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Subject 16 : The Gospel According to JOHN
[Chapter 4-8] Jesus Christ Who Has Given Us Eternal Life (John 4:13-42)
(John 4:13-42)
“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’ The woman answered and said, ‘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; in that you spoke truly.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, ‘What do You seek?’ or, ‘Why are You talking with her?’ The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ‘Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ Then they went out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.’ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’”
I commend you for the hard work during the past week. I cannot even imagine how the week passed by. It really passed by so quickly that I don’t even know what I have done. It was really tiring to hold the revival meeting and I am so exhausted with other things that I wish the Lord really would come quickly. I wish the Lord would come quickly when I think of just myself, but on the other hand, I want Him to come after a long time when I think of the people who have not yet been born again. It is really tiring as it is written, “All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it” (Ecclesiastes 1:8). The world is tiring and our hearts of the righteous are also very tired from overwork. There was so much work this week that I feel like I have lived one full year in a week. I really want our Lord to come to this world as soon as possible and I want to live in the beautiful place without lacking and live in comfort and relaxation. That’s how I really feel. Therefore I want to share the gospel even more quickly, so that our Lord would come quickly. We must preach the gospel even more quickly so that our Lord would come quickly.
Are you tired too? When you are tired, you must say so. We are really tired, but we live with the righteousness of the Lord because our Lord saved each one of us. How would we really live if not for the righteousness of the Lord? What good is there in this world without the righteousness of the Lord? As a Korean popular song that goes, “♫ Drink it up, sing and dance, ♪ but the heart is full of sadness. Hey! ♫ Let’s just leave to the East Sea, ♪ to catch a whale~,” there is no satisfaction outside of the Lord even if we drink, sing, dance, and do all kinds of things.
I think it is really a wonder that people who do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit live until their hair turns gray like that. I wonder how they can live like that, so much so that I wonder if they have any secret method that I do not know about. I mean, for what joy, what happiness, and for what meaning do they live in this world? Our hearts would only be filled with sadness and suffering even if we drank alcohol, sought the pleasures of life, and danced. There is nothing else besides the Lord that can satisfy our hearts. Only the Lord can satisfy our hearts and only the Lord can make us happy; He only can give us all the blessings, the worthwhile cause to live for, and all good things.
All things except the gospel of the righteousness and the salvation the Lord has given are worthless and meaningless. I wonder how I would have lived if I did not believe in the righteousness of the Lord. I would have died in my youth if I did not believe in the Lord. But I live a worthwhile life like this now because I met the righteousness of the Lord even though this world is tiring. Because I met the Lord and the Lord lives within me, now I am so happy with new hope to enter Heaven. You can endure the difficulties and obstacles in this hopeless world because we at least have the Lord dwelling within us. No one would be more pitiful than us the righteous if we did not have the Lord.
Concerning the Samaritan Woman
Today, I would like to speak about the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John chapter 4. And I will share this Word under the title “Our Lord Gave the Life.’ Long ago, there was a woman in a very little village called Sychar in Samaria. One day a woman came to draw water from a well that was there from the days of her ancestor Jacob. Noon was the time of nap for other people because it was too hot, but this woman took the water jar and came to draw from this well at a time when other people were taking a high noon nap.
Jesus was sitting by Jacob’s well when the woman came there. Jesus said to the woman, “Give Me a drink.” Then the woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” And our Lord said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “How can you say you will give me the water when you have nothing to draw with? Would it make any sense for you to ask me for the water?” Then Jesus said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman and Jesus were having this sort of conversation by the well.
Actually all living organisms die without water. The reason scientists are trying so hard to find out if there is water in Mars or any astronomical bodies is because if there is water there will also be air, and then living organisms can live there. That’s why they are searching for the astronomical bodies with water. But, actually, there is no water outside of the earth even though there may be traces of water somewhere. Water is the essential element of life for all the living things, not only for human beings.
Jesus said, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” We really do attain eternal life when we drink the water our Lord gives to us. Our Lord really came to give us the life and He really did give us the life. Our Lord made us live by giving us the life and our Lord really has met with us.
This Samaritan woman came to draw water during the daytime when everyone else was taking a nap. But, in order to solve the problem of thirst, she could not but draw the water repeatedly whenever she was thirsty again. The woman had to come and draw the water at noon, and how tired she must have been to repeat such lifestyle. That woman was shameful before other people, shameful before God, and she could not go and be bold in places many people gathered. Through Jesus, however, the woman was able to drink the water that will never make her thirst again.
