John chapter 4. There's one thing I want you
to do as we go through this. I want you to keep in mind, this
is God dealing with a sinner. This is how God deals with sinners
and saves them. It just struck me when I was
reading this again, I'm not just seeing a man, I'm seeing the
God of creation purposely cross the path of a
sinner that He's going to save, and He handles her so graciously. You can hear, when you understand
the animosity that was between the Samaritans and the Jews,
and you could hear the tone of her voice. But I can also hear
the grace falling from his lips as he spoke to her. She never
riled him up at all by her attitude. He's in control of this situation. He's got complete control of
it. Now it says that our Lord left Judea to go to Galilee,
but first He must go through Samaria. And He had to go through
a particular city, a city in Samaria called Sychar. He has
a meeting set up there with a woman from that city. No one knows
about it but Him. He's the only one who knows about
it. He arranged it before He created
the heavens and the earth. He arranged this meeting. He
set this appointment before creation. That's why He must needs go through
Samaria. There are no accidental meetings
with the Lord Jesus Christ. There's not one person who ever
accidentally hears the gospel. on purpose. Now, the scripture
says it is a savor of life unto life. It's a sweet smell of life
unto life to some, and to some it's the savor of death unto
death. It adds condemnation to condemnation. Hearing the gospel
is the most serious thing you and I will ever do. Our Lord
said, Take heed how you hear, for with what measure you meet
it with, it will be measured to you again. Also here we see Isaiah 65.1,
I believe that's the verse, "...I was found of them that sought
me not. I was made known unto them, I
was manifest unto them that asked not after me." She was after
some water. She wasn't looking for Him in
any way, shape, or form. She was after some water. But
I want you to notice how He sends His disciples away There in verse
8, "'For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat.'"
You think that was just incidental? You know what he did? He got
them out of the way. He got them out of the way is
what he did. There comes a time when it's
just the sinner and the Savior. I stand here and I preach the
gospel, and I've preached the gospel in other places. I sat
under Henry and he preached the gospel. But there comes a time
when God's going to save a sinner, that it's between that sinner
and the Savior. Everybody else got to get out
of the way. Everybody. If those disciples would have
been there, they would have interrupted, they would have had an attitude
that had been standing there glaring at her, You see there
that they were surprised. They said, what's he doing talking
to that woman? But they kept their mouth shut. They had enough
wisdom to not say anything, but they were thinking it. Isn't
it amazing how it's written what they were thinking? The Lord
knows what you and I are thinking. They were thinking it. If you'll notice in verse 6,
let me just mention this as I go along here. Because there's no
fillers in the Word of God, nothing is just written. It says, He
sat thus on the well, being wearied from His journey. He went out
of His way to go through this place, so to speak, to go through
this place, and He was weary, tired. This shows His humanity. Here is another glimpse of the
humanity of Jesus Christ. He was tired and weary and thirsty. And now, notice how the Lord
starts this conversation with this woman. Here it is noon,
here she comes with her water pot, and He starts this conversation
with her. And He says to her, and He's
going to address her problem, what she really needs, because
she's the one who really needs the water, the living water. He says,
Give me a drink of water. He asked for what she needed.
He was asking her for what she needed. Water. And then he begins
in verse 10 there to reveal himself. And Jesus answered and said unto
her... Let me go back here to verse
7 again. There cometh this woman of Samaria
to draw water. And he said to her, Give me to
drink. And his disciples were gone away into the city to buy
meat. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that
thou, being a Jew, hast drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans. Why are you asking me for something to
drink? And then our Lord, instead of
answering that question, He shoots right at the heart. He gets to
the very heart of the matter as to why He's there. And Jesus
answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God..."
The gift of God is eternal life. And 1 John said, this is eternal
life, and he's speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life
is the gift of God, and Jesus Christ is eternal life, therefore
He is the gift of God. "...If thou knewest the gift
of God, and who it is that is speaking to you..." Oh, I tell you, If you knew tonight,
even just reading this, if you knew tonight and I knew tonight
who's speaking from His Word, if thou knewest the gift of God
and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, you'd ask Him. You'd be asking Him. And He would
have given thee living water. If you knew God's gift and who's
speaking, you'd ask Him. All you have to do is ask. Ask. I said this to someone one time.
We were discussing, I was telling the Gospels. We were talking
back and forth. I said, have you ever just asked
God to save you? Have you ever just asked God
to forgive you? And quit waiting for this, waiting
for lightning to strike, waiting for this feeling. Just ask. James said, you have not because
you ask not. It's just that simple. If you knew who's talking, if
you knew the gift of God and who's talking to you, you'd ask
Him. And listen, you'd ask Him and
He would give you. He said He would give you the
living water. Just what I ask you. Isn't that
amazing? And the woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to
draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that
living water? I have no doubt. It's evident she didn't know
who she was talking to. Isaiah 53 says, When we shall
see him, there is no beauty that we should desire. There was nothing
special about him as far as his looks, his outward appearance.
