinking on the physical realm.  In the OT it was often spoken of thirsting after God as we also thirst for water.  In saying His water would quench her thirst forever; He was claiming to be the Messiah.  Only He could give this gift of living water that can satisfy the thirst of the soul.

·         Have you tasted that water? 

·         Do you know what it means to never thirst again; having your soul satisfied? 

·         The woman still doesn’t understand, but Jesus soon changes that.

 

John 4:16-24 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 he 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 in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”  (21)  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you shall neither worship the Father in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem.  (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 shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him.  (24)  God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

·         Jesus knows all about this woman, as He does all of us.  She tried to disguise her sin in saying she had no husband, but Jesus sees right through it.  We often try to deny or explain away sin in our lives, but the only one who is being fooled is us.  God knows all.  She then seems to change the subject, but really seeks a truthful answer that the Samaritans have long sought.  Can they truly worship there and not in Jerusalem?

·         Jesus explains to us that things are changing from this point forward.  Worship will not require a location (the temple in Jerusalem) but an attitude of openness and honesty.  To truly worship God, we must first possess His Spirit and worship Him in that spiritual realm.  “God is a Spirit” means He is not a physical being tied to one place; He is omnipresent everywhere and can be worshipped at any time and from any place. The key is how we worship; it must be in “spirit and in truth.”  It cannot be just empty words or actions; it has to be genuine from deep within ourselves; truly believing that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

·         True worship is not something tangible or physical that we give God.  He created everything and has need of nothing from us to survive.  True, pure, holy, spiritual worship comes from not only giving God your body, but opening up and giving Him your heart and soul.  The OT Jews tried to please God with their physical obedience and failed, but what He really wants is your heart.  The heart is what motivates us to do what we do; it is who we truly are.  He wants us to surrender our heart and soul to Him knowing everything else in our lives will follow suit.  If He owns our heart, He owns our affections, appetites, passions, and desires.  We belong totally to Him.  Our heart will guide our words and actions to be in obedience with the One who owns it.  We become a “living sacrifice” offered totally to Him worshipping Him in “Spirit and in truth.”  As you sing songs of praise to Him, they don’t come only from your lips but from your heart. 

 

John 4:25-26 The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ. When He has come, He will tell us all things.  (26)  Jesus said to her, I AM, the One speaking to you.

·         The woman, like all Jews, was anticipating the coming of the Messiah prophesied by the scriptures.  She sets the table for Jesus to admit to her that “I am the One speaking to you.”  This is a rare occurrence that Jesus is so open about His identity; He usually avoids the subject.  The timing was right and now we hear it from Him who He really is.

·         To worship in “Spirit and in truth” we also have to worship the One true Messiah.  Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, and our Savior.  Salvation comes only through His Name.

 

Are you like this Samaritan woman this morning?

Are you living life going through the motions but thirsting for something better?

 Is there a thirst deep inside your heart and soul that tells you there is something better? 

Jesus is the only thing that can truly quench that thirst.  Notice in verse 23 that God is “seeking such to worship Him.”  His desire is that you come to Him today, just as it was for this Samaritan woman. Jesus says this to us in chapter 7:

 

John 7:37 Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”

·         There is the invitation you may have been looking for all your life.  If there is a deep longing (thirst) in your life that you can’t seem to quench, come to Jesus and drink.

 

Lord thank You that You are the only thing that can quench the thirsting of our souls.  May we drink deeply of the living water You offer us this morning.