The Fountain of Living Water

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, "Opportunityand "Spiritto 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!