WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
Friends, let us worship God today, for God is great –
God has blessed us with life, with faith, and with community.
Let us worship God today, for God is good –
God forgives us, and encourages us, and loves us.
Let us worship God today –
Because we are God’s people.
Let us worship God.
Good morning FBK – and welcome to Worship!
Songs
Prayer
Prayer of Confession & Assurance
Gracious God,
we confess before you our complicity in the sins of this world,
sins which Jesus felt in his own body and soul.
Our hands are not clean.
We confess that we have desired power and status,
and have neglected our duty as your servants.
We have allowed ourselves to become preoccupied
with things we own or want to own,
freely putting on the chains of consumerism.
Open our eyes to the way our lifestyles
affect and shape the suffering of those here and far away.
We confess that we have turned away
from the hungry and the homeless in our own cities and towns,
thinking that they were someone else’s problem.
We fail even in our most intimate relationships with those we love,
showing our worst side to those who care for us most.
Forgive us for sour faces, for cold shoulders,
for clenched fists, and icy stares.
Forgive us for the sins we know and remember,
and which weigh heavily upon us,
as well as the sins which we have forgotten,
but which have resulted in pain for others.
You called us to carry a cross,
and yet we complain as soon as the way is hard,
forgetting how much we have received,
and how little we have sacrificed.
Take away our hearts of stone,
and give us hearts of flesh,
which beat to the rhythm of faith, of hope,
and love, always love.Amen.
Words of Assurance
I will sing about the wonders of Your love forever, O God!
I will proclaim Your faithfulness to everyone I meet – young and old.
For Your merciful love lasts forever,
as constant as the heavens above.
Blessed are those who trust in You,
Object Lessons
Living Water
Today's Message: Pastor Dave Page
Scripture Reading: John 4:3-30
3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Life can be pretty hard sometimes. When you’re in school or at work, it can be pretty hard to make it through the whole day. Then, you have to go home and do homework and these days some of you might even have work waiting for you at home. Sometimes, it seems like there’s never a moment’s rest.
Or maybe for some of you, your problem is not that we are busy enough, that we’re kind of bored. We wonder how MUCH Netflix can we watch; how many more YouTube or TikTok videos can I consume.
How many more times do I have to come to this dumb well in the hot sun and sand. Heh, look! There’s a man resting against the well. Just by looking at him, he looks like one of those Northern Jews. Oh, great! That means when I get there he probably won’t say anything to me. He’ll ignore me first of all because I’m a woman, and the Jewish men can be so stupid when they are around women. They don’t believe they should even speak to us women. He might even be one of those Jews who hides his eyes when he sees a woman coming. If he doesn’t ignore me because I’m a woman, he’ll ignore me because I’m a Samaritan. The Jews think we’re a bunch of half-breeds or unpure Jews. They think that we don’t worship in the right place, which of course, is the temple at Jerusalem and not Mount Gerizim where we worship. And they think we’re confused, because we use only the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Oh well, I might as well get it over with. Here’s the well. I can’t believe it! He’s actually looking at me!
“Give me a drink.”
I can’t believe it! He’s actually speaking to me! I must ask why.
“How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. You don’t even believe in eating out of the same bowls we use.”
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ’Give me a drink’ you would have asked me and I would have given you living water.”
I might have known! He’s going to make fun of me! He’s saying the water from our father Jacob’s well is not good enough for him! He wants flowing, running, living water and he knows this well doesn’t have that kind of water!
“Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that kind of living and flowing water? Are you saying you’re greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well and drank from it himself and his sons and his cattle?”
“Every one who drinks of this water from this well will get thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give will never get thirsty again; the water that I shall give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Surely he’s mocking me! There is no water that will keep you from getting thirsty again! Who does he think he’s fooling?
“Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw!”
“Go, call your husband and come here.”
What! Does he want to see if I’m married? He may want to date me! He doesn’t have to talk to any husband; he can just talk to me!
“I have no husband.”
Maybe he’ll leave me alone now!
“You are right in saying ’I have no husband;’ for you have had five husbands and he whom you now have is not your husband. Am I not right?”
Wait a minute! Who is this man?! It seems as if he knows my very thoughts! How could he know this, except if he were a prophet and receives words from God like Moses did.
“Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.” If he knows so much, perhaps he can clear this up for me.
“Our ancestors worshipped on this Mountain–Mount Gerizim and y’all say Jerusalem is where people should worship.”
“Believe me. The time is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem is the place where people should worship God. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation stems from the Jews. But the hour is coming; actually it is already here, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for that’s the kind of worshippers God wants. For you see, God is spirit and those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth.”
He’s speaking like the teacher we’ve been waiting for–the one who will be like Moses. He will teach us all things. Maybe the Jews aren’t so bad after all.
“I know that the Teacher is coming–the anointed one–when he comes, he will teach us all things and we will know all.”
