1. It is a normal desire to thirst for food and water. I had a friend once who was an elderly man who would not eat because he was not hungry. He wasted away until he almost died. To have life a person must have eat and take in food to nourish his body.

a. Hunger and thirst are natural desires of our bodies to sustain it. God made us that way. It tells us when to eat and drink.

b. However, hunger and thirst that cannot be satisfied is painful. It is the message of a dying body, that it needs food.

2. It is normal for a person to desire to be happy. All men have that desire. We all have a God given appetite for happiness and lust after it.

a. The problem is that most of mankind ignores God and tries to satisfy his hunger from the world foul table. Most of mankind feeds on garbage and polluted things the world has, which do not meet his needs.

b. When in Vietnam, I watched on many occasions little children, men and women digging through garbage heaps seeking some small morsel of food.

I went to an orphanage, and saw little bodies of babies all wrinkled and leathery. Their enlarged stomachs, and their big round eyes were haunting. They were hungry yet had not been fed. There was little crying as they lay in their small beds because they were to weak to cry.

I watched young boys swimming in the polluted Saigon River, I watched them dive into water that was visibly polluted with human waste.

c. These scenes as pathetic as are in no way compared to true state of a man without Christ. Of a man hungering to satisfy his natural hunger to know the God who created him and to know who he is and why he is on earth. You can give a hungry man just about any kind of food and it will abate his hungry, but only one thing will fill and satisfy the soul of man and that is to know Jesus Christ as one's Savior. Nothing else can fill the void of sin in a man and bring peace and joy to the soul.

Oh, that the lost of the world could see themselves as they truly are. See themselves as God sees them.

In truth a man who does not know Jesus Christ and is not a born again son of God is no more than a starving, wrinkled, drawn hollow shell feeding on garbage and things that offer no lasting satisfaction, eating with a passion, but yet never finding true satisfaction to their spiritual hunger.

I. The Woman at the Well. John 4:1-26

A. Look first at the Woman to whom Jesus spoke.

1. She was seeking happiness in the manner of the world. She was living a worldly life, she had five husbands. vs 17-18 That did not mean she had been lawfully married, but that she had lived in adultery with five different men.

It reminds us of today of the current trend to live together and see if the couple wants to get married. Just as bad is those who pledge vows till death do us part and then divorce when their spouse doesn't satisfy them any longer or they find someone new. Adultery is a part of this worlds seeking pleasure and satisfaction. Yet, adultery is not the problem. It is only the symptom of a heart that is starved spiritually.

2. She had religion also and a faith. V25.

She said she knew the Messiah would come. She believed this much of the Scriptures. It was not a saving faith, but a knowledge of national tradition. She was a Samaritan a half Arab/Jew. Her heritage passed down through generations taught her of the Messiah. She knew too her fathers worshiped on the Mt. Gerizim, but the Jews said the place of worship was in Jerusalem. Many today worship in false churches not based on the Word of God. They are not unlike this woman, living apart from God, living in sin and yet having a religion.

Her religion, also taught that adultery was wrong. It had morals and principles, but they had little effect on the way she lived and had not met her need.

3. So she was like most men and women in that she lived her life for pleasure. She did not seem to be too concerned with her eternal soul being satisfied with a religion of tradition instead of what the Bible teaches. Her religion was that of her ancestors and was not personal with her.

B. Lets look at who she met.

1. She met Jesus, the Son of God, and in V26 He emphatically states, He is the Messiah!!

2. She was so privileged! She had the opportunity to hear the truth! She was addressed by God, and he offered her "living water".

C. Did you know that even this morning almost the same thing is happening?

1. The Truth of God's word goes out to men and women who are doing what is natural to them. They are seeking happiness, peace and pleasure.

Seeking to satisfy their need to know and be fed by a loving and caring God, but they are unaware that this is what they need or how to go about being fed of God.

ILLUS: It is like the little babies in the Saigon orphanage. They are hungry, but have no way to feed themselves. The nurses gave them sugar water because that was all they had. It did not meet the need.

The Lord Jesus knew she was there and knew all about her. You see He did not come that way by chance, but came to offer her salvation. He is still even at this very hour doing the same thing. Reaching out through his ministers, through Bible believing churches, through the personal witness of those who have been redeemed.....seeking to save the lost.

2. Yet, like this woman, most do not know the Jesus is seeking them. Many are so blind they do not know they need a Savior.

ILLUS: During the flood that hit Eastern North Carolina many woke up in the middle of the night with three feet of water in their homes which was still rising. They knew instantly they were in trouble. Many with only their night clothes on waded through chest deep water to higher ground. Many elderly had could not flee, they needed someone to come for them. Many found the water to deep and swift and impassible and crawled into their attics to get out of the rising waters. The Army sent helicopters that lifted people from the roofs of their homes. Many brave men and women got in boats and in the dark of night went house to house saving people. Folks you did not have to beg these people to let the rescuers save them. They were ready. The next day when the sun came up, with everything they had gone, homes, cars, possessions, they were was great rejoicing. They were saved...they were alive.

Oh, that men and women all over the town, county, and state would see themselves in the fix they are in and seek salvation and forgiveness for sin.

In the flood some tried to save themselves. They would not wait for rescue. They got in their cars and trucks and headed out. Many were tragically swept away by the raging waters.

3. Many too may have religion that is not too demanding on them. Religion that is comfortable and can be lived with.

The world has much of that. It comes in all shades, sizes and to meet any taste. Want to be a God, join the LDS. Want to sin on Saturday night and have forgiveness the next morning, join the RC's and go to mass. Afraid of Hell, join the JW's, Christian Science. Want to go to heaven and ignore Christ, the Church and the Gospel, become a Mason. Don't want to make a public profession of faith in Christ as the Bible says, and be baptized as Christ commanded. That's OK, become a Protestant. They will baptize you as a little baby into the church, confirm you at 12 and you're in.

