Sermon:  What's in Your Waterpot?

Summary:  Only Jesus can define and satisfy our inner thirst and hunger through the renewal of
 the Spirit that brings true and abundant life and leads us to find satisfaction in accomplishing 
his redemptive purposes and not just trying to satisfy our own self-centered desires, which is a 
dead end.

Know:  Only Jesus can bring true life, healing, and satisfaction, not things of this world.

Feel:  A passion to know and love Christ, not just his gifts.

Do:  Reflect on ways we try to find meaning, happiness, and fulfillment in life, and where Jesus 
fits into all that.  Reflect on how Jesus gives living water and the change it has on our life, and 
what it means to how we live and what we find meaning and satisfaction in.

Text:  John 4:1-54

Scripture Reading:  Ps 73:25-28

Intro:
1.  Have you even had an itch you just couldn't reach?  What do you do?
2.  What about being really thirsty.  What do you do?  Find satisfaction.
3.  These are really easy things to satisfy.  Where real satisfaction come from?

I.  (v.1-26) The living water of Christ
	A.  Jesus "had" to go through Samaria?  
		1.  Strange statement - Jews avoided Samaria and went around it
			a.  2 Kng 17-After defeat, Assyria transplant foreigners there
				- Brought all kinds of foreign pagan gods
				- Worshipped both Yahweh and pagan gods
				- Eventually monotheism prevailed there
			b.  But Samaritan religions not same as Judaism
				- Rejected prophets, writings, and anything that 
				   emphasized Jerusalem as center of religions
				- Accepted only the Torah
				- Place where God would cause his name to dwell not 
				   in Jerusalem, but in Gerizim, mount of blessing
				- Racially mixed people - considered unclean
			c.  Animosity
				- 330 B.C. Alexander set up important base in 
				   Samaria because made allies against Jews there
				- 128 B.C. Judah attack Samaria, destroyed Shechem 
				   and burned Gerizim temple
				- Lot of religious, racial, and political animosity
				- Not always safe for Jew to be in Samaritan country
			d.  Yet Jesus "had" to go through Samaria?
		2.  This was not a geographical statement, but a missional one
			a.  God so loved the "world" that he have his son
			b.  Samaria is in the "world"
	B.  Jesus sits by the well around noon
		1.  About wells
			a.  Would have "village" wells
			b.  Women go there to draw water, water livestock…
			c.  Became a village "meeting place" - talk, visit, etc.
		2.  Jesus could have sat anywhere, but chose this well - chose 
		     NOT to avoid these Samaritan women who would be coming
			a.  Sure enough, here comes a woman to the well
			b.  Jesus starts by asking her for a drink
			c.  Shocked, she is a Samarian woman, Jesus a Jew
			d.  Jesus already makes an impact by talking to her…
		3. Speaks of Living water v.s. Well water (and all her husbands)
			a.  Jesus -If you knew who I am, you would ask me for water
			b.  Jesus would give "living water"
				- This is not well water, but moving water
				- Could be a river, or a spring
				- This only kind of water acceptable for purification
			c.  Where is this living water?
			d.  Jesus- This water not fulfill thirst, my water become 
			      overflowing supply, like a spring fed well
		4.  Facing up to her spiritual condition
			a.  Jesus gets personal - "Call your husband"
				- She says she has no husband
				- Jesus agrees, and points out she had 5 and with a 
				   man currently
			b.  Recognizes Jesus a prophet
				- Engages in religious issues to deflect attention from  
				  her inner need
				- Ever have this happen to you in conversations?
				- Jesus doesn't allow this to happen, still presses the 
				  need for the "living water"
			c.  Worshipping God not about place, rituals, etc.
				- In Spirit and Truth - 2 sides of same coin
					> To be spirit filled and informed by the truth of 
					   God from the one who himself is the truth
					> Spirit - still talking about living water
				- Why?  God is Spirit - not about metaphysical nature
				- Talking about the life giving nature of God
					> Spirit renews/transforms new life - Tit 3:5
					> Have to be born of water and Spirit - Jn 3:5
					> Filled with Spirit, we sing - Eph 5:18-19
					> We are to pray in the Spirit - Jud 1:20
			d.  She needs the living water, the Spirit, the breath, the life
				- She now recognizes Jesus to be the source
				- She leaves her waterpot behind
					> Jesus brought to attention a deeper thirst
					> She has found the source of living water
					> She forgot all about her waterpot
	C.  Can you relate to this, or know anyone that can relate?
		1.  Knew someone once ironically named "Faith"
			a.  Had an inner thirst
			b.  Tried to fill her jar with man after man after man
			c.  She drank from the jar, and it emptied out
			d.  Never satisfied, always looking for something
		2.  Then there are those who try to fill it in other ways
			a.  If can fill the jar with career success - success junkie
			b.  If fill it with making lots of money - money junkie
			c.  If fill if with having lots of friends - popularity junkie
		3.  If we try to fill out waterpot, may seem okay
			a.  But will come up empty every single time
			b.  Will find yourself trying to refill it with same stuff or 
			    different stuff
			c.  But will still turn up empty again
		4.  Will wind up empty, disappointed, hurt, bitter…
	D.  Jesus is the only one who can satisfy
		1.  He wants us to leave our waterpot by the well
			a.  Whether the well of relationships, success, money
			b.  We need to leave it there like the woman did
		2.  Recognize that ONLY Jesus himself is the endless spring
		3.  **So, satisfaction comes from Christ…which means…

