John Chapter 4:1-9

He needed to go through Samaria. Why did he need to go because he was being obedient to the will of his father. It's important and here's first life lesson do not consider an option to dissipate your father in heaven will you disobey gifts. Sometimes you mess up what we need to do is incorporate on a decision-making level what God wants us to do.

Figure really sit there and you're going to let you know my doctors are not to do my taxes are this person gave me too much change back the blessing from God.

Thank you Jesus you're waiting too long to make the decision what you need to do is make a decision to follow the Lord and every other decision is filtered down through the welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina today.

Pastor David's message is give me a drink and were happy to have one of David McGee's associate pastors here in the studio with us today welcome DA Brown, Bob the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, here's a key lesson. This is a discerner thoughts since the heart God knows what you're going through. He knows it's been going on in your week knows what's ahead. He wants to speak to you right now, today, are you ready sure to stop and listen as David McGee teaches give me a drink. John chapter 4 verse one. Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John. Jesus himself did not baptize but his disciples, he left Judea, and departed again to Galilee, but he needed to go through Samaria is interesting to me what's going on is Jesus is leaving the area because of his popularity. There's a couple reasons for this. I believe making sure the time clock to his crucifixion was was his perfect time. Also, perhaps allowing John to minister in that area and as I was looking at this and as I was studying it. This is really is a pastor. This is my heart. I'm not trying to be involved in a popularity contest. As a matter fact, some mornings, some evenings I'll say things that are very unpopular and also what I'm desiring to do and I'm reminded because appear I got this little index card had it for years and I used to. Well, anyway, since we would see Jesus. And that reminds me that it's not about me it's about him and let me say something else to it.

I create the situation where you guys are pastor dependent on creating a dangerous situation you will hear many pastor say what I'm getting ready to but it's important I want to share my heart. God's called me to be the pastor teacher and to be the spiritual leader overseer of the church.

There's no doubt about that God is uniquely called me to do that but you know what I want to do is I want to give away ministry. I want to raise up people in this body to minister to one another. So let's understand the setting here because there's a contextual historical setting. We need to understand that as the Samaritans and the Jews. The Jewish people hated the Samaritans and the Samaritans hated the Jewish people now with the hatred that we really in this country can't understand the long history here what it happened is when the Assyrians conquered Israel and took away into the captivity, they actually intermingled interbred. If you will with the Jewish people and the people produced that were the Samaritans, so they were viewed from the Jewish people as a as an unclean race and then also they think did things they only believe the first five books of the Bible which is the Pentateuch Penta meeting 52, meaning scrolls.

That's the first five books of the Bible and they discounted the rest.

They said that Jerusalem was not the place the worship the displaced mountain kerosene which will talk about later is the place to worship and something different and so as time went on, it got worse and worse and worse to the point when the Jewish people came back to build the temple. If you wonder why the Samaritans here; to help in them when they said you can't help then they got real mad.

They want to tear down. That's because they want people to keep worshiping them out everything so there's this real long history to 700 years. At this point of animosity and bitterness and hatred between these two people. Jesus told remember he told the parable of the good Samaritan that just flew in the face of everybody. And when their own neck accused Jesus and calling a bad name they called him a Samaritan again a counter shows the backdrop here, to the point that actually in it. So Jesus is in Judea and I think we have a map here and they farmed me with a laser open all heard anybody okay sit down here you see that that's Judea this is that in the southern part okay right there you see Samaria and appear is Galilee that makes sense, especially since you were walking that if you walk in you go from Judea straight through Samaria up to Galilee was not what they did, they hated the Samaritans so much what they would do is they would actually from Judea. They would go east over to Amazon or Korea is what it was called in and they would go north and then after they pass Samaria, they would go back west again. Keep in mind you thinking was not a big deal on a car they didn't have cars. These guys they were walking, but they hated the Samaritans so much that they took this long journey around as a matter fact, when you were buying goods. One of the things you wanted to know was these gone through Samaria because if they had gone through Samaria. They were no longer clean and you wouldn't want to eat so they'd obviously gotten really caught up in this thing.