Folks that is the raw truth.!!! It is not pleasant to talk about, or to look upon, or even to preach, but it is reality! In is seeing things as God sees it.

It makes the Scripture which says our righteousness is as but filthy rags, take on a more enlightened meaning.

III. Jesus offers us living water, and food that fills the soul.

A. John 4:10,13-14, Jesus said if you drink of the water he gives you will never thirst again.

Many seek to fill their thirst with false religions and beliefs. They recognize the need, but refuse to go to God well to get it. Many want heaven, but do not want Him to involved in their lives. They want to feel like they will go to heaven, but their relationship with God is for heaven and not now. They go to their churches each Sunday and go through the rituals and leave as thirsty as they entered.

ILLUS: I was eating lunch and I turned on the TV and watched a few minutes of "Little House on the Prairie." Laura Engles and her brother were fishing in a stream near their house and found a bright gold colored stones in the stream bed. They would not tell a soul about it and began to wash the gold colored stones from the creek. They worked for days panning the gold metal. They began to talk about all they would buy with their new found wealth. However, at the end of the program they discovered it was "fool's gold" iron pyrite. They worked so hard had such dreams, but for nothing. Problem was they were basing their dreams on something that was worthless.

B. John 4:31, Jesus's disciples offered him food, and he replied, "I have food to eat of which you do not know".

He said the food He had was to do the will of His Father.

C. Down through the ages Men/women/boys/girls have gone to the well of living water. Water that satisfies the soul. Jesus said the water he gives, V14, will become a fountain of living water springing up into everlasting life.

D. The woman immediately asked Christ, "Give me this water that I may not thirst, not come here to draw."

You see, she looked at God's offer, in a material sense. She at this point could not see what was being offered. Her spiritual eyes were blinded by sin.

She did not know the truth that, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" ( Matthew 6:33 ).

Jesus went straight to the heart of the matter. He brought the fact she was a sinner into the forefront.

"Go call your husband, to come here" said Jesus.

READ v17--18. Did, Jesus in bringing out in the open the fact of her sinfulness, do it to ridicule or belittle her? Certainly NOT!

It is very obvious His intent was to get her to start thinking of spiritual things.

She did too! She said, Sir you must be a prophet. You see she was then turned toward reality, and truth. She began to think of God and what see knew of Him.

Jesus did not condone her sin and went to the heart of her false religious beliefs. He stated the she worshiped in vain, and that salvation was in truth of the Jews. They had the truth, he said, she did not.

V23 Jesus said, "those who truly worship God worship in spirit and truth." The two are inseparable. So many ask me whether this group or another will be saved! Many ask me why I do not compromise and accept the beliefs of all churches and groups.

God has answered the question, not I. One must worship God in spirit and truth. That means ritual and ceremony are not included. All false religion has great pomp and ceremony if falsely believes you must have rituals, sacraments, actions of all kinds in order to worship God. Others want to worship the Lord by outward actions, feel good entertaining emotion, music, etc . But Jesus said the we worship God with our hearts. Can worshiping God be emotional? Certainly it can, but what qualifies true worship is that is also in truth.

A heart that loves God, will love and honor Him always.

Not just in a ceremony on Sunday morning.

And one cannot worship without truth. Many as the woman at the well have religion..but not God's truth. She worshiped in a religious system that man had dreamed up. It was not of God because it was not of truth. Folks, God is Truth, to worship Him you must worship truth and not lies.

Conclusion:

A. Jesus said those that hungry after righteousness will be filled. Righteousness means living for God as God directs us and you cannot do that if you do not believe in Him and put your trust in what He says.

B. The spiritual void in a lost man can only be filled by God. He put the void there and only He has the keys to open the heart and fill it with the love of God and God's peace and joy.

1. Folks the Devil does not have the key to open that door to your heart.

2. The word used here for hunger is the most intense word that can be used. It is not just a casual desire and something you want to try. It is a desire that will gnaw as you and demands to be satisfied.

C. Those that heard the truth, and have the Holy Spirit begin conviction to their hearts can respond and receive that refreshing, cool satisfying water that only the Lord can give.

ILLUS: When I was a boy working on my uncle's farm in the summer it was hard work and it got awful hot. You would start down the long rows of corn, peanuts, cotton and think you would never get to the end. Finally, you would get to the end and turn around and make your way back to the side of the field where you began. At the end of the field I would walk over to the mule drawn wagon and there would be a gallon glass jar of fresh cool well water. Oh, was it good. How it refreshed and keep you going.

My friend the water God gives leaves you eternally filled. You never have to thirst again. You soul receives all it needs.

1. This morning the matter can be settled for eternity.

How are you seeking to satisfy the deep desires of your heart this morning?

Are you seeking it from the world's polluted streams where you drink more and more yet are never satisfied!

Are you seeking it from Satan's table of false religion. Perverting the truth by ceremony, ritual, offering false hope, false Christ's, false conversions, false baptisms, false teaching, and false preachers.

2. Jesus said, those that hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled!

Jesus offers living water, food that satisfies. Would you accept it freely offered and freely given.

3. How can I have it? You can have it from the same source that the Samaritan woman did. You can believe in Jesus Christ and be saved.

I love John 4:42 "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."

Dear friends that once sinful woman received the living water of God and is even at this very hour having her thirst completely and eternal satisfied.


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