WEBVTT 00:00:00.960 --> 00:00:09.140 Good morning, Watermark Church. It's good to see you guys today. My name is Eric, and 00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:14.859 I work here at Watermark Church. You know, I woke up this morning, and I turned to my 00:00:14.859 --> 00:00:20.519 wife, and I said, what should I wear today? And she picked this shirt from my closet, 00:00:21.240 --> 00:00:26.179 and I said, do you think that will be distracting to people? And she said, no, it's fine. And 00:00:26.179 --> 00:00:29.760 then I showed up here, and I think every single person I've talked to so far this morning 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:36.480 has opened the conversation with. So what's up with your shirt? So hopefully that will 00:00:36.480 --> 00:00:43.260 not be a distraction to you while I'm talking. We've been going this year through, we've been 00:00:43.260 --> 00:00:49.180 following this path in our sermons, and I heard a couple people this week who said that they 00:00:49.180 --> 00:00:53.900 didn't quite understand what we've been, what the logic is to how we've been progressing. 00:00:54.040 --> 00:00:58.160 So I figured we'd start out today just recapping where we've been, where we are, and where we're 00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:03.099 going, and then we'll jump into today's passage. So we started out this year looking at the 00:01:03.099 --> 00:01:10.539 book of Deuteronomy, and we said that God's Word shapes God's people into a people who love 00:01:10.539 --> 00:01:15.699 Him and love others. And that was what God was aiming for when He gave His people His Word. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:21.019 But then if you look through the rest of the Old Testament, God's people just failed again 00:01:21.019 --> 00:01:25.899 and again and again and again at doing that. And so rather than being this distinctive 00:01:25.899 --> 00:01:31.239 people who love God and love others, they tried to blend in again and again and again with the 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:38.280 other nations around them. After a long time, Jesus comes, and Jesus is the true Israelite, 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:45.500 the true one who loves God and loves others perfectly. He embodies what it means to obey these commands 00:01:45.500 --> 00:01:51.620 of God, and we can see an example in His life of what our lives are supposed to look like if we are 00:01:51.620 --> 00:01:56.980 these people who love God and love others because our lives have been shaped by His Word. And then where 00:01:56.980 --> 00:02:05.640 we're going to go is that we're going to see, starting around Easter, that Jesus not only gives us an 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:10.259 example of what this lifestyle looks like, but He also empowers us to live out this lifestyle. 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:15.639 Because what the Bible says is that our sin, our rebellion against God, is what separates us from 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:21.280 Him and keeps us from loving Him and loving others as we're supposed to. And when Jesus dies for us, 00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:27.519 He takes our sin onto Himself so we can be forgiven and have a restored relationship with God and with 00:02:27.519 --> 00:02:33.280 others. And we're going to look at the book of Acts and see in the early church, how did the community 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:39.979 of Jesus' followers live out this transformed lifestyle? So we looked at how it's supposed to look, 00:02:40.259 --> 00:02:46.539 but it didn't quite get to where it was supposed to, the one who perfectly lived it out, and then 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:53.060 how He empowers us to live it out moving forward. And that's sort of where we've been, where we are, 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:58.780 where we're going. And today we're in the middle of a series on, we're calling it Sinners Jesus Met, 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:04.239 looking at different people that Jesus interacted with throughout His life. And today we're looking at 00:03:04.239 --> 00:03:10.180 His encounter with the sexually captive, the woman at the well. And what we're going to see is that in her 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:17.599 life of addiction and her culture of shame, Jesus brings a radical, life-changing acceptance to her. 00:03:18.020 --> 00:03:22.659 So before we jump into the passage, let's pray that God would speak to us today. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:31.900 Father, we thank You that Your Word is living and active and powerful and that it impacts us. 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:37.060 We pray that as we look at it today, that we would not leave here the same as we are right now, 00:03:37.060 --> 00:03:41.580 but that we would be challenged, that we would be transformed, that Your Word would do surgery on 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:46.180 our hearts, and that we would love You more and love others more because of it. And in Jesus' name, 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:52.719 amen. So today our sermon is going to be a little bit different than what we normally do. Normally we 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:57.099 have like, here's point one, two, three. Today we're not going to quite do that. We're going to spend most 00:03:57.099 --> 00:04:01.759 of our time looking at the story and sort of breaking it apart and seeing what's really going on here. 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:08.340 And then at the very end, we'll have maybe one point and one next step. Sound good? Everyone with me? 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:15.060 So what's been happening so far is Jesus and His disciples are doing ministry in this area called 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:21.680 Judea, which is southern Israel. And the religious leaders here, Jesus and His followers are doing, 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:27.159 are reaching lots of people, are doing great things, and they are not happy about it. They want to come in 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:32.300 and start causing trouble. And Jesus and His disciples catch wind of this and say, rather than 00:04:32.300 --> 00:04:37.060 deal with this trouble, let's move on somewhere else so that we can keep doing what we're doing. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:43.700 And they decide to go to an area called Galilee, which is in northern Israel. It's sort of like, 00:04:43.780 --> 00:04:48.200 you know, you go from Hong Kong Island up to the New Territories. You have to pass through that area 00:04:48.200 --> 00:04:54.780 in the middle. For us, it's Kowloon. For them, it was this place called Samaria. But unlike us, 00:04:54.779 --> 00:04:59.779 the people who lived in that middle area were despised and hated by the people on the north 00:04:59.779 --> 00:05:07.079 and south. I live in Kowloon, so hopefully you don't despise and hate me. And also unlike us, 00:05:07.159 --> 00:05:12.419 they didn't have MTR or cars so that they could just whoosh right through without interacting with 00:05:12.419 --> 00:05:17.839 anyone from that area. They passed through on foot, which means that it was quite likely you were going 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:24.179 to bump into some of these Samaritans along the way, which was not ideal. The reason that Jews 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:31.660 hated the Samaritans is because God had long ago given the Jews this command that I want you 00:05:31.660 --> 00:05:39.600 to worship me, not other gods. And I know that if you marry people from foreign nations around you, 00:05:39.840 --> 00:05:45.420 that with them you will start worshiping their gods. And I don't want that because I love you and I care 00:05:45.420 --> 00:05:50.660 about you. And I know that true life comes from a relationship with me. And I want you to be able 00:05:50.660 --> 00:05:55.220 to focus on that relationship free of the distractions that foreign gods will bring in. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:01.240 And so the Jews had followed this, had married only other Jews, but the Samaritans 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:08.060 had intermarried and become this mixed half-breed where they were part Jew but part not. 