The title of my message from
John chapter 4, this familiar passage, and especially verse
10, is true saving knowledge. True saving knowledge. Exactly what is that? I've heard
a lot of men preach about it. I've read a lot of commentaries. that tell what it is. But exactly what is saving knowledge? I've heard men say, it's not
what you know, but who you know. And I agree with that. I agree
with that 100%. But then they'll go on and give a long list of
what you must know after making that statement. And I just leave
scratching my head. But according to God's Word,
and with this as an example, exactly what is saving faith? And when I use those words, saving
faith, saving knowledge, I mean that this knowledge, this knowledge,
if thou knewest, if thou knewest, this knowledge results in the
person who possesses it being saved. being saved. This is what
our Lord said. If you knew the gift of God and
would ask, he would give you living water. And this, therefore,
is essential, isn't it? Without this knowledge, without
what our Lord speaks of here, a man can't be saved. He can't be saved. Now, that
makes it makes us realize how important
this is. And let me say this, when I speak
of saving knowledge, I'm not talking about knowing doctrine. I'm not talking about that. This
woman, did you notice in the reading? She knew some doctrine,
didn't she? She made mention of it. It was
obvious by what she said in verse 12. about Jacob's will, and then
again in verse 20, and then again in verse 25, her expectation
of the coming of the Messiah. She knew some doctrine. This is the subject that's been on my mind for a
long time, a long time, because I fear If I'm not mistaken, I
fear there's a very real danger of people trusting their knowledge,
their knowledge of this book, their knowledge of God's Word. True, accurate, but trusting
that rather than trusting the Lord Jesus Christ. Using their
knowledge, their doctrine, their orthodoxy as a basis of their
acceptance before God without ever trusting the Lord Jesus. And I ask God, I pray, God don't
allow me, don't allow me in anything I preach, anywhere, anytime,
don't allow me to contribute to such a delusion as that. But
by the grace of God, always point men and women to Christ alone. Period. Nothing else, always. Not to a religious system, but
to a person. Isn't that what he did here in
verse 10? Isn't that what he did? He directed this woman to
him, to himself. He concluded, verse 26, his conversation
with her, I that speak unto thee I'm he. I'm he. I'm that gift. Let me read you
a brief article by our dear friend
and faithful preacher, Brother Henry Mayhem, along this very
line. He said, religion is to know
biblical facts. This woman did. Life is to know
God. Religion is to know what I believe. Life is to know whom I believe. Religion is to be baptized into
the church. Life is to be baptized into Christ. Religion is to be reformed. Life
is to be regenerated. Religion is to be a new convert.
Life is to be a new creature in Christ. A man was once asked,
and what is your religious persuasion? You ever been asked that? What
is your religious persuasion? And he replied, I am persuaded
that nothing can separate me from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus. That's a pretty good answer,
isn't it? Salvation, again, as our Lord himself here demonstrates,
is not in knowing what, but knowing who. Now, we're going to come
back to verse 10 of John 4 in a moment, but look, if you will,
in John chapter 17. In order to demonstrate this fact, of what
we just said to lay a foundation. Let's look at just one or two
verses. John chapter 17. You know where I'm going, don't
you? Our Lord's high priestly prayer. He says in verse 1 of John 17,
Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son
may glorify thee. as thou hast given him power
over all flesh, and that includes you and me, that he should give
eternal life to as many, as many as thou hast given him. And then
he gives us a definition, and who knew better than himself? Verse 3, and this is life eternal,
that they might know thee." Literally, he said, this is life eternal,
to know thee. That's how it should read. To
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast
sent. Remember when Peter, I'm sorry,
Paul sat in prison and he wrote his epistle, his last epistle
to his beloved Timothy. And he said, Timothy, I suffer
these things for the gospel's sake. Nevertheless, I am not
ashamed. I don't regret it. It's a noble
cause. Nothing's greater. I don't regret
anything I've suffered. I don't regret being in this
prison now or soon facing death. Timothy, I'm not ashamed. And he gave this as the reason,
for I know whom. What would have been pretty cold
comfort for that old soldier of the cross, wouldn't it, John?
