Go! And Drink The Living Water - John 4:13–14 Series

Go! And Drink the Living Water - John 4:13–14

Introduction: Are You Thirsty?

Let me begin by asking you a simple but eternal question: Are you thirsty?

I don’t mean do you want a cup of tea, or a cold glass of water after a long walk. I’m asking about your soul. Are you thirsty for something more than this world has to offer?

We live in a time of abundance, yet we are surrounded by people who are parched within—thirsty for meaning, for peace, for purpose, for love. And today, Jesus Himself speaks into that longing.

He said:

John 4:13–14 (NLT): Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Let us pray.

1. Context: A Well, A Woman, and the Word Made Flesh

Jesus was in Samaria, sitting by a well in the heat of the day. A Samaritan woman came to draw water—a woman with a past, a woman who knew rejection, shame, and emptiness. Culturally, Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans. Men didn’t speak publicly to women. Yet Jesus broke every barrier—ethnic, moral, social—to meet her in her need.

Why? Because Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

He offers her something greater than physical water—living water. The Greek word used here is "???" (zon)—meaning alive, flowing, fresh. This was not stagnant water from a well, but vibrant, life-giving, eternal refreshment.

The woman came for water, but Jesus came for her soul.

2. The Source of Eternal Satisfaction

Let’s look at what Jesus says: “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.”

This speaks of the temporary nature of worldly satisfaction. Everything we try to use to quench our inner thirst—relationships, success, money, pleasure—leaves us dry.

“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.”

Jesus offers something the world cannot: eternal satisfaction. He is not offering religion, ritual, or a rulebook—He’s offering Himself.

“It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

This imagery of a spring (Greek: "p??? ?dat??" – pege hydatos) paints a picture of a source that never runs dry. Jesus isn’t giving us a sip; He is placing a spring within us—His Holy Spirit.

3. Supportive Scriptures and Deep Truths

Let’s explore this truth with other passages of Scripture:

A. Isaiah 55:1 (NLT): “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come…”

God calls out to His people who are trying to find satisfaction elsewhere.

Hebrew: Thirsty — ????? (tsame), meaning desperate longing.

Application: We don’t need to earn or deserve salvation. We just need to come.

Charles Stanley said: “The well of God’s grace never runs dry, and we are invited to draw from it daily.”

Friends, you don’t need to clean yourself up to come to Jesus. You come as you are, and He does the cleansing.

B. John 7:37–38 (NLT): “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!”

Jesus cries this out during the Feast of Tabernacles, a time when water ceremonies were prominent.

Greek: Believe — p?ste?? (pisteuo), not just mental assent but a full trust, a surrender of heart.

Max Lucado wrote: “You were made to live in a different kind of water. One that refreshes, cleanses, and fills your soul with purpose.”

Your soul needs more than Sunday religion. It needs a spring that bubbles within—Christ in you.

C. Revelation 21:6 (NLT): “To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”

At the end of the Bible, God again invites the thirsty. The offer never ends.

This is grace—God giving what we could never earn.

Tim Keller said: “The Gospel is not just the ABC of the Christian life, it is the A to Z.”

We never move past the Gospel. We always need the water. Jesus is the only true Source.

4. The Broken Cistern

Jeremiah 2:13 says: “My people have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”

Imagine trying to quench your thirst by collecting rainwater in a broken bucket. That’s what sin is—trying to fill our lives with things that cannot hold what we truly need.

We all have our broken cisterns. But Jesus offers living water, not temporary fixes.

5. The Desert Spring

Picture a hiker lost in a desert. For days he searches for water, growing weaker with every step. Then suddenly—he sees an oasis. It’s not a mirage. He drinks. And the water saves his life.

Jesus is that oasis. He is the spring in the desert. Not a trickle. A fountain. Not a ration. An overflow.