1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,320 Would you grab a Bible and open to John chapter 4, please? 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:11,520 We'll read it John chapter 4 a few verses and then I'll I'll 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:15,280 pray for us. John chapter 4 starting in verse 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,880 6 so we can hear this text again. 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:24,880 John chapter 4, verse 6. Jacob's well was there, so 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:29,320 Jesus, we read as he was from his journey, was sitting beside 7 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,320 the well. It was about the 6th hour. 8 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,120 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. 9 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,280 Jesus said to her, give me a drink, for his disciples had 10 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,320 gone away into the city to buy food. 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,760 The Samaritan woman said to him, How is it that you, a Jew, ask 12 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,280 for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? 13 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,800 For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:59,120 Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,880 that is saying to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him 16 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,240 and he would have given you living water. 17 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:10,560 The woman said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, 18 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,360 and the well is deep, where do you get that living water? 19 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,080 Are you greater than our father Jacob? 20 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:23,640 He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons 21 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,280 and his livestock. Jesus said to her, Everyone who 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,200 drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever 23 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:36,000 drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty 24 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,880 again. The water that I will give him 25 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,320 will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal 26 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:45,760 life. The woman said to him, Sir, give 27 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,160 me this water so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here 28 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:53,680 to draw water. These are the words of God. 29 00:01:54,240 --> 00:02:00,520 Would you pray with me? Father, we are in need of you to 30 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,920 draw near to us in the name of your Son Jesus, and to speak 31 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,440 through your spirit that you would take up your word, Lord, 32 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:12,120 and that you would allow there to be a much greater sermon than 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:18,240 the one I can give. Lord, we ask you this morning as 34 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,040 only you can do, Lord Jesus, that you the great shepherd of 35 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:26,360 the sheep, that you would speak to your sheep this morning, that 36 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,600 you would remind us of your great love for us, that you 37 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:35,120 would remind us of just who you have been to us. 38 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,240 By your grace and mercy. Would you take up your word, 39 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,520 Lord, and would you build up your people? 40 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:48,480 We ask it in Jesus name, Amen. So as Christians, we must have 41 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:54,120 theological distinctions in the same way that every country that 42 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:59,000 exists has to have a border. This is not a overtly political 43 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,440 sermon about securing the border. 44 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:04,080 I just want you to know there, there has to be within the 45 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,200 faith, there has to be theological distinctions that 46 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:12,120 that demarcate US versus them. What do we believe and what do 47 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,800 they believe? This is why every Sunday we have 48 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,240 an elder that will stand before you and say, Christian, what do 49 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,480 you believe? And we recite the Apostles Creed 50 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,840 because that's our truth. Those are our theological 51 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:28,040 distinctions that show us that we have been marked by Christ. 52 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,360 And so theological distinctions are like borders to countries. 53 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:37,760 You you have to have them. But but borders are never to be 54 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,160 lived on. Live near them for sure. 55 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,040 I mean, living near a border is totally fine, but you're not 56 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:48,600 supposed to live on the border. You, you can. 57 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,600 It's in the same way that a fence that that separates 1 58 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,160 field from another. You never build your garden on 59 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,720 your fence. You build it within your fence. 60 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,720 The fence is there to say my property, your property. 61 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,320 But once that line is drawn, we come onto my property and we 62 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:08,840 build a home that we feel full of song and babies and food and 63 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,400 all of the good things. So fences separate 1 field from 64 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,880 another. Gardens are built inside the 65 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,880 fences. And this morning we have a text 66 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:26,120 that is a, a garden text. Yes, there's tons of theological 67 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,120 wonders in this text of distinctions of of God's grace, 68 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:32,960 his mercy, his sovereignty, his goodness, all of these things 69 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,400 that are doctrinally derived from this text. 70 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,040 But that's not how John wrote it. 71 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,280 That's not how it comes to us in sacred Scripture. 72 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:47,720 It comes as a story that is a day in the life of Christ that I 73 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,120 believe is a high point. It's one of those, it's one of 74 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:56,480 those stories about the person of Christ that just cause us 75 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:01,000 ought to cause us to wonder at how good he has been to sinners. 