Sermon
delivered on September 11th, 2016
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: John 4:1-15
Introduction
It's colorless,
odorless, and tasteless but it is greatly essential. That's what water is.
Water is very important. We all need water to survive. A man can live 40
days without food, but only a 3 days without water.
No
water, no life
In
2003, United States spent millions of dollars in sending two robotic vehicles, "Opportunity" and "Spirit" to explore Mars and to see if water was present or had
been present at one time. One of the goals in sending these twin robots is
to determine whether life ever existed on Mars. And for that to have
happened, there had to be water. No water, no life.
But
it is not just water that we need. There's plenty of water but the issue
is clean fresh water. The Earth's surface is 71% water while the
other 29% consists of continents and islands. 96.5% of all the Earth's
water is salt water, while the only 3.5% is freshwater lakes and frozen water
and 1% suitable for drinking.
We
need clean fresh water to survive. We cannot have contaminated water. We cannot
drink salt water. It will do us no good at all.
As
fresh water is necessary for physical life, so the "living
water" from Jesus is necessary for spiritual life. Just as absence of physical
water means suffering and death, so does the absence of "living water" mean
spiritual death.
Speaking
to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said ...
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again: 14: 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 a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting
life.
Jesus
Christ declares Himself as the Fountain of Living Water. The Jews familiar with
the Scriptures knew that the Lord Jesus identifies Himself as the LORD God
Jehovah, the fountain of living waters.
Jeremiah 2:12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly
afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. 13: For my people have
committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living
waters, and hewed (dug) them out cisterns (well, tank), broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake
thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the
earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living
waters.
Now,
here in John chapter four, Jesus went out of His way, deliberately chose
to go to a town in Samaria, a place where no respectable rabbi would set foot, to
introduce a lost woman to the Fountain of Living Water. Those who
drink of this fountain, He said, "will never thirst again."
Thirst
What
is Thirst? Why do we get thirsty, and what triggers thirst? Thirst
is our body's cry for water. Thirst is a basic God-given longing for
water.
Our
body, which is designed by God, is about 60 - 65% water. You and I lose water
all day long through breathing and sweating, as well as through
urination (about 1.5 liters). Our body needs to keep our fluid levels in order
to maintain a healthy equilibrium. But our body has no ability to
produce its own water that is the reason we thirst and we drink.
In
the same way, spiritual thirst is a God-given longing for "the
fountain of living waters". We were made to long for and to
thirst for the living water. There is thirst and dryness of soul unless
one has drunk of the fountain of the living water.
But,
what is the living water?
In John 7:37-39,
our Lord refers the living water to the Holy Spirit ...
John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. 38: He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out
of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39: (But this spake he of
the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost
was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
But
then here in John
4, our Lord refers the living water to
eternal life ...
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again: 14: 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 a well (fountain) of water springing up into
everlasting life.
So,
what then, is living water?
By
"living water," I believe Jesus Christ is referring to the eternal
life that the Holy Spirit gives through the
merit of Jesus Christ, the Fountain of Living Water.
This
morning consider with me the nature of the water that Jesus Christ, the
Fountain of Living Water, offers.
I - It's Life-Giving
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest
the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to
drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living
water.
Our
Lord calls it "Living Water". It is living in the sense that it is
life-giving. Jesus Christ is the fountain of living water, and having life
in Himself, offers life and gives life to all who believes.
That
which Christ gives is not something to keep us alive, but something to make us
alive. This water of "grace and truth," which came by Jesus Christ,
is the water which saves and satisfies. It is not given merely to refresh, but
to regenerate. The elements of eternal light and life are in it.
We
cannot live without water. Nor can we truly live now or eternally without the
living water we receive from knowing Jesus Christ as our Saviour. We can drink
of His life-giving water today.
II - It's Soul-Satisfying
This
world is full of people seeking after many things that can never truly satisfy.
Pleasure, possession, power, prosperity, and popularity; Drugs, alcohol,
riches, wealth, and fame ... The pursuit of these things leaves one
empty and always looking for more.
Mick
Jagger and the Rolling Stones were right: "I
can't get no satisfaction!"