You also can receive the eternal life if you meet the Lord by recognizing that our Lord is the Savior and believe in the Lord’s Word that He speaks to us. We drink the water that quenches thirst forever, the water that the Lord gives to us. Frankly speaking, we were also people who were suffering from continuing thirst because we could not receive the life like this Samaritan woman. We tried to quench the thirst through religions, but the thirst continued. We were also shameful people because of our sins like the woman who had to draw water while other people were taking a nap because of her shame. We were thirsty because of sin and we had no choice but to die because of sin. But the Lord gave us the life just as He did for the woman.
When Jesus told the woman that He would give her the water that would never make her thirsty again, the woman said to him delightfully, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” It was such delightful news to her who was tired of drawing water. Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here,” and she said that she had no husband. Because Jesus knew everything about her situation, He said, “For you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” As Jesus said, she had five husbands, but she was living with another man because she could not find satisfaction. But even the man that she was living with now could not give her satisfaction. Like this, there is no satisfaction in all things that one believes and depends on. The soul is still empty even though one studies hard, gets married, earns money, and enjoys pleasures of life. There is only continuing thirst.
There is nothing in the world that can satisfy us. Is there satisfaction living in this world? Is there satisfaction with things of the world? Is there satisfaction with earning money? Is there satisfaction with things of the world? Is there satisfaction in drinking alcohol and eating delicious food? Is there satisfaction in our leisure activities? There is no satisfaction in anything. Nothing in this world can satisfy you and me.
People fall into worldly things and follow after them thinking they will find satisfaction, but they only find meaninglessness in the end. There is no true satisfaction in anything of this world. Is there satisfaction in the work itself just because we do the work in this born-again Church? No, there isn’t. We only have satisfaction in the Lord, and there is no satisfaction in the work itself. There is nothing that can fill your heart, your soul, with satisfaction. That is the essential teaching of this Word.
The Samaritan woman realizes that Jesus was not an ordinary man after seeing how thoroughly He was penetrating into her heart. At first she thought Jesus was a prophet. But her eyes opened while she was having conversation with the Lord and realized the fact that “Wow! He is the Messiah! The Savior!” The woman who drank the spring water of salvation that Jesus gave came to know who Jesus was. And she immediately left her water jar and went to the village to bear witness of Jesus.
If her husband had heard her say, “I have no husband,” his pride would have been hurt. He probably would say something like, “What! You say that you don’t have a husband even if you have one right here? I feel like a dirty rag. I am upset.” Why would she say that the man who lived with her at the time was not her husband? That’s because she did not have real satisfaction in her heart even though she depended on her husband and trusted and loved Him. We are also like that. Do we also have real satisfaction in the worldly things? We really do not have satisfaction in the worldly things. As the Samaritan woman said that even her current husband was not her husband, the husband, wife, money, power, prestige, or any good environment cannot give true satisfaction in our hearts. Would you be satisfied if you had one or all of those things? You may think, “I want to be such a person. I want to be a person who is overwhelmed with satisfaction when I have just a little of the worldly things. I want to live like a person who is satisfied and happy with just a little.”
They say a simpleton is always happy. And I sometimes also want to be like a simpleton who does not have any thought or concern. You don’t know how happy a simpleton is! A simpleton shows his dirty teeth and is so happy when you just give him a little something to eat; he is not just happy in his heart, but he brims over with happiness from head to toe. So I sometimes want to be such a person because there is no satisfaction in the real world. But I do not want to become a person living at such a level forever. It means that my heart just wants to live with such satisfaction.
Are you really satisfied? Would you be satisfied if you had power? Would you be satisfied with money and wealth? Would you be satisfied with family? The Samaritan woman could not be satisfied. You too would not be satisfied. I cannot either. It’s the same with wife, husband, children, money, honor, wealth, power, and all those things cannot give true satisfaction.
But I am not saying that you should fall into nihilism and give up your life because there is no satisfaction in this world. I am just saying the truth as it is. Really, would there be real satisfaction if not for the Lord? No, there would not. What satisfaction is there? Only Jesus can give us true satisfaction.
The Samaritan woman in the passage was drawing water from the well with a cloth over her head as the sunlight was bristling at noon when everyone of her town was taking a nap because she was ashamed. She lowered the water bucket into the well and pulled it up with water and took a sip and poured it into her jar. When she came back home, she would wash the dished with the water, make some bread, do laundry and do other things. She used up whatever water she drew up each day, therefore she always had to draw up the water each day at same time. This woman lived each day like that. The woman’s life was harsh and there was no satisfaction in her heart. We also don’t have satisfaction like this woman if not for the Lord.
While I do this and that to promote world mission with you, I am satisfied when things go well, but I am stressed when things don’t go well. But whatever happens, I am happy because I am working for the Lord. That’s because many souls receive salvation when we do this work. But all those work cannot give satisfaction, a sense of stability, peace, and gratification like the Lord. You and I have to think again through this Word as to what we are trying to receive true satisfaction with.
