November 20, 2025 • 20 mins
A midday encounter at Jacob’s well becomes a masterclass in how God rescues hearts. We walk through John 4 with Pastor Harry Behrens to uncover a striking pattern at the core of the gospel: God commands, sin is exposed, grace is offered, and glory rises in worship. From the quiet urgency of he had to pass through Samaria to the gentle yet piercing Go call your husband, this conversation reveals a Savior who meets us where shame hides and makes a spring where we expected only another empty bucket.
We start by contrasting Nicodemus in John 3 with the Samaritan woman in John 4, showing why salvation begins with God’s initiative, not our effort. The simple request Give me a drink opens a door to a deeper gift: living water that becomes a spring within, not a task we perform but a life we receive. Along the way, we challenge a common drift toward the mechanics of faith—isms and debates that can eclipse the joy of knowing God—with a call to lift our eyes to the why of redemption. Jesus redirects a debate about worship locations to the heart of the matter: the Father is seeking worshipers who honor him in spirit and truth.
The episode reaches its high point when Jesus says, I who speak to you am he—a revelation that turns a hidden life into a witness. She arrives at noon to avoid people and leaves with a testimony that stirs a village. If you’ve felt the weight of failure, the dryness of religion, or the ache of isolation, this story invites you to hear the command that reveals, receive the grace that empowers, and step into worship that satisfies. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review telling us where God met you this week.
If The Takeaway has encouraged you, we’d love to hear how you found the podcast or how God is using it in your life. You can reach out anytime through the “Text Us” link in the episode description.
Please visit www.chosenbydesign.net for more information on Pastor Harry’s new book, "Chosen By Design - God’s Purpose for Your Life."
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:32):
In this episode of The Takeaway, Pastor Harry Barns
leads us into John chapter 4,where Jesus meets a Samaritan
woman at a well.
Not by chance, but by divinenecessity.
Building on the contrast betweenNicodemus in John 3 and a
Samaritan woman in John 4,Pastor Harry shows how God's
commands always come first, howthey reveal our sin, and how
(00:52):
grace then flows to the unworthyso that God alone receives the
glory.
This passage is more than afamiliar story.
It's a picture of how Godpursues, convicts, restores, and
turns sinners into worshipers.
Here's Pastor Harry Barns withtoday's teaching.
SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
Hello, welcome again to the takeaway.
I'm your host, Pastor HarryBarns, and today we're going to
be starting in John chapter 4,looking at verses 1 through 26,
a passage I'm calling the livingwater, God's command that
reveals sin, grace, and glory.
Now, before we get into thetext, remember where we just
came from.
In John chapter 3, we saw Jesusmeet Nicodemus at night.
(01:38):
Jesus didn't give Nicodemus alist of spiritual steps.
He brought revelation.
He told him plainly thatsalvation is of God alone.
You must be born again.
You must be born from above.
You must be born of the Spirit.
And the Spirit moves as theSpirit wills.
In other words, salvationdoesn't begin with man, it
(02:00):
begins with God.
Then, right after that, we heardJohn the Baptist make that
profound statement (02:05):
He must increase, but I must decrease.
That's the transition that'shappening in the Gospel of John.
Jesus is now becoming morepublicly known, and John is
gladly fading into thebackground.
Everything up to this point hasbeen establishing Christ's
deity, who he is, so that now,as the works and signs begin to
(02:28):
unfold, we recognize that everyact, every conversation, every
miracle is revealing more of whohe is so that we can embrace him
as the Son of God, God in theflesh.
And now, one note before weread, I want to leave election
and free will at the door for amoment.
We've talked about those a lot.
Those are really the how-tos ofsalvation.
(02:50):
And sometimes, if we stay in thehow, we can get stuck.
We can get lost in the isms,Calvinism, Arminianism,
Mullenism, all of which aretrying to describe how salvation
is applied.
But in these next messages, Iwant to lift our eyes a bit
higher and look at the why.
Why is God doing what he isdoing?
