This is the Truth Network. Welcome to the broadcast ministry of Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews, where we seek to glorify God by making him known and guiding others towards their true purpose in life. No one is here by chance. God put us here for a reason. And the most important thing we can do is discover his plan for us and commit ourselves to it.
Keep listening as we learn from the Bible how to live wisely in God's world. which is the first step towards finding your purpose. What I've entitled tonight's message. The fountain of life. We're going to be looking at John chapter 4, verses 1 through 26.
And so I invite you to take your. your Bibles and open up John 4. And I want to begin tonight with three important verses that reveal the spiritual battlemen. that is taking place all throughout the world. For one thing.
The souls of men and women. Your soul and my soul. In John 10:10, Jesus says, The thief. Who is the thief? Satan, he comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
I have come that they may have life. and have it to the full. In 1 Peter Five eight. Peter writes, Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion. looking for someone to devour.
And then in Ephesians 6.12, Paul writes about this ongoing spiritual battle that's taking place in the unseen realm. He says, For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world. and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Man, we were created. with a God-shaped vacuum that only he can fill.
Augustine famously said, O Lord, you created us for yourself, and man's heart is restless. Restless. until it rests in you. From the time we are born, We strive to fill this void, but so often We try to fill it with all the wrong things like success, popularity. Money.
Education. Pleasure. drugs and alcohol, sex. And the list goes on and on. But here's what the Bible makes clear.
Nothing in this world or of this world will ever satisfy the deepest needs of our soul except. a relationship with God. And that's why He created you and me. to know Him, to be in fellowship with Him. There are thousands of people You can read about this.
Testimony after testimony of men and women who've risen to the top of their occupation who can testify to this truth that nothing in this world will ever satisfy the deepest need of your soul. Tom Brady's a good example. After winning his third Super Bowl ring and his third MVP title, you may remember this. He appeared on 60 Minutes back in 2005 to be interviewed by Steve Croft. And here's how the conversation went.
I've got a transcript from it this morning. Croft asked him that this whole experience, this whole upward trajectory. What have you learned about yourself? What kind of an effect does it have on you? Then, after Brady describes his frustrations, he then famously responded.
Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? God, it's got to be more than this. Can you believe he said that? And then Croft replies: well, what's the answer? And he said, I wish I knew.
I wish I knew. I think he didn't still know, do you? Tonight we're going to read in John chapter 4. Verses 1 through 26 about this incredible encounter that Jesus has with this woman who is searching for peace. And she's been searching for peace her entire life.
But up to this moment, Until this encounter She's not been able to find it. But now a man like, unlike any other man that she's ever encountered. Is standing Or sitting rather beside the well. looking at her with kindness and asking her for a drink of water.
So what I want you to see through this encounter that Jesus has with this woman... is how God works to save. person.
Well, and here's what he does. He sends Jesus. That's why he sent him from heaven. He sends Jesus in pursuit of us. Even though we're not pursuing him.
Look at verses 1 through 9. The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
So he headed north. It wasn't his time yet.
So he retreated away from Galilee. The crowd. Verse 4 says, Now he had to go through Samaria.
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar. Near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. What time of day is that?
Honey. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, Will you give me a drink? Then in parentheses it says his disciples had gone into town to get some food. The Samaritan woman said to him, You are a Jew. She was astonished, and I'm a Samaritan woman.
How can you ask me for a drink? for Jews did not associate with Samaritans.
So look at verse 4. Verse 4 reveals that it says that Jesus had to go through Samaria. Did he?
Well He had to go not for geographical reasons, But for a spiritual reason, because he had a divine appointment. with a certain woman. Has he had that divine appointment with you? The land of Palestine was only 120 miles from north to south, and Samaria lay right in the middle.
So you had Judea in the south, then Samaria, and then Galilee, where the Sea of Galilee was. And that's where Jesus spent the majority of his time up in the north.
So to go from Jerusalem to Galilee, you had to really go straight through Samaria. And most Jews did everything possible not to go through Samaria. Why?
Well, because the Jews despised the Samaritans. And the reason dates back to 722 BC. You may remember last year in our study of Hosea that in that year the nation of Israel fell to the Assyrian army, and most of the Jews. were taken back to Assyria as slaves. But they left behind a lot of the poor and destitute Jews.