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:14.040 And so for the Jewish people in Jesus' day, the way that the world would have worked is basically, 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:19.540 if you were a Jew, you're like up here. You're great. You're fantastic. If you're a Gentile, 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:25.060 like a general non-Jew, you're maybe like here. You're pretty bad off, but I mean, you didn't 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:30.820 really have too much say in it. So you're not the worst there could be. The worst way down here 00:06:30.820 --> 00:06:36.259 is the Samaritans because they started off as God's people, but then disobeyed and became this 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:43.160 mixed up half-breed that's not really us, but not not us either. And so we just despise them. 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:49.160 We avoid them. It was so bad that if there was a dish with food on it and a Samaritan took a piece 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:55.100 of food off that dish, no good Jew would eat anything else that touched that dish because 00:06:55.100 --> 00:07:01.960 they just hated each other and wanted to avoid each other and despise each other. And this is the area 00:07:01.960 --> 00:07:09.000 where Jesus and his followers are traveling through as we start this story. Jesus and his disciples have 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:15.600 been walking, walking, walking. It is hot. It is dry. They're coming near this town called Sikar. 00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:22.480 And as they get outside the village, there's a well, probably about a kilometer outside the village. 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:28.839 And Jesus sits down at the well to take a break while his disciples run into the village to get food 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:34.339 because they are all hungry. And as Jesus is sitting there, it's the middle of the day, 00:07:34.339 --> 00:07:41.179 probably about noon. It's hot. It's dry. The disciples head off. And as he waits there for 00:07:41.179 --> 00:07:48.120 them to come back, a woman from the city comes out to the well to get water. Now this would have been 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:53.719 a really weird thing to see. Not the fact that someone was coming to the well to get water. I mean, 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:57.959 if you wanted water in your house back then, you had to go to the well to get water. They didn't 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:03.680 have a sink that they could just turn on to get water. You had to carry a big jar with you. You'd dunk 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:08.560 it down into the well. This well was very deep, so you'd use a rope to lower it, scoop up the water, 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:14.039 pull it back up, and then carry it back into the town with you. That was fairly normal. But there were 00:08:14.039 --> 00:08:22.099 two things about this situation that were not normal. First off, no one goes to the well in the 00:08:22.100 --> 00:08:28.460 middle of the day. This is hard work. This is heavy labor. You want to do it in the cool of the day 00:08:28.460 --> 00:08:33.560 so that it's not quite so exhausting. So they'd either do it right in the morning as the sun was 00:08:33.560 --> 00:08:38.420 coming up or in the evening after it's cooled down from the heat of the day so it's a little bit easier. 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:46.879 The fact that she's coming in the middle of the day is weird. Also, you don't go collect water alone. 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:52.399 Just like women's trips to the bathroom today, this is something that you did in groups. 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:58.939 And going in groups gave you someone to talk to as you walked along the road. 00:08:59.460 --> 00:09:04.580 Going in groups meant that you had safety if someone came and approached you on your way to 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:09.279 the well. You didn't go to the well alone. So the fact that this woman is coming to the well 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:15.320 in the middle of the day at a time when no one else will be there by herself says something 00:09:15.320 --> 00:09:22.379 is wrong with this picture. Something is different about this woman than about the normal woman that 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:29.600 you would see there. And what we see is that she's trying to avoid other people. We're going to see 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:36.440 later on in the story this is because of shame from her sexual past. And I can sort of picture her as 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:42.900 she comes to the well. It's hot. She's despising the heat, despising the shame in her life that's causing 00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:48.980 her to have to go out in this heat to get her water. And as she gets closer to the well, she sees 00:09:48.980 --> 00:09:55.220 something that's not supposed to be there. At first, it's just a blur on the horizon, but she keeps going 00:09:55.220 --> 00:10:02.579 and gets closer and realizes it's a man. Now, as a woman, this is exactly the type of situation that 00:10:02.579 --> 00:10:08.240 would make you want to travel in groups. Because here's this woman who probably can't really defend 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:13.159 herself. And this man who's presumably fairly strong from years of doing carpentry work. 00:10:14.220 --> 00:10:20.440 This is a scary situation, right? If he wants to attack her, she is not able to defend herself. So she 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:25.700 has walked all this way about a kilometer from the city carrying her water jug. It's not worth it to go 00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:32.639 back now. She gets to the well and I'm assuming she's just hoping that she can get her water. He will 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:38.159 avoid her. He'll leave her alone and she can go back to the city undisturbed. And as she starts 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:47.179 lowering her water jar into the well, this man says to her, give me a drink. Which, if you understand 00:10:47.179 --> 00:10:51.279 what he's been going through, kind of makes sense. He's been walking out in the desert all day long, 00:10:51.419 --> 00:10:57.679 like, you're thirsty, you want a drink. But the woman recognizes that something weird is happening 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:07.859 with him as well. First off, no good Jew would talk to a Samaritan. You don't ask a Samaritan for a 00:11:07.859 --> 00:11:15.979 favor. That doesn't happen. Second, in this culture, no man would talk to a woman, especially in public. 00:11:16.479 --> 00:11:22.919 In fact, some of the rabbis taught that by talking to a woman, you put yourself in danger of going to 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:30.979 hell because you were distracting yourself from the study of God's word. And so a man in this culture 00:11:30.979 --> 00:11:38.039 would not talk to a woman, especially a random stranger in public. It was frowned upon. It was not 00:11:38.039 --> 00:11:44.799 acceptable. And the third thing that's weird, like I said before, Jews did not eat or drink from dishes 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:50.539 that had been used by Samaritans. And the only way that this woman was going to be able to give this man 00:11:50.539 --> 00:11:58.659 a drink is by letting him drink from her water jar, which means that he can't be a very good Jew 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:07.579 if he doesn't even follow that part of the Jewish code. So there's three things really weird about 00:12:07.579 --> 00:12:14.879 Jesus' question, and it startles the woman. And so she's so startled, she just says, how is it that you, 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:23.720 a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? She's startled, she's confused, she doesn't quite 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:29.779 get what's going on here. And Jesus, unfazed by the question, tells her that if she really knew who 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:35.620 she was talking to, she would have asked him, and he would have given her living water. 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:41.679 Now, I'm assuming that if you were her in this conversation, that you, like me, would have gotten 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:47.599 super confused at this point in the conversation, just like she did. What the heck is living water? 00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:52.719 Where do you get it? Like, you don't even have a jar to get this normal water, how are you going to 00:12:52.719 --> 00:12:59.659 get something better than this normal water for me? And, like, the guy who dug this well for us, 00:12:59.839 --> 00:13:03.819 his name was Jacob, it got changed to Israel, which, oh, by the way, is the name of our nation. 