(03:12):
What is he revealing abouthimself?
What does he want us to see sothat we enjoy him and glorify
him?
Because what happens is when weget stuck in the mechanics of
Christianity, we can actuallystop enjoying God and glorifying
God.
And that's the point of allthis.
(03:34):
So moving forward, I really wantto press into living by faith.
What does that look like?
How do we walk by faith?
Hebrews 11:6 tells us, andwithout faith it is impossible
to please him, for whoever woulddraw near to God must believe
that he exists and that herewards those who seek him.
That's what we want.
The reward of seeking him.
(03:56):
And we can't get there in ourown strength.
There is nothing in us that canlive perfectly enough to receive
God's promises.
We have to rely on his grace.
Grace comes first.
We respond to grace, and thebeauty of grace is that it makes
possible what was impossiblewith man.
So as we go through John 4 andJohn 5 and the rest of the
(04:19):
gospel, I want to lay afoundation.
Man's responsibility and God'selecting power are never at war,
but God always gets the glorybecause without God's command,
you could not respond.
God speaks first, God movesfirst, God reveals first.
Otherwise, what would you evenbe responding to?
(04:42):
All right, so with all that inmind, let's read verses one
through six of John 4.
Now, when Jesus learned that thePharisees had heard that Jesus
was making and baptizing moredisciples than John, although
Jesus himself did not baptize,but only his disciples, he left
Judea and departed again toGalilee, and he had to pass
through Samaria.
So he came to a town of Samariacalled Sikar, near the field
(05:06):
that Jacob had given to his sonJoseph.
Jacob's well was there.
So Jesus, wearied as he was fromhis journey, was sitting beside
the well.
It was about the sixth hour.
Now, John opens with what soundslike simple travel notes, but
underneath it is somethingdeeper, a divine command.
Every step Jesus takes isordered by the Father.
(05:29):
This isn't coincidence.
This is divine necessity.
And that phrase he had to passthrough Samaria, that's not just
geography.
That's obedience.
That's the Father's will.
The Father is directing the Son.
And that right there is thepattern of redemption.
God initiates, God's will bringsabout salvation.
(05:51):
Even the pressure of thePharisees, their jealousy
because Jesus' ministry isgrowing, even that is used by
God to move Jesus into the rightplace at the right time.
Nothing unfolds by accident.
Jesus' path is not man'sstrategy, it is God's command.
Now, before we move on, notethis there's no voice from
(06:13):
heaven here.
There's no public declaration,there's just this internal
divine must.
And Jesus always lived underthat must.
He said he never did anythingexcept what the Father gave him
to do.
That's important because itmirrors our lives.
You and I also experience thingsthat push us, hardships,
(06:37):
persecutions, disagreements,trials.
And a lot of times we movebecause of those pressures.
We move because something gothard.
We move because something wasclosing in on us.
But what if, like in thispassage, that was actually the
hand of God guiding you to thenext assignment?
Sometimes the thing we're tryingto get away from is the very
(07:00):
thing God uses to get us wherewe had to go.
So looking to verses seven andnine, we see a woman from
Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her, Give me adrink.
For his disciples had gone awayinto the city to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,How is it that you, a Jew, asked
(07:20):
for a drink from me, a woman ofSamaria?
For Jews had no dealings withSamaritans.
Now, there it is again, acommand.
Jesus says, Give me a drink.
It always starts with a commandbecause the command reveals the
woman is isolated.
We'll talk about that more in amoment.
(07:40):
And she's shocked.
How is it that you, a Jew, askfor a drink from me?
The command cuts throughcultural barriers and spiritual
barriers.
Behind that simple request is adivine purpose.
Jesus is opening a door to herheart.
Every divine command exposes thehuman heart.
A few verses later, Jesus willsay, Go call your husband and
(08:01):
come here.
We'll see that in verse 16.
That's another command.
And that one brings her sin intothe light.
She says, I have no husband.
And Jesus reveals what's reallygoing on.