There was nothing that was about his appearance that said, this
is the Messiah. She said, you don't have anything to draw with. She's no doubt standing there
looking at him going, I don't see a bucket. The well's deep. They say that well was about
100 feet deep. She's the one who had nothing
to draw with. She's the one who had nothing
to draw with. Whence hast thou that living
water? Her mind is still on earthly things. She's like Nicodemus
when the Lord said, You must be born again. And Nicodemus
said, How can a man enter into his mother's womb? And the Lord
said, You've got to be born again to understand what's going on
here. And this didn't even really hit me until today. And I've
preached on this a few times, read it many times. But here
stands the embodiment of truth. Christ is the truth. I am the
way, the truth, and the life. Here stands the Word of God.
He is the Word of God. We are begotten with the Word
of Truth. While He is standing here talking
to her, He is begetting her. I looked, reading at this today,
I thought, she don't even realize she's being born again. He is
begetting her with the Word of Truth, standing there talking
to her. She doesn't even realize it.
None of you realized it when God saved you, when that was
happening, did you? You became interested, you became
convicted, you began to hear, you began to listen, not realizing
that the Lord was saving you all that time, and you felt like
He was going to damn you. You felt like He'd save anybody but
me. But this lady at this time, her
mind is on earthly things. Her mind is on buckets of water.
But he's going to change that in a little bit. And she asked
him a question, Are thou greater than our father Jacob? She's
going to compare him to Jacob. No one was greater than Jacob.
Our father Jacob. He's in our family tree. which
gave us the will, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and
his cattle." I think she's being a little snappy right here. Are you saying that you're greater
than our father Jacob? You mean Jacob the deceiver?
Is that the one you're talking about? Standing before her is Jacob's
Lord and Savior. Jacob's Creator. And here's something important,
because the Lord is guiding this whole conversation. There can
be no one greater than Christ in our estimation. And He's going
to show her in this conversation, yes, I am greater than Jacob. I'm Jacob's Lord. I'm His Savior. And notice she says, Jacob gave
us the well. Jacob gave us this well, this
well of water. No, Jacob dug a hole in the ground. Who put the water in it? Who
put the water in the well? God did. They forget that. Jacob gave us this well. Are
you so much better than Jacob that you can give better water?
Can you give us a better well? Can you give us better tasting
water? I know how she's thinking because
it's exactly the way I'd be thinking. I'd be a little smarter, I'm
sure I would. Oh, listen here, and he drank
of it. He drank of it. Does that make it pure water?
Because he drank of it? Jacob adds nothing to it by drinking
of it. Listen, don't get taken up with
things because someone else of prominence has something to do
with it. Don't get taken up with it. God uses means, but God is
the giver of all things. God gave that well. He used Jacob
to dig it. And you know why? You know why
that well is sitting there? You know why Jacob dug that well?
So the Lord Jesus Christ could sit on it and save that sinner.
That's why that well's there. for that one purpose." Now you
can fill it in after that. Because that purpose has been
served. He's now saved a sinner sitting
on that well that was appointed before the world began. And Jesus said unto her, Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again. You notice how our Lord stays
with the truth? He stays right with the truth. Whoever drinks
of this earthly well, no matter whose well it is, you will thirst
again. I promise you, you'll thirst
again. It cannot give life. It cannot save you from your
sins. Whatever it is that you find pleasure in right now, you
will thirst again. You'll do it. Because it can't
satisfy the soul. It can't do that. Whatever we find pleasure in,
in this world, will leave us thirsty. The more money we make,
guess what? The more we want. Solomon said, he that loves silver
will not be satisfied with silver. The only thing that can truly
satisfy the soul is God who made it. He's the only one. Religion without Christ will
only leave you thirsty. Only God can satisfy the soul. But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that
I shall give him shall be in him. You don't have to go somewhere
to get it. It's in you. Christ in you, the
hope of glory. The living water, which is Christ,
is in you. I shall give him, shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." This
morning, around 4.30, that water was springing up. I was thinking
upon the Lord. Have you ever just gone throughout
the day and you began to think upon the Lord without any effort,
trying to, your thought just started, just came into your
mind or just a scripture, that's that well of water springing
up. It's in you. Christ in you. He said, if my words abide in
you. Well, if He abides in you, His words will too. This is real salvation. Here's
real salvation. It's the water of life in you,
not in the hole in the ground. It's in you. It's spiritual.
It's spiritual life. It's the life of Christ. It's
the life of God in the soul. Salvation is a work in us as
well as for us. If God has done something for
me, I assure you He will do something in me. There'll be a work of
grace in me if there was a work of grace for me. And it says here in this verse,
verse 14, Whosoever drinketh, the only way to quench my thirst
is to drink the water. Looking at it will not do it.