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:09.500 If the founder of our nation can't give us something better than this, how do you think you're going to 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:13.580 give me something better than this? You think you're, like, better and more impressive than him? 00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:19.200 Now, what we all know, but she didn't, is the answer is yes, Jesus is better and more impressive 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:26.639 than Jacob. But she's confused. She's met this stranger who's making some pretty big claims. 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:33.460 She doesn't quite understand what he's saying or why he's saying it. And so Jesus clarifies to her, 00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:38.820 the water that I'm giving you is a different type of water than the one that comes from this well. 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:45.960 It doesn't come from a well, but it springs up from inside you, and it leads to eternal life so 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:52.640 that you never have to be thirsty again. It's a big claim. And the woman responds with, 00:13:52.780 --> 00:13:58.980 sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty or have to come to this well anymore. 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:04.520 Now, on the one hand, that's probably a good response. Sir, give me this water so that I won't 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:10.399 be thirsty again. She's accepting this offer that he's made to her. But then, look at her motivation 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:17.779 for accepting it. She says, give it to me so that I will never have to come to this well again. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:24.399 Now, why did she want to avoid the well? Well, first off, it's hard work carrying this heavy load 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:30.620 out in the heat. Anyone would want a chance to get out of that. But second, remember, the well was a 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:36.639 social place. And this is a woman who wants to avoid social situations. The well is where all 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:42.940 the women from the town go out to chat with each other, maybe gossip with each other. And she is 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:50.560 more often than not the subject of that gossip. And so if she can have this freedom to not have to come 00:14:50.560 --> 00:14:56.279 to the place where everyone's talking about her anymore, she sees that as liberating. She says, 00:14:56.279 --> 00:15:02.480 I now have a chance to hide for the rest of my life from the shame that I feel, to never have to 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:09.439 face these people who despise me ever again. Give me this living water so that I can hide from my shame 00:15:09.439 --> 00:15:16.500 so that I can be safe and comfortable. And I don't know about you, but I often in my life, 00:15:17.379 --> 00:15:23.759 when I am ashamed of something, feel like, just like this woman, that freedom comes from hiding from my 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:31.620 shame, from keeping others from seeing what's truly wrong with me, and hoping that it goes away before 00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:41.720 they realize it. And Jesus, again, knows the perfect response to give to her at this moment. He says, go, 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:45.139 get your husband, and come here. 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:55.019 She's wanted to avoid having to deal with the shame of her past, and Jesus instantly, in a moment, 00:15:55.539 --> 00:16:01.840 brings her right to the place where she needs to confront this shame. And I wonder if it was you or 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:07.559 me in this situation, what is it that Jesus would have said to us that would have cut straight to our 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:14.980 hearts as quickly as this comment cut to the woman's heart? Would it be something like, go, 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:23.559 get your internet search history, and come here? Go, get the financial records you've been keeping for 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:31.639 your company, and come here? Go, get your helper, and have her come here so she can share about the 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:39.460 way that you've been treating her. Maybe it's something else. But I think for most, if not all of us, 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:44.299 we have areas in our lives that we want to keep hidden, just like this woman did. 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:50.220 We have parts of our lives that we're ashamed of that we don't want anyone else to know about. 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:55.159 And Jesus, in this story, knows exactly the issue that this woman is trying to avoid, 00:16:55.259 --> 00:17:01.539 and he brings her to the place where she has to come directly face-to-face with this issue. 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:14.819 So the woman responds and says, I have no husband, which technically is true, but really it's not. 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:19.700 You know, it's like if you're a parent and you say to your kid, like, did you slap your brother? 00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:25.139 And he says, no, and technically it's true because he punched him instead of slapped him, 00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:28.640 but really he hit his brother, and that's what you care about, right? 00:17:29.860 --> 00:17:34.220 And that's the nature of her response right here. She says something that's technically true, 00:17:34.660 --> 00:17:41.540 but a lie in the message that she's trying to convey by it. And maybe she did this because 00:17:41.540 --> 00:17:46.160 she's trying to avoid the shame. Maybe she did this because she just wants to get on with the good 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:53.000 stuff and get this living water quicker. We don't know. But either way, Jesus' response to her 00:17:53.000 --> 00:18:00.759 is incredibly unique because he applauds her honesty, yet still confronts her sin. 00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:09.619 He says, you're right. You don't have a husband because the five men who used to be your husband 00:18:09.619 --> 00:18:17.039 are no longer your husband, and the man you now live with also is not your husband, so you speak 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:24.420 the truth. He doesn't point at her and say, liar! I know you've been married to basically every man 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:35.379 in this city. He says, you speak the truth. But then he confronts her sin at the same time. 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:43.820 And what we see in this moment is that the woman is sexually captive. 00:18:46.140 --> 00:18:53.840 You know, I think at her heart, she's just like the rest of us. I think she, more than anything 00:18:53.840 --> 00:18:59.600 else in life, craves and longs for a genuine human connection. 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:08.179 She wants somewhere where she can be vulnerable and be accepted. She wants someone that she can 00:19:08.179 --> 00:19:13.119 be intimate with and someone who she can love them and they can love her back. 00:19:15.779 --> 00:19:22.759 Why else would she try again and again and again at love after it's failed so many times? I think most 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:28.639 people would have given up by this point on the hope of finding love. And yet after her fifth failed 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:37.860 marriage, she still has another boyfriend. Because she wants someone who loves her. She wants someone 00:19:37.860 --> 00:19:45.240 who accepts her. She wants a place to be vulnerable. And normally, even if we're not in a romantic 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:50.860 relationship, we have friends that can do this role for us in our lives. But for her, because of her past, 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:57.280 no one was willing to do that. No woman in this town would come near her because of fear that her 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:04.259 reputation would rub off on them. No married man's wife would let her husband anywhere near this woman 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:12.759 for fear that he would become husband number six or seven. No single man would want the stigma of being 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:22.740 around someone like her unless they got some type of benefit from the deal. For her, finding love had 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:28.920 reached the point of being a transaction. And the price that she paid for love, or at least the 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:36.059 appearance of it, was her body. She was trapped, feeling like the only way she could get someone to 00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:42.920 even pretend to care about her in the world was through sex. And other than that, there was no way 00:20:42.920 --> 00:20:51.480 that she could find anyone to care about her. And I think in our context, it's easy to look at her and 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:57.660 see her as broken and messed up. But at the heart, she's just like the rest of us. She wants someone to 00:20:57.660 --> 00:21:03.460 love her. She wants someone to care for her and accept her. But she feels trapped. 