The Gift – 2

The Gift – 2

Subject – If You Knew the Gift of God

By Rick Welborne

John 4:4-10 (NKJV)
⁴  But He needed to go through Samaria.
⁵  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
⁶  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
⁷  A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
⁸  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
⁹  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
¹⁰  Jesus answered and 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."

--As we approach the Christmas season, we do so with many being so excited and others having mixed emotions. For some it is wonderful family time and for others it is separation.

--Unfortunately, we live in a time where families are splintered and divided, and family time, even at holidays can be very strained and uncomfortable.  

--Before I get anyone too depressed, I want you to know this is going to be a message of hope and encouragement for those who will receive it.

--We prayerfully look forward to next week and our wonderful Christmas celebration. Pastor Aaron, other pastors, and his team always do wonderful in celebrating Jesus.

--The choir, the praise team, the youth, the children, the tech team, those who helped with decorations, La Vida Church, and all of you who bring those who need Christ, contribute to this gift of God.

--Back to our text: Jesus had a need to go through Samaria (very dangerous for the Jews) and He was on a mission. A mission to deliver a gift.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
²³  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

--Just like all of us, this woman was about to be confronted with those two aspects of life, the wages of sin and the gift of God which is eternal life.

--Everyone has that choice, to live with the consequences and wages of sin or to receive what Jesus came to this earth for, to purchase our salvation. He came as a baby but His mission was:

Luke 19:10 (NLT2)
¹⁰  For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

--Today I want us to look at this Samaritan woman and tie her story (her wonderful story) with the Christmas story. I want to talk about, “If You Knew the Gift of God.” 

1. Give Me a Drink

John 4:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ Jesus answered and 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."

--You see, everywhere Jesus went He was bearing gifts…especially the gift of eternal life. There were times He gave the gift of healing or deliverance but His best gift was salvation.

--Jesus engages this woman right where she lived. Jesus is our Master but He is also the Master soul winner. Asking the woman to “Give Me a drink.” Was simply a set up to give her a gift.

--We all kind of laugh when the pastor says he has a restaurant ministry, but if we are always on mission, asking the waiter or waitress for a drink can be a set up for so much more.

--Spirit filled people like talking about spiritual gifts and what their gift is, but understand the greatest gift you have is the gift of salvation to share with the world.

--Anyone remember Toys R Us? A huge store filled with incredible toys and all kind of gifts that children would love to receive at Christmas. 

--That’s great, but if the toys never leave the store and make it into the hands of a child what good are they? Some, who can’t afford them, take their kids to play with them in the store.

--The church is filled with people who have received the greatest gift ever and they have so many other spiritual gifts but if they never leave the church, what good are they doing.

--I don’t know the percentage but most of the Word of God about Jesus was not with Him in the synagogue but He was out meeting people where they were.

John 4:10-15 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Jesus answered and 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."
¹¹  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?
¹²  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?"
¹³  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
¹⁴  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."
¹⁵  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

--The woman says to Jesus “Sir, give me a drink.” She didn’t fully understand at this point. Maybe you are here today and you are hearing of hope and you are saying “Give me a drink.”

2. The World Has Gifts.

John 4:13-15 (NKJV)
¹³  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
¹⁴  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."
¹⁵  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

--The woman starts doing with Jesus what so many do today, she begins to negotiate with Him. I have this well, I got it from our father Jacob. My whole family…Jews…so I am good.

--I’m a Baptist, a Catholic, a Methodist, a Pentecostal. My whole family was raised in this church so I am good. Your family being in church does not equate to your salvation. If you knew the gift of God!

--Jesus begins to confront her with the gifts that she has found in this world.

John 4:16-19 (NKJV)
¹⁶  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
¹⁷  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,'
¹⁸  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."
¹⁹  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

--So many make the mistake this woman made, she thought the gift she needed was just another relationship …another man. Johnny Lee had her pegged.

Well, I spent a lifetime lookin' for you…Singles bars and good time lovers were never true
Playin' a fools game hopin' to win…And tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover…I'll bless the day I discover…Another heart lookin' for love

And I was alone then, no love in sight…And I did everything I could to get me through the night
Don't know where it started or where it might end…I turned to a stranger just like a friend

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover…I'll bless the day I discover…Another heart lookin' for love

You came a-knockin' at my heart's door..You're everything I've been lookin' for

No more lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Now that I've found a friend and a lover…I bless the day that I discovered…You, oh you

Lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces                                                      Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Now that I've found a friend and a lover…I bless the day I discovered
You, oh you…Lookin' for love in all the wrong places

--Five husbands and a man who was not her husband were not the kind of gifts she needed. The world has gifts but they are not the life changing kind.

John 4:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God.”

3. A Gift Too Good to Keep.

--As a pastor I spend a lot of my preaching trying to convince those who claim to know Jesus to go and tell other’s about Him and how He can change their lives.

--I find that funny but not funny because no one had to tell me that this gift was too good to keep to myself. I wanted everyone to experience this new wonderful life. Family and friends.

--You are not supposed to put a novice in a place of leadership but the church I was saved in did. They told me I was in charge of Evangelism Outreach. Say what? Telling people about Jesus.

--When this woman at the well had an encounter with Jesus no one had to tell her to tell others. Automatic. 

John 4:39&41 (NKJV) ³⁹  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."
⁴¹ And many more believed because of His own word.

--Some were saved because of her testimony and others because they came and heard Jesus. When you share, some will believe and be saved, others will come and hear the Word and be saved.

--The point here is that Jesus is a gift too good to keep. Invite your Christian friends to the Christmas Program but for the sake of the Kingdom of God, invite those who don’t know the Lord.

--Revival came to Samaria, not because there was a church just sitting and waiting for the sinners to break down the doors, but because this Samaritan woman found a gift too good to keep.

--We support world missions, of course, but we also support local one on one missions. If you knew the gift of God. 

 Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV)
¹⁵  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
¹⁶  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.