Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Your search for meaning and fulfilment begin. As mine does. with a personal relationship with Jesus. We quench our thirst, not in our work, our pleasures, our career, our family, but in Jesus, the living water.
Only God can give you this living, lasting water. Your deepest thirst can only be met by God Himself. Have you drunk of this living water? Have you? Yeah.
Welcome to the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. The world offers us all kinds of answers on how to find fulfillment. If we buy enough things, travel to enough places, or achieve impressive things, then we'll be satisfied. But today, John helps us cut through all the deception to discover the truth about our deepest needs. and now with his message titled, Searching for Fulfillment.
Here's Pastor John Monroe. Today we continue in the Gospel of John. were looking at various people as they encounter Jesus. Today we meet someone unexpected. not a man, as we did in John three.
and certainly not a religious person. No, today we meet a woman, a Samaritan, who has struggled in her relationships. She appears to have been married about five times. We will see that in many ways she's an outcast, an outsider. and she's searching for fulfilment.
This woman meets Jesus as she draws water from a well. And here we see the grace and the compassion of Jesus. As this woman's life has changed, Through her personal encounter, with Jesus. Isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus cares? He cares for you.
in your search for fulfillment. Let's look together at this fascinating encounter. What gives meaning and fulfillment to your life? Seems to me that many people seek meaning in life in things and accumulating stuff. After all, we are the ultimate consumer society here in the United States.
We want the latest technological gadget. that extravagant piece of jewellery, that That special golf club, that dinner in the newly opened restaurant. We love Things. Others seek meaning in pleasure. in experiences, in a good time, in parties.
Do not think too deeply. But We want to experience, we want to feel as much as we can. But isn't it strange? Although we have so much And although there is such a variety of experiences open to us as a society. We often feel that we are missing out.
in life. We have a strange sense of restlessness, of dissatisfaction. of unfulfilment. We roll eyes that Lily Tomlin was correct when she said The problem with the rat race is, even if you win, you are still a rat. We don't want to be rats.
We're not rats. We are human beings made in the image of God. And the result of this overload of stuff and of experiences is that we have more and more weary, bored, empty people. Our theme is been there, done that, worn that T shirt. Could it be?
That the reason we feel so empty and restless and unfulfilled is that we're looking in all of the wrong places. In today's story from John chapter 4, we meet a woman who is longing. satisfaction but has searched in all of the wrong places. Then she has a very personal and a very meaningful encounter with Jesus. And her life is never ever the same again.
Because when you meet Jesus You can never be unchanged. We want to Consider this amazing dialogue between Jesus Let's open our Bibles if you have one to John chapter 4, the fourth gospel. Today our subject is searching for fulfilment. and their passage is John Chapter four. Let us read first of all the first nine verses.
John Four, then. Verse one. When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and discipling more disciples than John, although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were, he left Judea and departed again into Galilee. and he had to pass through Sumeria.
So he came to a city of Samaria called Syker. Near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being weary from his journey was sitting thus by the well It is about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to To draw water, Jesus said to her, Give me a drink.
for his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, How is it that you being a Jew ask Me for a drink. Since I'm a samarited woman. for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered, and said to her, If you knew The gift.
of God Let's just stop there. Let's think first of all. Of this woman's past. This woman, like all of us, had a past. and this woman's past, first of all, was disadvantaged.
In traveling north from Judea to Galilee, and some of you have been to Israel, the direct route is through Samaria. But As we read here in verse 9, At this time in the first century, the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. The Samaritans were looked down on by the Jews. The Samaritans were regarded by the Jews as lacking racial and religious purity. and some Jews, in order to avoid being unclean, as they were travelling from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north, instead of going the direct route through Samaria in order to avoid contamination with these dreadful Samaritans, they went east And then up the Jordan Valley And then cut back west into Galilee in order to avoid even walking through.
Samaria.
Now, why did the Jews have this view of the Samaritans?
Well, the Samaritans only had the Pentateuch, that is, the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy. Numbers and Deuteronomy, the first five books, what we call the Torah, the Pentateuch. The rest of the Old Testament for the Samaritans was to be discarded. They rejected it.
