“ Learning to Sit by Wells “
John 4: 1-15
If you have your Bibles this morning I invite you to turn with me to the Gospel of John 4: 1-15
John 4: 1-15
Therefore, when the Lord knew that 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 departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 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.”
You know there is nothing like a cold glass of water!!!!
Have you ever done something stupid ? No I mean stupid?
Illustration: of YOU doing something stupid
John 4:7
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
Find Jesus in a human dilemma. Thirst. Have you ever been thirsty? Each one of us has!!!
- Jesus was just as human as you and I
- But there is nothing like a cold glass of water
John 4:9
She answers “How is it for you , being a Jew , ask me for a drink, I am a Samaritan woman, for Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans.”
3 Truths about this woman
1.)Samaritan – hated race, part Jew/Gentile, despised
2.) Known to be living in sin
3.) Met her in a public place
A Jewish man wouldn’t been caught dead speaking to this woman under these circumstances.
John 4:10
Jesus replied “If you only knew, of the Gift that God has for you , and who I am , you instead would ask me for Living water.”
- This was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry people had no idea who He was.
- He Used parables- stories that used common things that common people could understand.
- Used parallels b/t physical activity and spit acttivity
- Jesus said “ If you only knew of the Gift”- trans. Good News, the gospel. Samaritans only had the Pentateuch teaching, and limited knowledge of a Messiah from Isaiah’s teaching.
John 4:11
She said “ But Sir you have nothing to draw with and this well is deep”
- Jacob’s Well wasn’t spring fed, water run off
- This well was recognized by all people, place of meeting, a place of community a gathering place,
it was a significant part of daily life,
it was a Landmark in peoples life.
A well is a Landmark – a refuge for people who are thirsty.
It wasn’t by accident that Jesus came to the well that day, it was an appointed day for this woman to connect with Jesus.
I believe this day was a moment for the Church,…..when God revealed the mission of what the true Church of God was intended for…… to be that well , that Landmark, for dry and thirsty people.
Landmark. That point in my life where I came to Christ ___/__/__
See Jesus, met this woman at a Landmark
But the woman couldn’t fathom how to get that Living Water on her own.
Church, she confused the two types of water, probably because no one had ever talked to her about her Spiritual condition!!
No one had ever taken the time to talk to her about that spiritual thirst.
But how many of us sitting here this morning are starving spiritually, because we aren’t reading the Word of God or praying, or being in fellowship with our brothers in sisters in Christ?
Preach Kevin preach, Ok , I think I will.
God will never be able to use you to your, Ultimate capacity, unless you feed your spirit. AMEN ?
Look over at your neighbor and say “I don’t know what you came here to do, But I came here to PTL!”
Listen, you have got to have a Made up mind, to either have church or not. Amen!
We wouldn’t think about depriving our bodies of food and water when we are hungry or thirsty.
- I know I have a wait problem! I hate to wait in line at a restaurant, just ask my wife!
We might not pass up on a meal , but too often we deprive our souls of spiritual food and spiritual water. AMEN?
- The Living Water is found in Jesus Christ and that Living Word is the Bible, that is what sustains life to the believer.
Matt 5 : 6
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled”
CHURCH I HAVE A VISION FOR THE
FIRST CHURCH OF GOD
We need to become a WELL!!!
We need to stop looking at our friends and family as targets, and start looking for ways to get the to the well!
To see them won into the Kingdom of God!
To see them set free from addiction
To see them set free from themselves Amen
John 4: 13,14
Jesus said “ People become thirsty again from drinking from this well, but the water that I give will take away the thirst altogether, it becomes a fountain of water within you springing up into everlasting life!
- The Good News of Salvation is available to all.
The Good News is for everybody!!
No matter what the color of your skin is, social status,
WALK HS degree or college, MA or PHD, or past sin.
Bout to get blessed now, you just sit right there.
You don’t have the right to pick and choose who can come to Jesus. – Listen, church membership won’t save you
Baptism won’t save you
Horoscope won’t save you
Wiccan won’t save you
Being a good person won’t save you
Because the ground is level at the foot of the Cross! GLory! faster
Vr 15 “ Without hesitation the woman said “ Please sir , give me some of that water!!!