I just can't imagine any what comforting that man at that hour
who was ready soon afterwards to cross over, to leave this
life and stand before God. What could comfort him? with
that soon approaching event being so near. It was this. Not what,
but who. I know whom I had believed. And he's able to keep that which
I've committed unto him against that day. We looked at this last
Sunday morning. Another old man near death in
Luke's Gospel chapter 10. He takes up God in his arms. What are you talking about, Larry? I'm talking about that baby.
That little dark-skinned Jewish baby boy that didn't look any
different than the other baby boy. Didn't look any different. He was made like unto his brethren.
Oh, but this one? This one that Mary and Joseph
bring to the temple? He's God Almighty. He's God Almighty. He's the everlasting Father.
He's the Prince of Peace. He's the Son that's given. And Joseph literally takes Him
in His arms. But you know what? It wasn't
literally taking that baby in His arms that was considered
faith. It wasn't that. No, the faith
was believing in his heart that that one he held in his arms
was none other than the Son of God. And that's why he could
say, Lord, let your servant depart in peace. Just take me on to
glory. Cause I've seen, remember he's
in the temple, I've seen, not the sacrifices, Not the high
priest. Not the holy place. Not the most
holy place. But I've seen your salvation. It's a person. It's a person. And that's what our Lord told
this woman. Salvation is a person. And that's
the issue, isn't it? Isn't that the issue? How can
I know God? How can I know God? is who? And that who? That who is Jesus Christ himself. If thou knewest the gift of God
and who? And who? Having Him. Having Him. Oh, brothers and
sisters in Christ. Having Him, we have salvation. He is salvation. Having Him,
I have all God's salvation. Having Him, I have salvation
to the uttermost. Now, can you tell me where that's
at? The uttermost? Scientists say they have the
technology to reach to the furthest ends of the universe, but they
haven't got to the uttermost. Salvation to the uttermost. And
that's not presumption. That's faith. That's just faith. That's like the apostle. I know
whom I have believed. And that's exactly what we find
our Lord telling this woman in John chapter 4. If thou knewest
the gift of God. The gift of God. But he didn't
stop there, did he? That would have done her no good.
No, he was going to reveal himself to her. So he says, the gift
of God is who? Is who? It's him that will give
you this living water, this salvation, this grace, this everlasting
life. It's in him. He shall give it
to you if you would only ask Him. The gift, oh, precious gift
of God's grace. Notice, the gift, not a gift,
and certainly not gifts, but one, one. Have Him, and you have
it all. Have Christ, and you have all
that God has for sinners. If I have Christ, I have all
that God Almighty has for sinners. He's that living water. All that
I need to live to God, Christ in you, the hope of glory. All that's necessary flows from
the fountain of living water. Look what he said in verse 14.
Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall
never thirst." My, what a statement. My, what a statement. We are
such, by nature, such hard-to-please creatures. Just hardly anything
satisfies us. It's never enough. That's what
my father used to tell me. Boy, it's never enough. You're
never satisfied. Then I became a father and I
tell my sons, you're never satisfied. It's never enough. What's the
matter with you? They're just like me. They're just like their
daddy. But look what our Lord says.
He says, this living water that I shall give you will satisfy
you. Nothing else in this world will.
Nothing else will. Oh, but taste this. Come to me, come to the fountain,
as Bobby sang a moment ago. Come to this fountain and drink,
and you'll never thirst again, only the thirst for more of Him,
because it'll be in you, in you. The life of God that's in the
Son flows from Him to me. We're so intimately connected
that I live the same life that He lives from the same source
and never to thirst again. In Revelation chapter 21, listen
to this. And this is a picture of exactly
what our Lord told this woman at the well. Revelation chapter
21, verse 6. And He said unto me, It is done.