Also, they believed. That God should not be worshipped in a temple in Jerusalem, as the Jews believed. but that God should be worshipped in a temple on Mount Charizim, they are part of Samaria. The Jews to show their Disgust and displeasure at such heresy in 128 BCE. destroyed and burned down.
the Samaritan temple at Mount Karazim. Many then would have seen this woman, the Samaritan, as a semi pagan of mixed race. But Jesus sees this woman. as a woman with deep NAITS And Jesus is going to break through the religious and the cultural Taboos of the day. And is going to extend His grace, His love, His forgiveness, His understanding to the Samaritan.
But she had these disadvantages. She was a Samaritan, at least, disadvantages from a Jewish perspective.
Furthermore, Not only was she a Samaritan, but she was a woman. The rabbis didn't teach. the law to women since the rabbinic attitude was that women were inferior to men in every way. A well-known Jewish prayer said, Blessed art thou, O Lord, who has not made me a woman. Could you imagine praying that kind of prayer?
No women were regarded in the first century as objects. Men rarely greeted women in public. Even their own wives.
So if they saw a woman passing them in the street as they journeyed, they would totally ignore her. It helps us to understand what is happening. Jesus dialogues with this woman. Clearly, this woman had a disadvantaged past. But did you notice verse four?
that Jesus had to pass through Samaria. He's got a divine appointment with this women. Jesus comes to Samaria. Many of the Pharisees, the Jews, would have nothing to do with the Samaritans. They wouldn't even pass through the country.
But Jesus had to come to Samaria to meet this woman. He also comes to you. and to me. In Christ there is no east or west, no north Or south, as the old song said, and that is true. Whether you are from the north, You can take that as a Yankee or even further north.
Or whether you're from the south. And you can't help the way you speak, that's just it. Jesus still loves you. Whether you're from the East, whether you're Oriental, whether you're from the West. Whether you are from Africa or South America or Europe, or Australia, wherever you are from.
Jesus comes. Do you? Why? Because he loves the whole world. His love embraces the whole universe.
And can I say, as we think of this woman with all of these disadvantages, Don't allow the disadvantages that you think you have to stop you from coming to Jesus and meeting Jesus. This woman was disadvantaged. Not only was she disadvantaged, she was dysfunctional. There's Sixteen. John Four 16 Jesus said to her, Go call your husband.
and come here. The women answered and said to her, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband. For you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband. This You have said truly, the woman said to him, Sir, I perceive you are a Profit.
not only disadvantaged because of her past, dysfunctional because of her relationships, her personal relationships. She had had five husbands. That to me seems a bit excessive, doesn't it? Could you imagine having gone through five marriages. Think of the pain the disappointment The shattered dreams The heartache.
to go through five Bad. relationships. The probability, certainly in the first century, is that these men would have divorced her. The Jews said, the rabbis said at the time of the first century that three marriages were about the maximum, that's enough. And in that society it was the man who divorced the woman.
If a woman didn't like her husband, you were stuck with him. If you're a man, got tired with her, wanted a newer model. You got rid of her. Divorced. I divorce you.
I divorce you. And so five times this woman had been divorced. Probably because Her husbands preferred someone else. She seems to have searched for security. and meaning in her personal relationships.
Sound familiar? But ends up being used by men and discarded by men when they no longer wanted her. Not only is she divorced, she's despised in her community, she's an outcast. Jesus says, I know all about you. Not only have you had five husbands, the man you are presently living with, You're not even married to.
And so she would have been looked down. by the Samaritans. Because of her previous relationships. And because of that, verse 6, She comes to the well to get water. At a very unusual time.
The sixth hour that's noon. That's the hottest part of the day. And why did you come then? Because she was an outcast. The other women would have no doubt come in groups, enjoying their fellowship and friendship, gossiping round the well and as they journeyed back and forward, but this woman comes Alone.
The other woman coming earlier in the day or later in the day when it was much cooler. But this woman, because she is an outcast, she's all alone, and she comes to this well. At noon. just the right time to meet. Jesus.
