Jesus Fulfilling Our Spiritual Needs

Is that better? So, just Psalm 27. To behold the beauties of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. To seek the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know, at one point in time it was, there was a clear temple built in Jerusalem and that was the place of worship. But, Jesus, He revealed that where He is present, in our hearts, that's where the temple of God is. And then, Brother Abe, the way that you shared about having compassion, Jesus had compassion.

And Jesus, He looks at us and the perspective that Jesus has is different than the perspective of our fellow human beings. It's different than our own personal perspective. We look and, you know, we'll see someone that's maybe better at something than what we are.

And we could feel intimidated. We could, and maybe we go by our feelings rather than by the truth. We see someone that has a gift and then we could rejoice in that and be a blessing and be an encouragement to that person.

Hey, I really appreciate what I see in you. But, depending on what we do with our feelings, then we judge so often. Or the next time we see someone that's maybe not as good at something as what we are and we feel like we're so much better.

And we walk with our head in the air, nose too high, and don't see the whole in front of us. And, of course, it doesn't take very long and we fall on our faces. I would like to look at a few verses here, just considering who Jesus is.

John chapter 14, verse 6. The book of John 14, chapter 14, verse 6. So I'm actually just going to read a few verses, one here and a few other places as well. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me.

In a world where everything is not clear, there's a lot of gray. Jesus, he made it clear that he is the way. He is the truth.

He is the life. And we have something clear that we can look at today. We know whom we have believed.

And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him. We are persuaded that he is able to keep that which we have committed unto him, unto that day. We have something to stand on a good, solid foundation through Jesus Christ.

Let's turn to 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Now there's one part in particular I want to see, I want to look at. God was manifest in the flesh. When we're considering who Jesus Christ is, God revealed himself in flesh, in a bodily form, through Jesus Christ.

So, when we look at Jesus, we see God. When we read how Jesus lived and what he did on this earth, we can read about how God is on this earth. That's amazing.

Let's turn to Colossians 2, verse 9. For in him, Jesus, in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We talk about the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. We talk about who God is and how we try to imagine, but God is spirit, we can't see him.

And yet, when Jesus was walking on this earth, the fullness of the Godhead was in him as he walked. Now God, he is not limited to being only in one place at one time. But God decided to reveal himself as a man on this earth, and yet he was God.

Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 3. So, I'll read verse 2 as well. And verse 1. If you want to see God, look at Jesus, and you will see God. Express image of God.

Now, with this in our minds about who Jesus is, let's turn to John, chapter 4. I'm going to read from verse 1 on. When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus himself baptized not but his disciples, he left Judea and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria.

Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well, and it was about the sixth hour.

And there came a woman of Samaria to draw water. And Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. Jesus was becoming a threat to the Pharisees.

John was being a threat. They tried to deal with him. But now Jesus was becoming more popular and baptizing more people.

And so Jesus moved from Jerusalem, and he was going back to Galilee. But, he did that on purpose. He wanted to reveal who he was.

But he had a different agenda on the way. He must needs go through Samaria. And he decided that he would stop at the well that was there close to Sychar.

The disciples, right away we read, the disciples were gone, verse 8, away into the city to buy meat. So Jesus was sitting there, his disciples were gone, and a woman comes to the well. And Jesus speaks to her.

Just that alone already. Remember, who is Jesus? He is God in the flesh. He came to reveal himself to his own people.

But here, he encounters a woman who is a Samaritan. And as we read, we'll find out what kind of attitude there was between the Jews and the Samaritans. But Jesus speaks.

He was not too high. He was not too holy to speak to this woman that was considered a bad woman to the Jews. He said to her, give me to drink.

For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, how is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. So, sorry Jesus, how could you be so naive? Don't you know the truth? Don't you know our culture? Don't you know that Jews don't have any dealings with Samaritans? Now she was just reminding him of what the truth was.

And that was true. That was the normal attitude of people. She knew Jesus was a Jew.

We so often fit into a box. Oh, this is how you go about with people from this category. And this is how you go about people from that category.

And where did we learn it from? Well, we learned it from others around us. We learned it maybe from ourselves, how we look at life. But Jesus, he didn't fit in that box.

Jesus responded in verse 10. So Jesus brushes it off and says, You don't know who you're talking to. She had put him in a box.

I say, you shouldn't be talking to me. And he goes beside and says, If you knew who I really was, you would be asking me for something. If thou knewest the gift of God.

