The Living Water: Lesson Three

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the

counsel of the undgodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by

the rivers of water,

That bring forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatsoever he does shall prosper."

Psalm 1:1-3

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Good day! Let's seek the Lord...

Thank You, Father, once again for bringing us here to Your holy word. I pray that You will be worshiped here and glorified here. I pray that You will show us more of who You are in this study today.

I seek forgiveness of sins this morning. I pray that You will blot out my transgressions and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I pray for each lady reading this study that you will be with her and in her heart today. Please bring her peace and a time of quiet solitude where she can search the scriptures and learn more about her Savior.

In Jesus' name...........amen.

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"Now, a river went out of Eden to water the garden...." Gen 2:10

I love to garden so this verse really speaks to me about who God is. He is the Master Gardener. I can only imagine what the Garden of Eden looked like when the earth knew no sin, but it is fun trying. I have never been to Hawaii, but have heard the greens there are amazing. I have heard that the flowers there are spectacular.....and that is with sin in the world.

Imagine Eden in a perfect world where roses had no thorns and flowers bloomed constantly. Just think of the smells.........

I find it wonderful that our Lord starts off this tale of redemption with a river watering His garden.

"...and from there it parted and became four riverheads." Gen 2:10

Here we see the purpose of the rivers was to divide land. You can see this throughout scripture.

Since Jesus symbolizes (as Holy Spirit) that the Living Water or the Water of Life is salvation or the gospel....we can see that in scripture, this message does divide:

Please read:

Heb 4:12

Jesus does divide doesn't He?

Luke 8: 19-21

Did you lose friends when you came to know Christ as Savior? Did it affect your relationships with family members when you became a Christian? The name of Jesus is powerful....

Phil 2:9-10

Jesus, like a river cutting through the land, does divide and separate us from the unsaved of this world. He has called us unto perfection and holiness as He is holy:

1 Thess 4:7-8

Because the word of God is working in us:

1 Thess 2:13

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John 4: 7-8

"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink.' For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food."

The stage is set, the scene is prepared and the players are all in place:

-Jesus, the Promise of God, God in the flesh, sits at the well of Jacob.

-The Samaritan woman, who is not named here perhaps because her earthly name is not needed for she is about to become a new creation in Christ.

-And the disciples. They have followed their desires and needs of the flesh. They have gone to buy food to satisfy their hunger....and look at what they missed! If only they had been more patient like Jesus.....if only we were more patient like Jesus. Imagine all that we have missed.....

Please read:

Ez. 16:51-59

We see here that the Lord remembered what He swore He would do.

Let's continue:

-We see here that the woman came to draw from the well for herself. She had no servants. She was poor. She came at noon...an unusual time of day for women to draw water.

Gen 24:11

Ex 2:16

Perhaps she was ashamed and did not want to see other women? Yet, our Lord knew she would come at this time and not at evening time. Providence of God.

-Jesus was alone. He had walked a long way. His disciples went to buy food, but Jesus knew that water is more important than food. The human body can live weeks without food, but only a few days without water. He has a different food:

Matt 4:4

I have seen inside the human body and it consists of blood and water. Blood is actually made up of water. So, we are made up of water.

And concerning the woman, Jesus focuses in on her needs ahead of the needs of the whole town. Their time would come, but now Jesus centers in on the woman at the well.

-Finally, Jesus lowers Himself to speak to this woman. He appears without servants to do His work for Him. She would see Him as a poor Jewish traveler.

Phil 2:5-9

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Life Application

Because we see Jesus condescending to the poor Samaritan woman by speaking to her, we are reminded of how Jesus lowered Himself to come to us and speak.

He came to us while we were yet sinners.

Please read:

Rom 5:8

And He saved us from His wrath:

Rom 5: 9

Because, like the Samaritan woman, we were His enemies.

Rom 5:10

And He saved us by His life

Rom 5:11

And we rejoice because of this reconciliation!

How many of us feel as though we are not worthy of Christ's time? Our past carries with it so many scars; too many sinful acts that have us convinced that Jesus cannot forgive or cleanse.

But believing this is a sin because this thought takes the power away from Jesus. Although He was 100% man, He is 100% GOD.

Please read:

Rev 1:18

Power as Creator: "...I am the First and the Last..."

Power to conquer death: "..He who lives and was dead..."

Power to be eternal: "...and behold, I live forevermore..."

Power to judge: "..And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

So, who are we to question God....a God this powerful?

Rom 9:20-21

So, if He says He will forgive sins:

1 John 1:9

He means it!

If you have believed this lie, that Jesus cannot forgive you of your sins, then confess it now before the Lord and receive His forgiveness.

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I hope you have learned something new about Jesus today in this study. I hope that you can take away from this study that the Lord called you....came to you...and spoke to you for a reason.

Like the Samaritan woman, we did not seek out Jesus. He sat and waited for us....and called us to Himself.

John 6:44

Phil 2:12-13

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Until next time.....

"As we read the Bible, we need to come to the place where we feel challenged to do something in response to what we have read or studied. God is never content with our status quo. He always wants us to grow more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Real growth comes not in understanding God's Word, but in applying God's Word. A farmer once said to me, "I can understand all the benefits of fertilizer, but it doesn't do my field any good until I apply it to the plants." The Bible challenges us to be doers of His Word and not hearers only (James 1:22)."

-Charles Stanley (Advancing Through Adversity, 1996, p.4)

Blessings,

Ruth