Oh! Can this be true! Can this be the one we’ve waited for! He knows so much about me! When he looks at me, it is as if he looks right through me into my heart.
Oh! I did not see these men coming! Well, they’re not speaking to me. I don’t even care! I am in such a daze! I can’t believe what’s going on! I must tell my friends! They’ll never believe me! I must run! I’ll leave my water jar here, it’s too hard to run with! Oh, I cannot run fast enough! There’s some of my friends! “Come here! You must see this man who told me everything I ever did. Can he be the anointed one!” Maybe he’s right! I won’t have to be thirsty again!
The woman at the well received something that day! She knew that she needed food and water for her body, but one relationship after another had failed. Her religion gave her meaning, but she had a hard time believing it could all boil down to where you worship! She was searching for something–for meaning. And so we search!
Isn’t that so in our world today, particularly in our culture so many people are searching for ….yes meaning, but purpose…something….So we search by turning to the idols of life to relieve and forget the pain of life….alcohol, marijuana, shopping…. We search by trying to get all the gusto we can out of life! Most often so we can escape it all.
We search by trying to look exactly like a Kardashian sister or Tom Cruise. We search by putting others down, so we won’t have to look at ourselves! We search by filling our time with meaningless chores, while never finding time for anyone else.
And sometimes we search because we can’t rid ourselves of a guilt-ridden conscience.
We’re thirsty! We can’t get full! We seem so empty!
Life indeed is empty, when we try to do things on our own…when we look to ourselves totally for meaning! For many, life is just a rat race, if we have no purpose! Life doesn’t have to remain that way!
Here’s the truth for you today – the truth this woman learned from Jesus – Jesus came bearing good news not condemnation.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10.
Jesus Christ today is only interested in your present situation and your future.
Jesus took time out of his journey to minister to this one lady. To offer her a brand-new life.
Can I talk to Someone this morning…maybe someone reading this….
Someone who’s life has become so overwhelming you don’t know where to turn.
People have let you down over and over just like this Samarian woman.
People who bring up every mistake you have ever made and use it on you!
Friend, it is time to do what this Samarian woman had done at this well that day. Her eyes for a few moments of time was not on man or people or circumstances but right now they were on Jesus!
When she looked at Jesus she saw pure love. When she looked upon Jesus, I think she saw something she had never laid her eyes on , Hope!
I promise you today if you will just focus on him everything will begin to look different, feel different, sound different because everything in heaven and earth has been given to him by the father!
And that includes what you are experiencing in life right now.
Did you notice, She left her water pot. Her water pot is symbolic of her old life.
She had carried that thing around. Everyday it hindered her. Everyday it defined her!
But now she had a new definition!
Her definition was no longer this old water bucket.
Some of are being defined by different things.
What is it that you are carrying that defines you? It does not matter. We can trade our water pot in for a new definition!
She went running into town. A new creature in Christ!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17.
There’s a song, “For Those tears I died”, in that song Jesus is saying, “Come to the fountain, drink till you’re full. I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied. I felt every teardrop that in darkness you’ve cried. And I’ve strove to remind you, that for those tears I died.”
We belong to a God who gives living water to the thirsty! Come to the fountain, God says. Drink forgiveness.
Drink meaning.
Drink grace.
Drink hope.
Drink love.
There is water for the thirsty! There is living water from this one named Jesus!
Prayer
Lord, I know there is a river flowing straight from Your heart into mine — replenishing, renewing, sustaining. Thank You.
You, Yourself, are the Living Water.
Your Holy Spirit flows over and through and around the broken, difficult places in my heart bringing healing and refreshment for a weary soul. That is amazing.
But Lord, I know there are obstacles there — debris blocking Your river’s flow. That’s why I don’t feel strong. That’s why my eyes overflow with their own painful river.
Those tears are precious to You.
I am precious to you, as are the others who cry to You in their distress. You come alongside us in our difficult places just as You promised.
Open our eyes to see You, Lord! Awaken our hearts to recognize and respond to Your Presence.
Just as a river encounters an obstacle and backs up against it only to find a way around and broaden its breadth, I ask that You do the same with Your river of Living Water flowing through us.
Use the obstacles in our lives to broaden the outflow of Your river in us.
May Your Living Water be persistent in us, breaking through every barrier in its path.
Send its power through the dark crevices of our hearts like a mighty flood overcoming and pushing everything out of the way that blocks its path.
We want to be a blessing to You. We want Your love to overflow through us — Your grace, Your mercy — into the lives of those we encounter.
We want our hearts to be washed clean of any debris cluttering and blocking Your life-giving flow.
Use us for Your glory. Pour out Your love through us.
We are Yours, Lord. We belong to You, and You belong to us. Bless the Name of the Lord!
In Jesus’ Name I pray.
Song
Benediction
Church, go in peace, knowing that God’s peace will be with you always. Go in service in God’s world, helping those in need, sharing the gifts you have been given. Go in love, bring hope to all. AMEN.
Have a great week!!!