76 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:05,120 And so it's a we need to think rightly about this story. 77 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,320 We need to think rightly about Christ. 78 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:12,680 But today this text is after your heart more than it's after 79 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,120 your mind. You can't have your heart 80 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:16,760 without your mind. You're to love God with all your 81 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:18,960 heart, soul, mind, and strength and body. 82 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:25,240 But this is a glorious, glorious story about God's love coming 83 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,920 first from him to us through the person of his Son, so that we 84 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:34,760 might be made glad indeed. And so let's dig into this 85 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,760 story. Before we do, I need to ask you 86 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:41,920 a question that I ask you often. What happens in Holy Scripture? 87 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:47,520 What happens when a man meets a woman at a well, Lucy, they get 88 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:48,920 married. That's right. 89 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:54,160 This text is not about Jesus practicing personal evangelism. 90 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,880 This text is about the type of woman that Jesus marries, the 91 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:02,560 type of people he covenants to himself. 92 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:08,560 That's the mega theme. And so John tells this story in 93 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,680 just so carefully, and he fills it full of all of these 94 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,920 mysteries and wonders. This is one of my very favorite 95 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,560 texts in all of Scripture. And so we need to be thinking 96 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,520 wedding when we come to this, when we come to this story. 97 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,840 So the first thing I want to show you is that this lady has 98 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:29,760 got to be the wrong woman. It's a it's a wedding text for 99 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:36,080 sure, but this lady is all wrong according to sacred Scripture. 100 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:39,280 OK, First off, she's from the wrong tribe. 101 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:42,360 You know the story. Jesus comes to this well, He's 102 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,040 wearied talking about the humanity of Christ. 103 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:48,800 He is thirsty. He's a real man He comes. 104 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,320 He was sitting beside the well about the 6th hour. 105 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:53,960 That's the hour of noon. It's the the hottest part of the 106 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:55,280 day. More on that in a moment. 107 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:02,120 When a woman from Samaria came to draw water, Jesus said to 108 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,960 her, give me a dream. She's from the wrong tribe in 109 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,600 the Old Testament. Think about how much ink was 110 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,440 spilled on Abraham finding a wife for his son from the right 111 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,400 kind of people. He made us. 112 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,400 He made him take a solemn oath. Oh yeah, made him take a solemn 113 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,000 oath. Sent him to the other side of 114 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:25,560 the globe saying do not take a wife for my son from the 115 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:29,040 Canaanites, go to my people, go to the right tribe, the right 116 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,440 kind of people, and find the right kind of woman. 117 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,560 So. So Isaac marries his own kin, 118 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,000 Jacob does the same thing, goes to the other side of the globe 119 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,920 to find a bride. And you think as comparison, 120 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,760 Esau and Ishmael, who just married whatever girl was at 121 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,680 hand, and among the Canaanites the wrong tribe, and they are 122 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,560 roundly condemned for that. The patriarchs are roundly 123 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,960 praised for going and finding the right sort of woman from the 124 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:02,280 right sort of tribe. And so if we knew our Bibles, we 125 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:06,920 would be absolutely scandalized by this lady. 126 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:12,200 It's clearly a wedding text. And here comes this Samaritan 127 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,760 half breed woman, Christ by a well. 128 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,680 And so we should be looking, this is the hero. 129 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,160 This is the hero, as it were, in exile. 130 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,400 This is this is Moses running from Pharaoh, meeting Sephora. 131 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:29,520 This is Jacob running from Esau meeting Rachel. 132 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,919 This is Abraham's servant going to find Rebecca. 133 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,080 And so we're watching Christ by a well and our head is on a 134 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:38,880 swivel. We're looking for the matriarch, 135 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:44,280 the next great babe in sacred history, and it's a Samaritan 136 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:51,040 woman scandal half breed Samaritan woman, and she's 137 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:55,360 coming at the wrong time of day. This is something that we might 138 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:58,200 not know anything about, but John tells us that it was about 139 00:08:58,200 --> 00:08:59,920 the 6th hour. That's the hottest part of the 140 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:02,520 day. You don't come to a well at the 141 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,000 hardest part of the hottest part of the day. 142 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,320 You come in the morning when it's cool or in the evening when 143 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,120 it's cool to get your water. Why is she coming when nobody 144 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:14,520 else is coming? Well, not to give too much away, 145 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:15,720 but I'll go ahead and give it away. 146 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:22,120 This lady is the town tart. She's she's a scarlet woman. 147 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,000 She's had five husbands and she's shacked up with a guy 148 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,480 she's not married to now. OK, she is coming at the wrong 149 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:36,400 time of day in order to avoid the shame of being a famous, 150 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:42,240 famous Sinner seen by other self-righteous sinners, Right. 