00:21:03.460 --> 00:21:11.860 Because the one thing in life that she most wants, she can't get, no matter how hard she tries, again, 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:20.559 and again, and again, and again, and again. And every step she takes to trying to find this true love, 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:25.940 someone who will love her and accept her no matter what, actually alienates her further and further 00:21:25.940 --> 00:21:34.059 from the rest of society. And I think this is pretty common in our world today. Think about it. 00:21:34.140 --> 00:21:41.340 What are the things that you do when you are desperate for love? For me, if I want more attention 00:21:41.340 --> 00:21:46.440 from Justine, what I'll do sometimes is act really childish and annoying to get her to notice me. 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:51.940 And the thing about acting like a five-year-old is that when you're three and you act like a five-year-old, 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:56.620 everyone says, wow, you're really mature. This is awesome. And when you're an adult and you act like 00:21:56.620 --> 00:22:02.580 a five-year-old, people are like, wow, you're really annoying. Stay away from me. And so my efforts 00:22:02.580 --> 00:22:08.259 to try and get attention and get someone to notice me actually drive her away and make her be like, 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:11.240 no, I don't want to hang out with you if you're going to act like a child right now. 00:22:12.360 --> 00:22:18.920 But we see this other places too. People want to find someone who will love them. 00:22:18.920 --> 00:22:26.700 And so sometimes, as a single, we want to find that person that we're going to be with for the 00:22:26.700 --> 00:22:32.220 rest of our lives. But we believe what culture has told us, that you're never going to find someone 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:36.240 who's going to be willing to stick around long enough in a relationship with you to marry you 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:42.420 unless you sleep with them while you're dating. And so there's a strong temptation to compromise 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:46.660 on our sexual standards so that we can find someone who's going to love us. 00:22:48.460 --> 00:22:53.060 Maybe if you're married and you have a spouse who just spends really long hours at work, 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:58.180 and when they get home, they're too tired to focus on you, and you want that attention. 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:05.340 And so we nag, nag, nag, because we want to be noticed and think maybe once we're noticed, 00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:09.839 then that love will develop again. But it doesn't happen. 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:17.679 Maybe you're a husband and you just get frustrated because you get home from work at the end of the 00:23:17.679 --> 00:23:25.019 day, and that one thing you want is sex from your wife. And you think to yourself, I deserve this. 00:23:26.419 --> 00:23:31.859 I know I've been there before. Like, I work really hard for this family to help support us 00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:37.159 and help us be able to make it financially in this expensive city, and it was a stressful day at work, 00:23:37.199 --> 00:23:39.899 and I just want to decompress, and I deserve this. 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:45.179 And when she says no, how do we respond? 00:23:47.879 --> 00:23:54.519 I think what we find is that in those moments where we are desperate for love 00:23:54.519 --> 00:24:00.419 and we are desperate for attention, we act out in ways that a rational version of ourselves 00:24:00.420 --> 00:24:05.039 would never do. But that makes sense for us in that moment, 00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:15.940 in that state of mind that we're in, because we crave and long for this attention and being noticed. 00:24:16.860 --> 00:24:19.900 And that's exactly what this woman has been doing her entire life, 00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:24.740 jumping from man to man to man, hoping that one of them will love her, 00:24:24.820 --> 00:24:27.080 hoping that one of them will accept her. 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:32.519 And so when this woman finally gets around to responding to Jesus' comment, 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:35.799 she changes the subject completely, 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:38.879 because she does not want to deal with this issue of her life. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:44.099 Have any of you ever found it's way easier to have a really deep theological discussion 00:24:44.099 --> 00:24:46.199 about something that has nothing to do with your life 00:24:46.199 --> 00:24:49.500 than it is to deal with a really simple question that goes straight to your heart? 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:52.559 I find that. 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:56.619 And this woman does exactly that right here. 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:00.779 She says, okay, this just got way too real, way too fast. 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:04.180 This is way too uncomfortable right now. 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:06.619 We can't talk about this anymore. 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:09.880 And so what her version of this is, 00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:12.160 is, oh, okay, I see you're a prophet. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:15.319 You know things about me that you wouldn't have been able to know otherwise. 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:17.619 So I have a question for you. 00:25:17.899 --> 00:25:19.879 The Jews say that we should worship here. 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:22.319 The Samaritans say that we should worship here. 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.179 Who's right? 00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:24.439 You tell me, because you're a prophet. 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:30.819 And Jesus, again, brilliantly responds to her. 00:25:31.659 --> 00:25:34.079 And he's not distracted again. 00:25:34.399 --> 00:25:36.579 He says the hour is coming and is now here, 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:38.919 where it's not here or there, 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:44.740 but it's going to be how we worship God that matters, not where. 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:48.240 And something really interesting about his response, 00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:49.960 when he says the hour is coming, 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:53.220 in the book of John, that always refers to the cross. 00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:55.399 What he's saying is, 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:58.299 I personally am going to do something so big, 00:25:58.379 --> 00:25:59.159 so powerful, 00:25:59.779 --> 00:26:01.659 so world-changing, 00:26:02.200 --> 00:26:06.899 that it's not going to matter where we worship God anymore. 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:09.720 It's going to matter how we worship him. 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:16.540 And how we worship God needs to be in spirit and in truth, 00:26:16.800 --> 00:26:19.580 which, again, is an interesting response, 00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:24.280 because truth is the one thing this woman is trying to avoid in this moment. 