8.27.17 ~ John 4:1-42, A Samaritan Woman Receives Living Water: Part Two.

Bible Text: John 4:1-42 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John

Last week we looked at the encounter Jesus had with a Samaritan woman, at a

well near Sychar, at high noon. He asked her for a drink, then He led her through a discussion about living water, about her sinful life, about true worship of God in spirit and in truth, and then He revealed Himself to her as the Messiah.

Read John 4:27-30… The disciples return from town, where they had gone to buy some food and are amazed to find Jesus talking with this woman, but they remain silent! But the woman, leaving her water jar there at the well, goes back into town and begins to tell the people (v. 29) to come and see the man who knew all that she had done, “Could this be the Christ?”

It would appear that this woman, after having her sins exposed, realized who this was that was talking with her.

Look back at verse 10, where Jesus said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.” And in verse 14, Jesus made it clear that this living water is the only thing that can satisfy a dry spirit, for it provides eternal life.

Somewhere between verses 26-28 this woman confessed her sins and acknowledged Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as Lord and Savior. Her life has been forever changed, and now she wants others to experience that transformation.

You have heard me say many times, that in order to be saved, a person must admit they are a sinner and repent of [turn away from] their sins; believe that Jesus’ death on the cross paid for their sins and that He rose from the grave on the third day; confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and then demonstrate their new life in Christ, having been born of the Spirit of God (John 1:12-13), for they are now a new creation (cf 2Corinthians 5:17).

A new believer’s first impulse should be to go tell others about the Savior. Jesus had exposed her sins, and yet, she goes back into town to tell the people who know her… Think about it, this woman is living in sin and everyone know’s it; therefore she has to go out at noon to get water, instead of at dawn or dusk like the other women, because of her illegitimate relationship with the man she is living with.

But now she is calling out for the people who know her, to come and see a man who knows her sins, and yet He kindly and compassionately talked with her; she is ‘free’ from shame! Her guilt is gone! “Could this be the Christ?”
Read John 4:31-33… The disciples are dense, dull minded, clueless. They went to town to get some food, and now they approach Jesus and offer Him something to eat; but Jesus confuses them by saying, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” The disciples are thinking, did someone else give Him something to eat? Why in the heck did we go al the way into town and back if there was already food here?

Read John 4:34-35… Jesus’ response here is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 8:3, “that man doesn’t live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” [Almighty God = Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is within them].

Matthew 4:4, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (2Timothy 3:16-17).

Jesus is doing God’s will, and His food, or that which sustains Him, is to do God’s will; to obey the Father, for that is what truly satisfies, strengthens and sanctifies us! Jesus says to them, (v. 35) open your eyes so that you can see what is right in front of you.

Jesus saw these people ready to receive salvation, hungry and thirsty for the kingdom of God. The people who were coming from town (v. 30), were wearing white garments (everybody wore white, as white reflects the sun, so as to cool one’s body in hot climates); no doubt, the people looked like a field of grain ready to be harvested.

Read John 4:36-38… I believe that, even though this is early on in Christ’s public preaching ministry, Jesus is calling His disciples to do the work of evangelists, to reach out and harvest souls being prepared for the kingdom of heaven; for it is God who prepares the soul, plants the seed [the Word of God] and waters it, allowing it to take root, grow up and ultimately produce a crop, so that salvation might come to all who genuinely call upon and believe in Christ.

Acts 2:21, “Everyone who calls o the name of the Lord [for the forgiveness of sins] will be saved.”

Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for their is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” [only that of Jesus].

We must willfully allow God’s Spirit to work through us, always in submission to the authority of God’s Word, so that we might reach out with the Gospel of Christ to the lost, that they might be saved and that God might be glorified.

Read John 4:39-42… Do you remember the day when you met Jesus? The day you went from death to life, from condemnation to no condemnation, from eternal separation from God to eternal life with God? Did you go and tell anyone what had happened to you when you believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (see Romans 10:9-15).

The testimony of the Samaritan woman impacts the whole village (she probably did not interact much with most of those in her village, as they would have looked down upon her for living with a man she was not married to); and yet, the change in this woman causes them to come and see Him in person, could He be the Christ? Notice (v. 40) the people ask Jesus not to go, and He stays two days with them, compassionately and earnestly proclaiming the message of salvation.

The Samaritan woman’s transformed life was a witness to those in her village. She didn’t put her head down and shuffle through the village. She felt good about herself; the lifestyle of sin she had been living had been exposed by Jesus and yet she felt clean, unashamed, for she was free from guilt, having received forgiveness and eternal life.

Many of the people (v. 39) believed in Christ because of her testimony about being lovingly confronted with her sin, and then offered a way to be cleansed, through the washing of the living water of God (1John 1:9), “If we confess our

sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify [cleanse] us from all unrighteousness.”

Notice (v. 41) “many more became believers” when they personally heard Jesus’ words. They had been brought to to the Savior and now they believed (v. 42) not because of the woman’s testimony, but because they had personally heard and responded to the message of Christ.

Everyone who comes to Christ must confront his or her own sin, realizing their only hope is to repent and receive forgiveness and eternal life through God’s One and Only Son.

This is important, in verse 42, the word translated “know” is from the Greek word oida [knowledge of fact that results in a settled conviction that is displayed in behavior as well as belief].

Why is this story is in the Bible? I believe it is so that we might learn from the Master evangelist Himself. Jesus uses a normal everyday encounter of life as an opportunity to expose an unbelieving Samaritan woman to God’s provision of forgiveness and eternal life; and her response to Jesus is clearly expressed by her actions to go and tell others about Him and to show what has happened to her because of Him (she is no longer sneaking around), she has been forgiven, she is a changed woman who wants others to know how they too can be made new.

We are to be messengers of this marvelous message, directing all those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty to the divine bread [the Word of God] and living water [eternal life] both symbolic of Jesus Christ the Lord!

And all God’s people said? Amen!

Pastor Mike <‘(((><