151 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,600 There's a a great story about a very famous preacher who was at 152 00:09:47,680 --> 00:09:51,880 a youth sort of camp and this guy was preaching about the 153 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,160 importance of sexual purity. Now listen, sexual purity is 154 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,200 important. If you're not married, don't 155 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:58,560 have sex. It's important. 156 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:04,440 And so this guy is railing against the evils of sexual 157 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:07,560 promiscuity, and he gives his illustration. 158 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:10,920 He takes this beautiful red rose that smell, and he smells. 159 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,600 It smells glorious. And he's like, I just want you 160 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,440 guys to smell this rose. Just pass it around every hand, 161 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:21,600 take it up and smell the Rose. And he passes it around to a 162 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:26,120 room full of 100 grubby teenagers who grab the Rose, 163 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,360 stick it in their nose, smell it and then pass it on. 164 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,240 By the time it gets back around to the preacher, the, the, the 165 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,760 stem is broken. All of the leaves are off. 166 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:39,000 Every petal is on the ground. It's lost any of its beauty. 167 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,800 It's lost all of its preciousness, all of its smell. 168 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:48,320 And this guy holds up this broken, used thing and says, who 169 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,960 wants this rose now? And you know, the, the 170 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:53,880 application. This is what happens when you 171 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,760 give yourself away. And this guy who was telling the 172 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,000 story, famous gospel preacher was sitting in the audience and 173 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,320 he yelled out, Christ wants the Rose. 174 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,320 That's the gospel. Jesus wants that rose. 175 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:14,080 He came to save that rose. This is that rose. 176 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:19,400 Christ wants this woman, even though she is knee deep, chin 177 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,160 deep in her shame. She is the wrong tribe. 178 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,480 She's the wrong time. She's the wrong type of woman. 179 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:31,200 This is marvelous. Again, the Old Testament anti 180 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:35,880 type or pre type is Abraham's servant going and it's it's the 181 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:40,840 most it's the most detailed story in all the book of 182 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:42,640 Genesis. I challenge you to find one 183 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,200 that's told in greater detail. Abraham's servant going to find 184 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,840 Isaac a wife and you get internal dialogue and you get a 185 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,320 play by play of this guy. It's so bizarre, but it's 186 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:58,560 preparing us for this text. And in that pretext, in the Old 187 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:04,200 Testament, you see Abraham's servant seated by a well, 188 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,560 waiting for the women to come draw water. 189 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:08,080 And he doesn't know who he's looking for. 190 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:09,760 And so he does this marvelous thing. 191 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,720 He asks the God of Abraham for direction. 192 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:17,360 And we're told he's praying, not out loud, but in his heart and 193 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:23,240 he's, he's praying And he says, Lord, let the let the young maid 194 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:27,600 that you have selected for my master's son, when let her be 195 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,520 the one that when I ask for a drink of water, that's all I'm 196 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:31,680 going to do. I'm just going to say, would you 197 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,800 give me a drink of water? That she would be the type of 198 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:39,840 godly, caring, hard working, virtuous woman who would say, 199 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:44,480 yes, take some water and I'll and I'll water your camels also. 200 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:49,360 And you know the story, Mother Rebecca comes and here's the 201 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:50,960 question. Give me a drink of water. 202 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:53,960 She says absolutely and let me water your camels. 203 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,840 The guy that the text says while he was still speaking in his 204 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,560 heart, here comes Rebecca and she fits the mold man. 205 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:04,560 She's the perfect, she's the perfect wife. 206 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,760 It is no stretch to assume because of other details I'm 207 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,120 going to share with you in this text that Christ, who is seated 208 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,680 by the well weary, is praying. Lord, who's the girl? 209 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:19,720 Where's the girl? Who? 210 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:21,120 Who do you? Who do you want me to? 211 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,600 Who do you want me to pursue today? 212 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,640 And here comes this woman and Christ asks her the exact same 213 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,600 question that Abraham's servant asks Rebecca. 214 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:36,000 Can I have a drink of water? And so we should be expecting 215 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,920 the Samaritan woman to say, yes, Sir, here's my jar. 216 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:42,360 Where are your disciples? I would love to give them a 217 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,200 drink. Also, watch what she does, 218 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,400 demonstrating she's the wrong sort of woman for our Christ, 219 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:54,000 The Samaritan woman said, How is it that you, a Jew, asked for a 220 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,520 drink from me, a woman of Samaria? 221 00:13:57,040 --> 00:13:59,360 For Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 222 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:03,600 She's rude, she's off putting, she doesn't offer to help, she 223 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:07,680 doesn't offer him a drink. There's nothing pleasing about 224 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,200 this woman. She demonstrates herself to be 225 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:15,040 the exact opposite type of woman from the virtuous matriarchs 226 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,400 that we would be expecting from our reading of the Old 227 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,160 Testament. She does not fit the motif. 