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Joh_4:14."Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life."--
One morning, a woman, started her daily chores and walked to the well to draw water for her household. Not for one minute did she think that today was the day, that circumstance would change her life and the lives of thousands there-after. She never thought that what seemed to be a `chance` encounter, actually, was God ordained. That she would meet a man and because of that meeting, her life would never be the same.
- She was about to draw water, to nourish her natural thirst, but deep down inside she had a spiritual and an emotional thirst that needed supernatural nourishment.
- How often do we go about life, trying to feed a spiritual and an emotional thirst, with physical means? We are dried up inside, nothing left, nothing to give and unable even to receive.
She was familiar with the religion of the day.
She also believed that some day the long-looked for Messiah would appear, and explain all things.
Joh 4:5 Then He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 And Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus upon the well. It was about the sixth hour.
- It is significant that this happened at Jacob`s well – at the place where Jacob wrestled with God and God made a covenant with Jacob.
Joh 4:7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me to drink. 8 (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
- The significance is Jesus talking to a woman and a Samaritan woman on top of that.
- He gives credibility to all races.
- He gives credibility to woman.
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water.
- Oftentimes the answer is right at hand. It stares us in the face, but because of circumstance, our attitude, the pressure we do not recognize it.
- If only we would realize and understand who and where our help would come from – we would ask and we would receive.
Joh 4:11 The woman said to Him, Sir, you have no vessel, and the well is deep. From where then do you have that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his children and his cattle?
· She looks at Him and sees no vessel. She looks at the natural and have no idea, how the promise He makes, would ever be able to come true.
· We do the same. We look at the natural. Things just seem way beyond resolve. There is just no way out of the predicament. How is God going to remedy this?
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
· Jesus reiterates His promise.
· Jesus is the Word – we read it, we study it, it should nourish us – if we believe it! Believing is a choice.
Joh 4:15 The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, so that I may not thirst nor come here to draw.
- The truth settles and she is ready to receive.
Joh 4:16 Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband and come here.
- He gives her an instruction as He would give us.
- The instruction from the Word is never easy. It takes, willingness: willingness to believe. It takes obedience, a willingness to be obedient even to the point of seemingly unfair and ridiculous. (Abraham told to offer his son)
Joh 4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband 18 for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. In that you spoke truly. 19 The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
- Jesus revealed the truth of her circumstance to her.
- Our lives sometimes need to be dissected – the truth in our circumstance needs to be revealed and we need to acknowledge before the breakthrough would come.
- What hidden thing is there still in our lives – something that we know very well, needs to be sorted out.
- What is there in our lives that need sot be changed: a habit that needs to be stopped.
- The prophet talks to us and yet we refuse to listen – we deny the prophetic and continue in our merry old way. Hoping that we can negotiate with God.
Joh 4:20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you shall neither worship the Father in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem.
· The time will come when we will have to acknowledge right where we are. No time to delay or go somewhere else first.
Joh 4:22 You worship what you do not know, we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
· He warns her that her worship is in vain – that she is worshipping something of no value.
· Who or what might be `god` in our lives. Our money, our status.
Joh 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him.
A short story:
A Young boy was returning home from a store with a pail of honey in his hand. A gentleman who walked beside him saw him slip one finger down into the pail. Then, because his mother had told him never to wipe his sticky fingers on his blouse or trousers, it found its only logical destination, his mouth. It really tasted good. After he had done this several times, the gentleman approached him and said, "See here, Sonny, what have you in that pail?" "Some honey, sir." "Honey-is it sweet?" "Yes, sir." "How sweet is your honey?" "It is very sweet, sir." "Well, I do not understand you. I asked you how sweet your honey was, and you have not yet told me. How sweet is it?" "Why, it is very, very sweet, sir." "Well, you are a funny little fellow; I asked you how sweet your honey is, and you just tell me it is very, very sweet. Now, can't you tell me really how sweet your honey is?" The little fellow was impatient by this time, so he stuck his finger down into the honey, and holding it up said, "Taste and see for yourself."
Psa 34:8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see-- how good GOD is. Blessed are you who run to him. 9 Worship GOD if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness.
- Through the years we have learned to believe the “Father of Lies” (John. 8:44.)
Who I am and what I say is not important, I need to prove myself to the world, and therefore people have been lying and manipulating each other only to get what they want. WHY?
Because it is all about ME, what I want, what will make ME happy!!!
We have a “if you……...I will” attitude in life.
- If you are good enough………I will give you what you want,
- If you are beautiful enough……I will be your guy or girl,
- If you are rich enough………. I will give you the attention you want,
- If you are popular enough ……..I will see you,
- If you are clever enough ……..I will give you recognition,
- If you give in under pressure …..I will make you well-liked.
We want to be accepted in life, but we have learned to wear masks, because who we are, are not good enough.
As long you compare yourself to others you will never be good enough! There will always be someone smarter, or better looking, or more popular or richer then you.
Fortunately there is Someone who thinks you are perfect just the way you are, even with all your faults and sins. He does not want you to change first before He loves you. He doesn’t want you to prove yourself to Him. He has accepted you the way you are, and have ALREADY paid for all your sins.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
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