00:26:24.279 --> 00:26:28.460 And the woman, seeing that she's not getting anywhere, 00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:28.960 says, 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:31.099 well, you know, there's this guy coming. 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:31.980 He's called the Messiah. 00:26:32.099 --> 00:26:33.980 When he comes, he can tell us all about it. 00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:36.440 Like, let's ignore this conversation, 00:26:36.579 --> 00:26:37.700 just move on with life. 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:42.279 And Jesus' response is stunning. 00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:46.559 Now, I love the ESV translation of the Bible, 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:50.500 but I feel like it doesn't quite get the fullness of what Jesus is saying right here. 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:52.019 It does an okay job. 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:53.740 It says, 00:26:53.980 --> 00:26:55.019 I who speak to you am he, 00:26:55.139 --> 00:26:57.319 which technically, yeah, he said that. 00:26:58.019 --> 00:27:01.519 But something like the New Living Translation gets this much better. 00:27:01.639 --> 00:27:05.099 It pulls out more of the nuance of what Jesus is saying. 00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:06.279 And it says, 00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:08.799 I am the Messiah, 00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:11.980 with the words I am in capital letters. 00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:14.339 Now, here's why that's significant. 00:27:14.819 --> 00:27:16.240 Because in the Old Testament, 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:18.879 God's covenant name, 00:27:18.879 --> 00:27:21.440 by which he related to the people of Israel, 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:22.080 was, 00:27:23.160 --> 00:27:24.380 I am. 00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:26.220 And in this moment, 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:28.100 Jesus is saying to the woman, 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:31.740 not just this guy that you're talking about is me, 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:32.740 but he's saying, 00:27:32.860 --> 00:27:33.960 I am the Lord of the universe. 00:27:34.860 --> 00:27:37.799 I am the God of the Old Testament 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:38.860 that you've been reading about. 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:40.140 I'm not just a man. 00:27:40.380 --> 00:27:42.100 I am God. 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:46.700 And normally in a conversation, 00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:48.259 if someone makes that type of a claim, 00:27:48.360 --> 00:27:49.420 you think they're crazy. 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:52.400 But the crazy thing about this conversation 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:54.500 is that when Jesus says this, 00:27:54.700 --> 00:27:56.140 the woman believes him. 00:27:56.140 --> 00:27:59.460 Now, at this moment, 00:27:59.540 --> 00:28:00.620 the disciples come back, 00:28:01.180 --> 00:28:04.060 sort of startled that Jesus is talking to a woman. 00:28:04.520 --> 00:28:06.759 You can sort of imagine a conversation between them. 00:28:06.840 --> 00:28:07.300 Peter's like, 00:28:07.340 --> 00:28:08.480 hey, who's that talking to Jesus? 00:28:09.320 --> 00:28:10.200 And John's like, 00:28:10.220 --> 00:28:10.680 I don't know. 00:28:10.860 --> 00:28:11.940 I wonder what they want. 00:28:12.340 --> 00:28:13.180 And Andrew's like, 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:13.480 hey, 00:28:13.660 --> 00:28:14.280 a new friend. 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:15.280 And then, 00:28:15.360 --> 00:28:16.700 I don't think he was really like this, 00:28:16.759 --> 00:28:18.300 but I sort of picture in my mind, 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:19.880 Judas just like in the back, 00:28:20.020 --> 00:28:21.280 like hands in his pocket, 00:28:21.460 --> 00:28:22.100 scuffling along, 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:22.300 like, 00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:24.099 he's talking to some random stranger. 00:28:24.159 --> 00:28:25.399 He never talks to me like that. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:30.940 And as the disciples arrive, 00:28:31.099 --> 00:28:31.899 the woman leaves. 00:28:31.899 --> 00:28:33.319 She goes back into the town, 00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:36.019 and she starts sharing with everyone there 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:38.399 about this man that she has met. 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:41.299 Two super interesting things about this. 00:28:41.460 --> 00:28:41.859 First, 00:28:42.180 --> 00:28:44.200 she leaves her water jar at the well. 00:28:44.879 --> 00:28:47.139 The task that she had originally come to do 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:49.800 is no longer as important to her 00:28:49.800 --> 00:28:52.240 as the task of going and sharing with people 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:54.400 about this man that she has met 00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:56.540 because he has changed her life. 00:28:57.360 --> 00:28:59.980 But the second and even more amazing thing 00:28:59.980 --> 00:29:03.000 is the message that she brings to the village. 00:29:03.320 --> 00:29:04.960 Look at this transformation in her life. 00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:07.480 She goes from going to the well by herself 00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:08.300 in the heat of the day 00:29:08.300 --> 00:29:09.500 to avoid people 00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:11.160 and avoid the shame of her past 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:13.759 to running around the middle of the village 00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:14.580 screaming out, 00:29:14.940 --> 00:29:15.280 guys, 00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:16.720 come here. 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:18.039 meet this man. 00:29:18.360 --> 00:29:19.259 He just told me 00:29:19.259 --> 00:29:21.680 everything that I have ever done. 00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:23.480 The woman 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:25.400 who more than anything else 00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:27.039 wanted to hide, 00:29:27.579 --> 00:29:28.740 wanted to not be known, 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:30.839 all of a sudden is boasting 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:32.200 in the middle of the town 00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:33.660 to everyone who will listen 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:36.120 that someone knows 00:29:36.120 --> 00:29:37.120 everything 00:29:37.120 --> 00:29:39.620 I have ever done. 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:42.980 And how does that transformation happen? 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:44.620 Why is it that she's so different? 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:48.019 It's the power of grace in her life. 00:29:49.439 --> 00:29:51.879 I'm sure that for her whole life 00:29:51.879 --> 00:29:53.419 or at least since her first divorce, 00:29:54.079 --> 00:29:55.759 everyone who found out her story 00:29:55.759 --> 00:29:56.500 has shunned her. 00:29:57.439 --> 00:29:58.719 Everyone who met her 00:29:58.719 --> 00:30:00.399 has tried to avoid her 00:30:00.399 --> 00:30:01.519 as soon as they found out 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:03.679 what type of a person she was. 00:30:03.859 --> 00:30:05.500 And then along comes Jesus, 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:08.219 the man who knows everything 00:30:08.220 --> 00:30:10.579 and yet still loves her. 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:13.339 You notice his tone of voice 00:30:13.339 --> 00:30:14.259 doesn't change 00:30:14.259 --> 00:30:15.720 once it comes out 00:30:15.720 --> 00:30:17.420 that she's had five husbands. 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:19.339 His offer of living water 00:30:19.339 --> 00:30:20.620 doesn't come off the table 00:30:20.620 --> 00:30:22.039 once she lies to him. 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:24.180 He engages her, 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:25.539 he accepts her, 00:30:25.860 --> 00:30:26.579 he loves her, 00:30:26.819 --> 00:30:27.880 even though he knows 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:28.759 everything 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:30.600 that she has done wrong. 