Bible Study - Encounter (1) - JESUS Met My Greatest Need - John 4:7-18, 25-26 - March 5, 2023

 

Bible Study – Encounter (1) – JESUS Met My Greatest Need – March 5, 2023

This is lesson one (1) in our series entitled, “My Encounter With JESUS.”

Our focus scripture is John 4:7-18, 25-26.

Only JESUS can truly satisfy my thirst.

Our personal encounter with JESUS is the most powerful witness to others. When we do have an encounter with JESUS, it is a good idea to write it down and date it. To some, JESUS comes in a profound way. To others, JESUS comes to them like the rising of the sun in the morning. They see the darkness of the night ending but then they see the light beginning to break through. One witnesses the sun giving more light with the passing of time until the day has fully dawned.

JESUS tells us to seek and we will find and to knock and the door will be opened to us. By the same token, in Revelation 3: ²⁰ See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The Holy Spirit knocks on every person’s heart’s door. The latch to open the door of a person’s heart is on the inside and only that person can open the door and let JESUS into his or her heart.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8: ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba,^[i] Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

What does a person’s encounter produce in a person’s life? Let’s explore!

Let’s read John 44:1 When Jesus^[a] learned that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John ² (though Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were.), ³ he left Judea and went again to Galilee. ⁴ He had to travel through Samaria; ⁵ so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property^[b] that Jacob had given his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon.^[c]

JESUS was going from Judea to Galilee. HE had a choice of routes. They could take the long way around Samaria or take the shorter route through Samaria. Most Jews, especially the very religious Jews, would not go through Samaria. JESUS chose to go through Samaria. Jews avoided Samaria because the Sarmatians were considered half-breeds. They had intermarried with non-Jews.

JESUS had a purpose in going through Samaria. HE was led there by the Holy Spirit for a purpose. The Holy Spirit changes the direction of HIS chosen ones today. Has our LORD led you to take another route to accomplish HIS purpose?

I recall the story of a Pastor and his wife riding a train and stopping in a town just prior to where they lived. The Pastor told his wife that the LORD had prompted him to get off the train. His wife stated that the LORD did not tell her to get off and she was tired and was going home.

The pastor got off the train and the train left the station. The pastor said, “LORD here I am, now what?” He was prompted to go down this street and that street. It had gotten dark and he was in a dark alley. The Pastor said, “LORD here I am and it is dark, what do YOU want me to do?” He was prompted by the Holy Spirit to look down the alley and he saw a light coming from under a door. The LORD said, “Do you see the light coming from under that door?” The pastor said, “yes”. The LORD said, “Go to that door and open it.” He did and when he opened the door, he saw people on their knees praying and a man in the front of the room said, “Folks, you can stop praying because our preacher has arrived.”

JESUS was filled with the Holy Spirit and HE was prompted to go through Samaria because GOD knew the heart of someone who needed salvation and her salvation would lead others who needed to know the truth about JESUS.

Let’s read again verse ⁶ Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon.^[c]

Why noon? That was the hottest part of the day. Most people got their water early in the morning, before the noon sun was beaming down. This sweet lady had a past that needed to be dealt with before she could embrace truth. Her past life was a barrier to her receiving truth. JESUS knew her heart. He had sent HIS disciples to get food, therefore HE was alone. It was one on one time with JESUS. WOW!

Have you had one on one time with JESUS? If not, ask HIM to come meet with you to reveal anything that you might be holding within that is a barrier preventing you from having a personal, intimate relationship with HIM.

Why this event? JESUS’ life taught us that it is vital for all barriers to be broken when we, who know the truth, are led to reach others with that truth. A Jewish Rabbi would never speak to a Samaritan woman.

Let’s read John 4: ⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

“Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, ⁸ because his disciples had gone into town to buy food.

⁹ “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with^[d] Samaritans.^[e]

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”

¹¹ “Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? ¹² You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

¹³ Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well^[f] of water springing up in him for eternal life.”

WOW!!!This lady loved what JESUS was saying. It would be great never to have to draw water and carry it back to her home. How did this lady respond?

Let’s read John 4:15-24:

¹⁵ “Sir,” the woman said to him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”

¹⁶ “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.”

¹⁷ “I don’t have a husband,” she answered.

“You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus said. ¹⁸ “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

When we encounter JESUS, HE desires for us to be honest with HIM.  And this lady was honest with JESUS. Notice, JESUS did not scold her for the life she had lived and was living. Salvation is greater than our lifestyle. We must never let anything hold us back from having a personal, living, dynamic relationship with JESUS.

JESUS’ response spoke volumes to this lady. She recognized that JESUS was different than other religious leaders.

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

This lady quickly asks a question which reflected that she had been listening to teachings from the scriptures. This was JESUS’ opportunity to turn her theology into truth.

¹ Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.^[g] Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”

YES, JESUS’ passion would change the dynamics of worship from a place to a person, Himself and GOD through the miracle of Spiritual birth into GOD’S Family.

Let’s read John 4:25-26:

²⁵ The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

WOW!!! No wonder the Holy Spirit led JESUS to this lady! She had been listening and looking for the day the Messiah would come.

We can only imagine her reaction when she heard the next words uttered from JESUS -----

²⁶ Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

Have you encountered JESUS? If not, why not?

JESUS knocks upon the door of every heart. HE never forces Himself into a life. HE does ask if HE can come into your life.

Many years ago, I read a booklet entitled, “My Heart Christ’s Home.”

As I recall it was published by NavPress.

I accepted JESUS, as my Savior, when I was about 9 years old. But I struggled for years to make HIM the LORD of my life. This booklet gives a story of JESUS coming to visit someone’s home. This is a loose overview of that story.

The person knew that JESUS was coming and that person cleaned up every room in his/her house and put all the smelly things into one room and locked that door.

JESUS came and was invited in and wanted a tour of the home. To which the home owner showed HIM every room except that one room where the person had tossed all the bad things. Of course, JESUS said all the rooms of your house look great but I want to see what is behind that locked door. In fact, it smells like something rotten is coming from that room. The home owner reluctantly gave JESUS the key to that door.

Is there an area in your life that you have not yielded to JESUS. JESUS desires for us to be honest with HIM and to turn over the keys to every room of our home/heart to HIM and let HIM clean them out and restore our relationship with HIM and to serve HIM. Do that today and experience the living water that quinches our Spiritual thirst and is the irrigation that our lives must have on a daily basis.

JESUS tells us in John 15, 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be^[a] my disciples.”

When a person asks JESUS to forgive him/her for his/her sins and for JESUS to come into his/her life, HE does and not only that but seals that person with the indwelling Holy Spirit as a guarantee that he/she belongs to JESUS.

Can you hold out? NO!!! But CHRIST in you can and will. There will likely be many ups and downs but Heaven is your eternal destination and home. All of us must confess our sins daily and the shed blood of JESUS cleanses us and we are never, never without JESUS.

GOD tells us that HE will never leave us or forsake us! To GOD be the Glory!!! Blessings!!!