Sunday Service
That'll be all right. I think we got some folks are there might be able to revive?
Oh, yeah, we've we've thoroughly enjoyed. Getting to get to know some of you and look forward to getting to know more of you. And you know, it's it's begin is become quite that the new beginning for us. We really enjoyed getting to learn more about affect the road around a little earlier this week and got the notice some of the roads around and you know a sweet one moves though from a from a new place for one another that they're definitely our our adjustments and you know, we have we moved here and there were some adjustments that we had to we got to make in in our lives is that most of them for the good we are super excited to be able to have a Publix. My my parents are in town yesterday and her give you going back to Florida this this afternoon this evening. And so we got to kind of show them around and you know, one of the things they they had lived out in Arizona year and we're talking about how much they enjoyed having Publix in the air like, you know, we don't have to drive almost an hour to go to a public snout.
As we make adjustments new schools new shopping experiences a new house new church, if we certainly made made life made life to be a little bit different. It's a little bit different when you have a new beginning and you know, the same holds true for I say, this is followers of Jesus Christ. our lives in Christ Are are different than they were before. How do we come to understand as we were talking in this this past Wednesday night about our car call to Christianity? Experience a little bit of change and difference in as we go on each and every day our life is a little bit different hopefully than it was the day before. when we come to Jesus for that first time our lives truly are different and we're going to be looking at it as a story of that this morning as we look at the Samaritan woman and her experience with Jesus, but the way in which she was transformed the way in which her life became a new beginning as she met Jesus that fateful day as she was going to draw water from The well-being John chapter 4 this morning and I to ask you to stand with me and honor of God's word as we look at this passage and for the sake of time and in we're going to look at that two sections of this but John chapter 4 starting and verse 1 and we going to go through. word of God says knowing Jesus learned the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making baptizing more disciples than John. Although Jesus himself did not baptize but only his disciples. He left Judea and apart departed again for Galilee. How do you have to pass through Samaria? So it came to a town of Sumerians called sidecar near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's Well was there so we read from his journey was sitting beside the well, it was it was about the sixth hour. The woman from Samaria came to draw water in Jesus said to her give me a drink for his disciples have gone away to the city to buy food on the Samaritan woman said to him. How is it that you asked for a drink from me? A woman of Samaria for Jews did had not have dealings with Samaritans gift of God and who to you? Give me a drink you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. The one that said to him sir, you have nothing to draw the water within the well, the well is deep. Where do you get that living water from are you greater than our father Jacob he gave us this well, and he he drank from himself. And did his sons and also his livestock. But Jesus said to her everyone who drinks of this water will become thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty. Again. The water that I will give him will be calm and him a spring of water welling up to eternal life as the woman said to him sir. Give me that water that I may not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water. So Jesus said to her go call your husband and come here. And a woman answered him. I have no husband. But Jesus said to her you were right saying I have no husband for you had five husbands in the one you were with is not your husband. What you have said is true that sir, I perceive that you are a prophet skip down now with Me 2 verse 27
Did Jesus have been talking to this woman? And he says it says here the disciples came back and they marveled that he was talking with a woman but no one said what do you seek or why are you talkin with her? So the woman she should we left her water jar and she went away into the town and she said to the people come and see a man was told me all that I have ever done can this be the Christ and so they went out of the town and they were coming to Him Father. We just thank you this morning God for your word. We thank you for the the truth of the message of Jesus Christ. And what I pray that is we look at your word this morning you would speak into our hearts. Or speak into our lives. Motus and shape us to be more like your son Jesus Christ today than we were when we stepped into this place. Father we love you and it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
The first thing that we pick up on in this story is that Jeep makes an offer to this Samaritan woman and then the woman just doesn't understand the one who doesn't understand what it is that Jesus is telling her is that we were looking this morning and a little bit later in John's gospel disciples struggled sometimes with what Jesus was telling them. I want to take a little things that the woman had trouble with I believe his is the circumstances with which this whole story comes about you see. Here she is. She's a woman coming to the well, and if it says that it is about the sixth hour. Now. This is kind of the the time where the well would have been pretty empty. Nobody would have been around and and there's a reason why this woman is coming to the well, it is our it's because she doesn't want to be seen by people. She knows what's going on in her life. She knows the things that she's involved in and and she doesn't want to be the gossip of town. So she comes in this time of day raw water and yet here is Jesus. Is Jesus, who's this? Not who's a Jew a man? And not only is he a man a Jew but he's also a a rabbi a teacher. She can she can discern that the way that he greets her in the way that he talks with her. So here you have this Jewish rabbi coming sitting at the well and engaging a Samaritan woman in conversation. And so to say that would not have spoken by society's standards would be an understatement. Jesus would have avoided her and not wanted the fact they would have gone around Samaria to avoid having to deal with any of the Samaritan people. But Jesus is here. He's he's sitting at the well, and he strikes up a conversation with a Samaritan woman. He tells her to draw him some water and Citi offers her something in return which is the Living Water.
And I wonder how many times in our own lives we find ourselves in a similar situation. How many times in our own lives it is is God speaking some truth into our life is it is God telling us something that he wants us to do. Is he asking for something from I send? It is much like the Samaritan woman. We would pass up an opportunity for God. because of the circumstances because we don't understand what it is that he's saying or our way we look at an opportunity. We say well, I'm not going to go talk to that person share with that person about my faith in Christ as well.
Buy all the details of the situation. There should have been no conversation in the first place. But Jesus knew what the will of the father was and so he spoke to this woman on this day and this opportunity took the opportunity for a gospel conversation that never should have occurred.
We're going to look at how weak we talk to the people who are different than us next week at look at the ministry to the Samaritans. But but this woman in herself, not only did Jesus have to overcome the circumstances but the woman had to overcome what Jesus is saying to her. She had to overcome the hesitation. That would have been likely because here here was this woman talking to it a Jewish rabbi someone who who who who was out of her League out of her class. But it's Jesus is genuine sincerity to share with her that stirred this conversation on Mercy. Jesus was real he was honest with her. He he knew that God had a plan for her locked in. Had put him in the father and put him in this position to share. So she looks at him and she says look sir you You don't have anything to draw water with how can you offer me anything? I understand I can get you some water. But how can you offer me anything? She looks and she says is essentially to him. Look you're not prepared. You don't even have the the right you don't have a bucket label to dip the water with. How can you offer me anything?
the Curiosity takes her a little bit further the conversation and I wonder how many times God is placing something on our sister to movement spurring us to step out in faith, and we look at the situation. We said God. The details just don't don't line up. The situation it just doesn't seem right.
But yet. The situation here did not seem right. Jesus was offering this woman some Living Water. with what she had there to to draw water from the jealous Living Water that he offers us. He tells the woman in that a tell about today will not leave us thirsty. Jesus In This Moment Peaks her interest.
She realizes why this is someone. something special
But sometimes we're like this woman is the voice of God is speaking to us. And and we just wanted to check it out. We want to see if it's real question. What. Aang to us now understand I'm not saying about the bad thing. It's actually a good thing when God is speaking to us to make sure that it really is God speaking to us and not people in our Lives who is all too often the people in our lives. We want to draw us in a number of different directions in and so in fact the questioning what we hear is a good thing because the bereans they were commended for their questioning of what they heard. The problem is we fall into difficulty is when we don't continue to explore and seek God's voice. We just simply say no that doesn't seem right. So I'm just going to I'm going to ignore you.
Ignore the reality of what God is telling us and it said it's instead of exploring what he wants from us. The Samaritan woman know that she doesn't understand. She doesn't comprehend what Jesus is telling her, but he can use on a conversation. She continues listening for God's voice. She continues seeking after Christ so that she can hear from God. So we must be willing to remain engaged with the father engaged with our Lord as we come to understand what he's trying to tell us as we try to seek the direction. He has for our lives we have to listen to his voice.
No often I owed. Say we Retreat God speaking to us as little children do or or ladies maybe even as your husband's might do you know we guys we're pretty guilty this especially if a football game is on what will listen so we get just enough of what they're saying so that we can kind of get the the overarching theme and then we ignore all the details. I know I can be
We we we listen to what we seek. Okay God you want me to do this? Okay, I got it. I know let me go back to my life or let me go back to my understanding of how this is to play out. instead of seeking after Christ Now the other side of the story as I mentioned before is Jesus's patience with the woman that he's trying to reach here is Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman and she said yeah, but look you don't understand. You don't know what it is you're talking about. What happens does Jesus get frustrated? No? He doesn't get frustrated with her when she doesn't understand what he's trying to say. He he simply takes another route. He takes another approach the conversation and eventually she starts to catch on. Got two different things going on here. There's a there's a an expression of our seeking after Christ. But then there's also a an instance of Jesus showing us how we are to treat other people.
there may be people in your life that you shared your faith with and you've you've been witnessing to maybe somebody in your family. Neighbor, maybe it's someone you work with. Can you just get frustrated when they don't understand and they just don't get it. Maybe they just kind of just miss you like the Samaritan woman was trying to do. But instead of getting frustrated instead of giving up Jesus simply says, okay. We will just going to we're just going to take a different approach. We're just going to just going to come from a different angle. Did Jesus was patient with this woman him? We must be willing to take this kind of taught. Others about our Lord and about his thing water enough. So it was Steve from this story is that we must continuously seek Christ and we must patiently pursue others. Porting that we don't separate these two because if we are not pursuing Christ, if we're not seeking after Christ, then pursuit of others are witness to other people is of no regard. We must be continuously daily seeking after Christ if we are true going to be Witnesses for the Lord. And then we must be patient with those whom the God puts on our hearts to pursue. This may mean that we have many conversations over the course of our lifetime with a person and as long as they're willing to keep the conversation going. As long as they're willing to continue like this woman wise to to ask questions to listen to responses, and maybe we just need to take a different approach. Next thing that we stay in this conversation that Jesus has with the woman is is that he points out her sin in order to help her begin to understand what he's talking about. Jesus can get away with this really wow. He he way with pointing out people send all throughout scripture. Not really the the way that I recommend starting out a conversation with somebody is not usually good to go up to him and say look, I've noticed the way that you've been sending and I want to talk to you about that. Not usually a good one to continue the conversation. But at the same time we cannot simply avoid the subject.