Oh, I like those words, don't you? It is done. He speaks like
He accomplishes things. He speaks like He does whatever
He wants to do. He obtains whatever He desires. He that sits upon the throne
speaks thus, It is done. I'm Alpha and Omega. The beginning
and the end. I will give unto him that is
a thirst. Do you hear that? Are you thirsty? Are you thirsty
for a real knowledge of God? Are you thirsty for salvation? Are you thirsty to have your
sins forgiven? Do you want more than just a
little dose of religion? Christ said, I will give unto
him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
I'll give it. I'll give it. That's what he
told the woman at the well. If you'll ask, I'll give. Chapter
22 of Revelation. And he showed me a pure river
of water of life, clear as crystal, coming from where? Proceeding
out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Verse 17. And the Spirit and the bride
say, Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely. Freely. Don't bring anything that you
hope to purchase this water of life with. It's free. come you
that have nothing to pay. Nobody else can. But you that
are beggars, that have nothing, that are nothing, that claim
nothing, come. It's free, free, drink and live
forever. All that God has for needy sinners
is in his darling son. The unspeakable gift of his grace,
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ the Lord. All of his merit and virtue that
he possesses, that resides in him always, but not for him. Not for him. It flows from him
like this fountain of living water. It flows from him to needy
sinners. Yes, it does. That's why he has
it. It's for them. It's for needy
sinners. Turn, if you will, to Luke's
Gospel, chapter 8. Here's another woman. Another
woman that came to this fountain. This fountain of living water,
you know this story very well. Also, this woman with the issue
of blood, that had been passed from doctor to doctor to doctor, did her no good. Her case was
desperate, desperate case. Verse 43 of Luke 8, and a woman having an issue of
blood 12 years, which had spent all of her living, they milked
her of every dime she had. Upon physicians, neither could
be healed of any. Those quacks, the only thing
they relieved her of was her bank account. Verse 44, she came
unto him. Who? Him, the gift of God. the Lord Jesus Christ. He is
on his way to the house of Jairus. Oh, but she comes and she touched
the border of his garment and immediately, immediately, do
you see that immediately? That quick? You mean immediately
her issue of blood that she had spent for 12 years going from
doctor to doctor to doctor? Immediately he was staunch, dried
up, and Jesus said, Who touched me? Who touched me? Oh, what a blessed picture of
our all-sufficient Redeemer. Oh, what a demonstration that
He is indeed that one full of grace and truth. He's going to
perform one miracle, but here, so to speak, is a miracle by
the wayside. Who touched me? And when all
denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude
thronged thee. What do you mean? What do you
mean? We can't hardly move amongst
this crowd and you ask who touched you? You're being pressed upon
from every side. Jesus said in verse 46, Somebody
hath touched me. I don't mean what you fellas
think I mean. Somebody has touched me, he knew,
for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the
woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling
down before him. She declared unto him before
all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she
was healed immediately. Immediately. Virtue, he said,
is gone out of me. Virtue has gone out of me. Where
did it go? Virtue, power, has gone out of
him. Where did it go? It flowed from
him. It flowed from him. The fountain,
the spring, the fountainhead of living water, that one, in
whom is mercy and grace and forgiveness and righteousness. It flows out
of him into needy sinners and immediately they're healed. Immediately
they're made whole. Immediately they're justified. God has made him to be unto us
wisdom. and righteousness and justification
and redemption. You're complete in him. All that
he has flows into every needy sinner that touches him by faith
like this woman in Luke 8 did. Robert Hawker wrote, so that
a poor sinner is as much suited to Jesus for him to give out
of his fullness as Jesus is suited for a poor sinner to supply his
emptiness. I like that. I like that. They
complement one another. His virtue, their need, their
sin, his righteousness. There nothing, his all in all,
flows from him to them. No wonder the prophet asked,
why do you spend money for that which is not bread? Why? Why? Why do you spend your
labor for that which satisfieth not? Come to the fountain. wine
and milk without money and without price. Come! Come! It's free! Come and drink! That's what he
tells the woman. Now let's look at these lessons
at the well. And may we see Him, the embodiment
of truth, come as the living Savior before us and behold our
great God. God enable me to preach these
truths in such a way that we'll find comfort for our hearts because
they come from him who was the Word made flesh and still is,
and he tabernacled, John said, for a little while among us. Imagine that, God with us. John's gospel was written later,
many years later than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He's an old man
now. but it's more than a historical
account. No. John's Gospel is the loving
adoration of the age apostle, himself a sinner saved by grace
for his great Savior, his great grace and his great salvation. Everything Christ did for this
woman was a miracle of his grace, was it not? That's what salvation
is. That's what salvation is. It's
a miracle. It requires that which only God
himself can do. Salvation's a miracle. Salvation
is God's work. It'll take Christ to do exactly
for you and I what he did for this woman. It will require a
miracle. It took a miracle to hang the
world in place. It took a miracle to put the
stars in place. But when he saved my soul and
cleansed and made me whole, it took a miracle of love and grace. And it still does. Ask Jonah. Ask Jonah. Jonah, you're in the
belly of that whale. Not a problem. No big deal. Easy. Jonah say, yeah, it's easy
for you to say. You're not down here. What would
Jonah answer? Can you get yourself out? And
Jonah's answer is the same answer to the question of how are sinners
saved from Genesis to Revelation. You remember what he said. How
are sinners saved? Salvation is of the Lord. All of it. Every bit of it. Our Lord said, with men, it's
impossible. But not with God. Not with the mighty God-man. And that's what happened here.