228 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,280 And Christ stays and he gets this woman because that's what 229 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,160 he's like. And lastly, she gives the wrong 230 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,360 response. Watch this. 231 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:38,080 I I love that that she says, how are you and you asking a drink 232 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:41,600 from me? Jesus says if you knew the gift 233 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,400 of God and who it is that is saying to you, give me the 234 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,160 drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you 235 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,120 living water. So Jesus hints at I'm not 236 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,920 wanting anything from you. I want to give you everything. 237 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:55,480 When I ask you for a drink, it's 'cause I want to give you 238 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:57,560 everything. Just ask me for it. 239 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,200 Her response is, Sir, you have nothing to draw water with. 240 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,360 You are insufficient for my needs. 241 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:07,960 You don't have the jar. She goes on. 242 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,160 The well is deep. Where do you get that living 243 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:13,760 water? Well, What's the answer, 244 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:15,760 Christian? Where does he get that living 245 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:16,800 water? It's him. 246 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:22,520 He's, he's the water. And then she asks this great 247 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:26,600 question. Are you greater than our father 248 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:31,080 Jacob? Jacob, the patriarch, he gave us 249 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,000 this well. He drank from it himself, as did 250 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,440 his sons and his livestock. Imagine for a moment if we had a 251 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:41,280 well that Jacob dug, right? You, you have forebears that dug 252 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:42,680 wells. And it's like, man, my, my 253 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:44,720 grant, my great grand pappy dug this well. 254 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:46,480 That's amazing. Think about Jacob. 255 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:50,120 Think about all of the 12 tribes of Israel drinking from this 256 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,520 well. She says, are you greater? 257 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:57,120 Are you greater than Jacob? So she gives the wrong response. 258 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,280 She doesn't see the glory of Christ as she looks at this 259 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,080 wearied and thirsty man by the well. 260 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,760 She sees a boaster. She sees a scoundrel and a man 261 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,520 who cannot deliver upon his word. 262 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,880 So let me just pause for a moment and invite all of us to 263 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,520 take a long moment to see ourselves in the right person in 264 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:16,360 the story. You are not Christ. 265 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,040 You are not the disciples. You're the Samaritan woman. 266 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,400 How did you respond when Christ first came to you? 267 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:30,880 When he first came and he was news to you, did you fittingly 268 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:34,480 fall on your face in adoration of the Lamb of God? 269 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:41,160 Or did you dismiss him as a kook, as an absurdity, as a 270 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,200 complete non player in the importance of your life? 271 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:49,880 How many of us wasted years of ignoring Christ? 272 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:54,840 Me too, me too. How glad we ought to be that 273 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:59,560 Christ never takes the takeable. He never loves the lovable. 274 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,640 He takes and he loves the people that his Father gives to him. 275 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:08,240 And he is made more glorious by making kings and Queens out of 276 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,440 St. Urchins and Scarlet Ladies. 277 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,119 And all of God's people said, God be praised, Amen. 278 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,200 Amen. So what happens when a man meets 279 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:19,520 a woman at a well? They get married. 280 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:25,640 What happens when the only begotten Son of God meets a poor 281 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,680 and broken and abused and neglected and unloved woman? 282 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:33,400 He saves her and covenants himself to her. 283 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,040 It's marvelous. OK, so she's the wrong kind of 284 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:40,320 guy, but he is the greater kind of man. 285 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:43,400 I want you to sit in this moment for a second, this question, Are 286 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,440 you greater than Jacob? Listen, in the Old Testament, 287 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:50,760 Jacob, in the book of Genesis, Jacob is the one patriarch that 288 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,480 we are told was blameless. He has the highest praise of all 289 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:58,360 the patriarchs. He sometimes the story is read 290 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:00,560 incorrectly and we think that Jacob is a scoundrel. 291 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,120 He's not. We're told at the beginning and 292 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:06,560 at the end of his life, this was a man who was blameless before 293 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:09,400 God. Jacob is one of the greatest men 294 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:14,200 who have ever lived. And she said, are you greater? 295 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:18,040 Jesus's response, are you greater than than Jacob? 296 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,320 Listen to what he said. He said everyone who drinks of 297 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:23,720 this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the 298 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,760 water that I will give him, we'll never be thirsty again. 