So Jesus asked for something, but yet at the same time he was offering something far better. This woman was maybe a little confused. The gift of God.

If you knew the gift of God, what was available to you? And if you knew who I was, you'd be asking for living water. This woman, she's looking, she's confused. Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.

From whence hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us this well and drank thereof himself and his children and his cattle? So Jacob, he couldn't have gotten water out of the well without a container, without some sort of vessel to draw the water. And she was wondering what he has to offer that's different. Jesus says in verse 13, Whoso drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.

But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. She was wondering, are you greater than Jacob? So then he explained a little bit further what kind of water he had to offer. Jacob's water, you drink of that well that Jacob made way back in the day, and you thirst again.

And you thirst again, and you always have to come back. But the water that I'm offering, when you drink of it, it's going to become a spring, a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Wow.

That sounds good. The woman said unto him, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. She was still, in her mind, she was thinking this was a physical well.

He was going to draw water. And once you drank, you would never need to draw any more water from this well again. You would have all the water you need.

Jesus said unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.

In that saidst thou truly. The woman said unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Let's back up a little bit, sorry. In verse 18, when Jesus exposed her situation, remember, she drank from the well, the water of the well, and she was thirsty. And she was thirsty again.

It did not fulfill her. At the time it quenched her thirst, but soon she had to drink again. Now look, she was married not just once.

She's had five husbands. And the one she had now, she wasn't married to. Do you think maybe she was seeking for something? Do you think maybe she had something in her life that didn't satisfy, and she kept on looking for something more? Was Jesus maybe exposing to her when he said that, that look, what you're seeking after doesn't satisfy.

It's not the fulfillment that you're looking for. But it was true. Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Now let's picture a little bit. Here Jesus is.

He's trying to reveal himself to this Samaritan woman. And this woman, she's starting to see that this is, it's true, this man is not just any man. But she's been satisfied.

Spiritually she hasn't been really seeking that much. She, she was looking for satisfaction in life, fulfillment in life, in the wrong places. But yet, she said this, our fathers worshipped in this mountain.

Ye say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Now, isn't it good enough? Isn't it good enough where we are now? Jacob drank from this water. This was the place where they used to worship.

It used to be okay. What's wrong with the way I'm living? You say that Jerusalem is the place. Jesus, through his Holy Spirit is still looking.

He is still reaching out into our hearts and trying to find a place where he can stay. He's trying to reveal himself. But we can easily climb into a box, build ourselves some walls, or like Peter did on the mount.

He said, let's build a tabernacle here. Actually three, one for Moses, one for Elias, and one for you. Now this is good.

And this is comfortable. We don't need to grow. We don't need to change.

We like this here. We're satisfied. And yet Jesus is knocking and wanting to teach us more and wanting to reveal more truth to us and wanting to lead us closer to himself.

But what is our response? Do we have a guard? Do we say, well I have this. This is good enough. But Jesus, he continued.

And he saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what. We know what we worship.

For salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. And the Father seeketh such to worship him.

So verse 21. Let's consider that some more. Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet in Jerusalem worship the Father.

So without right away telling her that she was wrong, Jesus was speaking about the hour, the time coming when it's not a place in Israel, in Jerusalem or in Samaria. Worship is not a place. But it was just changing.

Up till then it had been in a place or toward that place very particularly. But he's giving her insight as to what is going to change. Verse 22.

Ye worship ye know not what. We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. The word of God came very clear through the prophets and Jerusalem was the place.

She was wrong. She was trying to build her life saying it's okay where we are. We don't have to go to Jerusalem.

We don't have to change our ways. It's okay. This is a place where we can worship God.

But Jesus said it was not okay. The known word of God at that time revealed that Jerusalem was the place where we need to worship. But she was stepping back as the Samaritans all were and saying this is good enough.

But Jesus He came to reveal more. He said there is a life of an everlasting life available with water flowing out of us that is not in Samaria by Jacob's well. It's not in Jerusalem.

There's not a place but it's worshipping God in spirit and in truth. Verse 23 But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him. So it's not a time.

It's not a place but it's a type of heart attitude and a type of people. Not Jews necessarily but in general those that worship him in spirit and in truth. Verse 24 God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Now let's look at a few verses again. John chapter 14 verse 17 If ye love me keep my commandments and I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you all around us. People have an idea of what truth is and so when the Holy Spirit speaks they can't see it.