The
water that this world offers is a mirage. It is an optical illusion. It
promises to quench one's thirst but never able to satisfy one's deepest
needs.
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again:
Puritan
Richard Sibbes said "All earthly things are as salt water,
that increaseth the appetite, but satisfieth not!"
Seeking
to satisfy our thirst with the things of this world which is like drinking
sea-water, for the more we drink, the thirstier we become.
But
the water that Jesus Christ offers satisfies!
John 4:14 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 a
well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst.
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the
man that trusteth in him.
Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and
for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9: For he satisfieth
the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Once
you drink from the living water from this fountain, you will never be the same
again! You will never thirst for the filthy waters of sin.
The
gift of living water that Jesus offers satisfies the thirsty soul for time and
eternity.
III - It's Free for the Taking
It's
available if any wants it.
Jesus
offers the living water as free gift
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the
gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to
drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living
water.
The
living water that Jesus gives is a gift, not a reward! It is not
something that you must earn or qualify for. One of the most common and
deadly errors that people have, is thinking that we get into heaven or obtain
eternal life by our good works. Every other religion, except for biblical
Christianity, operates on the principle that you must work for or earn salvation.
In
total contrast, the Bible states:
Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of
grace, but of debt. 5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9: Not of works, lest any
man should boast.
The
Gospel is good news. It is good news because eternal life
and entrance into Heaven is not by doing penance, reforming one's life, keeping
bunch of rules, and hope that someday God might let you into heaven on that
basis. No, it is wonderfully good news because God offers it to you as a free
gift, which He does!
Revelation 22:17 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, let him take the water of life freely.
Jesus
offers the living water as free gift to all
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again: 14: 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 a well of water springing up into everlasting
life.
Revelation 22:17 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, let him take the water of life freely.
No
sinner is excluded from the offer of this gift.
In
the eyes of most Jews, including the disciples at this point, the woman at the
well was not worthy of Jesus' time. Just being a Samaritan that's strike one! Being a woman that's
strike two. But being an immoral Samaritan
woman that's strike three. She's out!
But
Jesus took the time and the initiative to talk with this sinful Samaritan woman
about living water. He talked to her not to condemn her but to offer the living
water to her which is her only hope. Our LORD did not exclude her from
offering her this gift. And He does not exclude anymore including you and me!
The
only ones who are excluded are those who exclude themselves. Many people would
not receive the free gift of God because of their pride. They are proud of
their religious accomplishments and want some reward for what they have done.
Then others exclude themselves because they are too sinful to be forgiven by
God. They think they are not worthy to receive such a gift. I have news for
you, you are right, you are not worthy. No one is. That is why it's
grace. Grace is a favor given to the undeserving!
If
you want to obtain the gift of eternal life that the Holy Spirit gives though
the merit of Jesus Christ, you must receive it as a gift not as a reward!
How
do we get this living water of salvation that Jesus freely offers to all?
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest
the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to
drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living
water.
To
receive this gift of living water you must ask for it. Those and only those who
ask will receive.
To
ask, you have to recognize that you are thirsty and that you can never satisfy
that thirst by yourself. But if you come to Jesus and ask, He will give it. All
you have to do is drink and drink of Him until you are satisfied. But the
only condition that Jesus states is, "Ask." If you ask, He will give you an
life-giving, soul-satisfying endless supply of living water.
Closing Thoughts
So,
have you asked Jesus for the living water of eternal life? Have you come and
drunk from the Fountain of Living Water? Or are you still like the Israelites
who rejected the fountain of the living water and chose the broken
cistern instead that cannot hold water?
Over
and over, God offers redemption to rebellious men
Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye
to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come,
buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2: Wherefore do ye spend
money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth
not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your
soul delight itself in fatness. 3: Incline your ear, and come unto me:
hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with
you, even the sure mercies of David.
Come to Jesus! Come just as you are, and take it 'Freely,' without money
and without price. He will give it to you. He gives Himself to needy ones.
Revelation 22:17 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, let him take the water of life freely.
All
of us here are thirsty but not all of us are drinking from the fountain of
living water.
I came to Jesus, and I drank,
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.
AMEN!