00:30:31.419 --> 00:30:32.099 He revealed 00:30:32.099 --> 00:30:32.899 the deepest, 00:30:33.179 --> 00:30:34.480 darkest parts of her life 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:35.139 that she didn't want 00:30:35.139 --> 00:30:36.039 anyone else to see 00:30:36.039 --> 00:30:37.299 and he was still 00:30:37.299 --> 00:30:38.439 talking to her 00:30:38.439 --> 00:30:39.779 like a normal person, 00:30:40.199 --> 00:30:41.240 still showing her love. 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.399 And my guess is 00:30:42.399 --> 00:30:44.219 that he was the first person 00:30:44.219 --> 00:30:45.359 since at least 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:46.179 her first divorce 00:30:46.179 --> 00:30:47.740 that treated her 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:48.439 in that way. 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:49.740 And when that happened, 00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:50.319 she realized 00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:51.139 that freedom came 00:30:51.139 --> 00:30:51.899 not from hiding, 00:30:52.099 --> 00:30:52.939 not from isolating, 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:54.859 but from being fully known 00:30:54.859 --> 00:30:56.399 at her darkest and worst 00:30:56.400 --> 00:30:59.500 and yet still fully loved. 00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:01.480 And it says that 00:31:01.480 --> 00:31:02.980 many people from the town 00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:03.680 came out 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:05.220 and believed in Jesus. 00:31:06.580 --> 00:31:07.620 So I want to look at 00:31:07.620 --> 00:31:09.280 one truth from this story 00:31:09.280 --> 00:31:11.180 and one next step for us. 00:31:11.380 --> 00:31:12.560 And the key truth 00:31:12.560 --> 00:31:13.780 that I want us to see today 00:31:13.780 --> 00:31:15.820 is that Jesus reveals 00:31:15.820 --> 00:31:17.860 her sin and our sin 00:31:17.860 --> 00:31:20.400 for the sake of healing it 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:21.380 and restoring it. 00:31:22.540 --> 00:31:24.180 You know, I, a lot of times, 00:31:24.220 --> 00:31:25.040 am just like this woman. 00:31:25.120 --> 00:31:25.720 When I sin, 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:27.460 I feel that the best way 00:31:27.460 --> 00:31:28.100 to deal with it 00:31:28.100 --> 00:31:28.900 is to hide it 00:31:28.900 --> 00:31:29.700 until it goes away. 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:31.620 Hope that it gets better 00:31:31.620 --> 00:31:33.440 without anyone else 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:33.900 finding out. 00:31:35.339 --> 00:31:36.539 And my experience 00:31:36.539 --> 00:31:37.200 in my life 00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:37.960 has shown me 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:39.779 that this leads 00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:41.220 to feelings of shame 00:31:41.220 --> 00:31:43.039 that eat me away 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:43.960 from the inside. 00:31:45.980 --> 00:31:46.460 You know, 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:47.319 when I first moved 00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:47.940 to Hong Kong, 00:31:48.440 --> 00:31:50.019 I started struggling 00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:50.759 with a little bit 00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:51.200 of depression 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:51.880 because I was, 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:52.940 I was sad 00:31:52.940 --> 00:31:53.640 because I was, 00:31:54.180 --> 00:31:54.339 you know, 00:31:54.339 --> 00:31:54.839 had no one 00:31:54.839 --> 00:31:55.420 that I knew here, 00:31:55.420 --> 00:31:55.880 I had no one 00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:56.660 that I could talk to 00:31:56.660 --> 00:31:57.160 about everything 00:31:57.160 --> 00:31:58.140 that I was going through. 00:31:58.400 --> 00:31:59.279 And in that moment 00:31:59.279 --> 00:31:59.840 when I started 00:31:59.840 --> 00:32:00.500 to feel that, 00:32:01.539 --> 00:32:02.539 this voice in my head 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:02.740 said, 00:32:02.800 --> 00:32:03.000 Eric, 00:32:03.100 --> 00:32:03.620 you shouldn't be 00:32:03.620 --> 00:32:04.300 feeling these things. 00:32:04.380 --> 00:32:05.140 You work at a church. 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:06.700 You can't let people 00:32:06.700 --> 00:32:07.279 know about what's 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:07.880 going on in here 00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:08.860 because they will think 00:32:08.860 --> 00:32:10.140 that you are really, 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:11.700 really messed up. 00:32:11.880 --> 00:32:12.539 So you need 00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:13.400 to hide it. 00:32:14.080 --> 00:32:15.240 You need to bury it 00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:16.460 and hope that it goes away. 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:17.920 And maybe someday 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:18.660 when it's gone away, 00:32:18.740 --> 00:32:19.400 you can talk to people 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:20.240 about how you used 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:20.940 to deal with this. 00:32:20.940 --> 00:32:22.940 But until then, 00:32:23.019 --> 00:32:24.180 you can't say a word 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:25.080 to anyone. 00:32:26.140 --> 00:32:26.779 And so I did. 00:32:26.900 --> 00:32:27.400 I hid it. 00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:28.080 I buried it. 00:32:28.140 --> 00:32:28.799 I hoped that it would 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:29.299 go away. 00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:32.259 And what happened 00:32:32.259 --> 00:32:32.900 is that the, 00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:35.299 I'd go out 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:36.400 and I'd talk with people 00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:37.299 and I'd have this big 00:32:37.299 --> 00:32:38.279 smile on my face 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:39.559 and as soon as the people 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:39.960 were gone, 00:32:40.019 --> 00:32:41.019 I'd feel this emptiness 00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:42.500 inside that would just 00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:43.580 eat away at me. 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:45.480 And this shame 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:46.700 from knowing 00:32:46.700 --> 00:32:47.559 that I was being 00:32:47.559 --> 00:32:48.140 a fake 00:32:48.140 --> 00:32:49.460 with everyone 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:50.900 that I was interacting with. 00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:54.120 And it got worse 00:32:54.120 --> 00:32:54.980 and worse 00:32:54.980 --> 00:32:55.600 and worse 00:32:55.600 --> 00:32:56.600 until God finally 00:32:56.600 --> 00:32:57.440 brought me to a point 00:32:57.440 --> 00:32:58.259 where he said, 00:32:58.340 --> 00:32:58.560 Eric, 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:00.000 you have to deal with this. 00:33:01.820 --> 00:33:03.080 And I started sharing 00:33:03.080 --> 00:33:03.560 with people 00:33:03.560 --> 00:33:04.660 about what was going on 00:33:04.660 --> 00:33:06.660 and in that moment 00:33:06.660 --> 00:33:07.480 was when I started 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:08.560 to find freedom 00:33:08.560 --> 00:33:10.160 from everything 00:33:10.160 --> 00:33:11.220 that I had been experiencing. 00:33:11.860 --> 00:33:13.220 It was in that moment 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:14.320 that I realized 00:33:14.320 --> 00:33:15.640 people don't just love me 00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:16.320 because they know 00:33:16.320 --> 00:33:17.520 some fake version of me. 00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:18.599 People love me 00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:20.119 even though they know me 00:33:20.119 --> 00:33:21.039 at my worst. 00:33:22.180 --> 00:33:23.180 People love me 00:33:23.180 --> 00:33:24.359 not because they think 00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:25.299 I'm better than I am 00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:27.720 but just because 00:33:27.720 --> 00:33:28.440 they love me. 00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:30.200 And the scariest, 00:33:30.619 --> 00:33:31.599 darkest parts of me 00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:33.579 that I'm afraid of, 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:35.759 they still love me 00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:37.220 through those moments. 00:33:37.599 --> 00:33:38.660 And it was liberating. 00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:39.639 It was life-changing. 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:40.400 And you know what 00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:41.279 the crazy part is? 00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:42.119 Even though I've been 00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:42.920 through that experience, 00:33:43.119 --> 00:33:45.000 I still tend towards 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:45.859 hiding in isolation 00:33:45.859 --> 00:33:46.619 when there are things 00:33:46.619 --> 00:33:47.079 in my life 00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:48.000 that I'm ashamed of 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:50.859 because it's so pervasive 00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:52.339 and so prevalent, 00:33:52.519 --> 00:33:53.059 this belief, 00:33:53.399 --> 00:33:54.359 that freedom comes 00:33:54.359 --> 00:33:55.119 from isolation 00:33:55.119 --> 00:33:56.599 and hiding in my mind. 00:33:57.539 --> 00:33:58.319 And what this woman 00:33:58.319 --> 00:33:59.119 shows us 00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:00.539 is that freedom 00:34:00.539 --> 00:34:01.419 comes from being 00:34:01.419 --> 00:34:02.099 fully known 00:34:02.099 --> 00:34:04.199 and yet fully loved. 00:34:05.559 --> 00:34:06.479 Pastor Tim Keller 00:34:06.479 --> 00:34:07.000 in his book 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:07.719 The Meaning of Marriage, 00:34:07.819 --> 00:34:08.559 he has this quote. 00:34:08.679 --> 00:34:09.219 It's brilliant. 00:34:09.839 --> 00:34:10.279 He says, 00:34:10.400 --> 00:34:10.920 to be loved 00:34:10.920 --> 00:34:11.839 but not known 00:34:11.839 --> 00:34:13.099 is comforting 00:34:13.099 --> 00:34:13.859 but superficial. 00:34:13.860 --> 00:34:14.460 Basically, 00:34:14.840 --> 00:34:15.500 if someone loves you 00:34:15.500 --> 00:34:16.019 but they don't know 00:34:16.019 --> 00:34:16.960 truly who you are, 00:34:17.140 --> 00:34:17.900 it feels good 00:34:17.900 --> 00:34:19.840 but it's a little scary 00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:20.740 because you're always worried 00:34:20.740 --> 00:34:21.260 they're going to find 00:34:21.260 --> 00:34:21.640 something out 00:34:21.640 --> 00:34:22.120 that makes them 00:34:22.120 --> 00:34:22.980 stop loving you. 00:34:24.019 --> 00:34:24.559 Then he says, 00:34:24.660 --> 00:34:25.160 to be known 00:34:25.160 --> 00:34:26.079 and not loved 00:34:26.079 --> 00:34:27.620 is our greatest fear. 00:34:28.500 --> 00:34:29.160 That's exactly 00:34:29.160 --> 00:34:29.780 what this woman 00:34:29.780 --> 00:34:30.440 had lived out 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:31.140 her entire life. 00:34:31.220 --> 00:34:32.099 The people in her village 00:34:32.099 --> 00:34:33.579 knew everything about her 00:34:33.579 --> 00:34:34.760 and that was precisely 00:34:34.760 --> 00:34:36.640 why they avoided her 00:34:36.640 --> 00:34:37.579 and hated her. 00:34:37.579 --> 00:34:40.719 And that's what all of us 00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:41.960 I think fear the most 00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:42.460 in life 00:34:42.460 --> 00:34:43.239 is that someone 00:34:43.239 --> 00:34:44.039 will find out 00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:45.000 everything there is 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:45.719 to know about us 00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:46.739 and precisely because 00:34:46.739 --> 00:34:47.659 they know the truth 00:34:47.659 --> 00:34:49.279 they will avoid us, 00:34:49.380 --> 00:34:50.259 they will hate us, 00:34:50.420 --> 00:34:51.519 they will not love us. 00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:54.199 Keller says, 00:34:54.420 --> 00:34:56.119 but to be fully known 00:34:56.119 --> 00:34:57.199 and truly loved 00:34:57.199 --> 00:34:59.079 is well a lot like 00:34:59.079 --> 00:35:00.239 being loved by God. 00:35:01.079 --> 00:35:01.799 It's what we need 00:35:01.799 --> 00:35:02.559 more than anything. 00:35:03.420 --> 00:35:04.659 It liberates us 00:35:04.659 --> 00:35:05.679 from pretense, 00:35:06.299 --> 00:35:06.880 humbles us 00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:08.140 out of our self-righteousness 00:35:08.140 --> 00:35:09.380 and fortifies us 00:35:09.380 --> 00:35:10.320 for any difficulty 00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:12.099 that life can throw at us. 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:14.400 It's exactly what Jesus did 00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:15.119 for this woman. 00:35:15.660 --> 00:35:15.980 He said, 00:35:16.119 --> 00:35:17.740 I know everything about you 00:35:17.740 --> 00:35:19.519 and I still love you. 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:20.700 That's what he did for me 00:35:20.700 --> 00:35:21.980 and that's what he wants to do 00:35:21.980 --> 00:35:22.900 for all of us. 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:24.380 He wants us not to keep hiding 00:35:24.380 --> 00:35:25.760 but to bring our sin 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:26.340 into the light 00:35:26.340 --> 00:35:28.619 so that he can heal it. 00:35:29.800 --> 00:35:30.820 And it doesn't matter 00:35:30.820 --> 00:35:31.760 what the sin is 00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:32.660 that we're hiding from. 00:35:33.340 --> 00:35:34.519 Jesus is big enough 00:35:34.519 --> 00:35:35.559 and powerful enough 00:35:35.559 --> 00:35:36.700 to see it 00:35:36.699 --> 00:35:38.419 and still accept us 00:35:38.419 --> 00:35:39.799 because in his death 00:35:39.799 --> 00:35:41.480 he has already paid 00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:42.339 the price for it. 00:35:43.579 --> 00:35:44.539 Jesus doesn't love 00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:46.319 some idealized version of us. 00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:47.899 He loves us 00:35:47.899 --> 00:35:49.279 with all of our sin, 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:50.799 with all of our crap, 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:52.059 with all of our issues. 00:35:52.699 --> 00:35:54.639 That's why he died for us 00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:56.379 because we are messed up people 00:35:56.379 --> 00:35:57.779 and he still wants 00:35:57.779 --> 00:35:58.579 to love us 00:35:58.579 --> 00:35:59.719 and accept us. 00:36:00.919 --> 00:36:01.779 So what we see 00:36:01.779 --> 00:36:02.439 is the woman's been 00:36:02.439 --> 00:36:03.399 looking to this husband 00:36:03.400 --> 00:36:05.539 for something that she could 00:36:05.539 --> 00:36:06.700 only ever truly, 00:36:06.940 --> 00:36:07.639 fully find 00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:08.619 in the Messiah. 00:36:11.180 --> 00:36:12.900 He wants to give her life. 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:14.680 He wants to be the place 00:36:14.680 --> 00:36:15.440 where she can be 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:16.519 fully vulnerable 00:36:16.519 --> 00:36:17.660 and still accepted, 00:36:17.900 --> 00:36:18.840 fully intimate, 00:36:19.900 --> 00:36:21.220 fully loved 00:36:21.220 --> 00:36:22.180 and known 00:36:22.180 --> 00:36:23.079 and accepted. 00:36:23.079 --> 00:36:25.340 and he wants to be 00:36:25.340 --> 00:36:26.019 that place 00:36:26.019 --> 00:36:27.199 for each and every 00:36:27.199 --> 00:36:28.579 single one of us today. 00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:29.719 And again, 00:36:29.860 --> 00:36:31.019 he is the only one 00:36:31.019 --> 00:36:32.099 who's able to do that 00:36:32.099 --> 00:36:32.639 perfectly 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:34.079 every single time 00:36:34.079 --> 00:36:35.440 because he 00:36:35.440 --> 00:36:37.039 has already paid the price 00:36:37.039 --> 00:36:38.099 for all of it 00:36:38.099 --> 00:36:39.340 through his death. 00:36:42.340 --> 00:36:43.400 And the other thing is 00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:44.159 that he's given us 00:36:44.159 --> 00:36:44.619 a community 00:36:44.619 --> 00:36:45.539 of his followers 00:36:45.539 --> 00:36:46.619 to help us 00:36:46.619 --> 00:36:47.679 as we follow him, 00:36:48.360 --> 00:36:49.539 which leads us 00:36:49.539 --> 00:36:50.559 to our action step. 