A Place Where God's Gift Is Offered Series

THE WELL – A Place Where God’s Gift Is Offered

John 4:10-12 March 13, 2022

Introduction:

So many times we think we know what we need...The prodigal son in Luke 15 thought it was his share of his father’s estate...the rich fool thought it was bigger barns to hold his abundant crops. Adam and Eve thought it was fruit that would make them like God, knowing good from evil.

One of my favorite songs starts out...

We all want what we ain’t got,

Our favorite doors are always locked.

On a higher hill with a taller top,

We all want what we ain’t got.

We ain’t happy where we are,

There’s greener grass in the neighbors yard.

A bigger house and a faster car,

We ain’t happy where we are.

Jake Owens wrote those words in this song called, “What We Ain’t Got.”

But it’s the standard operating procedure of the Evil One. Create a desire in people’s souls to find the answer outside of God...make people believe that real satisfaction be found in something created instead of our creator.

If this door would first unlock for me...If I could just get a little higher up this hill...if I just had a bigger house...a nicer car...I’d be OK.

The woman at the well must have thought if I marry the right guy...I’ll be OK. We know she thought...If I don’t have to come here to draw water in the middle of the day my life will be OK.

“Sir...Give me this water! Then I won’t be thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water!”

Here’s the truth of what Jesus is dealing with at the well...and it’s the truth of what each of us struggle with spiritually.

I. A DESIRE TO SEEK A TEMPORARY FIX OVER AN ETERNAL GIFT

The Samaritan woman sees her immediate problem as simple...“I’ve got to drag myself out here in the middle of the day lugging these heavy water jars because I’m thirsty.”

And truth be told every single one of us are just like her. We as humans are much more reactionary than proactive.

Life becomes a series of “thirsty” situations...in which we demand for God to give us something to drink, RIGHT NOW!

The god that most people worship fervently today is “Immediate Gratification.”

Give it to me now! “Make me happy now.” In fact I’ll go into debt financing it if I have to!

Self denial was the first step of discipleship according to Jesus, “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

The only reason we would deny ourselves of immediate gratification is because there’s something worth waiting on...or someone worth following.

Instead of receiving a quick drink that temporarily quenches my physical thirst...I’ll receive God’s eternal, endless, gushing fountain of life to constantly refresh my deepest spiritual and emotional thirsts.

This is what Jesus is trying to get this Samaritan woman to discover.

“You keep looking for quick emotional fixes for your life...and God’s gift is the forever answer...it will change you from the inside out...why don’t you ask me for that?”

(Picture)

I keep thinking about that story of the little girl with fake pearls. A five year old girl bought her very own plastic pearl necklace with her very own money that she saved all year long. The little girl loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Her mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green. The pearls weren’t real but it didn’t matter to the little girl. She had bought them herself!

The little girl had a very loving father. One day he said, “Sweetheart, do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Not my pearls! You can have my toy horse.”

“That’s okay, Honey, Daddy loves you.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, the little girl’s father asked again, “Do you love me?”

“Daddy, you know I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Not my pearls. You can have my baby doll.”

“That’s okay. Daddy loves you.” And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss. This happened over and over and the little girl wondered anxiously, “If he loves me, why does he want to take away something I love?”

Eventually, the little girl nervously and teary eyed walked up to her father and held out her fake pearl necklace. “Here, Daddy. This is for you.”

The father reached out with one hand to take the imitation pearl necklace and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to his daughter. He had had them all the time, but was waiting for her to give up what she had to give her something even better.