We must rethink whether we can be satisfied through the things of the world. The people who have not thought about such things misunderstand that the things of the world will give satisfaction and therefore follow the world. We must think about the spiritual things. And we should also follow it if there is true satisfaction in it.
But it is the Lord who always refreshes our hearts, always satisfies us, makes the work of life manifest, and gives heavenly blessing. Is there anyone or anything else that would refresh your heart, give satisfaction, and give heavenly blessing? No, there isn’t. Only Jesus can lead you to eternal life, the blessed path and give you salvation from sin. Only Jesus gives us and to all the people in this world true satisfaction in body and spirit. The people who have met Jesus are content just to think about Jesus. Think about this Jesus and understand that all the things of the world cannot give satisfaction to you. Then, put aside other thoughts for a moment and just think about Jesus. You are content to think about the grace of salvation and the blessing that the Lord has given to you. You have satisfaction when you think about the salvation and the blessing of the Lord. You receive satisfaction when you think about the grace and the blessing of the salvation.
The Lord blotted out all our sins all at once through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Lord blotted out all your sins as white as snow and made you the people of God. How can we take a rest without believing in the Lord, without drinking this water that never makes us thirsty again, the water that the Lord has given to us through His baptism, through His blood, and through His life? When you think of the Lord who has given you salvation through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, you can have peace and rest in your heart and the things you were dissatisfied with turn into satisfaction. No matter how bad the situation is, you are satisfied when you think of the Lord. The Lord really is the spring water of blessing.
We Must Understand the Fact That We Cannot Enjoy Satisfaction through the Things of This World
We have come to realization that there definitely is no satisfaction in the things of the world though we tried to find satisfaction in the things of the world. Therefore, I want you to believe in the Lord as you come to know that the things of the world are needed temporarily while we live in this world and the Lord is God who we absolutely need for eternity. Is our relation with the Lord reversed? Do we not sit on the Master’s seat? I wonder if the positions of the Mater and the servant have been reversed. The Lord really is eternally our Master who gives us eternal rest. But aren’t we trying to cast away the Lord and trying to find satisfaction through the things of the world? Aren’t we actually satisfied that way? Aren’t we just settling into a comfort zone in this world as if all these things are giving you the satisfaction instead of the Lord? Then, we must turn from such thinking. No matter how lacking and weak we are, our Lord became our Master by saving us. And our Lord gives true satisfaction and all blessings to you.
Do you happen to think of the Lord as a mere accessory that you put on when you need it and throw out when you don’t? I do not want you think of our Lord as such a subject. This world is the accessory, not the Lord. It’s the things of the world that we use temporarily when we need them; we discard them when we don’t. The Lord gave the eternal salvation to you and me. He gave us the spring water that makes us never thirsty again.
The Lord blotted out all our sins. Our Lord came to this world and took all our sins upon Him by receiving the baptism in the Jordan River. And then He received the judgment on the Cross in our place. He resurrected from death and He still lives sitting at the right hand of God the Father’s throne. Hence, for those who truly believe in Him, He became the true God, the true Savior, and the definite guarantee for salvation. And our Lord wants to dwell in your heart as the Master now after He has saved us. It means that the Lord wants to dwell in your heart as the Master, not as a guest. Now, whether to recognize the Lord as the Master or not depends on your thinking and your heart. It is wrong to not treat one’s own Master as the Master.
We gain true satisfaction when we treat the Lord as the Master. Do not try to receive satisfaction through the things of the world. Don’t exhaust yourself for the things of the world. Don’t try to solve your thirst with the things of the world like the woman that came to draw the water did always. I want you to believe that it is the Lord who gives us the eternal satisfaction and refreshes our throat; and I want you to know the fact that the Lord dwells in the heart of the saved.
We must think carefully whether it is the things of the world or the Lord that enables us to be satisfied. We have to discern this well and live out our faith properly. And you must realize, recognize, and confess once again that the Lord has given true satisfaction to you. And you must confess with faith that the Lord is the one who will give you the satisfaction in the future as well. As Peter the Apostle confessed that “The Lord is the Christ, the Son of the living God,” we must also confess, “The Lord is my Master who gives true satisfaction to us.”
Those who have met the Lord attain satisfaction like finding spring water in the desert. We are dissatisfied every day because we try to receive satisfaction through the earthly things. But those who have met the Lord live a joyful life in their mind and hearts even in this desert-like world. You are dissatisfied because you don not know the Lord who has come to you. That is because you do not acknowledge and realize that the Lord is precious and because you do not believe in the Lord who has saved you. Every day would be irritating and you became upset over nothing and there would be no satisfaction if you were to put the Lord aside and tried to find satisfaction and worthiness through the things of the world when such precious Lord has come and met you. That’s why you wander in search of something new to find satisfaction. Should we be like that? Should we chase after the things of the world and try to find satisfaction in them when the Lord has come in our hearts, when the Lord has given to us the spring water that makes you never thirst again for eternally, and when the Lord has already abided in our hearts as our Lord? We must not be like that. We would become the wretched in body and spirit if we became like that.