Five husbands, and the man shehas now is not her husband at
all.
So let's say it clearly.
God's command reveals sin, notto humiliate, but to illuminate.
(08:25):
That's what's happening.
The word of God is living andactive, discerning the thoughts
and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4 12.
Like light piercing darkness,the command of Christ exposes
what is hidden.
That's the pattern I want you tosee throughout John.
Command, revelation of sin andinability, grace offered, and
(08:48):
glory revealed.
God's command is purposeful.
It reveals our darkness, ourinability, the places where
we've normalized our sin, sothat we can later receive grace.
Moving on to verses 10 to 15, wesee this command that offers
grace.
It says, Jesus answered her, Ifyou knew the gift of God and who
(09:11):
it is that is saying to you,give me a drink, you would have
asked him, and he would havegiven you living water.
The woman said to him, Sir, youhave nothing to draw water with,
and the well is deep.
Where do you get that livingwater?
Are you greater than our fatherJacob?
He gave us the well and drankfrom it himself, as did his sons
(09:32):
and his livestock.
Jesus said to her, Everyone whodrinks of this water will be
thirsty again.
But whoever drinks of the waterthat I will give him will never
be thirsty again.
The water that I will give himwill become in him a spring of
water, welling up to eternallife.
The woman said to him, Sir, giveme this water so that I will not
be thirsty or have to come hereto draw water.
(09:54):
Now notice the flow.
The same voice that exposes sinnow offers grace.
Jesus doesn't stop with, You'rea Samaritan or you've had five
husbands.
He moves her towardsinventation.
If you knew the gift of God, youwould have asked, He would have
given.
That's grace.
(10:15):
But listen, sin must be revealedfor grace to take effect.
This is what's missing in somuch of modern preaching.
We hear God loves you, God wantsto bless you, God wants to give
you a better life.
And all of that is true in itsright place.
But if we don't talk about oursin and even more about the
(10:36):
wrath of God that is on us apartfrom Christ, Ephesians 2 says,
we were by nature children ofwrath, like the rest of mankind,
then grace just becomes Godhelping nice people become
nicer.
That's not the gospel.
God's commands reveal ourinability.
Be holy, for I am holy.
(10:57):
If you can't do that, you arecondemned.
And none of us can do that.
That's where grace comes in.
Grace accomplishes what wecannot.
The living water Jesus offers isnot like Jacob's well.
That's religion, that'sself-effort, that's temporary.
Jesus offers eternalsatisfaction.
(11:20):
So the pattern is this Godreveals your sin, then God
commands you to come, and in thevery command, he supplies the
grace to respond.
The water that I will give himwill become in him a spring of
water welling up to eternallife.
(11:40):
That's not you working it up.
That's grace overflowing.
So a picture that we easily misshere.
This woman came at noon, thesixth hour.
That's not when the other womencame.
She's isolated, she's ashamed,she's living in sin and she
knows it.
That's us.
(12:02):
When we live in sin, we isolate.
We avoid those who would exposeit.
We don't want to be convicted,but we still feel the weight of
it.
And look at the beauty of thescene.
Jesus was already there.
She didn't show up, and thenJesus thought, Oh, good, here
she is.
No, he said, I must go throughSamaria.
(12:23):
That divine must brought him tothe exact well at the exact hour
for the exact woman.
He was waiting for her.
That's a picture of how he meetsus.
We are told a lot, you need toinvite Jesus into your
brokenness.
But this passage shows ussomething even better.
He meets us in our brokenness.
(12:45):
He confronts us where we are.
If it were totally up to us toinvite him, we would never do
it.
We don't cry out, God save me,unless God first reveals himself
to us, that's grace.
So hear this you are not hidingyour sin from him.
(13:06):
He is already there, sitting atthe well of your life, saying,
If you knew the gift of God, youwould have asked.
And even that asking isempowered by grace.
So looking at verses 19 to 24,the woman said to him, Sir, I
perceive that you are a prophet.