And then they brought the Assyrians in and repopulated all of their towns and cities. And so the Jews that were left behind and the Assyrians who were Gentiles began to intermarry. And so the Samaritans were the offspring of these marriages that took place between Gentiles and Jews, the Samaritans and the Israelites. If this is why the Jews despised them. As a matter of fact, Most Jews Would cross, if you can think, here's the Mediterranean Sea, here's Israel.
Jordan River runs right here east of Jerusalem. They would cross the Jordan River. And go all the way up on the the east side of the Jordan River and then crossed back over to get to Galilee. To avoid going into Samaria, because they felt like if they stepped foot, Oh this Oh, the soil in Samaria, they would defile themselves. And this was particularly true of the religious leaders.
But Jesus Had to go through Samaria. I think you know why. He was on a divine mission. Because God sent him. To this woman.
When Jesus arrived at this well, the sun was at its peak. It was the hottest time of the day, and Jesus was tired from the journey, and his disciples were hungry and thirsty.
So, what does this tell you about Jesus? He was what? A man, just like you and me, and he had needs. He was also the Son of God.
So while the disciples are off in Saqqar getting some food, This lonely woman shows up. With her water bucket. And Jesus looks at her, and I'm sure with a very tender expression says, Hey, will you give me a drink of water? And the woman looked at him with astonishment and said, you are a Jew. And I'm a Samaritan woman.
How can you ask me for a drink? Now in the first century women were second-class citizens. just like you see in Muslim countries today. This is why I'm amazed. that female liberals in our country.
Think Islam is such a wonderful Religion. Have they been to a Muslim country? They have to cover their face and walk 15 feet behind their husband, and they can't talk to the husband unless he wants to talk to them. I don't get it. But anyway.
I guess you can figure out which party I'm a member of. But this woman Had three strikes against her. First of all, she was a woman. Second, she was a Samaritan. And third, she was a woman who had a bad reputation.
And this is why she was alone. And this is why she came to this well at midday when the sun was the hottest because she was hoping no one would be there. She wanted to get away from everybody because everybody in town looked down on her. They despised her and they rejected her, just like people did Jesus. He was despised and rejected.
He could relate to her.
Now you need to understand something about Jesus. Even before he saw her, He knew her. He knew everything about her. Remember, Jesus is the Word who became flesh and made his dwelling among us. He's literally God in the flesh.
So he knew everything about her. He saw the emptiness of her heart. He saw the guilt and shame that she'd been carrying for years. She was hurting. No one in town wanted to be seen with her.
They considered her trash. And all her life she'd been drinking from the wrong well. Her well was full of men. who'd make empty promises. And now the man she was living with It was not even her husband.
Do you know what she'd been looking for her entire life? A man who would love her.
Now, a man stood before her who was going to change her life forever. You see, God was in pursuit of her. and she was about to meet him. C.S. Lewis learned this truth about God.
I'd never had the experience of looking for God. It was the other way around. He was the hunter. And I was the deer. He stalked me like a redskin, took unerring aim.
and far. Is that your experience with God?
Well, you looking for God. Or is he looking for you? In Romans 3:11 through 12, Paul writes: There's no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away. We do not seek God.
Which is the very reason That he must seek us.
So, not only does Jesus come in pursuit of us, but Jesus, number two, he offers us living water. I love this. Look at verses 10 through 14. Jesus answered her, Okay. If you knew the gift of God, And who does it ask you for a drink?
You would have asked him, and he would have given you what? Living water. Sir, the woman said, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?
And Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks this water, I'm sure he's pointing to the well, will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him thirsty. A spring of order welling up to eternal life. Is this the way you feel about your salvation?
You you sure that? One of my favorite things about God Is that He's always willing to offer us living water? All we have to do is drink. Is that hard? I love the simple words in the Bible that have to do with salvation.
Look. Come Believe. Drink. Eight. Children can understand these words.
The gospel is not complicated. It's simple. Even a guy from Bethel can understand it. Did you know that there are two wells? in the world that we can drink from.
One is the well of the world. And one is the well of God.
So what is the well of the world?
Well, it's a well that appears to be full of refreshing water. It's crystal blue, like the water of the Caribbean or the water of the Greek islands. But it's not what it appears. The water of the well is not what it appears. It looks good, but it's not.
