Prayer Of Jabez - Hurting People Hurt People Series

Title: Hurting People Hurt People

Theme: To show how Jesus helps us overcome our pain.

Text: John 4, Acts 9, Luke 8,

Each morning she would get up with one task on her mind, “How to avoid people?” You see she had been hurt. Deeply she had been scared. Whether it was abuse by the 5 husbands she had or the ridicule of people because of her sin.

Not only that but it seemed she grew up on “the wrong side of the tracks”. From her birth she was told that they were “second class citizens”. She lived in a nation that for centuries had compromised the local religion and in place put in a mixture of society and Judaism.

Today we find her going through the same routine. But this day would be different.

We find her in John 4. You may have known her as the Samaritan Woman. But everyone else saw her as a woman who could not get it together.

In John 4 Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem but He had a “necessary” stop. He needed to go through Samaria.

Why? Well I believe because of this woman. He finds her at the well drawing water in the middle of the day. Most people drew water in the morning or evening, but she was here to avoid people.

We soon discover that she is a religious person and she is curious. Jesus introduces her to the living water.

Joh 4:13-15 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."

The heat of the matter

Joh 4:16-18 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."

Wow! That is a lot to unpack.

For her she was desperate for the true living water. This was more than just natural water. Listen to the words, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” There is a desire for something more. There is a desire for healing.

But Jesus had to the to the heart of the matter. She was living in sin. She had been married 5 times; this does not always mean sin. Now she is living with a man out of wedlock, this is sin. It probably started out as a beautiful wedding. She had high expectations for life, family and marriage. Maybe he had an affair or tragedy hit. Either way she finds here self alone. Pulling everything out she decides to give it another run. This time she kept some of her guard up. Last marriage she gave everything and got hurt this time she will hold a little back. Not surprisingly he leaves her for another woman. Each time she tries again and each time trusting less and hurting more. Until finally she gives up on marriage and just lives in sin with a man. She knew this was wrong, but it was the easiest way to avoid the pain of separation and divorce.

This woman was living in pain. As we talked about Jabez last week she was a prime example of pain.

But then she meets Jesus. Jesus gave here the living water. Pain and hurt causes death ad sorrow. Pain and hurt causes loneliness. But when we meet Jesus, the living water, out life is changed.

Joh 4:28-29 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?"

Joh 4:39 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."

She was no longer afraid of the crowds, but she was changed.

There are many stories like this scattered throughout scripture.

I think of a man who was a zealot for God. He was very religious to a point that he was arresting others who didn’t believe. Talking about causing pain. If you were a disciple, believer, follower of the Way in Saul’s day then you would be watching over your shoulder. He would come knocking at your door challenging your faith and unless you denied Jesus, he would arrest you and have you killed.