(13:26):
Our father worshipped on thismountain.
But you say that in Jerusalem isthe place where people ought to
worship.
Jesus said to her, Woman,believe me, the hour is coming
when neither on this mountainnor in Jerusalem will you
worship the Father.
You worship what you do notknow.
We worship that, what we know.
For salvation is from the Jews.
(13:47):
But the hour is coming and isnow here, when the true
worshippers will worship theFather in spirit and truth.
For the Father is seeking suchpeople to worship him.
God is spirit, and those whoworship him must worship in
spirit and truth.
So she does what a lot of us dowhen sin gets exposed.
She tries to change the subjectto religion.
(14:09):
Well, where should we worship?
Jesus redirects her again.
Why?
Because the goal of grace isworship.
God commands worship because hisglory is the ultimate purpose of
redemption.
The woman who was just living inshame is now being invited into
true worship.
That's the rhythm.
(14:29):
Command, exposure, grace, glory.
And that glory is produced inour worship.
True worship isn't aboutlocation.
It's not on this mountain orthat mountain.
It's in spirit and truth.
It's the response of a heartthat's been transformed by
grace.
The Father is actually seekingsuch people.
Now that's amazing.
(14:50):
The God who exposed your sin isnow seeking you as a worshiper.
Listen to this.
Verses 25 to 26.
The woman said to him, I knowthat Messiah is coming.
He who is called Christ.
When he comes, he will tell usall things.
Jesus said to her, I who speakto you am He.
(15:10):
Now in Greek, this is evenstronger.
It's basically saying this I,the one speaking to you, I am.
This is the climax of the wholeencounter.
The command that revealed sinand the grace that was offered
now lead to the unveiling ofChrist Himself.
This is where all of it washeaded, that she might see him.
(15:34):
Second Corinthians 4 6 says, ForGod, who said, Let light shine
out of dark darkness, has shonein our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory ofGod in the face of Jesus Christ.
That's what just happened toher.
So if we step back, the story ofthe Samaritan woman is really
the story of salvation.
(15:54):
The command God initiates.
He had to go through Samaria.
Revelation, God exposes, go,call your husband.
Grace, God offers.
If you knew the gift of God andglory, God is worshipped.
The Father is seeking suchpeople.
God commands so that sin isrevealed.
Then God gives grace so that hisglory is displayed.
(16:17):
She came to draw water, and sheleft with a fountain.
She came in shame, she left inworship.
And as we'll see in the nextsection of verses 28 to 42, the
glory of God flowed through herinto the whole village.
But for today, I want you tohear this.
(16:39):
God is waiting for you rightwhere you are.
The command you are hearing isnot to condemn you, it's to call
you into grace that leads toglory.
Drink deeply of his livingwater, and let your life become
a stream that magnifies hisname.
(17:01):
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you that youare the God who goes ahead of
us, the God who had to passthrough Samaria, the God who
meets us at the well of ourshame, our habits, our isolated
places.
Thank you that your commands arenot to crush us, but to expose
(17:23):
what is keeping us from you.
Lord Jesus, thank you forspeaking to that woman, and
through your words speaking tous.
Thank you for offering livingwater, not religion, not
temporary relief, but your verylife through the Holy Spirit.
We confess that on our own wecannot be holy as you are holy.
(17:46):
We cannot satisfy your commandsin our strength.
So we receive your grace.
We ask that you would cause thatspring of living water to well
up within us to eternal life.
Holy Spirit, lead us into trueworship in spirit and in truth.
Where there is hidden sin, bringit into the light, where there
is shame, cover it with grace,and where there is dryness, pour
(18:09):
out living water.
Let our lives bring glory to theFather, just as this woman's
life did.
And as we go from here, let ustell others, come, see a man who
told me all that I ever did.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
(18:30):
Now, next week on the takeaway,we'll continue in John chapter 4
as the story of the Samaritanwoman unfolds.
We'll see how her encounter withJesus transforms her from a
woman hiding in shame to a boldwitness who runs back to her
village proclaiming, Come, see aman who told me all that I ever
did.
Her testimony becomes the sparkof revival, revealing how God
(18:54):
turns the broken into vessels ofhis glory.
Now, as always, I want to thankyou for joining us today, and I
hope this episode has helped youtake a step closer in your
relationship with Jesus and thatyou now have a deeper
understanding of just how muchGod loves you and wants you to
know him.
If today's message encouragedyou, would you please take a
moment to follow the takeawayand share this episode with
(19:17):
someone who needs to hear it?
Your support helps us reach morepeople with the hope of the
gospel.
And if this ministry has been ablessing in your life, we would
love to hear from you.
Just leave a quick word ofencouragement or share how these
messages are impacting your walkwith Christ.
It's our desire that thisministry be a toll to reach the
lost and equip the saints for alife that brings glory to God.
(19:39):
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
In this episode of The Takeaway, Pastor Harry Barns
leads us into John chapter 4,where Jesus meets a Samaritan
woman at a well.
Not by chance, but by divinenecessity.
Building on the contrast betweenNicodemus in John 3 and a
Samaritan woman in John 4,Pastor Harry shows how God's
commands always come first, howthey reveal our sin, and how
(00:52):
grace then flows to the unworthyso that God alone receives the
glory.
This passage is more than afamiliar story.
It's a picture of how Godpursues, convicts, restores, and
turns sinners into worshipers.
Here's Pastor Harry Barns withtoday's teaching.
SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
Hello, welcome again to the takeaway.
I'm your host, Pastor HarryBarns, and today we're going to
be starting in John chapter 4,looking at verses 1 through 26,
a passage I'm calling the livingwater, God's command that
reveals sin, grace, and glory.
Now, before we get into thetext, remember where we just
came from.
In John chapter 3, we saw Jesusmeet Nicodemus at night.
(01:38):
Jesus didn't give Nicodemus alist of spiritual steps.
He brought revelation.
He told him plainly thatsalvation is of God alone.
You must be born again.
You must be born from above.
You must be born of the Spirit.
And the Spirit moves as theSpirit wills.
In other words, salvationdoesn't begin with man, it
(02:00):
begins with God.
Then, right after that, we heardJohn the Baptist make that
profound statement (02:05):
He must increase, but I must decrease.
That's the transition that'shappening in the Gospel of John.
Jesus is now becoming morepublicly known, and John is
gladly fading into thebackground.
Everything up to this point hasbeen establishing Christ's
deity, who he is, so that now,as the works and signs begin to
(02:28):
unfold, we recognize that everyact, every conversation, every
miracle is revealing more of whohe is so that we can embrace him
as the Son of God, God in theflesh.
And now, one note before weread, I want to leave election
and free will at the door for amoment.
We've talked about those a lot.
Those are really the how-tos ofsalvation.
(02:50):
And sometimes, if we stay in thehow, we can get stuck.
We can get lost in the isms,Calvinism, Arminianism,
Mullenism, all of which aretrying to describe how salvation
is applied.
But in these next messages, Iwant to lift our eyes a bit
higher and look at the why.
Why is God doing what he isdoing?
(03:12):
What is he revealing abouthimself?
What does he want us to see sothat we enjoy him and glorify
him?
Because what happens is when weget stuck in the mechanics of
Christianity, we can actuallystop enjoying God and glorifying
God.
And that's the point of allthis.
(03:34):
So moving forward, I really wantto press into living by faith.
What does that look like?
How do we walk by faith?
Hebrews 11:6 tells us, andwithout faith it is impossible
to please him, for whoever woulddraw near to God must believe
that he exists and that herewards those who seek him.
That's what we want.
The reward of seeking him.
(03:56):
And we can't get there in ourown strength.
There is nothing in us that canlive perfectly enough to receive
God's promises.
We have to rely on his grace.
Grace comes first.
We respond to grace, and thebeauty of grace is that it makes
possible what was impossiblewith man.
