2026 03 08 - Don’t Just Take My Word For It - Popp

Grace, peace and mercy from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

John 4. This idea of living water, it made me think about, who do you believe? Who do you trust? Right. Really knowing a person's character, knowing their background sometimes helps us believe when they're saying things.

That seems so outrageous. Once again, I put AI to the test and I said, would you create for me a picture with Jesus? The woman coming back from the city with all these people following her in a marathon style water station. I thought, that's cool. It did it.

These poor graphic artists, they're in so much trouble. I don't understand why they're coming with cups. Maybe they're empty. I didn't understand. I didn't change it and didn't notice that until later.

But it made me think about this. And as Mr. Timmerman said in the children's message, you know, I thought about this yesterday at the gate with the water stations. I purposely would go toward people at the end because they don't get as much action. But how they would hold the water as we needed it. We'll get to that here in a minute.

Let's jump in a little bit. After back to back weeks in Genesis, we go back to this Gospel of John during this Lenten season during our walk and look at how important it is to stay hydrated with this living water and be generous in sharing it. Now this is a special story only because it sets up perfect. You know what? First thing it says is in the sixth hour, it's about noon.

Right? Nobody went to draw water in the middle of the day. It was hot. This woman went because she did not want to be seen. And of course, as we learned through the readings, because let's just say she probably had a lot of people talking about her.

Right? I. I hear nicknames like the Widowmaker maybe. Right. Already had five husbands. I wonder what people thought.

Why would God, Why would Jesus choose her? Well, let's jump in. First is what's so special about Jacob's well? We were Fortunate enough in 2019, Kinski's leadbetters and millers. We got to see Jacob's well.

We went to where it was at now by then a Greek Orthodox church had built a church around it. It was in the basement. It was a beautiful church. But that's kind of a look at what that well looked like. That was us going through.

Had a picture of what it has become in this tourist world. Lot of interesting stories on that we won't get into. But the point is, what's so special about Jacob's well? Well, it was believed to have been dug by Jacob, right? Abraham's grandson, not just named after him, he dug the well.

This is his water. It was supposed to be deep, right? And Samaria was this middle ground for Jews and Samaritans. So as far as. Even though they didn't interact, they.

They certainly kept separated. It was where a lot were both around. But I bring this up especially, what's so special about Jacob's well? Nothing. It's plain water.

In fact, by the time we went, it was pretty bad. It's like going down to the St. Augustine for the fountain of youth. Oh, is that some awful water? Right? This wasn't much better.

It's just plain water. That's not the focus as we get into this a little bit. It certainly was what Jesus used, the metaphors. He went to the well. Just like baptism, it's not about the water, but we'll get into that.

Roman numeral 4 drinking and serving this living water. What did we know? Well, it starts with knowing the source.

Where's the water from? When we use literal water, let's face it, some of us are water snobs. Anybody that's had a reverse osmosis machine, when you go drink a bottle of spring water, right, gotta know where that water is from. People go out of their way to buy certain bottled water. Well, let's face it, when it comes to knowing Jesus having that water, we have to know him from the source that tells us all about him.

If we're going to drink living water, we have to know where the source is. And all the Old Testament scripture points to this coming Messiah. Even the woman at the well was waiting for Jesus, as she said in there, I want to read for you way back, Deuteronomy 18:50, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, for your brothers. It is to him you shall listen. She says, we've been waiting for you.

Even the Samaritans who believed in the first five books, the Torah knew they were waiting for this person and in fact died around 1850. And in fact we're going to get to it later in 24, 26. But watch 25 say, I know the Messiah is coming. He was called the Christ. When he comes, he will tell us all things.

As she's saying that, at what point does he start telling her all about herself, where she says, who are you? She hears what scripture has been pointing to for a long time and worshiping in spirit and truth. Right. The verse 24, right before this idea of knowing the source.

I think it's so important. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit, Spirit and truth. Again, we're going to come back to where that source, that spirit comes and we're going to talk about that. But what I love here is after we get to verse 25 again, where she says, we know the Messiah's coming. He's going to tell us all things.

What does he say? I who speak to you am He. This is the I am. Jesus is letting her know. Yep, you've been waiting and here I am now.

It's a great story. And again, I'm glad she wasn't fearful, obviously, of everything she had said. So she runs in and she lets everybody know in the town, hey, I have met the Messiah.

I've done past sermons where I have talked about what that must have sounded like. Did anybody believe or what it is? I want to focus there today. I want to talk about those last four verses, the 39 to 42. This idea as they came back, right?

Oh, the John 8. Sorry, the John 8,58, Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you before Abraham was I am. That's the I am statement as he says to her. But as. As we're confessing Jesus as Savior, this idea of those last four verses, the Samaritans that from the town believed in him because of the woman's testimony.

He told me all that I had ever did. So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, it is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves.

And we know that this is, is indeed the Savior of the world.

Again, we've talked about it before, living on this side of the cross. This is before he went. This is where they knew what he was coming to do. But they had not seen it yet. It had not happened, Right?

