The Sexual Captive

Jeannie Greer, this woman has gone to the well of romance. She is gone to the well sex to satisfy the thirst of her soul. And just like the water that she drank it would satisfy her temporarily, but ultimately it would just leave her thirstier what she is done every day without water pot. Her physical thirst she is doing with sex for her shoulders. The Bible teaching ministry Jeannie Greer. I'm your host Molly today were talking about important sensitive topic sexual despite what many people think the Bible isn't against that.

In fact, God designed it and celebrates it is a wonderful activity but can easily turn from a good gift to something that enslaves us and holds us back from saving faith. You want to know how well you join us at the right time today here in a series called can't believe you missed the first message in this series you can hear it@jeanniegreer.com. Now grab your Bible and let's join Pastor JD in the book of John Scott, those who can't believe because they are sexual captives. What I mean by that is, people who are slaves to their desires and because of the enslavement they have to their sexual desires or their desires for romance. They can never really take the Lordship of Jesus seriously sexual captives. I also mean by that second group of people who feel like their sexual mistakes in their past me that God would have no more real interest in them anymore. The damage goods. He's got no real purpose there too far gone. Jesus deals with this group at least twice and John you look very quickly at both of the stories to see how he engaged them what he said and where he points them.

Let me just say it before we get in the best out of all the different stories that were to look at this one. I would say probably is the most relevant subject that we will cover all of them are going to be things that are really good for people that are in the Raleigh-Durham area but perhaps this one most of all is going to be the one that kind of hit many of us where we live. I've read that there are two main reasons people lose their faith in college to the number two reason people lose their faith in college is they encounter some question that they can undertake and explain some intellectual problem. The problem of evil.

There is a good God been viable. This is all the stuff happening but that's number two reason the number one reason they lose their faith in college is because their desire for sexual freedom, conflicts with the system of morality that grown up with happens, you got a choice you can either live as a hypocrite, or you can change what you believe in. Many people opt for the latter because of what I want to do conflicts with what I believe then if I don't want to change what I do that all the change what I believe because nobody likes to live as a hypocrite. You see there's this myth that we carry around.

And that is that that that that what our heart feels is dictated by what our head believe, but it's actually the opposite of what our head believe it is what our heart wants to believe in your heart wants to go a certain direction in your mind will find reasons to believe things that justify that for many people they can't believe because their desire for sexual freedom precludes their ability to think through the Lordship of Jesus with any seriousness. Furthermore, we have what anybody honestly would have to conclude is a cultural obsession with sex. I don't mean just that people enjoy it. Of course later.

I mean obsessed with it see that when you check out in the supermarket I'll catch you, and it's like every single magazine is got, you know on the cover 10 ways to drive your man while 30 ways to save your bed across the floor and then there is the shocking, if not downright disturbing success of books like 50 shades of gray which CNN describes as mommy born Barnes & Noble released a report to their shareholders. Last month, saying that the foot traffic in their stores had increased substantially at the greatest rate that it has in a decade credited to one book now present Barnes & Noble and that is 50 shades of gray. There is nothing that will destroy your faith and dull your spiritual appetites faster. Nothing the captivity to sexual lust to John chapter 4. Let me get you turning your Bible there if you haven't already.

As will become a count of the first of the stories John chapter 4. Let me start out by making it very clear to you that God is the creator of sex God designed sex God designed the pleasure ability of such God was not surprised by how much we like that. He was like all men I had no idea that's going to be trouble either that he designed it that way. It is a good job that is given to his children for their enjoyment and for his glory. But all gifts of God can go wrong in the greater the guilt the more capacity it has for damage. So if sexual he is one of the greatest gifts that God is given to mankind that it makes sense that it's also one of the potentially most destructive gifts because that which has great capacity for good also has great capacity for destruction surrender. Look at how Jesus engaged two women for whom sex had gone desperately wrong.

