Holidays, lots of travel happening, maybe you will be picking up family or friends from airport – reading ARRIVAL signs either in person or online – tells ETA, or “expected time of arrival” – thought about that phrase – Seeing the TIME OF ARRIVAL creates a sense of EXPECTANCY, and causes you to plan accordingly.

We are beginning Advent today – the word Advent means “arrival”, meaning the next 4 Sundays are preparing for celebrating the arrival of Jesus – and as we are working our way toward Christmas Eve, our theme for Advent this year is Immanuel, God With Us – Isaiah 7:14 prophesied that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a child and would call him Immanuel, which means “God With Us” – but really, theme of the Bible “God With Us” – In the Garden, God dwelling with his people God With Us, Delivering people from slavery in Egypt and building Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God God With Us, building of temple in Jerusalem God With Us, John 1:14, Word became flesh, Jesus, God With Us, Acts 2, Pentecost, Holy Spirit, God With Us.

The next four weeks we will be looking at the gospels, God in the flesh, God With US, and the effect He had stepping into people’s brokenness – and the hope is that by seeing what happens when Jesus arrives into their brokenness, it will create a sense of EXPECTANCY around the idea that he wants to step into your brokenness as well – this morning, going to let The Chosen set this up for us - John 4:1-30, 39-43 – (CHOSEN CLIP)

V3-6 - Jesus is headed from Jerusalem to Galilee, and the text says, “Now he HAD to go through Samaria…” – first interesting thing we find in this passage – Jews went out of their way to avoid Samaria, because they believed Samaritans to be half-breeds, unclean, less than, so they would go AROUND Samaria to get to Galilee, not through it – so, why did Jesus HAVE to go through Samaria? He had a divine appointment at Jacob’s well in the middle of the day – Jesus comes to this well outside the town of Sychar, and “tired as he was from his journey,” he sat down.

V7-14 – This is scandalous – Jesus asks her for a drink, and all of her red flags are going off – “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan…” – reminds me of Joseph’s brothers last week – “We are your slaves” – we are getting a glimpse into this woman’s IDENTITY – She is saying, “You are a Jew, and you think I am less than. Why are you even speaking to me, much less ask me for something?” This is scandalous on two levels: she is a woman, and she is a Samaritan, and on both counts Jesus culturally shouldn’t be talking with her.

But Jesus gets provocative – “If you knew who I was, you would ask ME for a drink and I would give you Living Water”- now we will get a glimpse into her religiousness – “Are you greater than Our Father Jacob?” She had at least an understanding of her religious heritage, and knew of Jacob as a “Father” of her faith – and Jesus was offering water better than Jacob – this was what Jesus has done throughout the gospel of John to this point – he has taken the cultural religious norms and redefined them – in John 1, “Behold, the Lamb of God” – Jewish sacrificial system called for blood sacrifice, and Jesus was Lamb – John 2, water, purification, Jesus turn into New Wine, new covenant, Declares the temple no longer a structure, but an indwelling, declares in John 3 to Nicodemus that a new birth is necessary to have eternal life.

Jesus is saying here that he is a better Jacob, that his water will cure thirst FOREVER – Of course, this would make no sense to her, just like it wouldn’t you and me.

V15 – This woman is looking at this from a functional point of view – “I don’t want to have to keep coming back to this well. I’ll take your offer” – this is where I would insert the sinner’s prayer into the narrative if I were God – Jesus offered eternal life, she accepted, now PRAY THAT PRAYER and close the deal!

V16-17 – “I’ll give you Living Water. But first, go grab your husband and bring him back” – this seems like a cruel thing for Jesus to do, but here is what we can’t miss – Jesus was speaking to her deepest pain, entering into her deepest brokenness, speaking to her false identity – she was at the well in the middle of the day because she was an outcast – women would typically draw water early in the morning, but she was not welcome in those circles – in fact, I’m sure she was the topic of conversation around that well on many mornings, you know, “Hide your husband” – so, she is feeling shame on three levels: she was a woman, she was a Samaritan Woman, and she was a Samaritan woman of bad character.