When you drink it, it's actually poison. and will eventually leave you lifeless. Jeremiah 2.13 says, My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water. And have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
Listen to that again. God through Jeremiah was talking to the The Jews who lived in the southern part of Israel called Judah. And he says, My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Do you think we have forsaken God?
He's offering Just think of our country. He's been offering our country. for over 200 years. Living water. And what do we do?
We forsake him. Just like the Israelites did. The sisters of this world offer a sister as well, by the way. The sisters of this world, you know, they offer money, success, and pleasure. But do not drink from them.
For they do not hold living water. If you choose to drink from them, you'll discover that they always leave you wanting more. They never satisfy, do they? It's like a soldier adrift for days in the ocean without fresh water. And he finally succumbs to his.
Thirst in the pill of the blue ocean, and he drinks the salty water only to find that it makes him even more thirsty. And eventually it leads to his death.
So what does God offer us through Jesus?
Well, he offers us living water. When you drink from his well, you're drinking living water that actually gives you eternal life. Do you want eternal life? I remember um When I was a little boy, and I heard John 3:16 for the first time, for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish. Scott back there on the back row.
But have what? Eternal life. That's an easy assertion. I think I'll take the eternal life. You see, God.
It's making available to us the fountain of life. And he's given each one of us include you people watching live stream. A choice. We can either drink from the well of the world, or we can drink from the well of God. Which is the fountain of life.
Now, let me ask you this. On the wide road, what well are they drinking from? The will of the world. That's where everybody's going to have a party. And it looks fun.
The narrow road. is where we drink living water. In John 7, this is amazing. And we're going to get to this in a. In January, you know, next year, in John 7, during the Feast of Tabernacles, at the pinnacle of this incredible week-long celebration at the Temple in Jerusalem, the high priest enters the temple with a pitcher of water.
And he begins to pour it slowly onto the altar. In John chapter 7, when he's pouring that water at that very moment, everybody's watching the priest. Pour that water. And all of a sudden, Jesus stands up and he shouts in a loud voice. Think about it.
The water's being poured, and Jesus stands up and says, If anyone is thirsty, Let him come to me and drink. Who believes in me, as the scripture says, streams of living water will flow from within him. Would you like to have been there and heard that? I mean he laid down the gauntlet.
So how do you drink from this fountain of living water? This is the most important thing you're going to hear tonight. How do you drink? From this well of God. This fountain of life.
Well, to drink means to consume, to take into one's being. It means to accept or receive.
So to consume the word of life. You must receive Jesus into your heart by faith. John 1.12 says, Yet to all who received him, To those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become what? Children of God.
So to drink, it's a simple word, you just believe and you receive. And once you receive Jesus by faith, How do you continue to drink from God's well? Here's the well. You pick up your Bible. in the beginning of the morning.
And you begin to drink it. Eat it. That's how you do it. And as you begin to read it, If you go look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2. It talks about how we gain wisdom.
Think of a funnel up here. You take the Word of God in the morning and you're pouring God's mind into your mind and it trickles down into your heart and it begins to change you from the inside out. And what is your mind absorbing? God's word. God's word.
God's wisdom. And then 1 Corinthians 2, 15 says, that we take on The mind of Christ. And guess what you can do with the mind of Christ? You can make judgments about everything. Wise judgments.
And people will come to you because they will see you as a wise man and they will want your counsel. And you know what you can do? You can tell them about the well. that is the fountain of life. This God's Word.
The more I read it, the more I believe it. And the more I believe it, the more I feel these streams of living water in me. Are you experiencing this, guys? I have the best job in the world because my job requires me to read this book. I have to read it to get ready for you guys.
Here's what your life will be like. Psalm chapter 1, verses 1 through 3. This is from the New Living Translation. Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. In other words, they are not on the wide road.
But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants. Day and night, they think about this book. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither. And in all they do, they prosper.
They prosper spiritually, guys. I'm not talking about money. I went through a period in college when I drank from the well of the world, literally. And it nearly destroyed me spiritually. But I thank God that he came after me.
It drew me back to himself. For the last fifty years, I've been drinking from this well. And I listen. Hadn't been perfect, okay. There have been times when the well, as far as I was concerned, was dry.