But Jesus Jesus goes through Samaria and it's interesting the way this verse is word it says, but he needed to go through Samaria. Why did he need to go because he was being obedient to the will of his father. He was being obedient to the will of his father. It's important and here's a first life lessons do not consider an option to disobey your father in heaven do not considered an option to disobey your father in heaven will you disobey.

Yes, sometimes you mess up, but what we need to do is incorporate on a decision-making level what God wants us to do really sit there and you're going to let you know my taxes are not to do my taxes are this person gave me too much change back the blessing from God. Thank you Jesus in a note and seek your ear you're waiting too long to make the decision what you need to do is make a decision to follow the Lord and every other decision is filtered down through the make the decision to be obedient. That's what Jesus did as he had the leading of the Spirit. He followed the Holy Spirit. And here is going through Samaria now as we need. We actually I believe we need to ask the Lord for his help in this and that we would be obedient that we would desire to be obedient. Now this is not something that you have internally.

This is something that is the renewing in the regeneration and in all things being made new. As you asked for the Lord to give you the desires of his heart and to become more and more obedient.

Verse five so he came to the city of Samaria, which is called sidecar near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now sidecar was called Shechem in the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament, and today it's called Nablus and if you remember when we were studying in Deuteronomy.

Shechem is one of the cities of refuge city of refuge was where people went who were guilty of manslaughter but not murder. Accidental killings and so they would go to the city of refuge and and hot out there.

If you will is interesting that this is a city of refuge and concepts. The backdrop to the exchange that's getting ready to happen was read on verse six Jacob's well was there, Jesus therefore being wearied from his journey, set us by the well was about the sixth hour Jesus being wearied and I think sometimes I forget sometimes we forget that the son of God, the creator of the universe wrapped himself in a more local.

He became a man and everything that went with that. Jesus got tired.

Jesus got hungry and you can see times and trying to slip off to pray in people interrupting that prayer time. I think sometimes we forget that now not trying to take away from his deity. He was hundred percent God. He was also hundred percent man, but he ministered long days.

Sometimes in any got tired, he got hungry, got thirsty and see this as a pastor.

This ministered to me because sometimes the days get longer and sometimes late at night there's phone calls and whatnot. But Jesus is our model and at no point do you see in the Scriptures were Jesus goes well, that's just entirely inconvenient. I'm not going to do that and they say Marianne.

He doesn't do well reminded in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 it says this high priest of ours understands our weaknesses for efface all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin is an important scripture for your theological perspective it's you have to understand Jesus understands us. He understands our weaknesses, because he was tempted in those way it would've been a temptation when Satan took him out to the desert if he didn't get hungry didn't get thirsty and wasn't tempted to have pride and that helps us because we realize that Jesus does understand because there will be times in your life when no one around you will understand.

No one your best friend even your spouse will not understand.

But you know what Jesus will Jesus will understand exactly what you're going through and you can talk to him about. He longs for us to talk to. That's Second Life lesson. Whatever you're going through.

Jesus understands like no one else because as you go through trials. It's good to remember this whatever you're going through. Jesus understands like no one else.

And that gives us comfort to know that we have a high priest who understands our weaknesses in understands our frailties and how ironic it is that we try to hide which hotter weaknesses like God's not going to see it got season, God sees it. Whether you're in church or not God sees it. Whether you're praying or not he sees these things, what he longs for is for us to come to him with whatever's going on in her life.

What says about the sixth hour. Now to be fair, there's some dispute. I believe that John is using the here using the Jewish time as opposed to the Roman time so the six hour would be at noon will come back to this it's important and and by the way, Jacob's well is still there today. It's one of the places that we know what it is where it is about 100 feet deep.

It's about about a yard wide and there's a little there's a Greek Orthodox church is built on top of it and the whole was still in the ground and it's been called Jacob's well for 3000 years or something.

So once again the Bible is geographically and historically correct will be right back with more from David McGee on cross the bridge right now there's a word from associate pastor DA Brown hey Bob will take a minute to pray for a listening audience. Those living in these cities in California.

