Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our spiritual pit stop.

A providential pit stop. John chapter 4. It's such a lengthy passage of scripture.

And I'm going to cut a few corners this morning just for sake of time. In verse 3. He left Judea and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria which is called Sycher near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey sat thus on the well.

And it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?

For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 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 woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.

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. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou hast now is not thy husband. In that saidest thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. I want you to look at verse 39.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified, He told me all that ever I did. Lord, we love you. Thank you for all that you've done. Lord, I pray you'd bless as we speak of this passage this morning about it being a providential pit stop. Lord, there could be individuals sitting right here in this building that need a providential pit stop. Lord, I pray that you would meet needs this morning. In your name we pray.

Amen. I want to just notice a couple things from the passage this morning, and I'll let you go. I think God's already been good to us today, hadn't he? You can just tell that God is ministering to hearts, and I appreciate it when he feels us worthy enough to have freedom here.

And our goal is always that God would have freedom to do what he wants to do. But I want you to notice first in the passage this morning is how he chose her. Second, we're going to look at how Jesus challenged her. And third, how Jesus changed her. But I want you to notice first how Jesus chose her.

Very interesting here. Look at verse 3. He left Judea and departed again unto Galilee, and he must needs go through Samaria. Let me say this this morning that it was not a geographical imperative for Jesus to go through Samaria.

He did not have to, as you look at a map, he didn't have to go through there. There are certain places in Winston you just about have to go down business 40. I hate business 40. They're getting ready to close it here.

Aren't they soon for like a couple years or whatever the case might be? And they can blow it up for all I'm concerned, you know. And that old Hawthorne curve, isn't that what it's called, Brother Joe, that they put in years ago? Because some guy was greedy and people got killed on that curve.

It's been cursed ever since. I have been here since 1994, and they have been doing construction on business 40 since I can remember. Some of you have been here longer, but there's just some places you're going to have to go just about business 40.

You could go another route, but it would take so much longer you might as well go down business 40. This is not one of these occasions. Jesus did not have to geographically go through Samaria. In fact, Jews often made sure that they did not go through Samaria. In fact, Jews often went miles out of their way so that they would not have to go through Samaria. So when it says Jesus must need to go through Samaria, it's not talking because he had no choice but to go right through the heart of Samaria.

One commentator as I was looking at this passage I thought said it well. It said Jesus did not geographically have to go through Samaria, but he must need to go through Samaria because Jesus always walked in the paths that were ordained by his Father. Let me tell you why he must need to go through Samaria because somebody there needed his help.

Jesus was a Jew. Samaria was full of Samaritans. You've heard the story of the good Samaritan, some of you in the Word of God. And the good Samaritan is a story of an individual that found a Jew that was beat up on the side of the road and he took him and took care of him and literally a preacher had walked by and fellow people would walk by and people of society had walked by and nobody stopped to help him because he was a Jew. But a Samaritan came by, the one guy you would think would have nothing to do with that Jew and he helped him. That's where we get the story of the good Samaritan.

Now it's swapped. Jesus, a Jew, goes right through Samaria. What a picture of our relationship with God. Say how is that preacher? Listen, he came to us when we did not come to him. In fact he came to us when we did not want to come to him. In fact he came to us before we knew to come to him. In fact he came to us when we did not want him to come. He came unto his own, the Bible says, and his own received him not. What a picture of the working of the Holy Spirit of God.

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit draws all men unto him. Listen to me dear friend, you might not have been out looking for Jesus, but guess what? He's looking for you.

He must needs go through Samaria. You know what in your life it might be this morning you are here by no accident. I'm here to let you know that he is looking for you.

Jesus has passed by this morning with a desire to help you. You see Jesus always made the first move. He made the first move in creation because he created mankind.

He made the first move in the garden because he desired fellowship with Adam. I look in the Old Testament, he made the first move with Jacob as he wrestled with him that evening. He made the first move with Samuel as he called out to Samuel in the temple. We go to the New Testament, he made the first move on Paul when that light shone on that road to Damascus.

He always made the first move. He made the first move when he came to earth, was born in a stable to die on the cross for you and I. He made the first move on the cross when he willingly gave up the ghost to purchase the redemption for you and for me.