It wasn't dry, I just wasn't drinking from it. And I've, you know, my walk with God has been like this, okay? But I can tell you the last three or four years I've walked, and I don't say this pridefully, but I've walked more in obedience than I ever have. Because of my strength.
Okay. Because of his strength. And I've never had more joy in my life than I have right now, 71 years of age. Never had more joy. And that's what I want you guys to experience.
I've tried it both ways. And the best way. is by the book. And I know that I have this assurance that the moment I die. I get to go be with Jesus instantly.
Like Billy Graham said, the moment I die will be the most alive I've ever been in my life.
So, how does God save us?
Well, first, Jesus comes after us. Second, Jesus offers us living water. And then, part of the way God works involves convicting us of our sin.
So, that's the third thing Jesus convicts us of our sin. Look at verses 16 through 18. The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming back here to draw water. He told her, Go. I think he did it like this.
Go call your husband and come back. How about that? Just another clip. Hey, go call your go get your husband to come back here. I have no husband, she replied.
And Jesus said to her, I think he said it just like this. You're right when you say you have no husband. The fact is you've had five husbands. And the man you now have is not your husband. what you've just said.
It's quite true. Just since any condemnation. In verse 15, the woman says to Jesus, Give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.
Now I want you to notice what Jesus does not do. He does not tell her who he is yet. Do you know why? Because she's not ready to hear it. There's more that work that needs to be done in our heart.
You see, before any man can receive Jesus into his heart by faith, he needs to be aware of the barrier that exists between God and man due to sin. Romans 3:23, guys, this is part of the Roman road. You need to learn the Roman road.
So that you can share this with others. I'm just going to give you part of it. Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Who does that include? Everybody.
Romans 6, 23 says, For the wages of sin is what? In the Bible, death is symbolic. Of separation from God. The Bible also makes it clear.
So death, Separated from God. Hell will be a place of eternal separation from God. In the Bible, the Bible also makes it clear that we are born in sin. That is, we are born with a sinful nature. Thus, we are born separated from God.
There's a barrier between us and our Creator because of what? sin. Romans 5:8 says, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were yet sinners, Christ did what? Died for us.
Scripture tells us, this is so interesting. At the very moment Jesus died on the cross, The veil in the temple. that separated The Israelites from the Holy of Holies. And the Holy of Holies was behind the veil. It's where the Ark of the Covenant was with the two angelic beings.
And that's where God's presence resided. And no one could come behind that veil except the high priest, and he can only come once a year on the Day of Atonement.
So the point was We're separated from God.
Well, the moment that Jesus yielded His Spirit and He breathed His last breath, what happened to that veil? It was torn in two from top to bottom. Symbolizing what? that the doorway to heaven has been opened. And now we can come to God without having to go through a priest.
So God opened the door to heaven. God has done his part.
Now we've got to do our part. What is our part?
Well, Jesus, let's see how Jesus deals with this woman.
So he asked her to go get her husband because he, why? He did that because he knew about her past and he knew about her present living arrangement. And the woman said, I have no husband. And Jesus said, You're right. You have no husband.
In fact, you've had five husbands, and the man you're living with right now, you're shacking up with them.
So why did Jesus remind her of her past? Because he needed to bring her to the place where she would acknowledge her sin. and see the depravity of it. and realized she needed A saviour. When a man comes to the to see the symphonies in his heart.
Then he's ready to hear the gospel. This woman was curing a load of shame and guilt, and now she stood face to face with the only man of the world with the remedy. Did you know that Jesus is the remedy? for every man in here. For every person in the world.
So what was her response? Look at verses 19 and 20.
So the woman said, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.
Now this is what a lot of people do when they become uncomfortable with And you talk, you know, people don't want to hear about sin. Don't talk to me about my sin. What do they do when you're talking about sin? They change the subject, and often they turn to religion. And what they'll say is, and it's a form of deflection: they'll say, Well, I've been going to church all my life.
I'm a Presbyterian, I'm a Methodist, or whatever. I taught Sunday school. But That's just a deflection. They're trying to get the spotlight off of themselves. I remember one time when I was back in the business, I'm going way back, probably 35 or 40 years, and I had this client.
And I was trying to share the gospel with him because he was such a nice guy. He was a colonel, and I had a great relationship with him. But when I began to kind of put the spotlight on him, I was trying to penetrate and see if he was saved. He said, Well, Russ, I've been teaching Sunday school all my life, I'm a member of the church, I support it financially. I had never heard him mention the name of Jesus.