Orville Paso Robles Pine Grove courts Hill Red Bluff Reading and Ridgecrest God, we thank you for those listening in these cities and the surrounding areas.

We pray that you would speak or write to them right where they're at today that they would be excited about following you, that they wouldn't fear that they're going to fall short because you're going to do the work in God. We pray that they will get plugged into a Bible teaching Bible believing church father.

Did you give them pastors in those churches wisdom and how to encourage those whom God brings in Jesus name, amen, amen.

Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse first woman of Samaria came to draw water and Jesus said to her, give me a drink. That sounds a little abrupt to our English years. But nobody that in our modern verbiage. It would probably be please give me a drink but don't miss this locality exchange starts.

This is intriguing to me. Jesus ask her to do something sis. Please give me Drinkwater who ends up getting blessed woman at the well here something that so important as I believe that we are all called to serve were all called to minister. I don't believe that only those who you know are salaried are paid to be in the ministry are the ones that are supposed to minister. That's the way that it looks like. In some churches it it has a you know you've got the lead pastor who is a professional Christian in a and then everybody else's spectators. I don't know where we got that's completely on biblical were all supposed to be serving were all supposed to be serving God in there are things that Jesus will ask you to do. And obviously this lady is going to get a little uncomfortable with what Jesus is asking to do. Course now Jesus is never going ask you to do anything it would make you uncomfortable some annoying last filter now and occasionally he will. He will ask you to do something that's beyond your comfort level and you'll be stretched. I member years ago I was praying about the situation was in ministry and traveling and stuff them in the Lord was really saying you know I need to desire you to enlarge the circle of ministry is like oh Laura.you know about this email and I had a tight little circle, drawn unit around me in shock was going to look nice circle. Here is a nicer going to guys pretty big and things like that. What I do know the Lord was like hand me the chalk and I'm thinking always, he's going to draw a bigger circle. I guess you know through the chalk away to do away with the circle go wherever I call you to go do whatever I tell you to do and that guys that that embarked on a seven year adventure with with the Lord. Actually, with 12 year adventure that had stopped sense but sometimes the Lord will ask you to do something that's beyond your comfort level and be good for you and if you're so concerned with your comfort that you not that you disregard what the Lord say and you lose out your you miss a blessing. Teach children how to teach children. Don't ask me that God may want you to teach children that Leanne may stretch you and we were still home fellowship. It was interesting. We had you know I had my wife and three kids and they were they came pretty faithfully on process make three of them if they didn't show up maybe four but it so you know they would they would come in and then we had another family that when asked they would actually drop their kids off at three get the drop them off and they go out on date night so that was the beginning of the church problems that we had.

Amen the numbers to neighborhood kids that came in that one of them. He had been banned from every other house in the neighborhood for his activities mean he was. He burned his neighbor's fence down you know me this and was not coming this is.

I could relate to them a little bit not a lot was the beginning of the church in at least seven or eight kids sit around and amazingly enough they would just sit and listen as I taught the Bible. Even after were done they would start asking questions is an amazing thing. God sometimes ask us to do things that are outside of her comfort level that will come with a blessing and it's an amazing thing. See what when you do something for other people in the name of the Lord.

It you get blast and whether it's just knowing you did the right thing or or or whatever.

There is a blessing that comes with it now – and sometimes it's tough sometimes it's hard to do the right thing, but with that obedience comes a blessing third life lesson when we are obedient to Jesus. There is a blessing that comes with that obedience is a blessing that comes with that obedient when you do with the Lord is laid on your heart to do it again. He's gone, he's going ask you to do things that are beyond your comfort level just to see what your priorities and if your priorities are your comfort your comfort levels you're gonna miss it. But if your priority is to serve the Lord, then you'll be obedient, listen now back to this time thing about the six hour thing. It's noon in the desert, how many of you have actually been to a desert been the several never forget. We are minister now in California and I went out we were going to North Edwards to minister illusion church are covered And where I had never been there. You know I was, surprise. I should've included in went on the map it it's it Mojave Desert. So we went and we pulled up stop for gas and it was scorching and I went and it was late afternoon I went and Zana said you know how how hot it is. It's hot out there and I said how how hot did it get here today nation about one 50 million. He said all it nears. Yesterday I did it yesterday. 23. One word came to my mind move places the live know what they say is that they were going. They were going west to settle the West and they got to this place and all the horses that had to stop.