So as we go through John 4 andJohn 5 and the rest of the
(04:19):
gospel, I want to lay afoundation.
Man's responsibility and God'selecting power are never at war,
but God always gets the glorybecause without God's command,
you could not respond.
God speaks first, God movesfirst, God reveals first.
Otherwise, what would you evenbe responding to?
(04:42):
All right, so with all that inmind, let's read verses one
through six of John 4.
Now, when Jesus learned that thePharisees had heard that Jesus
was making and baptizing moredisciples than John, although
Jesus himself did not baptize,but only his disciples, he left
Judea and departed again toGalilee, and he had to pass
through Samaria.
So he came to a town of Samariacalled Sikar, near the field
(05:06):
that Jacob had given to his sonJoseph.
Jacob's well was there.
So Jesus, wearied as he was fromhis journey, was sitting beside
the well.
It was about the sixth hour.
Now, John opens with what soundslike simple travel notes, but
underneath it is somethingdeeper, a divine command.
Every step Jesus takes isordered by the Father.
(05:29):
This isn't coincidence.
This is divine necessity.
And that phrase he had to passthrough Samaria, that's not just
geography.
That's obedience.
That's the Father's will.
The Father is directing the Son.
And that right there is thepattern of redemption.
God initiates, God's will bringsabout salvation.
(05:51):
Even the pressure of thePharisees, their jealousy
because Jesus' ministry isgrowing, even that is used by
God to move Jesus into the rightplace at the right time.
Nothing unfolds by accident.
Jesus' path is not man'sstrategy, it is God's command.
Now, before we move on, notethis there's no voice from
(06:13):
heaven here.
There's no public declaration,there's just this internal
divine must.
And Jesus always lived underthat must.
He said he never did anythingexcept what the Father gave him
to do.
That's important because itmirrors our lives.
You and I also experience thingsthat push us, hardships,
(06:37):
persecutions, disagreements,trials.
And a lot of times we movebecause of those pressures.
We move because something gothard.
We move because something wasclosing in on us.
But what if, like in thispassage, that was actually the
hand of God guiding you to thenext assignment?
Sometimes the thing we're tryingto get away from is the very
(07:00):
thing God uses to get us wherewe had to go.
So looking to verses seven andnine, we see a woman from
Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her, Give me adrink.
For his disciples had gone awayinto the city to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,How is it that you, a Jew, asked
(07:20):
for a drink from me, a woman ofSamaria?
For Jews had no dealings withSamaritans.
Now, there it is again, acommand.
Jesus says, Give me a drink.
It always starts with a commandbecause the command reveals the
woman is isolated.
We'll talk about that more in amoment.
(07:40):
And she's shocked.
How is it that you, a Jew, askfor a drink from me?
The command cuts throughcultural barriers and spiritual
barriers.
Behind that simple request is adivine purpose.
Jesus is opening a door to herheart.
Every divine command exposes thehuman heart.
A few verses later, Jesus willsay, Go call your husband and
(08:01):
come here.
We'll see that in verse 16.
That's another command.
And that one brings her sin intothe light.
She says, I have no husband.
And Jesus reveals what's reallygoing on.
Five husbands, and the man shehas now is not her husband at
all.
So let's say it clearly.
God's command reveals sin, notto humiliate, but to illuminate.
(08:25):
That's what's happening.
The word of God is living andactive, discerning the thoughts
and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4 12.
Like light piercing darkness,the command of Christ exposes
what is hidden.
That's the pattern I want you tosee throughout John.
Command, revelation of sin andinability, grace offered, and
(08:48):
glory revealed.
God's command is purposeful.
It reveals our darkness, ourinability, the places where
we've normalized our sin, sothat we can later receive grace.
Moving on to verses 10 to 15, wesee this command that offers
grace.
It says, Jesus answered her, Ifyou knew the gift of God and who
(09:11):
it is that is saying to you,give me a drink, you would have
asked him, and he would havegiven you living water.