God must do the same thing for every sinner that experiences
his grace. It requires this, first of all.
Three or four things. Look at verse 4 here in John
4. First of all, it will require this. This is
what he did for you and I that are believers. And he must needs
go through Samaria. He must take the initiative.
Someone said, the only reason he did that because the shortest
route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria. Yeah, right. That's true. But that's not what
the verse means. He came forth into this world
to do his Father's will. He said, all that the Father
giveth me must come to me. I came down from heaven to do
my Father's will. I'm the great shepherd of the
sheep. I come to seek and to save my sheep. And that's why he must go through
Samaria. That's why that day, that hour,
In that place, that city in Samaria, Sygar, to that particular well,
he said at that exact moment, for this exact purpose, he knew
that woman was coming there. And he was going to put himself
directly in her path. He was going to intercept her.
And thank God that's what the great shepherd does. He crosses
her path, doesn't he? He crossed her path. He put himself
directly in her way. He left Judea and the Pharisees,
he left them alone. They didn't want him. They didn't
need him. He's Joseph's son. We know his sisters, we know
his brothers, we know who his daddy is. He's the son of a carpenter. No good thing can come out of
Galilee. So he leaves them to themselves. Oh, I'm so thankful that the
Lord Jesus Christ didn't leave me to myself. Aren't you? Aren't you? I'm so glad that
he crossed my path, that he crossed this rebel's
path, that he interfered. Oh, I know this is a shock to
this religious generation, but that he interfered with my will.
He interfered with my will. Thank God, he said, it's not
your will, but it's my will that will decide this. And I'm so
thankful that he did. He comes to Samaria, of all places,
that city of outcasts, to a certain city and a certain woman. He
must needs go through Samaria. Spurgeon wrote, Providence directed
man to build Samaria directly in the road, and grace constrained
the Savior to move in that direction. Look at verse 7. There cometh
a woman of Samaria to draw water, and Jesus saith unto her, Give
me the drink. Can you picture this? Oh, that
dry and dusty land. And it's at noon. The sun is
at its highest at noon. This woman came on purpose. Nobody else would be drawing
water at that time of the day. They do it early in the morning
or late in the evening. But she did it because she didn't want
to be seen. She had a reputation. And it wasn't a good reputation.
So she thought, I'll just slip in there and get my water and
get back home without anybody taking notice of me because I
know how I'm looked at around here. But like that woman we
read of in Luke 8, she could not be hid. She could not be
hid, not from that one who loved her, that one who's sitting on
the well, that one who's tired and leaning against the well. Why? He's waiting for her. The
Son of God is waiting for her. That's the only reason he's there.
to intercept her. The time of love had come. The
time that she would experience that love that she had been loved
with from eternity. He came for her. He would soon lay down His life
for her. And He would have her. She will
be conquered by His grace. His will will prevail. His grace
will be effectual. And thank God I don't have a
problem with that. Do you? Oh, I'm so thankful that
the grace of the Son of God can never return void. It accomplishes exactly what
He intends. Notice secondly, this woman must
be made willing. because God doesn't save anybody
against their will. No, no, no. All that are saved
are most willing. Our Lord said, you ask, you ask. You ask and I'll give. Oh, but
he makes her willing in the day of his power. Look at verse 15. See how she begins to change.