John chapter 4 verse four. Let's begin there and Jesus had to pass through Samaria so we came to a town of Samaria called Sarkar near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph Jacob's well was there. So Jesus wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well, it was about the sixth hour a woman from Samaria came there to draw water. Now there is a slew of details in there that are all very important and are not random because of setting up a story that's about to unfold see the Samaritans were a small hated community that lived kind of in the northeast part of Israel. The animosity between the Jews and the MMS American stretch back nearly a thousand years around 900 BC the northern part of Israel had seceded from the southern part and they set up their own capital Samaria instead of Jerusalem, and they essentially existed as two separate nations. From that point onward. Will the northern kingdom grew really unfaithful to God, so in 722 BC God punished them by sending the Assyrians to conquer them now in those days when you conquer the people what you did not want is the children of the people that you conquered, having children and having children, and gradually the rising. These generations who are bent on avenging what you did to their parents and grandparents took a strategy that many of these countries pursued with a conquered nation is after you killed most of the men. What you do is you would take a bunch of them off into captivity in York on a home country where you would make them slaves and concubines would intermarry with them so they would ultimately lose all of their kind of ethnic identity, it would have any left. The other thing they would do is they would send a group of their people back to the homeland so that anybody was left there is a remnant they would do the same thing with them. So the whole strategy was designed to wipe out any kind of ethnic identity that was left among this people know a lot of countries. When that happened to them which just resist that integration, they would fight to hang on to their their cultural identity, but the northern kingdom of Israel did not resist all integrated right in with the Assyrians a secret highest religions. So the southern kingdom of Israel, which thought of themselves. Now is the only real Israel left view the Samaritans as compromisers and as half breeds. Then around 100 BC a renegade Jew by the name of Manasseh declared that all the Jewish places of worship in Jerusalem were corrupt, so he defected to Samaria and establish new places of worship, around some ancient historic sites in Samaria. Places like Jacob's well the claiming that that that the Jewish temple he could worship there anymore. You gotta worship it.

Jacob's well so the Samaritans were like a cult that you think of the Samaritans use of the same Old Testament books like the Pentateuch, but they also admitted several others out of the Old Testament that they thought were to pro-Jewish like the song's on the way to pro-Jewish leaders let them out of their Bibles. There was so much animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans that if you were trying to get to the northern part of Israel rather than walking through Samaria, which was clearly the easiest way to get there.

Jews would walk around Samaria.

It would add six days to their journey. Six days but they were willing to do it for two reasons. One, you would you want to Samaria you might get killed. Number two is if you did make it through you would feel defiled when he got to the other side. This woman was a Samaritan and noticed by the way the detail about it being a six hour when she went to the well what our lives, that's noon, that's Mrs. noon in the Middle East. Ever been to the Middle East.

What happens at noon. Nothing. Everybody goes inside because it is way too hot to walk around outside is not done what's under your daily chores. The back of this woman is coming at noon scholar safe is an indication that she's a social outcast. The other women do not like her other words, this woman is an outcast of the outcast.

She is hated by the hated this woman is at the absolute bottom of the food chain, which is what makes this whole story so shocking and especially Jesus's next statement. Jesus said to her, give me a drink for his disciples were sated going away to the city to fund Zaxby's's or AAA or something to get some food. The Samaritan woman said to him, how is it that you would you ask for a drink for me woman of Samaria now in your Bible that looks like only a real small pause therebetween. Verse eight where Jesus asked for verse nine, where she answered, in actuality was probably more like a 10 minute really awkward silence work. She just kinda stared at him because he says there Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. So finally after about 10 minutes awkward silence. He says why you talking to me.

Verse 10 Jesus answered her, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you. Give me a drink, you would've asked him and he would've given you living water. Now this point. Of course he thinks he's talking about H2O, so she says to him, verse 11, sir. You got nothing to draw water with in this well is deep where you get to get that living water and are you saying that you're greater than our father Jacob daughter said he gave us as the Samaritans gave us the well Greg women himself like that, his son and his livestock here that edge in her ear that she don't like him. Verse 13 Jesus ever unflappable said to her, everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again in the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life to the woman says to him, sir, give me this water so that I'll not be thirsty or up to come here to draw water anymore. Now I can see the first evidences of faith at working her in that statement, but she still mostly clueless. Verse 16. So Jesus goes on.