They won't acknowledge that that is truth because it seeth the world seeth him not. They cannot receive the Holy Spirit because the world receiveth him not they seeth him not neither knoweth him Jesus Christ sends the Holy Spirit and those that listen those that hear the word of Jesus they can receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit reveals truth unto us. John 15 verse 26 But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testify of me.

Again the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth and we're going to live beyond what people think or people say. We're going to live outside of a box and we're going to be able to do God's will in a new way in a special way because of God's Holy Spirit working in us. We don't need to judge people Oh you're a you're a Samaritan and all that you're not good people to be around so I'm not going to talk to you.

Jesus he didn't live in that box and I don't think God wants us to live in that box either but he wants us to do the right thing and truth is not always like people around us think. John 16 verses 13 and 14 How be it when he the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he he shall hear that shall he speak and he will show you things to come he shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. So here again verse 24 God is spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth do we find that sometimes we listen to the truth that is around us more than the truth that the Holy Spirit is revealing to us and because of that that hinders us again let's go back the woman of Samaria she she reminded Jesus hey you're not supposed to be talking to me there was a hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans if you know who the Samaritans are maybe that history will help you to understand the situation so when Jerusalem after the children of Israel came back from Babylon and the scattered people of Israel they came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city they found out that many of the Jews had married Gentiles and now through that influence then they were not pure Jews anymore and they were turning they were going to worship idols very soon God had made it very clear this was not allowed and so they put away those wives and the children that were half Jews and they that's where Samaria started so Samaria was half a place of half Jews and that was very hard many of them cried it was a very sad time but yet people wanting to serve God with pure hearts they made that separation but since then there was now unforgiveness and there was a hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans this was now 400 years after that time at least and there was still that enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans so the Jews had this attitude that we are better than you we are pure and you're half-breed and there was no communication especially not with a woman but Jesus he looked beyond that being listening to the voice of his father he was willing to speak to this woman at the well I really appreciate the attitude that this woman had Jesus exposed her in different ways and she was longing for something more and she must have known something because in verse 25 the woman said unto him I know that Messiah's cometh which is called Christ when he is come he will tell us all things I wouldn't doubt it if the words from verse 21 to 24 they were a little bit over her head she couldn't quite grasp everything that was being said but these words she didn't she didn't think they were lies she didn't doubt them she just mentioned wow I know when the Messiah's comes he's gonna reveal he's gonna tell us all things so maybe that reminded her of the Messiah's coming Jesus said unto her I that speak unto thee am he how many times have we not been in life hungry for something more searching for something more and where the words of God were revealed to us in a very special way this is what God wants from us the Samaritans they were also looking for the Messiah's the Jews were looking for the Messiah's most of the Jews many of the Jews they did not receive him but here this Samaritan woman she heard these words and though she had her prejudices though she had her maybe the things that she was leaning on that she thought this was ok we're not that bad but when Jesus revealed himself she believed it wow he's here the Messiah's and she received these words and she acknowledged it as truth so the disciples came and marveled that he talked with the woman how could you be talking to a woman like that of Samaria but no one said unto him what seekest thou why talkest thou with her and the woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city and saith unto men unto the men but before that why did she leave her water pot there what does that mean that's right she's coming back why would she go to the well to get water and then leave her water pot there she was planning on coming back she went her way into the city and saith to the men verse 29 come and see a man which told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ there was a hunger there then they went out of the city and came unto him so not just the woman came back but all the the men of the city they heard and they all came who is this who is this and there was a hunger do we have a hunger or are we satisfied do we have our little tabernacle built and you know up to hitherto that the Lord helped us and now we're happy where we are and we stop listening and we're not willing to change anymore but God he continues to speak those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth the truth that is beyond what the world around us says the truth that is even beyond what our church culture is we have to grow the life that we have in Jesus Christ is only because of us being attached to the vine so the truth is not here the truth is in Jesus as long as Jesus is in here then the truth is coming out but we can come to the place where we're satisfied with where things are at and kind of do things out of habit and Jesus can remove himself because we're not looking to him and he can walk right out and we don't notice because we're okay with things staying the way they are you know we have the right church we have the right you know we're doing a bunch of good things you know we're okay but if we want to worship God we need to maintain that attitude of seeking that attitude of hunger for righteousness and thirst for righteousness so that we can