299 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:30,000 The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of 300 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:31,760 water welling up to eternal life. 301 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:37,160 OK, so a clarification. First of all, that when Jesus 302 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,120 asked her for a drink, it was because He wanted to give her 303 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:41,440 something. How? 304 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:46,840 Just like Christ, listen to me if you don't know Jesus when you 305 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:51,800 first come and hear that when Christ calls a man, he bids him 306 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:57,240 come and die to lay down all allegiances to husband, to wife, 307 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,320 to children, to father, to mother, to wealth, to power, to 308 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:04,920 everything you've ever loved. He says die to it and come to me 309 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,360 and we think that's too hard. I I can't do that. 310 00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:10,640 I can't give you what you're asking. 311 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,480 Listen to me. Christ is in the same way that 312 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:17,360 he asks her, give me a drink. It's not because he wants 313 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,440 anything from her. He wants to give her everything. 314 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:25,320 And you will find when you don't know Christ his, His invitation, 315 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:29,320 His call to die to yourself and to have eternal life in Him. 316 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:33,640 That call seems impossibly difficult until you meet this 317 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,920 man and you realize he never takes anything from you. 318 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:39,760 He wants to give everything to you. 319 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,600 When you know Christ, you know that the only thing he ever asks 320 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:47,320 you to lay down is something that he wants to give back to 321 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,640 you in greater measure, in a way that won't kill you. 322 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,480 He asks us to lay down good things because he wants to give 323 00:19:55,480 --> 00:20:01,360 us all good things. And so he says things like the 324 00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:04,880 one who seeks to gain his life will lose it, but the one who 325 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,320 loses his life for my sake will what will gain it. 326 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:10,880 He says things like don't store up. 327 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,520 Treasure on earth where governments steal and where 328 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,360 inflation robs. Store up treasures in heaven 329 00:20:17,360 --> 00:20:20,400 where governments can't tax and where the stones on the dirt 330 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,680 roads are. Diamonds and gold pursue real 331 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,000 wealth, is what he's saying. So in asking her for water, 332 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,840 Christ wanted and took nothing from the Samaritan woman. 333 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,960 When asking you for everything, listen to me, brother and 334 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:36,920 sister. He asks you and me for 335 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:41,520 everything. Not some stuff, everything. 336 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,880 That is the call, that is the invitation. 337 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:48,200 But when He asks you for everything, it's because He 338 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,080 wants to take nothing from you but give you eternal life. 339 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,800 He who did not spare his own son, but freely gave him up for 340 00:20:55,800 --> 00:21:02,080 us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all 341 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,280 things? He's not taking anything from 342 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:09,800 you or from me, but we do have to hear the call. 343 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:13,760 When Christ bids a man, he calls a man, he bids and come and die. 344 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:18,760 So clarification is Jesus, does he intend to take from this 345 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:20,280 woman? No, he intends to give her 346 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,280 everything. And then you have a confirmation 347 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,280 again, the question, are you greater than Jacob? 348 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,840 What's the answer? More than somewhat. 349 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,400 I'm the greatest man that's ever lived. 350 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:34,520 I'm so much greater than Jacob. You it's, it's blasphemy to even 351 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,000 compare or put him in the same category. 352 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,880 Jacob, Jesus says you, you keep coming to the well that Jacob 353 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:43,400 gave you. You're going to be thirsty. 354 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,680 You come to to where the water that I will give you, you'll 355 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,440 never be thirsty again. Yes, I'm greater than Jacob. 356 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:51,240 The water I give you will well up. 357 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,800 It will quench thirst forever. It will lead to eternal life. 358 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:59,640 And so yes, little one, I am much, much, much, much greater 359 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:04,480 than Jacob. And then you have this glorious 360 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,160 conundrum. Do you know the Riddle? 361 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,680 When is a door not a door? It's when it's a jar. 362 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:13,480 That's when a door is not a door. 363 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,080 When it's a jar. When is a well not a well? 364 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:21,160 Right. When is a well not a well? 365 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:24,880 He has nothing with which to draw water, because he is the 366 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:29,560 living water. She unbelievingly takes him up 367 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,360 on this invitation. The one who gives who drinks the 368 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:33,120 water. I will give him. 369 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:38,960 You'll never thirst again. And she, it's like the, it's, is 370 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,320 it QVC, the, the, the infomercials like, but wait, 371 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,120 there's more like order now and you'll get 3 times for, for half 372 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:47,840 the price. And all these things Jesus says, 373 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,360 I'll give you water, you'll never go thirsty again. 374 00:22:50,360 --> 00:22:54,120 And she says, and I quote, Sir, give me this water so that I 375 00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:56,520 will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water again. 376 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:58,720 Here's my credit card. I'll, I'll, I'll buy it. 377 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,000 I'm not expecting anything from you, but I'll buy it. 378 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,400 What is it? Where's the water? 