Jesus said to her will okay go, call your husband did him bring him back home here and I'll tell both of you about it now if you were writing the musical score for this movie. This is where you accuse the awkward credits because the woman looks back at him for probably another several seconds awkward stare image.

He answers them. I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you are right in saying I have no husband for you have had five husbands and the one that you are shacking up with now is not your husband and I just wanted you to know that I knew about that. So, in the statement that you made that you have a husband what you said is true and roasted that is in the Greek that last part.

But then, listen, then I think all at once all at once. I think it suddenly made sense to this woman, this whole water discussion. It made sense you see, just like this woman came daily to this well to get water we drink it. Have her thirst quenched in the get up the next morning and be thirsty again to go to the same process and has to go back to this well over and over and over again, always finding temporary relief for her thirst, but never permanent relief of her thirst. This woman has gone to the well of romance. She is gone to the well of sex to satisfy the thirst of her soul. And just like the water that she drank it would satisfy her temporarily, but ultimately it would just leave her thirstier so she would get out of one marriage and into another. This time she thought this is to be the one that works right because I'm a little older now, I'm a little wiser, I know what I'm looking for.

I know better how to choose somebody that I can get along with, not to make peace. These foolish choices I made when I was up at a teenager. This marriage, this second marriage is gonna be the one that does it for me. And again it worked for a little while, maybe longer than the first marriage we don't know. But after a while she will got thirsty again so she got out at second marriage and went back to the well romance I got into a PowerPoint and then a four point benefit point and then she gives up on the institution of marriage altogether. She says this commitment stoppers is ruining great romance and sex so I'm just going up now go to new lovers because that's gonna be what quenches this thirst.

What she has done every day without waterpipe or physical thirst she is doing with sacks for her soul thirst for verse 19 woman now but a little more.

Cindy says to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. When this one verse 20 our fathers worshiped on this mountain but you say that in Jerusalem is a place where people are worship you see what she's doing.

You see what she's doing to get uncomfortable.

So what you do see after controversial worship question. She don't want to go five marriages down deep and what's really wrong inside of her. She rather fly around up here in the intellectual with hard theological doctrinal questions. See this I see it all the time I start talking to somebody about Jesus and they start saying things like, oh yeah what people are never heard about homosexuality. What about abortion. These are all great questions, but you and I both know that's not really the issue right now.

What happens if Jesus comes resource to ask you the most basic questions about your life. Things like where you going you belong to. Why aren't you happy is the Lord of your life when you start going up the furniture read about that you'll get all that you will never get anywhere with Jesus until you let him start asking the questions that he wants to ask which are questions about the core of who you are building a safety of all the times I get the so I've got a college campus in my what about the home such as it is, you know what, there's a number of issues.

The Christian life. You learn to point a good football team knows they got a point.

Sometimes I don't mean that you refuse to answer the question deserves an answer, but you know what the real issue is the issue is the Lordship of Jesus, why don't you take some time to think about whether Jesus is Lord, and if he is Lord will lead you in those other areas when it's time to listen put this area up for right now it's part of the things that you can't understand and what's just deal with this question is Jesus the living water for your soul. Because of Jesus is the living water for your soul to the questions that you're asking, you'll find that you go into them with a much different perspective to Jesus. He calls her out on that which leads to this long conversation that basically ends with Jesus telling this woman that God wants to know her in spirit and in truth, spirit and truth. This woman had lived in truth for a long time. For years she's been living a lie just covering over her shaman or her disappointment with more sex like a bandage, a way of papering over the void in her heart.

There was a part of her that was dead and had been so for a long time, her sexual shaman or hurt Torah living in truth and from knowing anybody in the spirit you see when you don't live in truth, you can't know and engage somebody with the spirit of who you are yet to live protected because you got lies that that will present the real you to them because there's too much that might be exposing too much that might get hurt. So this woman lives shut off her mother's shut off from God shut off really even from herself and she had chosen the easier path to deal with her boy just finding her lover despite a new thrill find somebody else that can take and do if only for a little while new exciting time of adventure that will never get to the real issue. What's wrong with me.

This woman, her theme song would've been you love you love you love is my drug.