Who would believe that woman? The woman living in sin, right? The woman going through the bend. Jesus loved her. Jesus met her at the well.

Jesus went and personally told her, I am he, and sent her as the messenger to the Samaritans. Now I'm glad they came out. I'm glad they asked him to stay. I'm glad he had two days and many were saved.

But that's why I thought about our character. Not our character matters, but to us. But Jesus chose her. We get so caught up And I think character is very important. Certainly we're trying to teach our kids as we're children of God, our character matters.

Our word matters. When we're truthful, faithful, when we keep our assignments and up to date, you know, character matters. But who do we see Jesus go to over and over and over?

It's not the Pharisees and Sadducees. It's not the most upright people in town. Right.

I often, sometimes struggle. He comes to the woman at the well. And sometimes I made the mistake of saying, what does he tell the woman at the well? To go and sin no more. Oh, wait, that's John 8.

The woman that was being stoned for adultery. Not quite the same story, but the sentiment is true. What's he tell those Pharisees? We're going to stone the woman who is caught in adultery. He who is without sin cast first stone.

It's interesting again, as he sent this woman off, she knew. He knew the dirt. There's no excuses. He chose you. He will use us all.

It's that great idea of if he wants us all. What's holding people back?

I'm often accused, you know. Dave says all the time. I get a little too much into the going and sharing the evangelism side and reminding people, hey, you are awful sinners. Let me make it very clear. You're awful sinners who need Jesus.

There are a lot of people out there who are awful sinners that have no clue.

How do we prepare our water station for the Lord? How can we share his living water? Thought a lot about this because Betty May had us do a water station. That was for the soldiers. The Betty May's here, Betty.

Who'd we do this for? The uso? Yes. And the first thing I taught us is, you better hold the cup like this and let them take it or you're gonna get wet. And of course, we had water and Gatorade.

You didn't want to be holding the Gatorade.

What smiling faces. Everybody coming by wanting water, who would not want to take it from us, Right? But I saw it from the background. We had this picture of all the people coming, how we're holding all those waters lined up. People who are dying of thirst were out there and they're coming to us.

How does this look? How do we get ready for this? How do we prepare our water station? Well, the first thing we need to prepare is baptism. In order for us to share living water, we need to be daily, also in God's word in that water.

And it starts with baptism, the Holy Spirit upon us. Because God's love has been. This is the epistle that Ms. Sharon read. Because of God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit has been given to us.

Friday after school, we had another third grader come to the waters of baptism.

That's his day, March 6th. Every year he's going to remember what he did. The Holy Spirit will never leave him. It starts with that, of course. I have a lot of cute pictures of baptism.

This was a. He was being a little ornery, so I had a little fun. This was afterwards taking pictures, not during the service.

Maybe it was. I don't remember. Anyway, God's love overflows from our hearts. A few chapters later, in John 7, whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures have said, out of his heart will overflow. Will flow rivers of living water.

In order for us to share, we have to be filled. It's out of the overflow. If we are not filled with that water, how can we share Jesus with others? Understanding again, the importance of us having that in us so we can share it with others. And again, the why.

We always want to know the why, right? I love it. How many times when we were young, our parents said, because I said so, man, did that irritate us. They're the parents, right? Because I said so.

What a great thing, right? When God says so, he tells us it's a great commission. All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Is Jesus speaking? Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Surely I'll be with you always to the very end of the age. It is that command for us to go and share. I hope it's as comforting to you as it is to me that he's telling us to go. This is his command to be open. Now, I don't want to dwell too much on this, but I think it's important for us to understand how to hold the cup, right?

I put. Don't use a fire hose. Let's face it. I've seen some people try to share Christ.

Open up and say, ah, right. Knock them down. I'm sure they love that.

I saw the perfect example. It was last week. One of the parents was saying to me how the teacher is moving on in the lesson and their child hasn't learned this yet. How can they do that? I had to explain to them what scope and sequence was so that's okay.

See, everything that we want the kids to learn, we have a introducing and a practicing and a mastering. So one teacher might just be introducing it. They won't get it yet. They're going to hear about it and the next year they might be practicing it and they might not get it. That's okay.

We got to move on and get to the next stuff and eventually, hopefully, they'll have it mastered. I bring that up to you because we never know where anybody is when we get the opportunity to share Christ. When the Holy Spirit makes it clear, I'm supposed to go talk to that person. I might not know anything about that person and. And I don't know where they're at on that track.

But my job is not to make sure I get a signed letter of faith from them before I leave. It's the level to share where our overflow of the heart comes. That we have this living water that is so great and if they haven't learned it yet, it's okay to move on. Might not be the mastering section, right? I'm sure the Lord has other people to bring in their life.

It's comforting that great commission work, because again, we are to be faithful and show that love out of the overflow of our heart. Let Jesus do the work. Only Jesus saves lives just as he did for you and me. The Samaritans confessed Jesus as the Savior 2000 years ago, and so do we today. Thank you, Lord, for giving us your living water.

Help us to stay focused on this precious gift during Lent as we continue on this journey together. To God be the glory. Amen. Amen.