He made the first move with the Holy Spirit because when you and I were born and we came to the age of accountability, immediately the Holy Spirit began to draw and everything in your life has been designed about the Holy Spirit trying to get you to God. How Jesus chose her. There are some religions or denominations that teach this. God has chosen certain ones to be saved and He's chosen certain ones not to be saved. And if you're one of the chosen, thank God. And if you're one of the ones that weren't chosen, you weren't chosen because God knew that you were never going to be saved anyway so He didn't choose you. There are some that literally believe that when Jesus died on the cross He only died for those that would end up asking Him to save Him. Listen to me dear friend, our Bible teaches anti all of that. Our Bible teaches that He's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to redemption. He says Jesus so loved the world that He gave His Son the world for God so loved the world for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Dear friend, I'm here to tell you whether you know it or not, guess what? I'm here to let you know on a good secret. He chose you.

How He chose her. Here He is traveling and He providentially makes a pit stop in Samaria because somebody needed His help. Dear friend, I'm here to tell you whether you know it or not, the Holy Spirit has been trying to get you.

It's been drawing. Some people don't understand what is the working of the Holy Spirit. It's when there's something in your guts and you just don't know what it is. You come into a church and there's just something uncomfortable. And when a preacher preaches and there's just something, you just don't know what it is, there's something inside. And you say maybe I'm just not comfortable, maybe I don't like it here, maybe I got allergies of churches. I don't know what it is.

Maybe you've heard of lactose intolerant, maybe I'm biblical intolerant or maybe I'm church intolerant or something. Look at me, dear friend, it's the Holy Spirit choosing you. I want you to notice secondly how Jesus challenged her. Now once He chose her, that's one thing, and He showed up and He began to talk to her and He made the first move in conversation. But how did He challenge her? Look at verse 10, if you would. The Bible says 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 wouldst ask of him and he would. Now let me ask you this, you say what do you mean He challenged her?

It's easier if I lay it out into points for you, okay? I want you to notice first He explained to her that it was a gift. Look at verse 10, if thou knewest the gift of God.

Now I've heard a lot of people preach on this story, but I've never heard for some reason, I'm sure they have, but I've never heard a pastor really emphasize this phrase in this story that sitting there at the well, he made her know right off the bat that it was a gift. It was free. It couldn't be earned and it couldn't be bought.

It was just a gift. Dear friend I'm here to tell you, salvation is a gift from God. You can't earn it.

You can't buy it. You don't have to come to an altar to get it. Although many people have gotten saved at an altar. I know people have gotten saved in a car, people have gotten saved in the strangest places you've ever seen. But I'm going to tell you something, it doesn't matter where you are, it's a gift, you can't buy it, you can't earn it, salvation is a gift of God. He explained to her that it was a gift.

Now that was challenging to her. Listen to me, this is a Jew that doesn't like Samaritans and Samaritans that don't like Jews, and here's a Jew telling a Samaritan, I got something for you and it's free and it's good. I don't know if I can trust that.

You ever gotten kind of weird vibes from certain things like I don't know if I can trust that. You ever been to a less than reputable car salesman? I have sometimes because you can't afford to buy real nice vehicles and stuff. The church provides me a nice vehicle.

Man, I'm loving this. The last car that we bought, that Suburban, it had over 100,000. We bought it. The church gives us a nice car now. We don't own any other car besides the church car.

This is a huge blessing to us. Let me tell you, but I've been to some non-reputable car dealers. And you just get a, ugh. You can just see, it's like, you know, have they been rough on this vehicle? No, it's not like, yeah, but there's like dents and kick marks. Oh, no, it's fine.

It's just, you know, wear and tear or whatever. You just get this vibe. One day I was talking to a car dealer in Statesville and a man came up and the three of us were talking and I was a preacher. He was a car dealer. And then here's another man looking. And I told the man, I said, I bet you are nervous. He said, what do you mean? I said, you got a car dealer and a preacher. Two people that people never trust. It doesn't get no worse than that. What would be great is if a car dealer got saved and became a preacher.

Then your mind just explodes. But anyway, listen to me, dear friend. She didn't know whether to trust him or not. The first thing he let her know is, listen, I'm not selling anything.

I'm giving it away. Dear friend, I'm here to tell you, you can't say, well, I guess if I get saved, if I gave my heart to Christ, that means I've got to change this and I've got to do this and I need to do all that. Listen to me, you don't have to do anything to get saved. You just got to put your faith and trust in him. It's not that you've got to clean things up before you get saved and you've got to change, you've got to do this or that would be earning salvation.

Dear friend, I'm here to tell you, he will save you just like you are. It's a gift. Second thing I noticed is this, number two, he explained that it was living. Look at verse 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 wouldst ask of him, notice if you would, verse 10, thou wouldst ask of him and he would have given thee what?

Living water. Second thing, hey, salvation not only is a gift, but second, it's living. The person you're putting your faith and trust in never died. He's alive. Listen, every other religion, the people that they are putting their faith and trust in are in a grave somewhere.

Ours is the only one, the tomb is empty. He literally died and rose again and he has not died since. Listen to me, dear friend, he's living.

You put your faith and trust in a living savior. He said, I would have given you water, but it's living water. When it's living water, it means this, it doesn't run out, it doesn't stop, it doesn't fail, it's just living.

Notice thirdly, he explained to her that it was everlasting. Look if you would at verse 13. Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. Which water? The water there at that well.

She had a bucket, she's getting ready to drip into that well. And he said, anybody that drinks that water is going to be thirsty again, but look at verse 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. Listen to me, dear friend, salvation is not only a gift. Salvation is not only alive, but salvation is everlasting.

Everlasting. Look at me, she was dipping her bucket into the wrong well. How often have you and I dipped our little buckets into the wrong well? We were not satisfied. So many people have tried everything that this life and this world has to offer. And yet at the end when it's all said and done, it still leaves a longing. There is still a thirst. There is still a hunger. There is still something that is not fulfilled. How often have we given our lives to the wrong well? But what Jesus has to offer satisfies forever. It's everlasting. I don't know about you, but there have been times in my life where I took my little bucket and I put it in the wrong well and I found out it did not satisfy. And dear friend, some of you might be there right now. You've tried things in your life, doing things in your life, and it makes you happy for a short period of time and there's just a longing there. There's an unfulfillment.

There's something missing. And dear friend, Jesus is the only one that can fulfill that need. Jesus is everlasting.

Let me say this lastly. He explained to her that He was the only way. Look at verse 19 if you would of chapter 4. The woman said then to Him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place for men not to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what? We know what we worship for salvation is of, notice this, the Jews.

That means salvation was going to come through the lineage of the Jews. Look at verse 23. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is the spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto Him, I know that Messiah cometh which is called Christ.

When He is come He will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He. She said, I know Messiah is coming, the Christ. I know that's the only way to heaven. And He said, guess what?

That's me. See He told her I'm the only way. Dear friend, look at me, Jesus is the only way to salvation. There's no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.

He's the only one. You can't earn it. I don't care if Dr. Phil tells you, you can do whatever. I don't care if Oprah gives you a new life and you this or that. Let me tell you something, they believe there's other ways and however a person believes in their God, however they get to God, let me tell you something, there's only one way to God. I don't care if I tell you there's another way.

I'm wrong if I do. It's only one way and that's through Christ. Let me show you thirdly how Jesus changed her. I was excited about this when I saw it. Look at verse 28, if you will, the woman that left her water pot, the woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city and say it to the men.

Isn't that interesting? She left her water pot. Why would she leave the water pot? Well, Jesus said, you drink my water, you'll never thirst again. I'm not going to need it.

What he gave me satisfied me totally. I don't need that water pot. Of course, she might not have fully understood because I'm sure in the heat of the day, she got back and got that water pot because she got thirsty, I'm sure. But that's another whole story. Look at verse 29.

Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? And many of the Samaritans of the city, verse 39, and many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified, he told me all that ever I did. This story literally illustrates the growth of the soul and the knowledge of Christ. Why there's a lot of verses in this story is because it literally shows the progression that you and I make when we get saved. As you and I begin to grow in the knowledge of God and Christ and the word of God, things begin to change inside of us. She went from thirsty to thankful. She went from searching to skeptical to satisfied. But I want you to see the progression. Notice if you would, verse 9.