Now perhaps you ask As we sometimes do ask in life. Why is this woman living with yet another man when she's had such disasters in her previous relationships. Why would you do that? Wouldn't you learn your lesson? You have a first marriage, it fails.
Well, maybe the second one might be better, it fails.
Well, what about the third one? What about the fourth one? Or what about the fifth one? When you have learned a lesson. reminds me of the man who went to uh to see a doctor.
He had two severely burned ears. And the doctor looked at the man's ears and said, That's horrible. He said, How did you burn both of your ears. The man said, Well, I was doing some ironing. and the phone rang and I got a bit confused and I put the iron to my ear.
Dr. Winshe says, that's absolutely awful. He says, What about your Second, About the other year. The patient said, Well, the man called back. And you say, you know, when you gonna learn a lesson?
When you're going to learn a lesson, why would you continue to Put Pain upon pain, multiply pain upon pain by going through five marriages and then living with a guy you're not even married to. Why would you do that? Why would you keep going with men? who so obviously hurt you. Why do women do this?
Why do men Do this. I've met a lot of People who have gone through difficulties in their marriages. As a former lawyer, dealing with people going through divorce, as a pastor, meeting many, many. people who have gone through difficulties in marriage and so on. Why do people do this?
Not that difficult to understand, I would say. Why? Don't be too hard on this woman. She was seeking For meaning In life. She had a deep, deep need, an insatiable longing to belong to someone.
even though she'd been hurt in the past, this time is going to be different. This time is going to be meaningful. Why? Because all of us want to love someone and to be loved by someone. She wanted someone to care for her.
And even although she had been hurt, In the series of these marriages, now perhaps this man might be different. Let me live with him. I know I should be married to him, but does it really matter? This man is going to change my life. She's on a search.
For meaning. She's on a search for joy in her life.
Some time ago, Larry King interviewed Laurie Morgan, the country singer. who has been married five times, at least then she had been.
Someone phoned in to ask her Why she, such a pretty woman, such a wonderful singer? Why five marriages? She said, well, they're all good men. But she seemed unable to give a coherent answer why she had been married five times. Larry King then smiled and said, Well, isn't that why they invented divorce?
continuing to look for satisfaction and meaning in personal relationships. This woman was disadvantaged. This woman was dysfunctional. Third, this woman was dissatisfied. She was forever searching for meaning and fulfillment, but was never satisfied.
She had made some disastrous decisions which had caused her a lot of pain. A lot of heartache. Melissa Gilbert. Little girl who appeared in T V series. little house on the prairie as an adult was being interviewed Having gone through a series of broken relationships, she said this: Didn't I tell you what my greatest fear is?
That they'll write on my tombstone. She had an incredible career. But no. Life. An incredible career.
But no. Life. Can you identify that? It's women. has a past.
All of us here have a past.
Some of it are with our control.
Some of our past involving decisions we ourselves made, whether good, bad, or indifferent, but all of us here have a past. Secondly, this woman's encounter. this woman Matt. Jesus.
life. is about to change. The She has a personal encounter with Jesus. In chapter three, last week, we thought of Nicodemus. This week, we're thinking of a woman.
What a difference! What a contrast. between Nicodemus and the Samaritan women. Nicodemus Was a Jewish man. Highly educated, well respected, the leader in the community, moral, religious.
But he came to Jesus. This woman Well the contrast, she's a Samaritan. She's not a Jew, she's a social outcast, she's unschooled, she's immoral, she's despised. Yet Jesus had to go through Samaria. To meet this Woman.
Nicodemus He comes to Jesus by night. Jesus comes to this woman. At noon. Do you think John By telling us these stories back to back, he is trying to tell us something? Of course, he is.
is telling us that Jesus loves. the world. Not just men. But also women, not just girls, but also boys. Not just Jews, but also Samaritans.
Not just religious people, but also irreligious people. Not just moral people, but immoral people. Not just people from the east, but also from the west. Not just from the north, but also from the south. That Jesus' love.
goes right round the world, and when he meets this woman Were you surprised? That he didn't attack her. Oh, he drew out from her. Her problem. You've well said you've got no husband.
