Talking to those People?
John 4:39-4:42
Introduction-
Last week we looked at the coming of the New Year, having a new beginning if you will. I asked you what you hoped for in 2014. I asked you if you had a plan in place for the New Year. I gave you lessons learned from Apostle Paul.
Acknowledge that you have a past.
We do not have to let our past enslave us.
You can move on, but it must be intentional.
You can reach your goal if God is in it and you let Him help you.
How you doing with that? January 5th, you haven’t given up yet have you?
This morning we will get a lesson right from Jesus. Jesus lives and models His teachings.
If you would turn to John chapter 4.
We are going to see Jesus speaking to “those people”.
Society really has a mean way of dealing with those people.
Those people are usually economically, educationally, emotionally, and geographically different than we are.
Truth be told, those people are anyone that we do not associate with or anyone we feel is beneath us to associate with.
I am sure that never happens in the Christian circle. We don’t look down on any particular people, we are just different.
Jesus where we pick up the text was in the thick of ministry.
He cleared the temple and dealt with all the righteous Jews that thought themselves better than others.
He condemns those taking advantage of others for personal gain. He explains to a Rabbi what it meant to be born again and what it took to gain the kingdom of God.
Then, while the disciples were off chasing food down for everyone Jesus encounters the Samaritan Women at the well.
She is by-far one of those people in the eyes of the Jews and the eyes of His disciples.
Jesus ministry takes him to Samaria.
A place where Jacob’s well is and a place that all Jews knew of its history.
A Samaritan was a half-breed.
A Jewish person mixed with some other nationality . To a full blood Jew, Samaritans were those people you have nothing to do with.
To a Samaritan, the Jew was one of those people because of their holier than thou attitude.
Jesus shows up at high noon (sixth hour) thirsty and wanting a drink from the well. Not unusual to be thirsty at high noon, but unusual for a Samaritan women to be at the well at noon. Water was usually drawn early in the morning to avoid the high temperatures.
Jesus at the well bye himself, disciples gathering food elsewhere,
4:1 “Will you give me a drink?”
Dialogue
Samaritan women (9) “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan women. How can you ask me for a drink? (Remember they hated each other)
Jesus(10) “If you knew who it was that asked you for a drink, you would be asking for living water.”
(11) Samaritan women
“You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.”
If I was Jesus, that is where I would of said exactly! I have nothing to draw water and I am looking for a drink.
This isn’t cultural. I have nothing to draw water and I am thirsty.
Forget the fact that I should not drink after you because being a Samaritan I would be ceremonial unclean.
Forget the fact that you are a women and I should not even be talking to you
This is about having a face-to face-moment with Jesus! Seizing the moment!
Jesus does not have barriers set up for who He will and won’t talk too or associate with.
We are all sinners and we all need to have an encounter with Jesus.
Jesus asks her for a drink, while we are doing that- let’s talk!
She tries to get all spiritual and cultural.
I am a Samaritan and you are a Jew.
We should not be even talking to each other.
How can you even ask me for a drink?
Jesus by-passes all the argument and gets right to the point. If you knew who asked for a drink, you would be asking for living water.
“This water you will thirst again, but I offer living water and a chance at eternal life.
It peaks her interest, ok, give me this water so I will not get thirsty and have to draw water again.
Okay, go get your husband and come back.
“I have no husband answered the Samaritan women.”
Jesus- (17) “you are right when you say that you have no husband, the fact is, you have had 5 husbands and the man you now have is not your husband.” What you have said is quite true.
You would think that this is a knife to the heart of the Samaritan women.
Seems like Jesus is being cruel.
He exposes her to herself.
She’s there by herself with Jesus and Jesus is letting her know that He knows what is going on in her life.
Thought
We see the personality of Jesus
Jesus all God, all man gets thirsty. He intentionally went to that well for a drink.
Why did He go to that well?
To have a face to face encounter with that Samaritan women. One of those people.
Why was she there alone?
Because she was an outcast.
She was shunned by other women.
She went to that well after everyone else because of her embarrassment and shame.
Understand that women of that day had no standing in society.
Women didn’t divorce men.
Only men had that right.
So 5 husbands had rejected her and sent her packing.
Can you imagine what that women’s self-esteem and confidence was?
She was going from man to man trying to find someone who would love and care for her.
I don’t know what you are going through right now, maybe today, you are right where she’s at, you feel rejected and your confidence level is at a all-time low.
Let me give you some good news!
Why was Jesus at that well in Samaria?
Because that women needed to know that God loved her and that someone cared for her.
You know why Jesus presence is here today?
Because there are people that need to know that God loves them.
She needed to know she could be loved.
She needed to know that she could be forgiven.
She needed to know that when you come face to face with Jesus, your life can change forever!
Nothing happens by coincidence when God is in it.
At just the right time, at just the right moment, God can change your life forever!
Thought 2
Jesus priority is people (personal)
Jesus wants the church of God to grow, but does it one person at a time.
Jesus does not care what others think of you, though they may tell you your hopeless and cannot change. He sees your potential. He sees who you can be in Him!
Like I said last week, we all have a past! Everyone of us.
None of us were born sinless.
none of us have arrived at where we are now without the help and blessings of God.
None of us has arrived where we do not need God to work in our lives.
We have bounced around John chapter 4.
John 4:27-4:30
Notice here- the disciples were surprised that Jesus was talking to that women, but no one asked him why.
Because they knew that was what they were suppose to do.
They knew that was the character of Jesus. That is His personality.
She was women (strike one) Samaritan (strike two) but they knew that was Jesus. That is what He would do.
Will come back to the disciples in a moment, but look at the Samaritan women. (After encounter with God)
She left her water jug
She went back into town and acknowledged a person who knew all about her.
Could this be the Christ? Could this be what I read about? What was taught to me? Could this encounter change my life forever?
I think so! I think that was a God moment!
When you have a God moment, you have to tell someone about it! You have to acknowledge God.
John 4:39-4:42
Here is the final thought this morning.
(42) “They said to the women, we no longer believe just because of what you said. Now we have heard for ourselves, and we know this man really is the savior of the world.”
Good stuff right?
Jesus not only teaches, but also saves! And that salvation is extended to you and I. Those people! Those who have a past!
Jesus forgives the past and wants to work on the future.
It’s got to get personal. He will expose our live to us. He will want to get involved.
This world welcomes Jesus miracles and blessings! But until you have experienced a personal relationship, you will never experience the love and forgiveness of God.
Jesus can bring calmness to your life!
This women was running through life and feeling the rejection of the world and God shows up and wants to change her life forever.
Final thought is that you can hear about and read about Jesus, but until you experience Jesus, your life won’t be changed.
(13-14)
“Jesus answered, everyone who drinks this water will be thirst again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
You like this water in this life?
It will never satisfy you.
Pastor Hallmark(SermonCentral) says that the living water of Jesus is unending, never ceasing, abundant, pure, fresh, and calming.
Jesus is what you need in your life!
I think it is funny, she encounters Christ and she left her old water jar and started sharing the living water she experienced with others.
Something for everyone this morning- you’re here and you have never experienced Jesus for yourself. Here is here this morning.
He desires to change your life forever.
He offers forgiveness, mercy, and replaces all that guilt and shame with the love of God.
How about it?
Like the Sprite commercial, Obey your thirst.
Which do you want this morning?
To the believer this morning
This women experienced Christ. She could not keep it to herself. “we no longer believe just because of what you said, now e have heard for ourselves and we know that this man really is the savior of the world.”
Not just something you hear- but a lifestyle! God grows the church one person at a time. He wants to us each of us to do that. Are you willing to be used?