This excited me. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew? You know, the first thing she calls him is Jew.

That's the first thing she refers to him as. A Jew. You can almost literally feel the snare on her lips because Samaritans didn't like Jews. So he comes sitting at her water pot, her well, where she got water, and here's a Jew sitting there in the middle of Samaritan country. And she looks at him, she says, How is it that thou being a Jew?

Notice in verse 11, she refers to him differently now. The woman saith unto him, Sir. So now she goes from almost critically, almost, you know how we, what's the word I'm looking for when you treat every group of people the same?

Stereotyping. She was stereotyping a Jew. All she saw was a man sitting there that was a Jew.

First thing she saw, then she warms up a little bit and she calls him Sir. That means she went from contention when she called him Jew to courtesy when she called him Sir. Notice if you would, verse 11. The woman said, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep from whence then hast thou that living water? Look at verse 19. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a what? Prophet. She goes from saying, Hey, you're a Jew. To second, she says, all right, Sir.

To third, now she says, Prophet. You see, you and I, many people before they got saved, we had no use for God. He was just, illustratively speaking, a Jew. There was contention with God. Mad at God, mad at life, some of you were there before you got saved. I don't know if God's a God of love, then why does this happen and why does that and why does this and why does that?

And many times there's contention. And then as you get in and people begin to witness and you hear things and the Holy Spirit begins to draw, then all of a sudden it softens up a little bit. And now I'm just going to be courteous.

And now, hey, okay, I'll come to church and I'll sit there. It went from Jew to Sir to, in verse 19, Prophet. You say, why did she go there? Well, she said, Jew, out of contention.

She said, Sir, out of courtesy. But she says, Prophet, in verse 19, out of conviction. Because he knew everything she did. All of a sudden now he's beginning to tell her stuff that didn't make a whole lot of sense to her because she realized this guy's different.

This guy knows something that nobody else does. So she went from Jew to Sir to Prophet. Notice, if you would, verse 25. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. Now we see her referring to Messiah. It went from the contention of Jew to the courtesy of Sir to the conviction of Prophet to now the connection of Messiah.

All of a sudden it's starting to make sense to her. You're the one that has come to purchase our redemption. Do you know that Jews nowadays, unsaved Jews, are still waiting for the Messiah?

They are still anxiously awaiting him. But he's already come. I want you to notice last, look at verse 29. She finally goes to her friends out of testimony after she put total belief in him. Look at verse 29. Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ. The last thing she refers them to as is Christ. You know why?

Listen to me. When she called him Jew, there was contention. When she called him Sir, there was courtesy. When she called him Prophet, there was conviction. When she called him Messiah, there had begun a connection. But when she called him Christ, there was a certainty. This is him. That's how he changed her. Dear friend, the more you get to know about Jesus and then the more you get to know Jesus, the more certain you become.

It's him. Lord, we love you. Thank you, Lord, for choosing us. Thank you, Lord, for challenging us. And thank you, Lord, for changing us. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to hear the Bible being preached to allow us to grow in the knowledge of Christ. Our heads are bound.

Our eyes are closed. I want to thank you for your time and your respect today. It's just before 12 o'clock, so there's no hurry.

Dear friend, I want to challenge you this morning. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you don't get saved because you go to church. You don't get saved just because you pray a prayer. You don't get saved because you put money in an offering plate. You don't get saved just because Mom and Dad were Christians. You get saved when there comes a time in your life when you realize that you are a sinner, when you believe what the Word of God has to say, that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and when you put your faith and trust in Him, when there's a calling on the Lord, as the Bible says. Dear friend, if you've not done that, we'd love to show you in God's Word how you can, how you could go to lunch today with the knowledge and the certainty that Jesus is your savior.

I want to challenge you today also. Maybe God has done a work in your heart. Maybe there has been the tendency in our life to not be as excited as we used to be. We all get there. We get so accustomed to the goodness of God. God bless you.