He was a prophet in your heart. But you notice that he didn't judge this woman. John chapter four is really a wonderful illustration of John three, verses sixteen and seventeen. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world Two.
What? Condemn. Or to judge the world, but that through him the world might be saved. And so Jesus comes. Demonstrating his love, yes, for Nicodemus, this Jewish man, yes, this respectable man, but he needed to be born again.
Ms. Love. comes to this woman. The Samaritan. who's had such a checkered career who's not respected, who's an outcast, who's despised, who is away, way down there in the social scale as opposed to Nicodemus who's away up there his love.
comes to her. Many differences between Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, but really fairly superficial differences. deep down in our hearts. We need it. as you need and I need a personal encounter.
with Jesus.
Now what's Jesus' approach? See the wisdom of God. When we did the series on God, I Few times I asked you the question. What do you think God is like? Mm-hmm.
When when I say the word God, what comes into your mind? Here is a wonderful picture of the heart of God. The way God deals. with us. when we blow it.
when we fail. This woman is used to rejection, particularly rejection by men. But Jesus doesn't reject her. Rather, he did something which shocked her. Verse seven, give me a drink.
A little phrase. was going to change her life. Give me A drink. She can't understand why Jesus, who's a man and is a Jew, she knows that by his dress, she knows that by his appearance, she knows that by his accent. Why he, being a Jew, would ask a drink of her a Samaritan woman.
I mean, Jesus, a Jew, would have then to drink from an unclean vessel, a ceremonially unclean vessel. If the Jews couldn't even walk through some Samaritan territory, how could they possibly drink? out of the same cup. used By a Samaritan woman. It was unthinkable.
And this woman understands that and she's shocked. She's surprised. that Jesus enters into her world. Aren't you glad? Jesus enters into your world.
Her disadvantaged, dysfunctional, and despised background does not deter Jesus. There are barriers, yes, there's barriers of ethnicity, of race, of color, of religion, of culture, of gender, of protocol. All of these barriers are bridged by Jesus. With tenderness, and compassion Jesus weary from his journey. Ask this woman for a drink.
How about you? In life I would suspect the vast majority of us Some More and some less. But in life, certainly many of you have experienced prejudice against you. Because of your background? Perhaps because of your race, perhaps because of the color of your skin.
Perhaps because of your accent, because of your social standing, perhaps because of some handicap or other factor in your life Certain people look down their noses at you. Certain people try and judge you and condemn you or prejudice against you. Isn't it wonderful to know that these things mean nothing to Jesus? Whether you identify with Nicodemus or whether you identify with a Samaritan woman, we're all on the same level. Yeah.
This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Our message today is titled Searching for Fulfillment. Don't go anywhere just yet because John will be back in just a moment with closing remarks. With all of the problems we see in the world around us, we may be tempted to become anxious or start to make our own contingency plans as we search for peace and security. But in times of uncertainty and trouble it's crucial that we put our trust in God and refocus on Him.
And to help you do that, no matter what you're going through, John has written a wonderful personal booklet. called Trusting God in Tough Times. and we'd like to send you a copy, completely free, as our gift to you. To receive a copy of Trusting God in Tough Times, just go to our website. the verdict.org.
And while you're there, be sure to sign up for our monthly email list to get the latest ministry updates from John. And if these lessons and resources have helped you, Would you consider helping other listeners by supporting the Verdict's gospel outreach with a donation of any amount? By helping us cover the cost to produce and distribute these biblical messages. You'll play an important part in sharing the gospel with new listeners and communities across the globe. You can easily send your one-time donation of any amount when you go to theverdict.org.
And before we close, Remember to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, available wherever you get your podcast from. and be sure to leave a comment while you're there. And now, here's Pastor John Monroe with today's closing remarks.
Well, what's your verdict? Does the Samaritan woman remind you of anyone? Perhaps yourself? Your life may not be identical to this woman. But aren't we all searching for meaning and fulfilment in life?
You may have tried all kinds of experiences in life. They all have left you feeling empty and hollow. Jesus came that we may have life and that we may have it abundantly. This eternal abundant life is found when you encounter Jesus. Don't forget to tune in next time.
we will continue discussing this search for fulfillment. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
