March 15th Sermon Notes - Pastor Rick Rusaw

On the Road: Samaritan Woman
John 4

Intro
Anyone done genealogy test – find a bunch of new relatives – Pilot show a few years ago taking celebrities and tracking their family tree, genealogy—going back to see who or what’s in their distant past. – Didn’t last long.
Rusaw is a chopped down version of longer French name—discovered 3 brothers who fled France for theft – Parole dates to coincide for family reunions.
Read the Bible and find a relative in there (David, Esther, Solomon, Peter).

John 4 (Found my grandmother).
The Story
Jesus and disciples are going from Judea where they had been teaching, baptizing large numbers of people—Pharisees are cranking up the heat and so Jesus heads back towards Galilee (when we were there amazing—Sea of Galilee was the closest to what it might have been like).

John 4:4–6
“Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to town called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.”
v.4 John states—we “had” to go through Samaria.

Jews and Samaritans (mixed race part Jew-part Gentile—created alliances with those opposed to Israel, built their own temple on Mt Gerizim) hated each other.
Sychar – plot of ground where Jacob (Israel) had given a plot of ground to son Joseph – well was built there. (Significance of well—flourish).
Noon tired from journey, Jesus sits by the well to rest—disciples head into town to buy food and a Samaritan woman comes to the well to draw water.

The Encounter
John 4:7–8
“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)”
Unusual—alone, later in the morning—custom was to come early in the morning—group.
v.5 Jesus asks her for a drink of water—she says why would you even speak to me.

John 4:9
“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
They end up in a pretty significant conversation about heart issues.

Series: The Road to Jerusalem
Back to the story about my Grandmother.
Jesus asks for water and she says I can’t believe you are talking to me.

Living Water
John 4:10
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
Sir (watch her progression of references to Jesus) Stranger to Sir—where would you get water like that—even our father Jacob couldn’t do that.

John 4:11–12
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

The Offer
John 4:13–14
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Savvy woman – I’ll take some of that water – keep me from coming here by myself.

John 4:15
“Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus Gets to the Heart
Jesus gets to the heart of the issue – which is an issue of the heart.

John 4:16–18
“Go, call your husband and come back.”
“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her:
“You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
v.16–18—Get your husband and come on back—I have no husband—Jesus: you said that right, you have had 5 husbands and the guy you’re w/ now isn’t your husband.

Illustration
Ill: Let’s suppose you are standing in line at 7-11 at the soda machine—you are waiting to fill your 64 ounce Big Gulp (bladder can only hold about 20 oz.) – guy in front of you says here’s my Dr Pepper do you want it—Sure—well let me tell you about all the things you have ever done that aren’t right—starts on the list --Get me out of 7-11.

Prophet
John 4:19
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.”
Stranger – Sir – Prophet.
(I guess so he just laid out all the ways in which you have got your life messed up.)
Streetwise woman—she redirects the conversation—debate where the right place to worship is (20–24).

On the Outside Looking In
Have you ever been on the outside looking in?

a. Others have something you don’t. You’re watching all the happy people and that isn’t you. You see others and you never seem to be able to get that door opened.

b. That’s this woman – she is at the well in the evening, by herself and now her entire basket of dirty laundry has just been dumped in the open.

c. Ugly reminder that my life isn’t working out like I thought it would.

Tough on a Heart
That’s tough on a heart.

a. Jesus does get to the heart of the matter and it’s a matter of the heart.

b. Her’s is busted and it shapes every other thing about her.

c. We don’t know much about her: 5 husbands and now the guy she is with gives her a bed but not his name.

d. Cultural context of that: Woman’s value was as a spouse, mother, household affairs.

e. This woman has been rejected 5 times and likely headed for a 6th. We have no idea why—maybe she married poorly, Maybe she was tough to live with, Maybe she enjoyed the company of other men more than her husband? 5x life had unraveled for her and no doubt that takes a toll on your heart.

f. All we know is life isn’t working out so hot for her.

g. Ill: Plaster heart—“You broke my heart.”

Our Broken Heart
a. Some of you have experienced the string of busted relationships – ugly divorces, broken promises, betrayal, isolation.

b. Some have longed for relationship and don’t have one.

c. All of us have experienced disappointment, broken dreams, stuff that’s tough on a heart.

d. Grandmother: ran away joined circus (teen) husbands, divorces, living w guys. She was tough, streetwise—not an easy person.

As a kid didn’t know how to take her, as an adult with some miles on my tires wondered what she experienced as a kid that damaged her heart and caused her to look for healing in so many of the wrong places.

Jesus Heals Hearts
Jesus saw something in this woman that most of us would miss.

a. He didn’t see a tired, guarded or streetwise lady. He didn’t see the string of failures, bad choices, screwed up thinking looking for value person. He didn’t see the worn lines, the edgy voice or suspicious woman who had likely had more than one guy ask her for a drink of water.

b. He saw what he always sees: A little girl, freckles, smiles, dreams, trust, hope and needing someone to love her.

c. He saw one of his kids who needed to find their way home.

d. “We are only doing as well as whichever one of our kids is doing the least well.”

Messiah
John 4:25
“I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Jesus declared:
“I am he you don’t have to look any further.” (niv/msg)

Revival
What happens a revival breaks out in that town—she tells everyone and they come and see for themselves—Grace is given, hearts are healed.

John 4:28–30
“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’ They came out of the town and made their way toward him.”

She leaves water jar – one thing she had come for – Paled – Told.

Personal
a. There was a time when I thought this story was just about Samaritan woman, then I thought I had found my grandmother in that story—now I know it’s me I see in that story.

b. Other lovers, or things I have loved more, trying to measure up, find value, get the hole in my heart fixed.

c. Guess what this woman discovered—Only Jesus can fix your heart, Only God has the power to do that.

d. My grandmother—not long after I became a follower—so did my grandmother- repaired some relationships and one day cancer took her home to the Lord.

e. Following isn’t easy, but I do because I have to watch my heart.

f. Only God can fix your heart, I can’t, religion can’t, others, job, money all those lovers we chase can’t—Only God he wants us to follow him.

Many Believe
John 4:39–41
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.”
John 4:42
“They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.’”

Conclusion
Jesus had to go through Samaria and he stopped at a well, the well where I went to get a drink of water.

Where are you?