Vr16” Jesus said “ Go and get your husband”
Vr17’ She said I don’t have a husband”
Vr18 Jesus said “Your right , you have had 5 husbands, and the one your living with right now your not married to.
Church we as the body of believers aren’t the ones to confront the sin in peoples lives!
Our job is to get them to well! And let Jesus confront the sin through the Holy Ghost.
When we start condemning people , we turn them off! People in sin,….. already know that they are a sinner, it isn’t rocket science! People already know…….. DUH
Preach: But when the blood! Of JC is applied to your life it will cleanse you and redeem you. Then the HG comes in and cleans house! WALK
He’ll l take the alcoholic and make them sober again
He’ll take a dope head and make them clean
He can take a liar, and make him tell the truth
He can take a adulterer, and make them a pure again
What can wash away my sin?
NOTHING!!!! NOTHING!!!! NOTHING!!!!!
BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!!!!GLORY!!!
That is good enough to make a Methodist want to shout!!!! Glory.
Church we need to equip ourselves so that we can lead people to the well , and lead them to Jesus!
If we’re going to be the well there are 3 things we need to know.
1.) People do not have directions to the Well .
- We need to be prepared to lead them.
- If you only come to church on Sun morning you don’t know how to lead
- If you only come when someone dies, or some holiday, you don’t know how to lead .
- If you come an teach SS School/sing in the
Choir, but live like the devil during the week
YOU don’t know how to lead!!!!
- Put Christ first, and follow HIM, let HIM do the leading
2.) Know that People who come to Wells have problems!
- Don’t point out the sin in the world’s atmosphere, bring them to church and let God reveal it to them in His atmosphere. Preach some
- May not look the same, act the same, smell the same as you . Let God do the work in them , keep your hands off.
- The very first thing that Jesus did when He went into a city is He met their needs first. COG people desperately need to learn this. When you met the peoples needs then and only then do you have their attention. We need to learn to meet their needs, meet them where they are at, show love of Jesus.
3.) Have Low Expectations
- To often we in the Church of God put high expectations on New Converts, we build them, up and set them up to fall, and when they do they backslide.
- Let Salvation work out the sin/ sinful nature within them.
Listen “ I don’t think smoking is a sin, it will just make you smell like you have been there.”
Church, we have to allow the HS to move on them, to get the sin out!! You aren’t bigger than God, God will get the sin purged out, not us. We can pray for them and encourage them. But KEEP your HANDS off of them !!! AMEN!!
Have you have sinned since you have been saved ? AMEN.
Young convert you are going to fail, you are going to blow it , mess up royally, SO WHAT !!!! don’t give up, get up and keep trying!!!!!
Notice though “The woman at the well didn’t immediately understand what Jesus was talking about.
- We need to remember that sometimes it takes time to accept something that totally goes in the opposite direction of how you were living. That is why there is grace.
- Jesus let her ask questions and put the pieces together for herself.
- Give them time to weigh it out .
Remember the Good News may not have immediate results , we just need to keep leading them to the Well until it clicks.
- Having low expectations needs to be seeded under the guidelines of The Great Commission.
Matt 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Listen, we can get people saved and get them baptized, but then what do we do? Most COG churches just simply throw them to the wolves so to speak, instead of doing what Jesus says. We must disciple them. This is where the COG Movement misses the mark. This is the number one reason why people lose their salvation and backslide. If we don’t get a handle on this the church will die.
This Samaritan woman had a LANDMARK experience with Jesus Christ. In that moment her life changed dramatically, she came to that well for one reason for her life, but after she met Jesus he gave her the reason for LIVING!
You might be here this morning and all hell has broke loose in your life, Jesus is here this morning, and he is inviting you to come to the WELL.
As instrumentalist come, I am going to do something different. Sing one verse, Just as I am.
Every head bowed every eye closed no one looking around. Church I want you to pray, for a Landmark moment. How many of you would be honest enough…and admit, your lost
Church how many of you have people in your life that really need to come to the Well? Have you tried to play the part of the HS and convict them? Why don’t you come this morning, and ask God for help in leading them to that Well.
Invitation