II.  (v.27-42) Participation in God's Mission
	A.  Their amazement.  Why?
		1.  Jesus is talking to a woman
		2.  No one is interested in why, they are merely astounded.
		3.  It appears they have made up their mind this is inappropriate
	B.  Jesus' conversation with his disciples
		1.  Jesus no longer appears to be hungry?
			a.  He has food more satisfying that physical food
			b.  His food, satisfaction, joy, rejuvination, from this food
			c.  What is this food? - Participating in God's mission
			d.  Not success in carpentry, making money, fame, friends…
		2.  Lift up your eyes
			a.  Harvest is not in four months, but it is now
			b.  Fields are "ripe for harvest
			c.  Talking about the Samaritans coming out of the city
		3.  Team work
			a.  One sows, another reaps - both rejoice together
			b.  Christian ministry is not solitary
			c.  Jesus already done the hard work, we enter into his labor
			d.  When we reap, rejoice with Christ - This is his/our food
		4.  Lesson from the Samaritans - They understood
			a.  Unlike Nicodemus, they didn't come at night in the dark
			b.  Light exposed her need, and now she has life
			c.  They were not just "Samaritans," but people God loves
			d.  Understood Jesus to be savior of the whole WORLD
	C.  Lift up your eyes - Need to look harder, deeper to see the "fields"
		1.  ILL:  My brother in law and my brother
			a.  Chockie Lee - Wow, did you see that?
			b.  James - Yea, I used to have a car that color
			c.  Chockie Lee - I was talking about the girl driving
			d.  What are you focused on?
		2.  See different things depending on how you look at things
	D.  We need to life up our eyes - see as our Lord sees
		1.  Find satisfaction in following his footsteps
		2.  Not as a success junkie, money junkie, popularity junkie
		3.  If unsatisfied, if waterpot is empty, if complain, unhappy, no joy - 
			a.  Perhaps I need to eat the food Jesus is talking about
			b.  Need to lift up my eyes and participate in his mission
			c.  Where is Samaria of today?  Where is village well today?
		4.  **Satisfaction in the living water which leads you to his mission 
		      because….

III.  (v.43-54) Passion for Christ himself
	A.  Jesus was popular, but not always for the right reasons
	B.  Jesus said no prophet had honor in his own country
		1.  Then the Galileans "received" him
			a.  They had seen the "things" not "signs" he did
			b.  He performed signs at the feast 2:23
		2.  An example - The Nobleman
			a.  Came to Jesus to heal his son
			b.  v.48 - Jesus not seem to happy with motivation
		3.  They were trying to fill their waterpot with "things" Jesus gave
			a.  Problem - They wanted miracles, but not the miracle giver
			b.  They missed the meaning of the "signs" - not about the 
			      sign, but what it points to
		4.  Trying to use Jesus to satisfy own self-centered desires
			a.  Some wanted a miracle, others wanted food, some 
			     wanted a revolutionary leader, etc.
			b.  Focus was on the gift, not the giver
	C.  ILL:  Do you remember seeing billboards that said, - "Try Jesus"
		1.  I used to think those were cool, but I'm not so sure anymore
		2.  It is as if Jesus is a commodity to be used to fulfill your wants?
		3.  When your loved one brings you a gift, what is important?
			a.  If you didn't like the gift, would you walk away forever?
			b.  Not about the gift 
			c.  Which do you prefer, the gift of the giver? 

	D.  Our passion should not be in the gift, but in the giver
		1.  Gen 15:1 - To Abraham - "I am your shield, your great reward"
		2.  Ps 73:28 - Psalmist, after contemplating the physical prosperity 
		     of the wicked said, "the nearness of God is my good."
		3.  I don't need or want that waterpot anymore!

Concl:
1.  So how about it?  Are you still carrying around that waterpot trying to fill it?
	a.  Put it down, let Jesus fill you with living water
	b.  (Invitation)
2.  For some, like Nicodemus, or these Galileans, it is hard to put down the 
     waterpot
	a.  Maybe you have been trying to fill it with personal success, an 
	     addictive behavior, accumulating things, etc.
	b.  It is time to put it down, 
		- Drink deeply from the everlasting spring
		- Eat the food of service and mission
		- Make the Lord himself your passion, not just his gifts 

 ===========================
 
Small Group Questions:  What's In Your Waterpot?

Summary:  Only Jesus can define and satisfy our inner thirst and hunger through the renewal 
of the Spirit that brings true and abundant life and leads us to find satisfaction in accomplishing 
his redemptive purposes and not just trying to satisfy our own self-centered desires, which is a 
dead end.

Open (pick one)
- What place were you warned to avoid as a child?
- When you are really thirsty, what quenches your thirst the best?

Explore:

1.  Knowing the Samaria is an unclean place with a erroneous religion, and that there is 
animosity toward Jews, what does Jesus going through Samaria and sitting by a well say about
 him?

2.  What indication in this story demonstrates that this woman might have an a deep inner thirst?

3.  Why does the woman change the subject and start a religious conversation with Jesus?  
How does Jesus avoid chasing this rabbit and bring the conversation back to her real need?

4.  How does the woman differ from the disciples?  From the people of Galilee who "received" 
Jesus?  From Nicodemus in the previous chapter?  

5.  What do the woman and Jesus have in common?  In what do they find satisfaction?

Apply:

6.  What are some ways people try to find meaning, happiness, and fulfillment in life today?  
(How do they try to fill their "waterpot?")

7.  How does this text speak to this desire?   How and where does Jesus fits into all this?

8.  How has Jesus given you "living water" and "food to eat" that others may not know about?  
How are you quenched or satisfied?  If you are not, then reflect on what the reasons may be.

9.  What is God calling you to do? 

Prayer: