That's What He Does

John 4:11-26

The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"

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."

More than one thought going through my head. Of course!

How Jesus reveals Himself to us is amazing. Here the Samaritan woman was standing before Jesus, knowing of Him and telling Him that when He comes He will tell her all things! She does not recognize Him. Then He reveals Himself to her.

One day we might be staring right at Him or hearing from Him but we might not recognize Him. Then one day He might say "I who speak to you am He." Your eyes are opened and you recognize Him. Now I'm not suggesting He will be physically standing in front of you or audibly speaking to you, but it can happen in an instant in your spirit. Words you've heard and didn't understand, or rejected, will one day come to life. Those words may have been repeated many times just so one day will make an impact: Oh, now I get it!  I remember being bombarded by little instances before I was saved. Then one day I recognized He had been setting the stage for my salvation. He's an awesome God.

Yesterday in church our pastor reminded us that God seeks us. Some think we seek Him, but He's seeking us first. It always starts with Him. He created us with the desire in our hearts. He puts the emptiness and need for more there too. Always starts with Him. Some just choose not to heed His call.

Psalm 14:2-3 tells us He looks down from heaven looking for anyone who might seek Him...but there are none! But when He reveals Himself then our seeking can begin. He seeks because of what John 3:16 tells us: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus testifies of and personifies this. He is the a God who loves. He is the Son who gave His life that whosoever believes can have eternal life.

While whosoever includes all people, only some respond. To those who do not, He exacts His judgment...have to clarify that. He loves all, but will place judgment on those who do not accept His call.

He is the living water. He knows all we need and He can satisfy with greater things than what we think we need. When something, or someone, doesn't satisfy anymore, don't we look for something, or someone, new only to find out we still need more? He so loves the world He wants to give us what will satisfy.  That's what He does.

The Samaritan woman didn't understand the feeling of emptiness she had. She thought she had what would satisfy...many husbands. Jesus began to open up her understanding. When Jesus offered living water that she would no longer thirst she misunderstood. She talked of this well she was at providing water in the physical sense. It met part of her physical needs. Jesus offered her more. More.

Jesus says we can only receive from Him, the One who is greater. No other person can offer us what He has. We worship what we do not know. Anything greater than God is a god or an idol. We can go to a banker, an instructor, friend or spouse, food, our job, children, another lover, a doctor, psychiatrist, pastor, priest or rabbi, but none can offer what Jesus can. He frees us from believing all these other things satisfy. We go directly to Him because He knows us.

When we recognize God (meaning we have received Him and know Him) we can begin to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We recognize we've been looking for things that never fully satisfied. Those who know Him can worship in spirit and truth. He seeks us first that we might in return seek and worship Him, and He will give us the living water. Praise God He does that. Praise God for those who respond.

Exodus 20:1-3 - And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt [dryness, want], out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me."

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

God has given us the best protection against the things in this world. They may sound like worldly materials but I guarantee this protection is purely spiritual. These weapons, this armor, are much more powerful than any that we could physically put on our bodies in time of war. This armor and weaponry, because it is spiritual in nature, and because it comes from the hand of God, protects like none other.

Thank You Lord that just one part of what You give to us as Your children is access to Your armor. We can lay claim to the power that it has over us.

I thank You for the helmet of salvation. Thank You for calling my name and knowing that I would hear Your voice, that I would not only hear but would respond and also receive You as my Lord and Savior. Your gift of salvation is my helmet. I wear it proudly and securely.

Thank You for the breastplate of righteousness. This righteousness is an automatic gift given upon salvation. I thank You that when we are in battle with the enemy or even when we "mess up" this breastplate protects us. You see us only in righteousness because Your blood has covered us and only through that blood will the Father see us. You call us holy and righteous. What an honor that is. What a humbling thought.

Thank You for the shoes You have placed upon our feet. Shoes that carry the gospel of peace. The same peace that You have offered to us is offered to all who will receive You. Peace You leave with me and Your peace You give to me but not as the world gives. These shoes will never wear out because You will never leave us nor forsake us. This peace, these shoes, like the clothing that never wore out for the people of Israel wandering in the desert 40 years, will never wear out because by Your supernatural hand You keep our armor intact. Thank You our peace is maintained and to be taken into this world by our own feet in peace. 

You have girded our waists with the the belt of truth. This is the only truth that stands strong in this world because it is the truth of who You are and what You have spoken to us. You are the same today as You were yesterday and exactly Who You claim You will be tomorrow. We praise You for Your unchangeable nature. Your truth will stand the test of time (always) and one day the whole world will see You and Your truth and either rejoice or regret. I pray that the eyes and ears of many will not turn away from Your offering of salvation, that they may be counted with those who will rejoice.

Thank You for giving us protection through Your shield of faith. This faith in You is stronger than any fiery dart of the enemy. It is by wielding this shield in the face of the enemy that we are protected. His weapons hold no strength when we show who it is that is our strength in times of weakness. My shield is held high. My faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ and no one else.

Along with that shield of faith you have provided for us a very powerful sword. The sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word, the Word of God. You are our Word. Thank You that all it takes is to speak the truth of Your Word in those difficult times of our lives...and in the lives of others...and our spirits meld with Yours and we are protected by You, the living Word, the living God. At the name of Jesus, the Word, the enemy must flee! Your Word stands the test of time, therefore You stand the test of time. Both my hands wield that outstanding power.

You have armed us, O God, with weapons much more powerful than man's. In You we live and move and have our being. We are Your offspring and You are our protection. You hide us under the shadow of Your wings. You are our sun and our shield and you protect us by night and by day. The shadow of Your hand protects me. I dwell in Your protective shelter and rest in Your shadow. You are my refuge and fortress, my dwelling place. Your right hand will save me. Your are my strong tower. You put me in the cleft of a rock. You hide me in secret places. If I call on the name of the Lord, I will be saved. Though the world around us might crumble we can stand steadfast in Your promises that even in death we have life through You, Jesus.

Ephesians 6:10-11 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Truth Equals Peace

Colossians 1:27 - To them [who are true believers] willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Oh, how many times will I write the one truth that is the most important truth there is? That Jesus is our Savior. He is our life when we grasp hold of that concept. I've mentioned previously about a study our church did called the Truth Project. Well, they're offering it again and I sat in on Lesson 2, again! Truth...truth...truth. We cannot live without it. We must search for it, we must listen for it. If we don't know what truth (Truth) is peace is distant. I mentioned last week the Bible tells us that we are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.

We are living in troubling times. Not all news media will acknowledge this. We are not being told the truth in many instances. Somewhere some authority is holding the truth from us for their own control and power. The media will soon be under their complete control and we will be fed more lies. From a spiritual standpoint, we can say this is a work of Satan. He has blinded eyes of authority and some in the world so he is able to drag down more people than Jesus can pull up. That's Satan's job; that's his goal. And many are buying into this unwittingly.

But those of us who know Jesus, know the Truth. Yes, it's very frustrating to see the lies that are being fed to us, to see double standards taking effect. Ugh. 

Our country was founded on the principles of God...which include freedom. When we have Jesus in our lives, we have freedom from all the things this world dishes out whether we become slaves to the world or not. We have that great hope that is in the Lord. I watched an episode of Glenn Beck the other day and he pointed this out:

    No peace without hope

    No hope without liberty

    No liberty without integrity

    No integrity without virtue

    No virtue without enlightenment    

    No enlightenment without truth

Let me add this: No Jesus, no peace; know Jesus, know peace. We've all seen that bumper sticker!

What's that last word in Beck's little list above? There it is again, truth. The hope of peace can only come about when we know what truth is. When we know what that truth (Truth) is, we become enlightened. We gain knowledge and often change our ways of thinking and acting and virtue steps in. When we are virtuous in others' eyes, we are seen as having integrity. We have shaken the deception in our lives and the burden of those lies has given us liberty. With liberty we have hope and with hope comes peace. Jesus is all these things. 

He is the Truth. He is the One who enlightens as the Light of the world. Virtue is a conformity to a standard of right. Isn't that what Jesus did? He was without fault...and yet He was falsely accused. Integrity comes out of virtue...a soundness to moral values. Again, sounds like Jesus. With the truth, with Jesus, we have liberty. Hallelujah! That gives us a hope for our future that we can totally count on. Jesus rocks! 

We need now, more than ever, to grasp hold of Truth, to know it (Him) and live it. He will be our main Source of provision in times of trouble. He will be the greatest Peace we will have to hold on to.

John 14:7 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.

Worship Where, How?

John 4:21-22 - 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."

Jesus had met and was talking intimately with the Samaritan woman. You know her story. Married several times and now living with another. She clearly had lived a difficult, most likely sinful life and was now in yet another sinful relationship.

There had been a rift even among the Jews, splitting the people into Jews and Samaritans. Samaritans were, if I understand it properly, essentially all of the Jewish faith yet their beliefs differed, sort of like our denominations. That's why it was common for the Jews to avoid the Samaritans. I'm a little fuzzy on how all this came about but it had something to do with the division of Israel between the north and south and their respective ideas where the official place of worship (of God) was. 

So here's a Samaritan woman who recognized by His clothing that Jesus was "that type of"  Jew, not normally given to talking to Samaritans. And was not just some ordinary man but a prophet, because He had guessed about this man she was living with. She recalled that her "fathers" worshiped near or where they now stood in Samaria and she also said she knew that Jesus believed worshiping God was done in Jerusalem. That's when Jesus told her a day would come when she would worship neither in Samaria nor in Jerusalem, referring to a specific place.

You will neither worship on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem. How true a statement. It's not so much a physical place as it is a spiritual one. We can worship anywhere. We can worship in the shower or in church. We can worship within our hearts and in our work. That goes for anyone, Jew or Gentile, who profess Jesus as Lord.

We are also told that God does not dwell in a place made by human hands (Acts 7:48). He resides in our hearts. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1Corinthians 6:19) A.Z. Tozier says it like this: Deep inside every man there is a private sanctum where dwells the mysterious essence of his being. This far-in reality is that in the man which is what it is of itself without reference to any other part of the man's complex nature. It is the man's "I Am," a gift from the I AM who created him. He's in each person's heart and we need to be sensitive to that. We need, in essence, to acknowledge our hearts as His dwelling place. That means acknowledging Him.

So what's this about salvation is of the Jews? To me that's telling us where the roots of our Christianity lie. Our roots are strongly rooted there. Jesus, after all, is a Jew. Israel is God's nation, His people. Jesus is His Son. Remember we, as Gentiles and Christians, are grafted in but we are not the religion of God. Religion means nothing to Him. It's about relationship.

Oh, I know a day will come when eyes will truly be opened. Knowledge will be poured out. I long for that day. I long for more people to have that "aha" moment.

We are called to worship in spirit and in truth. We need to know the Truth of Christ first. Then the worship comes. I was talking with my sister in law one day about how people know that they know they have been touched by God. We both have different ways of sensing something. She gets goosebumps and I get a catch in my spirit, that place in your inward parts we call the solar plexus. I believe that's where we are attached to God's Spirit by an invisible thread. Our worship doesn't always have to be outward. It can be inward. In spirit...and in truth.

John 4:23 - 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.

That hour is at the moment we experience that touch from God, when we recognize Him for who He is. I've said it before...only one who has received that touch can fully understand this revelation. Mmmmm.