379 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,400 And Jesus says, and we all make the mistake of thinking that 380 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,640 he's changing the subject. Jesus said to her, go call your 381 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:11,960 husband and come here. You want water? 382 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:16,680 You want living water, Go call your husband and come here. 383 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,320 When he tells her to call her husband, he is not changing the 384 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:25,000 subject. He is exposing the real well in 385 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,400 her life. Watch, the woman answered, I 386 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,720 have no husband. Half truth told us the whole 387 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,880 truth is a whole lie. It's true she doesn't have a 388 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:38,920 husband, but she's concealing quite a bit of of her shame of 389 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,120 her embarrassment. I have no husband, Jesus said. 390 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:44,080 You are right in saying I have no husband, for you have had 391 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,440 five husbands and the one you have now is not your husband. 392 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:49,880 What you've said is true. You've you. 393 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,000 What is her? Well, where has she been coming 394 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,800 back to again and again and again to find a quench in her, 395 00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,760 in her thirst? Jesus tells her to go call her 396 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:04,400 husband, exposing the real well in question. 5 husbands she's 397 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,960 living with 1/6. She has been coming to men like 398 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:12,520 wells again and again and again, looking to quench a thirst that 399 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:18,360 they cannot reach. And marvelously, Jesus will be 400 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,920 the 7th man in her life, the one true husband that she's ever 401 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,000 known. It's glorious, The final man. 402 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:30,080 Because he is real water. Because he is real lover, 403 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,520 Because he is real covenant head. 404 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:40,640 And then you have the fulfilled purpose of this whole 405 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,000 conversation. I want you to watch this. 406 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:48,240 What do you do when somebody knows your greatest shame and 407 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:51,160 brings it up in a conversation? What do you do? 408 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:55,280 Well, you probably do the same thing that this lady does. 409 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:57,040 Watch. Watch what she all the sudden 410 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:00,000 wants to talk about. He brings up her deepest shame. 411 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:01,160 Why? She's coming in the heat of the 412 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:02,600 day. She's had five husbands. 413 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,480 No marriage has been successful, so she's given up on it. 414 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:06,920 She's just shacked up with this guy. 415 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:10,160 What you said is true. The woman said to him, Sir, I 416 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,640 perceive that you're a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this 417 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,480 mountain. You say that in Jerusalem is a 418 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,560 place where people ought to worship, right? 419 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:23,000 She all of the sudden gets theologically concerned. 420 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,400 Her deepest shame was just laid bare by a perfect stranger, a 421 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:30,800 shame so deep that she would come to the well at the wrong 422 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:33,120 time to avoid shameful glances of her neighbors. 423 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:36,720 But when Christ turns the light on, she all of the sudden 424 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:40,080 becomes enamored with theological distinctions. 425 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:42,480 How to worship, where to worship? 426 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,000 Oh, you, you, you Jews, y'all worship in Jerusalem. 427 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,400 We we like to worship up here. It's as if Jesus looked at a 428 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,480 young man and said, I've seen your uncleared search history 429 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:53,360 online. To which the young man responds, 430 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:57,120 Well, I'm really put off by all the lifeless old style liturgy 431 00:25:57,120 --> 00:25:59,400 and dead hemity. Let's talk worship Jesus. 432 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:02,160 Let's don't talk about me. Let's talk about, you know, 433 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:07,640 broad criticisms of the church, the illusion of guilt, like 434 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:11,560 she's eluding his, his kindness to her. 435 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,680 Remember, he offers her living water. 436 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:15,320 She says, I want that living water. 437 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,200 And so he meets her in her deepest point of shame, and she 438 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,440 doesn't want to go there. And in that, she's just like you 439 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:26,480 and she's just like me. We don't want to be known by 440 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:27,960 Christ. We don't want to be known by 441 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:29,960 other people because God help us. 442 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:34,200 We are convinced that if God really knew us, he would not 443 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:40,040 love us. That is the truth over every 444 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:44,280 human soul. You are convinced unless, until, 445 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:49,160 unless and until the Holy Spirit of God lays there the glory of 446 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:53,680 Christ in the gospel to you, you will be convinced that if God 447 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:56,320 really knew you, you would not be worthy of His love. 448 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,520 That's just the default of the human life. 449 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:03,920 But I've got great news. Jesus already knows everything. 450 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,080 She did not confess a single thing. 451 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:13,120 She used truth to hide shame. Yeah, I I don't, I don't have a 452 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:14,960 husband. Jesus says, yeah, you've spoken 453 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,320 true. She uses truth to hide. 454 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:21,000 Jesus knows all. And listen to me, brothers and 455 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,440 sisters, precious words he loves even still. 456 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,000 Now I'm going to share with you one of the greatest details in 457 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,120 all of sacred Scripture. It's maybe the most precious 458 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:34,800 words that you can find in the New Testament. 459 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:35,720 There. Glorious. 460 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:40,720 OK, we have met a very thirsty woman who has nothing charming 461 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,360 about her. OK, nothing charming. 462 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:48,800 Everything is broken. History is broken, soul is 463 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,240 broken, character is broken. There's nothing lovely about 464 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,200 her. We have watched her on her way 465 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,960 to get water by be sidetracked by the Carpenter Lord from 466 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:02,520 Nazareth who offered her living water that he promised would 467 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,480 quench her thirst to such a degree she'd never be thirsty 468 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,880 again. She'd never be thirsty again. 469 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,680 We've seen her shame exposed, her evasions outmaneuvered, her 470 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,080 very soul laid bare. Before every I think about this, 471 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:20,560 how would you like to to find yourself in sacred Scripture for 472 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:24,400 the history of the church to, to to read about you meeting the 473 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,840 Lord Jesus, to talk about your greatest shame? 474 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:30,640 That's this woman who we will spend in eternity with. 475 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,440 We've seen all of these things and now we get to see a soul 476 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,680 truly satisfied by the love of Christ. 477 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:41,040 Remember what was her well that she kept coming back to again 478 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:45,560 and again and again? Her well was men. 479 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,840 Her longing was to be loved. And so it is no accident that 480 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,000 John tells us in verse 28 that she left her water jar and went 481 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,200 away into the city to call people to come and worship 482 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:56,640 Christ. Why? 483 00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:59,320 Because she's satisfied. She's no longer thirsty. 484 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:03,080 She's been loved and her thirst is quenched and so she can leave 485 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,880 her water jar and go look for other people to come to the 486 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,320 fountain to see and to drink and to be satisfied. 487 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:11,960 So brother, sister, what are you longing for? 488 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:15,920 Be longing for approval, for power, for money, for 489 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,360 significance, for revenge. God help us for intimacy, for 490 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,680 love. Whatever it is, you will find 491 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,920 what you truly seek when you meet the man Jesus, who often 492 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,280 introduces himself to you on the very Rd. you take to avoid him. 493 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:35,280 That's usually where he finds you and God be praised. 494 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,000 Now one other thing from this text that will prepare us for 495 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,760 the Lord's Table, the food of Christ. 496 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:47,080 Interestingly, there are two people that I love dearly, both 497 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:50,560 of which cannot help humming when they bite into great food. 498 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:56,360 OK, we call it passing the Hummer test in our home if Lydia 499 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,720 and a gentleman that shall remain unnamed, but he knows who 500 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,160 he is. When they taste food, they start 501 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,960 humming involuntarily, meaning not a choice. 502 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:11,160 It's like they they just do it. It's amazing. 503 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:16,080 And so when they taste food and they start to hum, you know that 504 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:20,160 the food is high quality grub food to be lauded by the hums of 505 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:21,480 humans. It's glorious. 506 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:27,480 Now in this text, where wells are not wells, where water is 507 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:31,400 not water, it's eternal life, where strangers are not 508 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:34,880 Wanderers, they are God Incarnate pursuing sinners. 509 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,560 It should not shock us that food is not food either. 510 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,160 Listen to these words. Meanwhile, the disciples that 511 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:46,200 they, they come, they're shocked that Jesus is talking with a 512 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,560 Samaritan woman at a well. This is like standing in black 513 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:53,920 by a woman in white at the front of an altar and she's trash and 514 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,120 he's glory like you can't do this. 515 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,960 What are you doing? And so the disciples were urging 516 00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:03,440 him, remember they had left him to go to go find bread and food. 517 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,760 They were urging him saying, Rabbi, eat verse 32. 518 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:11,480 He said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. 519 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,080 So the disciples said to one another, has anyone brought him 520 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:16,760 something to eat? It's the same thing. 521 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:20,320 Give me this water like they they, they have no clue what 522 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,200 he's talking about. Has somebody brought him 523 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,520 something to eat? And Jesus said to them, my food 524 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:28,800 is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his 525 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,480 work. The food of Christ is not food. 526 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:35,480 And now we begin to understand a verse that we didn't read, verse 527 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:40,680 where Jesus said verse 4 where Jesus said where the text says 528 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:42,920 that Jesus had to pass through Samaria. 