Probably some truth in that they were in the desert. What time do people usually go get water in the desert will because of the heat because the heat in the middle of the desert in the middle of the day it's only exceeds 100° they go in the morning and they go in the evening, but this woman when it noon. Why she wants anybody she will talking about. She wanted to go to the well when she thought no one else would be there because she was an outcast. She was an outcast and look how Jesus interacts with Jesus maintained no social aloofness. He was not uppity he was not uppity semi people destroy ministry opportunity by trying to be uppity or aloof or condescending or whatever word you want to plug into that and they blow, they lose an opportunity to minister because you're so busy looking down their nose at the person the person since is it not been involved in several ministry opportunity has ministering to alcoholics. It was on the street and ended up getting safe knowing and some well-meaning brother sister goes by writing and then kept walking.

I guess that was their interpretation spread the good news or something on the good actually made my job harder. Another brother was. It was ministering to him with a group of people was ministering to some dancers, some you know erotic dancer people and outside of the place and was talking to her guys don't know know know know minister honey no no no no, he was ministering outside the establishment and was really he was communicating with this lady and she was receiving the truth of the gospel and right as he was getting to the point where is he was going to invite her to pray. I lady came up and said, you know, if you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to burn in hell. And the lady got a tear looked at the man walked off. Guess we can put obstacles in the way people need to know Jesus before they even have a desire to change your life with got a bring them in the contact with Jesus taught. Try to change my life before is a Christian man.

What a miserable failure. I wasn't trying to change anything I needed the power of God.

I needed a clean slate. I needed forgiveness so I could start God was faithful to give me that power to desire to do what he asked me to do this is interesting because you John three he's talking to Nicodemus very different conversation this time is talking to the woman at the well, so I'm not sure formulas really work and witnessing disease are two very different approaches also tells us that the gospel is for the very religious and it's also for those who made a mess of their lives. Aren't you glad verse eight first disciples and gone away into the city to buy food. Interesting note.

First of all, they there always.

They seem like they're always listening here that you know something is going on ministry opportunity. They're going to go buy food but also notices what about food that tells me, Jesus and the disciples completely rejected this prejudice thing against the Samaritans, they went into Samaritan village, the Boston American food which they were going to eat also and on the practical sense to buy food you got a have what you have money where they get money they didn't always just pull it out of mouth of fishes. Scripture tells us, cool trick, but Scripture tells us that there were certain people that help support the work of the ministry there would Jesus do purchase practical things like food and whatnot. And that's the way that it works now word of the Lord lays on people's heart to give and to help with the practical expenses because reality is we don't keep we didn't keep the power on the AC wouldn't be only ultimately would have a building. These are very practical things, but they enable us to minister in the spiritual realm. We certainly praise God for those who faithfully verse not been the woman of Samaria said to him, how is it that you being a Jew, ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans and notice what got her attention is lack of prejudice. The lack of being weird about this Jewish-American thing. Jesus is not a case of Holland. He little bit light. Be careful that describes you as a believer. Be careful this lady is interested because Jesus is not being prejudiced is not being weird friend. You know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Jenna short, simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I can have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again.

Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick, not the righteous.

So congratulations for you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working in your life will DA before we go.

What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider a daily reading plan and a thought to meditate on throughout your day.

From the heart. David McGee, that sounds good Pastor day and again.

It's been great to have you with us on the program today but tell us what else can a listers find on cross the bridge.com.

If you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday. Why not join us for our lifestream at 10 AM Eastern time or on Thursday night at 7 PM Eastern time. This visit, cross the bridge.com and click on our lifestream link. There you will experience a live service from David's home church.

The bridge in North Carolina again. That website is cross the bridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continued teaching verse by verse in the gospel of God