The woman said to him, Sir, youhave nothing to draw water with,
and the well is deep.
Where do you get that livingwater?
Are you greater than our fatherJacob?
He gave us the well and drankfrom it himself, as did his sons
(09:32):
and his livestock.
Jesus said to her, Everyone whodrinks of this water will be
thirsty again.
But whoever drinks of the waterthat I will give him will never
be thirsty again.
The water that I will give himwill become in him a spring of
water, welling up to eternallife.
The woman said to him, Sir, giveme this water so that I will not
be thirsty or have to come hereto draw water.
(09:54):
Now notice the flow.
The same voice that exposes sinnow offers grace.
Jesus doesn't stop with, You'rea Samaritan or you've had five
husbands.
He moves her towardsinventation.
If you knew the gift of God, youwould have asked, He would have
given.
That's grace.
(10:15):
But listen, sin must be revealedfor grace to take effect.
This is what's missing in somuch of modern preaching.
We hear God loves you, God wantsto bless you, God wants to give
you a better life.
And all of that is true in itsright place.
But if we don't talk about oursin and even more about the
(10:36):
wrath of God that is on us apartfrom Christ, Ephesians 2 says,
we were by nature children ofwrath, like the rest of mankind,
then grace just becomes Godhelping nice people become
nicer.
That's not the gospel.
God's commands reveal ourinability.
Be holy, for I am holy.
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If you can't do that, you arecondemned.
And none of us can do that.
That's where grace comes in.
Grace accomplishes what wecannot.
The living water Jesus offers isnot like Jacob's well.
That's religion, that'sself-effort, that's temporary.
Jesus offers eternalsatisfaction.
(11:20):
So the pattern is this Godreveals your sin, then God
commands you to come, and in thevery command, he supplies the
grace to respond.
The water that I will give himwill become in him a spring of
water welling up to eternallife.
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That's not you working it up.
That's grace overflowing.
So a picture that we easily misshere.
This woman came at noon, thesixth hour.
That's not when the other womencame.
She's isolated, she's ashamed,she's living in sin and she
knows it.
That's us.
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When we live in sin, we isolate.
We avoid those who would exposeit.
We don't want to be convicted,but we still feel the weight of
it.
And look at the beauty of thescene.
Jesus was already there.
She didn't show up, and thenJesus thought, Oh, good, here
she is.
No, he said, I must go throughSamaria.
(12:23):
That divine must brought him tothe exact well at the exact hour
for the exact woman.
He was waiting for her.
That's a picture of how he meetsus.
We are told a lot, you need toinvite Jesus into your
brokenness.
But this passage shows ussomething even better.
He meets us in our brokenness.
(12:45):
He confronts us where we are.
If it were totally up to us toinvite him, we would never do
it.
We don't cry out, God save me,unless God first reveals himself
to us, that's grace.
So hear this you are not hidingyour sin from him.
(13:06):
He is already there, sitting atthe well of your life, saying,
If you knew the gift of God, youwould have asked.
And even that asking isempowered by grace.
So looking at verses 19 to 24,the woman said to him, Sir, I
perceive that you are a prophet.
(13:26):
Our father worshipped on thismountain.
But you say that in Jerusalem isthe place where people ought to
worship.
Jesus said to her, Woman,believe me, the hour is coming
when neither on this mountainnor in Jerusalem will you
worship the Father.
You worship what you do notknow.
We worship that, what we know.
For salvation is from the Jews.
(13:47):
But the hour is coming and isnow here, when the true
worshippers will worship theFather in spirit and truth.
For the Father is seeking suchpeople to worship him.
God is spirit, and those whoworship him must worship in
spirit and truth.
So she does what a lot of us dowhen sin gets exposed.
She tries to change the subjectto religion.
(14:09):
Well, where should we worship?
Jesus redirects her again.
Why?
Because the goal of grace isworship.
God commands worship because hisglory is the ultimate purpose of
redemption.
The woman who was just living inshame is now being invited into
true worship.