Having it close by will not do it. Drinking it will do it. That's what does it. There is
the receiving of Christ in the heart. It says in John 1.12,
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power or the
right to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
His name. That's what receiving Christ is. Receiving Christ is
to believe Him. It's to believe Him. That unique
one to be baptized. Philip asked him if he believed. He said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. and he stopped and he went down
and Philip baptized him. That's receiving Christ is to
believe on Him. Salvation is not Jesus Christ
near you. It is not Jesus Christ in your
presence. It is Jesus Christ in you, the hope of glory. And
here is security. You'll never thirst again. Never
thirst again. And he's speaking here spiritually.
Religion without Christ leaves you thirsty. You're always feeling
guilty, you always got to do this. But I tell you this, if
you have Christ, you'll never thirst again. You'll find real
contentment. You will find real joy in the
Lord. If you have Him, you'll never
thirst again. This well will never run dry.
It says it's always springing up. And it also speaks of its fullness,
for God's the source of it. Listen, you never thirst again,
it's always springing up, and no trial, no trial, no matter
how hot it is, can dry it up. It'll keep springing up. I remember
growing up on the farm, When we would have those hot summers,
when it would be dry and very little rain, there was a spring
back on the hill in this one area, and you could go up there
no matter how dry the weather was, and there was water in that
spring all the time. All the time. And then the woman said unto
him, there in verse 15, Sir, Give me this water that I thirst
not, neither come hither to draw." The natural mind can't comprehend
the things of God. She's not yet grasped what He's
saying. She hasn't grasped who He is
yet, but He's working on her. He's working on her. We are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. You know, salvation, I
have been saved, I'm being saved, and I shall be saved. And that's what he's doing. He's
saving her. He's saving her. Her natural thinking is this.
Well, give me this water and I won't have to come here every
day and draw water. She's thinking of earthly comfort. She's thinking of her comfort.
She's saying, if you can give me this living, she's not paying
attention to the living part. She's hearing the water part,
I don't have to come and draw water. That's what she's hearing.
She's thinking of her earthly comfort. Isn't that us? Always
thinking of our earthly comfort more than spiritual comfort.
Most people's idea of being saved is going to a place called heaven
where they don't have to work anymore. That's their idea of
heaven. But there's a change now. She's
saying, well, give me this water that I thirst not. She said,
I'm asking. He said, if you ask, well, give me this water that
you say you have, and I won't have to come here no more. So
now the Lord, and He does this so wisely, He goes from the water
of life to her sinful life. Now we're going to deal with
her sins. Now we're going to deal with sin. No sinner is saved
until his or her sins are dealt with. Period. We all have them. And we all have peculiar sins.
We all do. And no sinner is going to be
saved until that's dealt with. And I've learned this over the
years of watching people and myself. The Lord may use some
particular sin to bring us to see our sinful nature. It usually starts with a particular
sin, and then we come to see, wow, that's what I am. It's not
if I quit this, everything will be alright. It doesn't matter
if I quit it or not. I'm not alright, I'm sin. I need
to be saved from who and what I am. If the Lord does that,
if He saves me from myself, my conduct will straighten up. I
guarantee it will straighten up. There's got to be a new nature
given. So He's going to deal with her
now over her sins. And it's also a revelation of
His deity for no one can know all this but God. No one can
know the heart but God. You know, we look like pretty
good people, don't we? God knows the heart. God knows
every sinful thought. He knows it all. He said nothing
is hid from Him. He said the night is as the day
before Him. She says here, well, the Lord
told her to go call her husband. She said, I have no husband.
Well, she told the truth, but not all of it. She did tell the
truth, because he said, that's true. That's true. That's like
my brother took my dad to the doctor the other day. And he's
scared to death losing his license. Nine years old, can't walk. Scared
to death losing his license. And so my brother started saying,
well, this is this. He can't walk. Dad says, shut
up. You don't have to tell everything. He told him to shut up. He said,
you don't need to tell him everything. Just tell him what I want right
now. James said, Dad, if I don't tell him what I want, tell him
they can't treat you. He said, shut up. Dad said, don't
tell him everything. And this woman here, she just
said, I have no husband. Boy, the Lord is going to just
reach in. This has to happen. There's got to be a real conviction
of sin. We live in this day of easy-believe-ism. But there's got to be a real
conviction of sin or you'll never see the value of Jesus Christ. He'll be worthless to you. He'll
just be an insurance policy to keep you from going to hell.