What's happening here? What's going on here? The woman
saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, and I know she still
had some fuzzy ideas about what he was talking about, but that
I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. He creates the thirst
that only he can satisfy. He gave the thirst that he gave
to the drink. And He alone can do so. He alone can satisfy that thirst. A thirst for not religion, but
for Him. But for Him. To know the living
God. Man, I wouldn't want to lie down
in my bed tonight, Joe. No, don't need to wait that long.
I wouldn't want to stand here and my only hope of eternity
are some facts I know. Some five points that I can recite. Is that all? Is that all the
hope I have? Is that all the foundation I
have? Oh, no. Bless His glorious name by His
grace. By His grace alone, I know who. I know who and he himself is
all the reason of my hope. I want to know the living God,
to know him the water of life, to be one of those sinners plunged
beneath that fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's
veins and being plunged beneath that blood. I come out and I've
lost all my guilty stains. What a Savior. What a glorious
Redeemer. To go home. You mean, once you experience this well,
this living water, this Jesus Christ himself, you can go home
justified? Is that true? That sounds too
good to be true. Oh, but it is. It is justified
and you'll never be unjustified. You'll never be unjustified.
A new creature in Christ Jesus. Look at verse 13. Something else
had to be dealt with. Our Lord exposes her sin to herself. He shows her what she really
is. Go call thy husband and come
hither." Ooh! Ooh! He puts his finger right
on her point of rebellion. He didn't flatter her. He didn't
pretend he didn't know. He didn't pretend it didn't exist.
He wouldn't give her the robe of his righteousness until she
was stripped of her own, and he still does. He still does. He exposed her sin. He brings
her down. He tells her, you don't know
God. You don't know God. You don't know what you worship.
Oh yes, this is that necessary painful work, sometimes described
as conviction of sin. This is the gracious Redeemer making her heart to fear. Because
He's going to relieve her fear. He's going to clothe her, but
first she must, she must cast away her robe of self-righteousness. And she came to the well wearing
one that day. But she can't leave wrapped in
the righteousness of Jesus Christ and yet having her own robe. It won't happen. It won't happen. She's going to have to cast it
off, walk on it, call it a filthy rag and be robed in the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. She's going to cast it aside
or she'll go to hell in it. Christ won't grant His mercy,
His grace until she bows before Him, I'm the sinner. and bow
by his grace she does. Remember that rich young ruler.
There's an example of a man who would not cast off his robe of
self-righteousness. And what happened? What happened? He went away and the Lord Jesus
Christ let him go. He let him go. Most preachers
today would have ran after him. They'd have put his name on the
church roll. join up, give him a false refuge, but Christ wouldn't
do it. The very idea, the very idea
that God will partner a rebel who refuses to give up his rebellion
is contrary to his word and common sense. My soul, it's ridiculous. Last of all, look what Christ
did. Verse 25 and 26, we'll wrap this
up. The woman saith unto him, I know
that the Messiah, the sent one, the anointed one of God, when
he comes, which is called Christ, when he comes, he will tell us
all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that
speak unto thee, am he. Oh, my soul. Then, then, faith was granted
to that sinner. Then, virtue flowed into her
from him. Then, she drank. That thirsty, helpless, needy,
unworthy sinner drank from the fountain of living water. And she lived forever. Now, she
stands before the throne of God without a spot or a wrinkle or
any such thing. The prophet said, therefore,
my people shall know my name. Therefore, they shall know in
that day that I am he. That's what he told her, didn't
he? I am he that does speak. Behold, it is I. I am sought of them that ask
not for me. I am found of them that sought
me not. I said behold me, behold me. Behold me, he says. Look unto
me. Behold me unto a nation that
was not called by my name. This is a miracle of his grace.
If a sinner knows who Christ is, it's because flesh and blood
have not revealed it unto him. But my Father which is in heaven,
everything that brings a sinner out of the depths and reveals
Christ to him and in him and keeps him and brings him to glory
is a miracle, a miracle of our wonder-working God. If thou knewest
the gift of God, And who it is that said unto thee, Give me
to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given
thee living water. Do you know the gift of the living
God? Is this your personal experience? Then know this. He that's begun
a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. The work which God's goodness
began, the arm of his strength will complete. His promise is
yea and amen and never was forfeited yet. Things future nor things
that are now, not all things below nor above can make him
his purpose forgo or sever my soul from his love. Amen. Thanks be unto God for
his unspeakable gift.