That's the rhythm.
(14:29):
Command, exposure, grace, glory.
And that glory is produced inour worship.
True worship isn't aboutlocation.
It's not on this mountain orthat mountain.
It's in spirit and truth.
It's the response of a heartthat's been transformed by
grace.
The Father is actually seekingsuch people.
Now that's amazing.
(14:50):
The God who exposed your sin isnow seeking you as a worshiper.
Listen to this.
Verses 25 to 26.
The woman said to him, I knowthat Messiah is coming.
He who is called Christ.
When he comes, he will tell usall things.
Jesus said to her, I who speakto you am He.
(15:10):
Now in Greek, this is evenstronger.
It's basically saying this I,the one speaking to you, I am.
This is the climax of the wholeencounter.
The command that revealed sinand the grace that was offered
now lead to the unveiling ofChrist Himself.
This is where all of it washeaded, that she might see him.
(15:34):
Second Corinthians 4 6 says, ForGod, who said, Let light shine
out of dark darkness, has shonein our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory ofGod in the face of Jesus Christ.
That's what just happened toher.
So if we step back, the story ofthe Samaritan woman is really
the story of salvation.
(15:54):
The command God initiates.
He had to go through Samaria.
Revelation, God exposes, go,call your husband.
Grace, God offers.
If you knew the gift of God andglory, God is worshipped.
The Father is seeking suchpeople.
God commands so that sin isrevealed.
Then God gives grace so that hisglory is displayed.
(16:17):
She came to draw water, and sheleft with a fountain.
She came in shame, she left inworship.
And as we'll see in the nextsection of verses 28 to 42, the
glory of God flowed through herinto the whole village.
But for today, I want you tohear this.
(16:39):
God is waiting for you rightwhere you are.
The command you are hearing isnot to condemn you, it's to call
you into grace that leads toglory.
Drink deeply of his livingwater, and let your life become
a stream that magnifies hisname.
(17:01):
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you that youare the God who goes ahead of
us, the God who had to passthrough Samaria, the God who
meets us at the well of ourshame, our habits, our isolated
places.
Thank you that your commands arenot to crush us, but to expose
(17:23):
what is keeping us from you.
Lord Jesus, thank you forspeaking to that woman, and
through your words speaking tous.
Thank you for offering livingwater, not religion, not
temporary relief, but your verylife through the Holy Spirit.
We confess that on our own wecannot be holy as you are holy.
(17:46):
We cannot satisfy your commandsin our strength.
So we receive your grace.
We ask that you would cause thatspring of living water to well
up within us to eternal life.
Holy Spirit, lead us into trueworship in spirit and in truth.
Where there is hidden sin, bringit into the light, where there
is shame, cover it with grace,and where there is dryness, pour
(18:09):
out living water.
Let our lives bring glory to theFather, just as this woman's
life did.
And as we go from here, let ustell others, come, see a man who
told me all that I ever did.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
(18:30):
Now, next week on the takeaway,we'll continue in John chapter 4
as the story of the Samaritanwoman unfolds.
We'll see how her encounter withJesus transforms her from a
woman hiding in shame to a boldwitness who runs back to her
village proclaiming, Come, see aman who told me all that I ever
did.
Her testimony becomes the sparkof revival, revealing how God
(18:54):
turns the broken into vessels ofhis glory.
Now, as always, I want to thankyou for joining us today, and I
hope this episode has helped youtake a step closer in your
relationship with Jesus and thatyou now have a deeper
understanding of just how muchGod loves you and wants you to
know him.
If today's message encouragedyou, would you please take a
moment to follow the takeawayand share this episode with
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someone who needs to hear it?
Your support helps us reach morepeople with the hope of the
gospel.
And if this ministry has been ablessing in your life, we would
love to hear from you.
Just leave a quick word ofencouragement or share how these
messages are impacting your walkwith Christ.
It's our desire that thisministry be a toll to reach the
lost and equip the saints for alife that brings glory to God.
(19:39):
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
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