Water that Soothes, Satisfies, Saves the Soul John 4:5-42
Medical professionals tell us we need to drink more water. You’ve heard that. You know this.
They tell us we should drink at least 8-8 ounce glasses of water per day. The reason we should, we are told, is to prevent dehydration.
Dehydration is one of the side-effects of not drinking enough water. Dehydration has proven to be dangerous to the body in that it can lead to dizziness, confusion, memory loss, weakness, fatigue, trembling, fainting and even death.
On the other hand, there are benefits to drinking water. The benefits of drinking water are: hydration, lubricates joints, increases circulation, provides moisture to skin, increased energy, shiner hair, relieves constipation, helps the liver, kidney and bladder flush toxins from the body and there are tons of other benefits of drinking water.
But not just any water, pure, clean, clear, fresh water. This excludes coffee, sodas, teas, and alcohol. All these contain diuretics which absorb water from the body and can leave you dehydrated.
The most important benefit to drinking water is it soothes, satisfies and saves the soul. But not just any water..... Living Water that comes from Jesus Christ.
And just as a lack of water can be deadly to the body, never coming and drinking the Living Water is deadly to the soul.
In John 4 we read a conversation b/ween Jesus and a Samaritan woman. Their conversation took place at a well where she had come to draw water.
The story starts in v5-19; 25-26; 28-30; 39-42
V3 tells us that Jesus and his disciples left Judea to go to Galilee by way of Samaria. They arrive at a city called Sychar in Samaria at a well of water that Jacob gave his son Joseph. Jesus being wearied of his travels stopped at this well around noon and a woman of Samaria came out to draw some water from the well.
The conversation b/ween her and Jesus begins in v5 when he asked her to give him a drink of water that she pulls from the well. She is initially shocked that he being a Jew would even speak to her being a Samaritan.
Jesus gets right to the point in v10 when he says…..
There are four parts to this story I want to bring to your attention:
First of I see in this passage a Comparison.
Jesus make a comparison between two types of water. The comparison b/ween the two is done to show that one is eternally satisfying and the other is not.
The two waters here are earthly water that she's drawing form the well and the Living water that he offers her.
Notice the comparison b/ween these two.
Earthly water is for the body and is from the earth.
Heavenly Water is for the soul and is from heaven.
The water she was drawing from the well was earthly water. It was water from a well Jacob dug and gave to his son Joseph.
The water Jesus was offering was heavenly water. It was for the soul. It came down from heaven.
Earthly water only satisfies the body temporarily.
Heavenly Water satisfies the soul eternally.
V13 Jesus speaking of the water from the well says…
Earthly water only satisfies the body temporarily. You will thirst again.
However, Heavenly Water satisfies the soul eternally
V14 Jesus says….
Drink of the water Jesus gives and you will never thirst again. Heavenly water satisfies the soul eternally.
After Jesus make this comparison there is some confusion on her part.
2. Her Confusion
We see her confusion in V11 where she says…..Like others, when Jesus spoke of heavenly things they were confused, she too is confused about what Jesus said.
Her mind is on the earthly, he’s telling her about the heavenly.
He told her in V10 he would give her this water.
V15 she says…. She wanted his water so she wouldn’t have to come to the well any more.
He tells her if you drink of my water you won’t thirst for the water of the world any more.
What is earthly water? It is water that temporarily pleases the flesh. It is the earthly pleasures, lustful passions of this world.
Earthly water represents Satan’s substitutes. Drugs, lies, lust, sexual immorality, pornography, gambling, materialism, alcohol, love of money.
Satan is a counterfeiter. He offers no real satisfaction, only substitutes that don’t satisfy, that don’t fulfill. His pleasures are passing. His satisfaction is not sufficient.
To show her this Jesus says to her in v16-19…..
This woman has had 5 husbands and the man she was living with now was not her husband. What is this? Lust. Satan's substitutes. The waters of this world that doesn't bring true, lasting soul satisfaction.
She didn't have 5 husbands because she wanted 5 mother in laws. If she married for mother in laws she would marry the man she is living with now.
She had gone through every Tom, Dick, and Harry twice and still had not found satisfaction for her soul.
Why? Because it is not found in the temporary pleasures of this world.
It wasn’t til she came to one man (#7) that she found what she was looking for and was satisfied.
3. Her Consumption.
Did she drink of this living water?
V15...”Sir, give me this water.”
V19…”I perceive (believe) you are a prophet….”
V25…”I know (believe) the Messiah (Christ) is coming….”
V26…Jesus said to her….
She believed who Jesus was. Believing is drinking.
You drink physical water w/ mouth. You drink spiritual water w/ heart by believing.
She realized the things of this world had drained her dry and she was spiritually dehydrated. She realized she had been drinking from the wrong well.
She drank of the Living water and it changed her life.
4. Her Compulsion
Vs 28-29
Vs 39-42
How do we know she drank of the Living Water?
She shared it with others. This water became in her as Jesus said in v14, “a fountain of water spring up….”
Notice Living water doesn't come from a well. A well holds water but a fountain overflows with fresh living water.
A fountain of water is a never ending abundant supply of fresh water by which others are renewed and refreshed.
Everywhere this woman went this fountain of Living water splashed onto others as it does from all those who have drunk from it.
Having experienced the soul satisfying qualities of this water she couldn’t keep it to herself.
Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” We all have an inner hunger and thirst, but is it for righteousness? if so, we will be filled.
Isa 55:1 “Lo! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters… And you who have no money, Come Why do you spend money for what ... does not satisfy?”
The waters of this world do not satisfy the soul.
Only Living Water for the Lord does.
Conclusion: Can a believer after having received this Living Water return to drink from the waters of this world again? Listen to this before you answer.
God told his people in Jeremiah, “... My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.’ 2:13
God’s people had forsaken him and dug wells for themselves.
This is why the Bible tells us in 1 John, “Love not the world neither the things that are in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world.”
As believers we are not to love the things of this world.
If you are a believer and you are drinking from the waters of this world, the temporary fleshly pleasures of this world, know this… the waters of this world are substitutes for the Living Waters that Christ offers.
If you have forsaken the Living Water and dug for yourself-wells that don’t satisfy come to Christ, forsake the things of this world ……… he will forgive, restore and satisfy. The only water that soothes, satisfies, saves the soul is the Living Water that only Christ can give.
Medical professionals tell us we need to drink more water.
So does Jesus. “The Spirit and the bride say, Come.... And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