He just was talking about how religious he was. Do you know what Billy Graham said about religion? He said the religion is the vaccine that keeps you from getting the real thing.
So now Jesus explains what real religion looks like by explaining the only way we can truly worship God. Look at verses 21 through 24. Jesus declared, believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know.
For salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming And it's now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and its worshipers must worship in spirit and truth. I wish I had time to talk about this at length, but I don't.
So let me just tell you real quick because it's so important. What does he mean when he says you have to worship? That God is looking for true worshipers. What does that imply? They're what other kind of worshipers.
False worshippers. And there are a lot of them, by the way.
So to worship in spirit and truth, two things have to happen. First, you've got to be born again. In other words, the spirit has to be in you. If the spirit is not in you, you can't worship God. I don't care how hard you try.
Romans 8:9 says, You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he what? does not belong to Christ.
So To worship in spirit, you have to be indwelt by the spirit. And then you have to worship God in truth. What does that mean? It means you do everything by the book. Everything about the book.
This is truth. Amen. You should know the truth so well that you can go into a church and listen to a minister. and discern if he's speaking the truth. In other words, you should be able to discern between truth and error.
That's one of the indications that the Holy Spirit's in you.
Now Here's a word of application. I've been warning men, as some of you know who've known me a long time. Not to attend or be a member of a church that does not preach the Word of God correctly.
So before you decide to join a church or even attend it, You make sure of three things. You ready for this? Can you handle the truth? Isn't that what Tom Cruise asked? Yeah.
Can you handle the truth? Cause you get ready to hear it. First, The minister must be a man. I'm gonna run all that political. He must be a man who's been born again.
Second, the minister must be a man who believes the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Third, the minister will be a man who preaches from the Word of God, preferably book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. In other words, he doesn't skip over passages of Scripture that make everybody uncomfortable, like Romans chapter 1. You got that? That's what I believe.
So how does God save us? Jesus comes in pursuit of us. Jesus offers us living water. Jesus convicts us of our sin. And finally, Jesus reveals himself to us.
Look at verses 25 through 26, and I'm going to wrap it up. The woman said, I know that Messiah called Christ is coming. When he comes, he'll explain everything to us. Then Jesus made the greatest listen. Here, Jesus is making the greatest declaration that he could make to any person.
And I want you to notice, he did not do it with Nicodemus. He didn't do it with some rich Pharisee. or some prince or king or wealthy businessman. He did it with a nameless woman. Who had a bad reputation?
Here's what he says. Then Jesus declared to her, And it catched away us like, read this. Ah The one speaking to you. I am. Does your translation say it like that?
No. English doesn't get it right. The NIV says, I who speak to you am He. He is not in the Greek. This is important.
The Greek goes like this: You ready? Hey, Zeus. Ego e me. What's Jesus? Jesus.
Jesus. Ego? Ah. Amy? A.
That's the great. Hey, Zeus, Jesus. Eggo Mega. Jesus I am It's the one speaking to you. When he said, I am.
He's telling her. I'm the very one who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. I am the one who parted the Red Sea. I am the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. I am the Messiah, and I will be your Savior, woman, if you just believe in me.
And guess what? She did. Amen. Here's the truth. And Jesus is pursuing you.
He's pursuing me. He's offering us living water. All he wants us to do is confess our sins and come to him. And the moment, listen, the moment that any man. Receive Jesus Christ by faith.
He will reveal himself to you as Lord and Savior. and the great I am. And you'll have this living water. Yeah. that will give you joy and peace.
Like you've never known.
So guys, I want to challenge you. If you're not spending time in the Bible every day. D do it. It will affect your life. your marriage.
Your schoolwork, your job. Your soul, it will impact your children. Every area of your life. will be impacted by God's word if you spend time in it. Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for these men, and thank you for your word, and thank you for this incredible story about this nameless woman that one day. When we're in heaven, we will learn what her name was, what her name is. We love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. You've been listening to Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews.
This broadcast is made possible because of the prayers and financial gifts of listeners like you. If you want to learn more about our ministry or support us as we reach others with God-centered Bible teaching, please visit us at findingpurpose.net.
