Brethren, let's turn to John chapter 4. Let's read down
to verse 10. It says, When therefore the Lord
knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized
more disciples than John, Though Jesus himself baptized not, but
his disciples, he left Judea and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through
Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria,
which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that
Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there, and
Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on
the well, and it was about the sixth hour, there cometh a woman
of Samaria to draw water, and Jesus saith unto her, give me
to drink, for his disciples were gone away into the city to buy
meat. Then said the woman of Samaria
unto him, how is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of
me, which am a woman of Samaria? The Jews have no dealings with
the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto
her, if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith
to thee, give me to drink, thou would have asked of him and he
would have given thee living water. Now when we see here that
our Lord left Judea and must needs go through Samaria were
reminded that the Lord did not come to call the righteous but
sinners to repentance. These Pharisees and their disciples
that we saw one time before, they had been disputing with
the Lord's disciples, with John's disciples, and they were comparing
John and Christ and saying Christ was baptized in more than John.
Well, when the Lord heard the Pharisees and their Jewish disciples
disputing about this, he didn't leave his disciples. He never
leaves his disciples. He's God and he's always with
his people. He never leaves his people. He
left Judea. He left the Pharisees. He left
the religionists disputing about their their traditions of men
and their outward ceremonies of purification and counting
their numbers and all that. He left them. But then we read
here, it says, and he must needs go through Samaria. He must needs
go through Samaria. Christ has some sheep there.
That's why it was a must. He had to go to Samaria. He must
needs go through Samaria. He had some sheep there. This
woman at the well is one of those sheep, and he had some others
that's gonna hear of him through her. He said to his elect among
the Jews, he said, other sheep I have which are not of this
folk, them I also must bring. I must bring them. The Son of
God must bring his sheep to himself. And there's not one that he will
fail to bring to himself. He must. He must. God the Father
chose them and entrusted them to his Son in eternity. Just like Judah said to Jacob
concerning Benjamin, I'll be surety for him. I'll be surety
for him. If I don't bring him back to
you, you can require it at my hand forever. And our Lord Jesus
entered charityship to bring all the elect to God, perfect,
complete, spotless, righteous. And the whole of that work is
on his shoulder, every bit of it. And he won't fail. He must
needs go through Samaria. And it says, verse five, then
cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near
to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph."
Now this is that parcel of ground that Jacob bought for a hundred
pieces of silver. And now here comes Christ who
purchased His sheep with His precious blood, who purchased
His people with the silver of His blood, the gold of His blood. The parcel of ground was called
God the God of Israel, that was the name of it. And here He is,
God the God of Israel. You know, whenever Joseph, he
saved his brethren, and they ended up down in Egypt, and he
died, and he said, when you go up out of here, God's gonna visit
you, He's gonna redeem you, and He's gonna bring you out of this
Egypt, out of this bondage, and when He does, carry up my bones
out and you bury me in that parcel of ground. And they did. And
very near to where our Lord is right here is where Joseph is
buried. Very near. And this one, it says
in Jacob's well was there. And the one sitting on Jacob's
well is the one in Deuteronomy 33, 28 that's called the fountain
of Jacob. He is the fountain of Jacob.
And here he is sitting on Jacob's well. He's the one Song of Solomon
said is the well of living waters. The well of living waters. Christ
said, I'm the living water. Everybody's looking for some
fountain of youth. He said, I am the living water.
If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living waters. Why is Christ compared to water
so frequently in the scripture? Well, water is the gift of God. We're going to see here in a
moment, Christ is the gift of God. He's the gift of God. Also, water comes from above.
It just evaporates, goes up, comes right back down. It comes
from above. God made it. God created it. God gives it.
Wherever it rains, wherever it snows, God gave it. He did it. Christ came down from
above. The Son of God come down. Water
is the need of all people. All people need water. We need
water for a lot of different things, but we all need water.
Christ is the one thing needful. Everything God's doing for his
people in this world is to teach us that one lesson. over and over and over. One day
we're going to get it. When we wake up and we behold His face
in righteousness, we're going to find out He really was the
one thing I needed. How much wasted time, how much
worry, how much trouble, how much... He was the one thing
needful. The one thing needful. And water
is absolutely necessary or we'll die. We have to have water or
we'll die. and Christ is necessary or we'll
die. If we don't have Christ, we don't
have life. He's the life. He's the needed,
the one thing needed. We need Christ. Look here now
in verse 6. It says, Jesus, therefore, being
wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well, and it was
about the sixth hour, there cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water.
And Jesus said unto her, Give me to drink, for his disciples
were going away into the city to buy meat. Now the Lord Jesus
comes here and he sits down on this well and it says he was weary. The
Lord Jesus was weary. Weary. This is the Son of God
we're talking about. He's weary. This is Him who is
all power and all strength, the only power, the only strength
of His people, and He's weary? He asked this woman for a drink
of water. He's the fountain of living waters.