529 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:45,120 But why would he have to pass through Samaria? 530 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:46,680 Jews never passed through Samaria. 531 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:49,080 They would go all the way around, but Jesus had to. 532 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:51,200 Why? Because His food is to do the 533 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:56,000 will of the Father who sent him. We we begin to to understand why 534 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,000 he set up shop by a well and to wait for a woman like when 535 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,840 Abraham was sent to find a wife for his beloved son Isaac. 536 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,480 Now we begin to piece together the real story within the story 537 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:08,360 and understand Christ's words when He tells the woman the hour 538 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,640 is coming and is now here when true worshippers will worship 539 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:14,160 the Father in spirit and in truth. 540 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:18,240 Listen to these words of Christ in this text to this woman, for 541 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:21,960 the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. 542 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:28,160 Question, Why in God's name is Christ talking to this woman? 543 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:32,320 Answer Because the Father is seeking her to be a bride for 544 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:34,120 His Son. How's that grab you? 545 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:39,120 And so, little one, why are you here? 546 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:45,480 You might give any old answer. The preaching is amazing, the 547 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,200 music is the best, the women are beautiful, the children well 548 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,280 behaved, and the men are slightly above average at 549 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,440 Trinity Reformed Church. Probably all of those things a 550 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,840 mix. But I invite you this morning to 551 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,440 look past all of those surface reasons that you might give. 552 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,240 Look past all the reasons you think you were here this morning 553 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:06,760 and ask through the lens of the story of this text, why exactly 554 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:09,640 are you here? You are here because the Father 555 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:12,080 is seeking people to worship in spirit and in truth. 556 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:14,960 And you are here because the Father sought you, because the 557 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,640 Son bought you, and because the Spirit and good time taught you. 558 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,440 That's why you're here. It's not your plan, it's his. 559 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:25,320 So what should we do now? Well, I'll tell you. 560 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:29,400 We should come to the bread that stays bread and yet is so much 561 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:31,640 more. We should come to the wine, 562 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:34,400 which remains wine but is so much more. 563 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:37,760 We should come to the table of God's manifest presence among 564 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:40,000 us. Come to the broken body in the 565 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,720 shed blood of Christ Himself. Bring your baptized children. 566 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,640 Bring your imperfections. Bring everything you have and 567 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:50,200 everything you are to the table. Just leave your water jars of 568 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:54,080 self salvation, for they will be of no avail to you here. 569 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:58,960 Come to receive from Christ what He longs to give you, and what 570 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,240 He promises to give you is Himself. 571 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:04,200 And so come and welcome to Jesus Christ. 572 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:08,360 Let me pray for us, Lord Jesus, you. 573 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:13,600 Your goodness to us is legendary. 574 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:21,800 No words suffice. No passion is acute enough. 575 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,400 No thoughts are high enough, No humility is low enough. 576 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:32,600 There is nothing fitting, no fitting way for us to respond to 577 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:37,280 You the way you have pursued us while we were yet sinners. 578 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:40,560 Christ died for us, demonstrating the love of God 579 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:45,840 for us. And so, Lord, all of us look at 580 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:50,120 our mother, this Samaritan woman, and we see family 581 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:53,920 resemblance. And so all of us take great hope 582 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,680 to know that she was not too broken for your love, for your 583 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:00,080 grace, for your healing, for your mercy. 584 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:02,920 And so all of us come to this table hungry. 585 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:04,840 All of us come to this table thirsty. 586 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:09,400 All of us come to this table sinful and broken and needy. 587 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:13,120 And we ask you to quench our thirst. 588 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:18,240 Lord Jesus, by your Spirit would you be for us living water this 589 00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:23,600 morning, welling up in us to eternal life and that we having 590 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:29,800 tasted of God most high at the table that we like her, would 591 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:36,160 beat feet back into the crowd to tell people come see a man who 592 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:39,840 told me everything I've ever done and loved me even still. 593 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:44,040 This is the Christ. Would you come Lord, and would 594 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:47,960 you meet us at your table and would you establish us in the 595 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:49,880 faith? I pray Lord, as we eat and drink 596 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:53,480 in faith, that this bread and this cup would be the tokens of 597 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:58,400 your real mercy to us, that we get to take them up, eat them 598 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:04,480 and drink them in faith and know ourselves to be loved and to be 599 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:08,520 known. God, would you minister to us at 600 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:10,800 the table? We ask it in Jesus name and for 601 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:12,360 his sake. Amen. 602 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:13,360 Amen.