You are the people who have received the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We take this and that in this world when the Lord allows them. But they are all just disposable things. The One who truly gives eternal satisfaction is the Lord. The Lord gives you real satisfaction and dwells in your hearts. I really want you to believe in the Lord and live with faith in Him. I want you to enjoy the satisfaction in the Lord only.
After recognizing that the Lord was no ordinary man, the Samaritan woman asked Him, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Our Lord said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” By this, Jesus was saying, “Where to worship is not important to a true worshipper. Wherever it may be, it doesn’t matter. You just have to worship God in spirit and truth. True worship is possible when you worship God having the Holy Spirit in your sinless heart after receiving the remission of sins. If we worship the Father believing in the Lord in heart and trusting in the Word that says God exists forever, these constitute a true worship. In other words, only the born-again can offer true worship. Such hour has come.” Then the woman threw away the water jar and everything else and went to the village and said, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” She testified about the Lord she met and God’s Word that she heard.
Our Lord knows everything. He knows all the things that you and I have done. God knew us even from when we were in our mother’s womb. He knew us even before we were even born to this world. We can never hide anything before God. I mean that God knows everything.
The Samaritan woman met the Lord. She recognized the fact that the Lord is the Son of God and the Savior and believed Him. You and I now in the Church of the New Testament era just need to believe that we have been saved by the righteous act of Jesus Christ who was baptized in the Jordan River, died on the Cross for our stead, and resurrected in three days after death.
This woman openly met the Lord who knew everything and she knew the Savior and believed in Him with heart. Then, she left the water bucket and went to people of her town and witnessed to everyone. Therefore, many people heard the testimony of this woman and believed in Jesus and also came before Jesus. Many people heard the Word of Jesus personally through this woman and believed. Like this, many people receive the remission of sins through the preaching of the gospel of the water and the Spirit by the evangelists of this age. People who have received the remission of sins read this Word and their faith really become firm and bold through God’s Word. Jesus is the Savior of this world and the God of salvation.
We had lived the same life like this woman. We are really busy in this world, but we actually live thanks to the Lord. And we are satisfied because of the Lord. We can never enjoy satisfaction if not for the Lord. There is nothing else that can give satisfaction. I want you to look again unto the Lord who has saved you. And I admonish you to realize once again that all those things that we were busy with in this world could not give us satisfaction. And enjoy satisfaction by looking unto the Lord once again.
One’s life can enjoy satisfaction when the person meets the Lord. We must absolutely remember that the Lord gives satisfaction to whoever met the Lord. We must believe this. Whether one is lacking or prominent, they all receive satisfaction from the Lord. Everyone receives satisfaction through the Lord. Who can give you satisfaction besides the Lord? Who else but the Lord can give you the grace and blessing? Is there anyone? No, there isn’t. I also do not have satisfaction without the Lord. No matter what I do, how would I have satisfaction without the Lord even though I have received salvation? No matter what I do, would true satisfaction come to me? Who gives true satisfaction? Jesus gives it.
Therefore, we must live with satisfaction in Jesus. You and I must keep in mind that we have lived until now thanks to Jesus and that even this world is maintained until now owing to Jesus. Not only do Christians need Jesus, but this universe needs Jesus as well. When the Lord says, “Stop,” then the earth, and all the heavenly bodies in the universe will fall away. This whole world universe would collapse if Jesus did not grant His power and instead withdrew His power from it because Jesus created everything. Like this, our lives also depend on the Lord. You must think about how much satisfaction you enjoy in your life through the Lord for the Lord has saved you.
I want to summarize and finish my sermon now. The Lord has really given true satisfaction to you and me. Is this right? Yes, the Lord really gave us everlasting satisfaction. You will give yourself up to the Lord when you realize that Jesus gave you the true satisfaction. We always return to the Lord even though we temporarily indulge in this world. The Lord has given real satisfaction to you and me.
This woman probably lived a good life witnessing the gospel and honoring God with everlasting satisfaction in her life after finding true satisfaction through her meeting with the Lord. The Lord blesses us so that we may also live a life like the Samaritan woman. I want you to realize this in your heart and live a satisfying life for the rest of your life serving the gospel.
I am sure that our Lord has given such blessings to you and me. I want to give thanks to the Lord.
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Copyright © 2021 by The New Life Mission