He's the one Isaiah wrote about when he said, who has measured
the waters in the hollow of His hand. and meted out heaven with
a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales, the hills in a balance."
This is He who created all the water. And He's thirsty. He sent His disciples into town
to buy food. This is the One who fed 5,000 with a few loaves and a few fish.
And he sent his disciples into town to buy him some food, to
purchase some food. This is the one John said in
the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the
Word was God. He said all things were made
by him. There was not anything made that was made. He created it all. What does
this mean? Our Lord Jesus Christ was tired
and He was hungry and He was thirsty. He's God. He's God. He's God Almighty.
He's God. He's one with the Father and
the Holy Spirit. He's God. The Son of God. But
He's a man. A real man. A real man. Like unto His brethren without
sin. He was tempted. He was tried. He was tested. in all points
like as we are. He's a man of sorrows. He wept. He cried. He had real tears.
He's acquainted with grief. He knows what grief is. This is our God who came down
in human flesh and who was touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Everything you feel in your body
due to sin Though he had no sin, he was touched with those infirmities.
He was tired. He was weary. He was thirsty. The Lord Jesus had unlimited
power to feed multitudes. He had power to take those few
little fish and loaves and feed 5,000 people. And yet, he sends
his apostles into town to buy him food? Why didn't he just
make him some food? Because brethren, he in every
way had to become his people, to represent his people to God. As a man, as God, he's God, all-sufficient,
self-sufficient God, all-powerful, almighty God. But as a man, God
poured out the Spirit on him, just like he does his people.
He was touched with all the feeling of our infirmities like His people.
He was acquainted with sorrows like His people. But not only
that, brethren, He had to walk in perfect faith, trusting the
Father for everything, that He might be the author and finisher
of our faith, that He might be the perfection of our faith.
He had to love God and His people selflessly. He had to do it selflessly. He had to do it in a perfect
way, suffering perfectly, in perfect fidelity to the Father,
that He might fulfill the love of the law in perfect selfless
humility, in that perfect love to God and to His people. And
so, yeah, He did miracles to feed others and to do things
for others, but He never worked one miracle for Himself. And
that was something, that was a big deal because the devil
tried him that way. The devil, when he was in the
wilderness, he waited 40 days till he was good and hungry.
And he said, you're God, why don't you just make bread out
of these stones? He couldn't do that. When he
saw multitudes hungry to be the perfect, faithful, selfless,
loving savior of his people, he had to feed those multitudes.
But when it came to himself, to be the perfect, selfless,
loving substitute. He didn't work those miracles
for himself. He reserved those for others. He didn't do anything
for himself. We get to thinking that, you
know, we're walking, as we ought to walk, and all the Lord has
to say to us is what He said to the rich young ruler, just
sell everything you have. Just sell everything you have
and give it to the poor and follow Christ. Trust He'll provide you
with everything. And we find out we're covetous,
we're sinners. That's what we are. The only
one that ever selflessly, perfectly loved God and His people is the
Lord Jesus. And He did it as a man. He is
that head in whom all His people were in. And He perfected us
by what He did. He is the righteousness and holiness
of His people. Now this woman, let's look about
this woman. She comes to draw water about
the sixth hour. Now that's high noon. Sun's up
in the sky, it's blazing. It's high noon. Now most women
came in the morning. Our scriptures tell us more times
than not, they came in the evening, in the cool of the day. And this
was a gathering place. They would gather up, they would
draw the water they needed for washing and cooking and cleaning
and whatever. But they would sit and visit,
and this was a public place. But they'd do it in the cool
of the day, because they didn't want to be out in the hot, blazing desert
sun at high noon. This woman, maybe we see some
things in this time of day that she came. We know that she was
a woman with a bad reputation. She'd been married five times
and she was living with a man at the time that she came there.
And the reputable women would be there in the morning and in
the evening and this poor sinner would rather suffer the scorch
of the sun than she would the scorch of what she'd get from
the respectable folk. So she comes there at high noon But our Master was there. He was there. On purpose. There to meet her on purpose.
You know why? Because He loved her from eternity. He chose her
from eternity. He predestinated her to the adoption
of children by Him, by Himself. And He's going to call her to
Himself. This was the hour of love for her. This was the hour
He'd come to her He's waiting for her because He delights to
show mercy. He's merciful to sinners. Is there ever a time that you
and I don't need mercy from Him? Have you made it 15 minutes that
you didn't need mercy from Him? I hope not. We're never told
this woman's name in scripture and maybe that's because it's
to protect her because of her sin. Verse seven, Jesus said
to her, give me the drink. Give me the drink. Then said
the woman of Samaria unto him, how is it that thou being a Jew
ask a drink of me, which am a woman and of Samaria? For the Jews
have no dealings with the Samaritan. Now this was totally out of character
of what a Jew would do on many levels. One, a man wouldn't have
been talking to this woman, to a woman. He would have said,
go get your husband. He wouldn't have talked to her.
That would have been totally against the tradition, especially
with the religious folk. But also, this woman was a Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritans
more than they hated the Gentiles. See, whenever the Babylonians
came into the southern kingdom of Judah and took them captive,
they took most all the captives back to Babylonia with them.
But they left some people. They left people they didn't
want in Babylon. The poor people. Vile people,
the people that they just said, we don't want to pollute our
pretty country with them people. They left those people there.
Mamed and lamed and halt and poor and just vile people, they
left them there. And then little by little, other
heathen nations come in. They had been children of Judah.
But other heathen nations come in and they intermarried. and started having little half-breed
children, and they just mingled their religions. They had part,
some of the Jewish law of Moses that they used, and they had
a bunch of superstitious things they used, and that's the stock
this woman's come out of. And so the Jews hated the Samaritan. They were worse than Gentile
dogs. And so if you left If you left Jerusalem going to Galilee,
left Judea going to Galilee, you could have made a straight
shot right to Galilee. But a Jew would go way around
to bypass Samaria, because they wouldn't go through Samaria.
They wouldn't have nothing to do with our people. And our Lord
came there. He came there. You know who the Samaritans are?
It's me and you. That's us. And our Lord came to where we
are. Why? Because He delights to show
mercy. And He's no respecter of persons.
All His people are the same to Him. In ourselves, we just fall
undead, corrupt sinners in ourselves. But it don't matter if you're
a Jew or a Gentile, if you're rich or poor, male or female,
bond or free, educated or uneducated. Our Lord is not a respecter of
persons. He don't look on outward. He looks on the heart. He looks
on the man he's created. That's what the heart means.
That part of his people he's made in righteousness and holiness. That's what he's looking on.
He doesn't judge like men judge. Now she's just a sinner though.
She's not been born of God yet. Oh, but he knows what he's going
to do for her. He knows what she is in him already. She just don't know it yet. So
he comes there, and he's sitting on this well, and she's shocked. How is it a Jew has drink of
me, who am a woman of Samaria? Jews have no dealings with Samaritans,
but there's one who does. There's one who does. Bless God,
there's one who does. He has dealing with these vile,
wretched, despicable Samaritans that nobody else wants to have
anything to do with. Our God is God of mercy. He's gonna make
her just like He makes all His people. He's gonna make her be
washed in the same blood as all His people are washed in. He's
gonna make her be clothed in the one and only garment of righteousness
that He will receive, and that's His righteousness. He's gonna
completely create a new creation in her, a new creature in her,
and constrain her in love And anything that's good that comes
from her, He's going to create it. And He's going to intercede for
her with the Father, by His presence with the Father, so that she's
welcome to the Father anytime. One faith, one baptism, one Savior,
one Redeemer, one inheritance. He's going to make her one with
His people. We see him receiving this woman here at this well.
This is what we see. Paul said, let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who was equal with God. He's God. But now, don't think of this
as like he condescended because he had to. No, this is love. This is love. He made himself
of no reputation. She had him pegged wrong. He
wasn't one of those Jews she was talking about. He was nothing
like those Jews she was talking about. He made himself of no
reputation. He took upon him the form of
a servant. And he became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. This one that nobody won't have
anything to do with, He's going to the cross and die for her.
He's laying down his life for her. Verse 10, Jesus answered and
said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is
that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked
of him, and he would have given thee living water. You see him
here meek and lowly, and this is what he's instructing her,
and this is a certainty right here. He said, if you knew the
gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink,
this would be the sure result. Thou would have asked of him. and he'd have given thee living
water. How are we made to ask mercy of our Lord? How are we
made to see we need mercy and ask mercy of the Lord? How does
that happen? He said, if you knew the gift
of God and who it is, if you knew the gift of God and who
it is that's speaking to you, you'd ask, you'd ask, who is
he? He is the gift of God. God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. As Moses lifted the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that
whoever believes on Him may have everlasting life. For God so
loved the world He gave his only begotten son to be lifted up
on a cruel cross in place of sinners that God could have nothing
to do with until that had been satisfied. I, the Lord, have called thee
in righteousness. He said, I'll hold thy hand,
I'll keep thee, and I'll give thee for a covenant of the people
a light of the Gentiles. That's who Christ is. I gave
him, the Father said. And when the Spirit convinces
us that God gave His Son, when He convinces you He's the gift
of God, the gift of God, freely given by God, when He convinces
you He's the gift of God, That's when you know salvation
is not by works. That's when you know salvation
is not of you. It's only in knowing Him and who He is that He's the
gift of God. That's the only way we find out.
In light of knowing God gave Him to die for His people. That's when He makes the light
go off in your heart and you know this thing's not of works. It's not of works. We're justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus.
Justified freely. I'll heal their backslidings.
Ever backslid? I'll heal their backslidings.
I'll love them freely for mine anger's turned away from Him.
He that spared not His own Son. Now this is the gift we're talking
about. He gave Him and He spared not His own Son. but delivered
him up on that cruel cross to bear the stripes that we deserve,
to bear the wrath we deserve, to bear the fierce anger of God
that we deserve. He spared him not that. How shall
he not with him freely give us all spiritual blessings in him?
There's no way he can't. When he makes you know him, that
he's the gift of God, that he's the one who was not spared on
Calvary's cross, that's when you find out everything's free. God's given it to me freely.
He became a man like his brethren. He walked under the law as the
head of his people. He bore our shame. The shame. That's what he bore. And the stripes, the stripes,
the stripes inflicted by God, by justice. And with his stripes,
we're healed. The chastisement of our peace,
the stripes of our peace was on him and we were free. He's the eternal life that God
gives freely. Wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, the gift
of God. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable
gift. He said, I'm the way, the truth,
and the life. No man comes to the Father by
me. When He makes you to see He's the way, He's the only way,
the one and only way to the Father. When He makes us see this, That's
when we're going to know the way's not in me. The way's never
in me. And these are not things he just
reveals to you at the well in the first hour. These are things
that he's ever teaching his people the whole way through. This is
how our flesh is mortified. This is how we're made to walk
in the Spirit. This is how the Spirit lusts against the flesh
so that the flesh can't do what it would. when He makes you see that He's
the truth, that He's the only truth. He Himself is the truth.
When He makes us see that, brethren, then that's when we know all
we are is a lie, and all we've ever worshipped is a lie, and
all we held on to was a lie. At whatever point in the walk
of faith, from the first to the end, this is what He does. He
shows you all over again, I'm the truth, you're the lie. How are you going to know that?
How are you going to ask of him and ask mercy? If you knew I'm
the truth, you'll ask me. That's how you're going to know
when you know he's the truth. He said, I'm the life. Whenever
he makes you know he's the life, he's the only life. You think
you got life in something else and you're running after this
and that and the other and you think you really got life in
something and he shows you all over again, I'm the life. He said, if you knew the gift
of God and who it is that's speaking to you, when He makes you know,
I'm the life, from the first hour to the last, when He says
into your heart, I'm the life, that's when you know, life's
not in me. Life's not in these things. Life's
not in this bank account I'm hoarding away and trying to provide
for a future that I don't even know if I'm going to have. He's
life. He controls all of that. He's
life. If you knew who it is, if you knew the gift, if you
know who it is speaking to you, then you'll come and ask of me
and I'll give you. I'll give you. He's the fountain
of living waters. Here's what Israel's problem
was, and this is our problem. My people have committed two
evils. This is where he found us, but this is where he all
constantly has to correct us from. My people have committed
two evils. They've forsaken me, the fountain
of living waters, and have hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns
that can hold no water. He has to turn us again and say,
do you know who I am? I'm the fountain of living waters. It's not knowing Calvinism, it's
not knowing Calvinism anymore than it's knowing Catholicism.
Man can know both of them inside and out and be useless. It's
knowing him. If you know the gift of God and
who it is, you'll ask him. You'll ask him and he'll give.
He'll give. He said, you have not because
you ask not. You ask and receive not because
you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts. He's just
not going to let us get the glory for anything, for nothing. But he's going to bring each
of his children to ask a rite. But how? By making us know who
it is, talking to it, who it is speaking to it. When's the
sinner going to ask a rite? If you knew the gift and who
it is, you'll ask. And what do we ask? When we ask
a rite, what do we ask? What do we ask? God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I need mercy. I need mercy. If you ask me, what do you cry
more than anything else to God? What's your prayer to God more
than anything else? God, be merciful to me, the sinner. If you will, Lord, you can make
me clean. If you will, you can make me
whole. What does he ask? Lord, remember
me. Remember me." And what happens when a true
mercy beggar asks of Him? He said, He'll give thee living
water. He will. He will give thee living
water. He never takes it from us. It'll
be a well of water springing up in us. And He never stops
giving that water. He never stops giving that water. And He does it by constantly
making us hear Him and know Him and realize it's Him. And in
light of Him, that's when I see my sin and what I am and how
I need Him. And it brings you to ask Him.
And He gives. Amen.