worship God in spirit and in truth verse 31 here of chapter 4 in John in the meanwhile his disciples prayed him saying master eat but he said unto them I have meat to eat that ye know not of how fulfilling isn't that when we can be responsible we can be a vessel of God used to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to a seeking soul someone who's been looking in the wrong places for fulfillment and has found it lacking unfulfilling and now they're seeking and we can reveal Jesus Christ unto them isn't that like eating isn't that much more than eating doesn't that give such a fulfillment in life verse 33 therefore the disciples said one to another hath any man brought him up to eat Jesus said unto him my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work say ye not there are yet four months and then cometh harvest behold I say unto you lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white all ready to harvest and he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together so doing the work of the Father when the Holy Spirit is working in us and we can be the ones to transfer that work of God that is so fulfilling and the hunger and the need around us is so great and I really appreciate what brother Abe shared this morning you know how a scribble we look and oh that person is just a scribble that situation is bad but to be able to look at the people around us with God's eyes to see a soul to see a person in need to see a person who is hungry to see a person who is seeking or maybe not seeking but to see a person that has potential and to be able to respond with that kind of attitude is worth so much I confess I've I've failed many times it's hard for me to see beyond that little scribble that's there I'm I'm not a really good artist but let's remember the truth is not always what the world displays as truth they have their ideas it's they say it's better to make friends with rich people than with poor people because they'll help you in time of need there's a lot of different things they want to be popular well then they're going to be with people that are popular and there's a lot of things that we see in the world they have their form of truth and what life is why we're here but God has a different view and He has the right to say what truth is doesn't He? He can see better than what we can so often and I find for myself I very often I need to let God transform my mind I have my way of thinking and God's like that's wrong that's not the right way to think about myself about others there's so many areas but the potential Jesus seen the potential He looked at Sychar He looked at these people and He said don't you see the field that's white and ready to harvest? wow verse 37 and herein is that saying true one soweth another reapeth I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor other men labored and ye are entered into their labors we cannot stand up after after some evangelistic meetings and say look at how many souls I brought to God even though souls might have gotten saved one person watered another person he harvested but God gave the increase right we all participated and it's the spirit of God that works in souls we in our own strength can't do anything but God He uses us and we can participate in the labor what a blessing so verse 39 and many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him for the saying of the woman which testified He told me all things ever I did this woman that was seeking for something more in life who was not satisfied who was looking in marriage relationships for satisfaction and couldn't find it she now found Jesus she was telling everybody about Him and many people believed because of her word so when the Samaritans verse 40 were come unto Him they besought Him that He would tarry with them and He abode there two days and many more believed because of His own words and said unto the woman now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heard Him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ the Savior of the world it sounds so different than the testimony of the Jews the good people Jesus came unto His own but His own received Him not and here the Samaritans they heard a little bit and they believed and then when they seen Him and heard Him well now they believed even more and my desire for us today is that we would have open hearts ready to receive God's word ready to listen to His Spirit draw us maybe there's something that we have hidden in our our lives that hinders us and God is reminding us and we keep on making excuses oh it's ok we're good we have so many different things and yet God is drawing us and pointing out a certain area in our life this needs to be cleaned up this is hindering you and we just leave it and we don't let God touch that area are we worshipping God then in spirit and in truth or are we not listening and possibly living in denial and and only giving God part of our hearts let's be ready if we have areas let's be ready to lay those down let's be ready to serve God fully purely truly as His Spirit leads let us worship Him in spirit and in truth that it can truly be a sweet smelling savor to the Lord as we sing as we pray and as we offer our lives for Him let's pray together yeah dear Lord Father in Heaven thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit thank You for continuing to draw us to Yourself that You go out of Your way on purpose to seek us to find us to draw us to Yourself because Your heart is so full of compassion thank You for sending Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit who continues to show us the truth who continues to draw us to Jesus I pray help us to walk in truth help us to lay aside those sins that do so easily beset us those things that draw us away from You help us to listen to Your truth especially when it contradicts the truth that people try to say around us help us to live holy lives Lord holy for You not made dirty by this world help us to look at the potential that is around us the souls that are around us the people that are hungry and thirsty who are not satisfied with the life that they have tried to live who are looking for fulfillment in something and are not finding it help us to see those scribbles help us to see those needy areas help us to be able to in the right way with the right heart attitude show compassion and show Jesus to them I pray You would lead us and help us to do what is right in the precious name of Jesus Christ Amen.