I that's what it will both waiting on her iPod. Jesus would heal her by giving her the assurance of his love for the love of her heavenly father. The love that she had craved first in her earthly father and then perhaps when he disappointed her, or maybe even abuse her beloved.

She then sought in the arms of her first lover, the first guy she gave herself a way to and then in her first marriage and never my first affair and then from her second marriage and then from her third marriage and her fourth and her fifth and down the arms of yet another lover. But Jesus love would give her the one thing that she had craved all of her life and that is to be loved by somebody who knew her fully and loved her unconditionally. I told you about the human dilemma before the human dilemma is that in our deepest part of who we are. We want to be known and loved.

Because to be loved, but not known is just sentimentality to know and love the real you. That is the character of you and you gotta keep them at a distance they can't get close to the pain and the shame they can't see all the mistakes of the past you that you cannot hear this project should know you are and that works for a while but it's not satisfying.

On the other hand, if you're fully known, but not love that's rejection to the dilemma is how you let somebody come in and see all these things.

See all the messy all the junk. See all that that that that that the condemnation that you feel is worthy, but the reason for that you let them see that and then had the assurance that they will walk away from you. This woman, this woman wants to be known in love, but she's never been able to find it.

Jesus is going to give her that love, but he knew everything about her. He showed her that by the questions with the husband's and he spoke. Complete acceptance to our from there.

Which of the Bible to John chapter rails of the second of these really really quickly. John separate rear look at verse verse three you might notice a footnote in your Bible asking some questions about this passage whether belong right here in the Gospel of John. Time to get into the excavation action.

Have an awesome footnote right here, you probably can't read it, but if you get the transcript off-line. It will give you all the kind of the reasons why thought we can still use it as a part of what I'm doing so for free to exercise itself is just on my blog generate verse three, the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus, who had been caught in adultery. Now the Greek syntax there literally says she been caught in the very act of adultery, which implies that note she been caught like while they were in the act of it, which had been awkward, but is why a lot of commentators say that she might have been making here. She might have been half dressed personally, I think it's a little bit of a stretch and got up overly dramatized.

But regardless, she is shamed and humiliated. Not where's the guy we don't know.

It's not fair.

I understand that is just her and placing her in the midst they said to him, teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery now and will all see Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what you say there set up a test for him to see what is going to do so. Jesus, if you know the story, kneels down, he starts to ride in the dirt. What was you writing in the dirt.

I don't know nobody knows anybody tells you to do know is just making that up.

We don't not draw a picture to go that way. Tic-tac-toe I don't know but after a while Jesus. He says all right you want to stone her. Let he who is without sin in this group, but he was out sin cast the first stone. Now another awkward silence pursues with Al Qaeda stared each other knowing that they'll have said alum I want to draw garage and go home. Within this woman looks back at Jesus and she says to Jesus, you can essentially argue the stomach to because are you the one without sin that could stomach because a little secret. He was alone without sin, and he could've stone for that reason GCC rocks my hand where your accusers said I have been left Lord, and he says verse 11 what is probably the most remarkable statement that gives us the greatest picture of the gospel that you might never have heard, neither do I condemn you go and from now on sin no more region change first gospel change comes not so we can achieve it or listening to an encouraging message on Senate life from pastor JD Greer to listen again or to listen to other solid biblical teaching any time got a JD Greer.com the past few weeks we've been talking a lot about how to discover your calling and the mission of God. This is the last week to get a great new resource that goes more in depth regarding the role of the Holy Spirit in your life. It's called sent the book of acts, volume 1 to get a copy of it into your hands. Our prayer is that through our teaching series through the book of acts this month and this workbook that we created to accompany you. Be encouraged to join that mission and leverage the opportunities and gifts that you have been given to reach your community with the gospel. This first work but covers chapters 1 through eight of acts will be offering the second workbook in June when we returned to our daily teaching and acts will send you a copy with our thanks when you support the Bible teaching ministry of Senate life for sent the book of acts study guide when you donate at the suggested level of $25 or more. Just give us a call at 866-335-5220 866-335-5220 or request study guide when you get online.

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Whatever works for you. Said turning Friday on Senate night.

JD Greer described how sexual sin stating here from captivity to sing Friday on Senate life