She for a person that really recognize their need for Redemption for our savior for the gospel. They must know what it is. They're being saved from CS Lewis. One of my favorite authors in his Mere Christianity. He deals with this idea of of right and wrong. He says there are something that we as Humanity can agree on and it is that there is some sort of moral absolute. That means there is some sort of standard some sort of bar by which we judge everything else. Now, even if society today has different ideas of what right and wrong are even if it may be a little bit more liberal or a little more conservative even though some things we may look at and say you think that's right. Well, that's kind of Twisted.
There is some sort of idea that a right and a wrong exist. Does it matter who you ask some sort of there some sort of threshold where we say? No, that's where we draw the line.
And what is that based on what Lewis argues that in order for a a right and wrong to exist that it has to be a moral absolute for everything else to be judged by and he he goes don't want to argue from a philosophical standpoint that God is that moral absolute and everything short of God's Perfection everything short of that line where God existing everything that falls below that that is in its nature sin. So when we read a scripture that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, if a person doesn't even believe in God they can at least understand that they miss the mark of perfection. I talked with the number of people who simply don't believe and they they understand that they're not perfect, but they can at least understand that they have fallen short of perfection and their life.
Jesus is pointing This Woman's sent out in order to tell her look you need this living water. You need what it is that I have to offer you. So he's opening the door to introduce himself to her as the Messiah or the the Christ look at verses 25 and 26. The doorman says I know that the Messiah is coming he who is called the Christ in 10. She says when he comes he will tell us all things. 426 Jesus esta overlook You're right. Yes, and I who speak to you am he answer? This is the point. This is the point in our story in the point in their interaction where the woman understands that this is not just somebody special. She's just a prophet. She's not just a good teacher. She's not just somebody has been observant. She understands that he is the Christ.
When we are living with sin in our lives often times we went stand. This woman she understood that she was not living her life the way that she needed to be living. But sometimes it's the same way with us. And sometimes we need to have it pointed out to us by God. Sometimes God reveals it to us, but other times We need to be confronted with it. If we don't turn from our sin when God points it out to us. Sometimes he brings someone else along in our life. the pointed out in a much more prominent way that John tells us later in one of his letters that we do we need to bring our sin into the light if we are to truly walk in the truth.
Holding onto sin in our lives holding on to the things that separate us from God. Does just add put the Divide between us and God and how can we live in the will of God and be separated from him at the same time? Jasmine look at our lives. Is there any area of Darkness that needs to be exposed to the Light of Christ? In other words, are we allowing the Living Water to spring up in US? That's the next thing you can write in your notes to allow the Living Water of Christ to spring up in us as we are seeking to follow the lord as we're speaking to to win people for the Lord has received to be a witness for Christ as we're continuously pursuing Christ seeking after him. Are we allowing his living water to spring up in US?
This is not just a this is not just a once-in-a-lifetime thing that we yeah, I'm going to make a choice one day to follow Jesus and everything's going to be smooth sailing know every single day. We have to make a choice to be obedient to Christ to allow his living water to well up inside of us to Spring forth. That we may be transformed to the woman at the wildest woman. She experienced that Living Water. She left from that place. She went back changed. She she departed from the well, and she went back to town a changed person. In fact, we we continue as we continue on the scripture we read about that. She allowed Jesus not only to expose her to her the sins that she had but to surrender them to him and accept the spring of life that he wanted to give her. So she takes that Miracle she goes back to town to tell everyone about it. cheap she went back and she allowed that walk to grow in her just where she was planted. She don't have to go out to a new town. She didn't have to move away. She went back to where she lived and she told others about this Jesus that she had experienced and it's Living Water that you're giving her that we read verses 28 through 30 that she understood that he was the Christ and she wouldn't tell others about him and they brought and then not only did she tell people but she brought the townspeople to meet Jesus.