That's all He'll be to you. And not a real Savior from sin. I have no husband. Our Lord is
going to make her come clean, so to speak. I heard Henry say this one time,
he said, honest people don't go to hell. God makes you honest. David said, against thee and
thee only have I sinned and done this evil, and I say, God makes
you honest. And he said, verse 18, he said,
For thou hast had five husbands. You've told the truth, you're
right. You don't have a husband. The guy you're shacked up with
is not your husband. She had went through five of them. She
figured, well, forget that. We might as well skip that part
of it. She's just living with him. And the Lord said, Thou
hast had five husbands. And he whom thou hast now is
not your husband. In that, saithest thou truly,"
you're right, He reveals to her her adulterous life. That's what
He's doing. He's revealing to her her adulterous
life that she's led for all these years. Nothing is hid from our
Lord. You've had five husbands. But
you know what? I thought of this, reading this, She really has
now met her husband. She's now met her true husband,
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's her true husband. And she says in verse 19, I perceive you are a prophet. Well, yes,
he is. He's that prophet that Moses
said should come. He is that prophet. But what she does here, she gets
religious. I perceive you're a prophet.
Now she's going to get religious. She's going to try to introduce
a controversy concerning a place of worship. Now she's going to
turn it from this matter of water to a place where we worship. It's like, what church do you
belong to? What do you all believe? Well, there's only one church.
Now I'm either in the right one or the wrong one. There's only
one. There's only one Jesus Christ. Paul said they'll come preaching
another Jesus. Now I either believe the right one or the wrong one.
I told a man here some time ago, I said, we don't believe the
same God, we don't believe on the same Lord Jesus Christ. Now it's either the right one
or the wrong one. She said, our fathers There you
go, that's what my grandpa used to do, and what my dad used to
do, and where we used to go. What's that matter? It's the
relationship with Christ. That's what matters. Our fathers worshipped in this
mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship? You know, they didn't have any
divine revelation to do what they were doing. in their mountains. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe
Me. Here He says it again. Believe
Me. And that's what salvation is.
That's what faith is. Believe Me. Take the Word of
God. Believe Me. The hour cometh when
you shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship
the Father. The hour cometh, now listen,
when all the ceremonies, all the types are going to vanish
away. He said, the hour cometh when
all these things are going to be done away with. And He's talking
about just in a few more days, He's going to go to the cross,
and that's going to be done with. All those types and ceremonies,
they're going to be done away with. And worship has nothing
to do with a place. Where do you worship at? Well,
I hope I worship in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where I
worship at. And where we meet together to
worship the Lord together is here. Worship has everything to do
with the person. God is Spirit. He says there in verse 22 and
23, you worship you know not what, you don't know what you're
doing. I don't care how serious you
are about what you're doing, you don't know what you're doing.
You don't know. Ignorance in worship is not worship.
It's not worship. You don't know what you're doing.
We know what we worship, we Jews, for salvation of the Jews." And
he's saying this. God chose Abraham. God made a
covenant with Abraham concerning the seed. And all nations through
that seed would be blessed. And that seed that he's speaking
of is the Lord Jesus Christ. And then all the types and the
pictures were given to the Jews, to the Israel there. It was given
to them. That's what he means by that.
But the hour cometh, and now is, right now, when the true
worshipers from all over the world," that's what he's talking
about, all over the world, "...shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him." And the woman said unto him,
I know that Messiah, in verse 25, I know that Messiah cometh,
which is called Christ, and when He's come, He'll tell us all
things. And here the Lord reveals Himself to her. He opened her
eyes right here. She had all this conversation.
He's doing a work of grace going on in her, she doesn't even realize
it. And there he stands, and he says, I that speak unto thee
am. I'm the one. You're looking at
the Messiah. And she believed him. She believed
him, and then the disciples came. Because the conversation was
over, and now it's time for her to go back to the city and spread
the good news. You see, she goes back over there in verse 39,
"...and many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him,
for the saying of the woman which testified, He told me all that
ever I did." Because she said, Come see a man. There in verse
29, "...Come see a man which told me all things that ever
I did. Is not this the Christ?" And when they heard that, the
Samaritans would come to him, they besought him, and he stayed
there two more days. and many more believed because
of His own Word. And this is the verse, verse
42, And He said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of
thy saying, for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that
this is indeed the Christ, the Promised One, the Anointed One,
the Saviour of the world. This is the Saviour. We believe. And then He departed. And he
departed. And she left her water pot though,
that's where I got the title, it says, she left her water pot.
And when I, in looking at it, there's a message in that in
itself. She left all her cares, all her earthly cares, all that
she was concerned about at that time, she left them at his feet
and left. It's like the two disciples jumped
out of the boat when the Lord said, come, follow me. They jumped
out of the boat and left Zebedee, their father. They just left
him right there in the boat. They jumped out and followed
Christ. There's none of this, well, wait,
I've got this to do. The day is the day of salvation.
Now is the accepted time. We may not be here again. We
may not be here tomorrow. May not.