A couple of thoughts: First, let’s talk about wells – this woman had an encounter with Jesus at a water well, but he called out her other well: MEN – 5 husbands and now a live in – she kept drawing from the well of men and her thirst could not be quenched – And Jesus called it out – “Go get your husband” – Jesus was saying, “You are trying to find identity in relationships, and keep coming up dry and parched” – Her false identity was, “If I can just get a man to love me, I’ll be worthy” – What is your well? Where do you keep going for identity, validation, a sense of self-worth and you can’t quench your thirst? Is it relationships, career, bank account, toys you’ve acquired?

Second, Jesus is speaking to her shame – Talked about this last week – the Great American Jesus would’ve stopped in V15: “I’ll take your offer of eternal life, Jesus.” “Great, just pray this prayer and become a slightly better version of yourself and you’re good.” Jesus is aiming higher here – He is entering into her shame and HEALING HER DEEPEST WOUND – (WOUND/RECOIL) - for some today, you are managing deep sense of shame because you don’t feel you measure up to standard of Jesus – GOOD NEWS: YOU DON’T! And that’s what’s beautiful about what Jesus is doing here – He’s not afraid of your deep, dark stuff – in fact, he’s calling it out – “I’ll quench your thirst. First, bring me your porn addiction, bring me your career, bring me your failed marriage, bring me your dating app, bring me your extramarital relationship, bring me your bank account…BRING IT TO ME!” NO MORE HIDING! John 3:17, Jesus wants to bring FREEDOM to your CAPTIVITY.

V19 – Massive understatement – clearly she is uncomfortable at this point.

V20 – Religious smokescreen – “I have my own religion” – How’s that working for you? Your “religion” has you managing shame by a well in the heat of the day – She is avoiding a heart question with a doctrinal one – “That’s not my understanding of scripture” – often, people with high biblical intellect will use it to protect or insulate themselves from heart issues.

V21-24 – Again, Jesus breaking down religious culture – “The new way to worship is not geographical, but internal” – no longer religious barrier between Jews and Samaritans, but a matter of the heart – “SPIRIT and TRUTH” – Maybe you ask the question, “Which is more important, the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or the Written Word of God?” and I answer in the words of Jesus: YES! TRUE WORSHIP is the TRUTH of God’s Word powered by the indwelling of the HOLY SPIRIT – IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US – all the doctrine in the world will not medicate the open wound of shame in your life – you need Jesus through the HOLY SPIRIT to ENTER INTO YOUR DEEPEST WOUND and SPEAK TRUTH INTO IT.

V25-26 – She was longing for a Savior, waiting for an answer, hoping someone could help her make sense of her broken life. “I am the Messiah.” For you, the search is over – If you are weary, parched, desperate for a drink of something new, Jesus is right here, right now.

V28-29 – She left her jar which is the physical mirroring the spiritual – SHE IS NO LONGER THIRSTY – What was her message? “He told me everything I ever did” – not a tight testimony, which hurts our evangelistic sensibilities. –Here is what we know: HER LIFE WAS DIFFERENT – and look at result.

V30 – People came out to see Jesus b/c of woman – Jesus healed her shame and she must have been noticeably different, because they chose to check it out for themselves.

V39-43 – MANY BELIEVED because of her testimony – what was her testimony? The product of a TRANSFORMED LIFE –

CLOSE
1. Jesus is Immanuel, God With Us. The writer of Hebrews 1:3 Says that Jesus is the EXACT representation of the Father. Jesus is God with skin on – the essence of the Christmas narrative is that God completed what he started by putting on flesh and entering into his broken world.

2. Jesus wants to enter into your deepest broken place. Jesus is not afraid or ashamed of your past or present – in fact, it is his preferred place to go, into your mistaken identity, into your shame – he wants to name your BROKEN WELL – Jeremiah 2:13

3. Jesus offers you a NEW well. Jesus wants to quench your thirst with a new kind of eternal water – a well of freedom and healing, no longer defined by your sin, but by his grace – Eph. 2:8-9

4. Jesus will use your brokenness for His Glory. Broken record. Eph. 2:1