If you or anybody else has children like mine, but if our children like to repeat what they hear don't they? Unfortunately for us a lot of times, it's the things that we don't want them to repeat that. They repeat you're my wife work and the preschool and end with is a weekday child care. And you knew what was going on and all of the families of the kids that she taught because those kids brought everything from Home Kenny shared everything is going on at home, even though the parents thought maybe they didn't understand brought the school and talked about it with their teachers. It sometimes don't want our kids to to share everything and so we we withhold some things that we don't want them to share. The other reason that these kids are sharing these things it's because it's it's what's going on in their life. It's their life experience. It's what they know. It's what they understand. It's what they've seen see the children often share because it's the truth that they've experienced. And you know the Samaritan woman she is simply doing the same thing. She's sharing with people the people in her City the experience that she had with the one that they call the Christ.
She's had the things that she's ever done before laid out before her by this man and she wants to share with everything everybody about her experience. You know.
This Woman's reaction really should be the same reaction that we have. What is woman. I should be the same thing that we do on a daily basis. We should be excited to tell him experiences in the way that God has. Astron our sins and giving us that thing water
Do we need to share the story of our salvation? And that's the last thing you can write in your notes. Share the story of your salvation. Are we read and I actually ate that that you will be a witness. Jerusalem Judea Samaria and all the other most parts of the world. What is the meaning of witness it simply telling other people what we have seen its sharing our story. How do you often we complicate? Evangelism we complicate what are call to do in following the Lord is because so very simply what we are called to do is to share our story. God doesn't bring us to a point of exposing our sins and giving us the life-giving water process to carry it around with us and our back pocket and just like the woman at the well, here we are use what God has given us where to use those Who season to plant them exactly where we are. As some of us may stay in the same spot our whole lives and that's okay. We we may never leave our our our family property. Okay for us to plant seeds right where we're living today.
We need to look to be faithful in doing so and God gives us if God gives us the opportunity to relocate then we need to plant seeds there, too. God didn't give us the grace of Salvation in order for us to move on to it. But rather for it to be given away and so For the month of January. I want to challenge us. I want to challenge us to to make a list of at least 10 people that you can invite to come to church with you or share your faith with so you have two more weeks left in January. I think over the next two weeks. I want a challenge every single one of us to make a list of at least 10 people that you could invite to come to church with you. Or or maybe it's on that list of some people that hate. You know, I can probably share my story with these people. This year is the deal speaking one in ten people, but you will share your faith with will come to place their faith in Jesus Christ of this year shares our faith with 10 people. We can see a mighty work of God's come to Goshen, Alabama.
So for January, I want us to make a list you have two weeks to make a list of people prayerfully considering the people in your life and pray about making a list of 10 people that you can invite to church and or share your faith your story with remember the seeds that we planted may earn us the opportunity to share the gospel and lead someone to The Living Water. He may be here today and you never receive that gift of Life Through The Living Water of Jesus Christ as you've never seen the sins that you had in your life pointed out to you and come to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the payment for your sins the payment for the penalty of our sins in my prayer for you is that you would not leave here today without making things right with God. Stop placing your faith in Jesus Christ for the payment of those sense.
Turning Loose Ends Into the Light of Christ. Or maybe we just need to this week commit to talkin to that person that we don't normally talk to maybe it's stepping out in faith by Reaching Across the street and saying to our neighbor. Hey love to share with you about something. I heard this past Sunday in church something at that Jesus teaches us about this is water. Water that that Springs up to life. Ray's just inviting him to come and be a part of what's going on here at Goshen Baptist Church, whatever whatever it is that God may be we be faithful to him. Let's pray together.
Father God, I thank you Lord for your word which gives and brings us to a a living water.
The truth is only Jesus can bring into our lives the truth of the Gospel.
Came into this world lived a perfect life and died a perfect death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Thank you for that truth. Look. If there's anyone here today, that's not her place their faith in Jesus for the payment of their sins. But I pray that today would be the day and where that you would you exposed to their heart. The the truth that that they have missed the mark of perfection that they have sinned against the holy God and apart from Jesus Christ. There is nothing that they can do to earn their way into heaven. I know. That in this time together that they would Place their faith in Christ and Christ Alone. for their Eternal Salvage
Or maybe it's just that we need. hateful and sharing our with you That you would Place someone on our hearts Place some people on our hearts. We're God that we can share our story with. Just like the Samaritan woman who had experience with Jesus. We can share our experience with Jesus with them. We thank you. We thank you that we can have an experience with the Christ. That we can be changed. Your father all of this. We ask all of this we pray this morning. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. So just a moment. We're going to have him an invitation to response. Maybe God is placing a heart baby, and place your faith of Jesus Christ this morning, and I love to walk with you through what that looks like an out how you can take the next steps of Faith or maybe it's too, so just prayerfully lift up someone's name at the at the altar that that maybe they'd been on your heart for awhile. And you just been you just been kind of now. It's not the right time. No, it's not the right circumstances, but maybe Place in the heart to lift them up in prayer for a way that you can share your story with them this week. Whatever it is, the guy's place in your heart as we stand together this morning and as we sing this hymn.