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:52.820 I know it's far easier 00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:53.400 to hide 00:36:53.400 --> 00:36:53.860 and pretend 00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:54.460 that the shame 00:36:54.460 --> 00:36:54.799 and guilt 00:36:54.799 --> 00:36:56.099 in our lives 00:36:56.099 --> 00:36:56.799 don't exist 00:36:56.799 --> 00:36:57.639 than to deal with it. 00:36:58.440 --> 00:36:58.639 You know, 00:36:58.659 --> 00:36:59.320 one thing I noticed 00:36:59.320 --> 00:37:00.679 is that when I want intimacy, 00:37:01.099 --> 00:37:02.199 it's far easier 00:37:02.199 --> 00:37:03.320 to get physically naked 00:37:03.320 --> 00:37:04.119 with Justine 00:37:04.119 --> 00:37:05.099 than to get 00:37:05.099 --> 00:37:06.320 completely emotionally 00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:07.380 vulnerable with her. 00:37:10.239 --> 00:37:11.840 But God wants us 00:37:11.840 --> 00:37:12.840 to find 00:37:12.840 --> 00:37:14.460 that place in him 00:37:14.460 --> 00:37:15.259 where we can be 00:37:15.259 --> 00:37:15.779 fully known 00:37:15.779 --> 00:37:16.559 and in the community 00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:17.000 of his people 00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:18.000 where we can be 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:18.659 fully known 00:37:18.659 --> 00:37:20.159 and we can be 00:37:20.159 --> 00:37:21.199 fully accepted 00:37:21.199 --> 00:37:21.719 and loved. 00:37:21.839 --> 00:37:22.359 And I don't know 00:37:22.359 --> 00:37:22.819 what it is 00:37:22.819 --> 00:37:23.420 that you're struggling 00:37:23.420 --> 00:37:23.980 with today, 00:37:24.659 --> 00:37:25.519 but I know 00:37:25.519 --> 00:37:26.219 that on your own 00:37:26.219 --> 00:37:27.119 you're not big enough 00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:27.779 or strong enough 00:37:27.779 --> 00:37:28.420 to handle it, 00:37:28.579 --> 00:37:29.539 but Jesus is. 00:37:31.679 --> 00:37:32.839 So it may be 00:37:32.839 --> 00:37:33.920 something sexual. 00:37:34.099 --> 00:37:34.679 It may be 00:37:34.679 --> 00:37:35.239 an addiction 00:37:35.239 --> 00:37:35.960 to pornography. 00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:37.879 It may be 00:37:37.879 --> 00:37:39.079 just these feelings 00:37:39.079 --> 00:37:40.480 of inadequacy 00:37:40.480 --> 00:37:41.259 because of the way 00:37:41.259 --> 00:37:42.279 that your spouse 00:37:42.279 --> 00:37:43.219 interacts with you 00:37:43.219 --> 00:37:44.219 and treats you. 00:37:45.279 --> 00:37:45.960 It might be 00:37:45.960 --> 00:37:46.299 a struggle 00:37:46.299 --> 00:37:47.319 with same-sex attraction. 00:37:48.039 --> 00:37:48.599 It might be 00:37:48.599 --> 00:37:49.239 that you regret 00:37:49.239 --> 00:37:50.319 giving up your virginity. 00:37:50.459 --> 00:37:50.919 It might be 00:37:50.919 --> 00:37:51.619 non-sexual. 00:37:52.279 --> 00:37:53.159 Maybe it's depression. 00:37:54.639 --> 00:37:55.479 Maybe it's 00:37:55.479 --> 00:37:56.219 these feelings 00:37:56.219 --> 00:37:56.699 of guilt 00:37:56.699 --> 00:37:57.359 over decisions 00:37:57.359 --> 00:37:57.799 you've made 00:37:57.799 --> 00:37:58.559 at your workplace 00:37:58.559 --> 00:37:59.599 or in relationships 00:37:59.599 --> 00:38:00.479 with your friends. 00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:02.879 But regardless 00:38:02.879 --> 00:38:03.679 of what your struggle 00:38:03.679 --> 00:38:04.139 is, 00:38:04.519 --> 00:38:05.379 the path to freedom 00:38:05.379 --> 00:38:06.759 comes not through 00:38:06.759 --> 00:38:08.719 hiding and isolating 00:38:08.719 --> 00:38:09.519 and hoping that it 00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:10.019 goes away, 00:38:10.719 --> 00:38:11.399 but through being 00:38:11.399 --> 00:38:12.599 known and being 00:38:12.599 --> 00:38:13.719 loved and still 00:38:13.719 --> 00:38:14.579 being accepted. 00:38:15.699 --> 00:38:16.299 So what we're 00:38:16.299 --> 00:38:16.719 going to do is 00:38:16.719 --> 00:38:17.599 after service, 00:38:17.599 --> 00:38:18.460 we're going to have 00:38:18.460 --> 00:38:19.819 a few staff people 00:38:19.819 --> 00:38:20.639 appear over by 00:38:20.639 --> 00:38:21.119 these banners. 00:38:21.319 --> 00:38:21.960 Chris will be there, 00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:22.880 Henrika will be there, 00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:23.860 Sylvie will be there, 00:38:23.900 --> 00:38:24.639 and I'll be there. 00:38:25.099 --> 00:38:26.679 And if you feel like 00:38:26.679 --> 00:38:28.880 you have been hiding, 00:38:29.079 --> 00:38:29.759 have been isolating, 00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:30.559 and you want someone 00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:31.480 to talk to about it, 00:38:31.779 --> 00:38:32.719 we will be available 00:38:32.719 --> 00:38:33.960 to talk to you. 00:38:34.960 --> 00:38:35.739 And if you say, 00:38:35.860 --> 00:38:35.900 like, 00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:36.559 I have to run off 00:38:36.559 --> 00:38:37.420 right after service 00:38:37.420 --> 00:38:38.179 or I don't really 00:38:38.179 --> 00:38:38.659 feel comfortable 00:38:38.659 --> 00:38:39.539 talking to you guys 00:38:39.539 --> 00:38:40.000 about it, 00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:41.440 my encouragement 00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:41.799 to you, 00:38:41.860 --> 00:38:42.460 my challenge 00:38:42.460 --> 00:38:42.940 to you, 00:38:43.500 --> 00:38:44.039 is sometime 00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:44.739 this week, 00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:45.860 call your community 00:38:45.860 --> 00:38:46.400 group leader 00:38:46.400 --> 00:38:46.880 or someone 00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:47.599 from your community 00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:48.860 group and share 00:38:48.860 --> 00:38:49.700 with them about 00:38:49.700 --> 00:38:50.220 what's been going 00:38:50.220 --> 00:38:50.880 on in your life. 00:38:51.740 --> 00:38:52.140 In fact, 00:38:52.200 --> 00:38:52.740 I would encourage 00:38:52.740 --> 00:38:52.940 you, 00:38:53.019 --> 00:38:53.420 if that's what 00:38:53.420 --> 00:38:53.800 you're planning 00:38:53.800 --> 00:38:54.180 on doing, 00:38:54.300 --> 00:38:54.760 pull out your 00:38:54.760 --> 00:38:55.320 phone right now 00:38:55.320 --> 00:38:56.160 and put a calendar 00:38:56.160 --> 00:38:57.180 reminder in there 00:38:57.180 --> 00:38:58.340 so that you can 00:38:58.340 --> 00:38:58.760 remember, 00:38:59.180 --> 00:38:59.680 because I know 00:38:59.680 --> 00:39:00.320 I have a tendency 00:39:00.320 --> 00:39:01.099 as soon as I get 00:39:01.099 --> 00:39:01.599 out that door 00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:02.059 to forget. 00:39:02.620 --> 00:39:03.340 So help your phone 00:39:03.340 --> 00:39:04.120 to remind you, 00:39:04.920 --> 00:39:05.660 use it for good, 00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:06.280 not evil. 00:39:08.620 --> 00:39:09.620 And use your phone 00:39:09.620 --> 00:39:10.440 to remind you, 00:39:10.720 --> 00:39:12.019 call someone, 00:39:12.420 --> 00:39:12.880 a friend, 00:39:13.079 --> 00:39:13.760 a community group 00:39:13.760 --> 00:39:14.019 leader, 00:39:14.019 --> 00:39:15.079 to talk to them 00:39:15.079 --> 00:39:15.719 about what's 00:39:15.719 --> 00:39:16.460 going on in your 00:39:16.460 --> 00:39:16.800 life. 00:39:17.719 --> 00:39:19.199 Because God 00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:20.179 gives us freedom 00:39:20.179 --> 00:39:21.900 not as we hide 00:39:21.900 --> 00:39:22.400 our sin and 00:39:22.400 --> 00:39:22.860 brokenness, 00:39:22.940 --> 00:39:23.519 but as we bring 00:39:23.519 --> 00:39:24.320 it into the light 00:39:24.320 --> 00:39:25.400 and let him 00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:26.019 heal us. 00:39:26.300 --> 00:39:26.880 And he's given 00:39:26.880 --> 00:39:27.699 us the community 00:39:27.699 --> 00:39:28.460 around us 00:39:28.460 --> 00:39:29.480 to help us 00:39:29.480 --> 00:39:30.619 in this process. 00:39:31.500 --> 00:39:31.960 So this week, 00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:33.159 let's learn to find 00:39:33.159 --> 00:39:33.960 this freedom 00:39:33.960 --> 00:39:34.780 in confession, 00:39:35.900 --> 00:39:37.099 trusting that 00:39:37.099 --> 00:39:37.800 the blood of Jesus 00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:38.940 is powerful enough 00:39:38.940 --> 00:39:40.079 and strong enough 00:39:40.079 --> 00:39:41.300 that he can still 00:39:41.300 --> 00:39:41.800 love us 00:39:41.800 --> 00:39:42.599 and accept us 00:39:42.599 --> 00:39:43.920 no matter what it is, 00:39:44.019 --> 00:39:45.000 that we have done 00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:46.659 and that he is 00:39:46.659 --> 00:39:47.219 strong enough 00:39:47.219 --> 00:39:48.400 to heal all the 00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:49.019 wounds from our 00:39:49.019 --> 00:39:49.400 past. 00:39:50.639 --> 00:39:51.300 Let's pray. 00:39:52.840 --> 00:39:53.840 Father, we thank you 00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:54.559 for your love. 00:39:54.679 --> 00:39:55.699 We thank you for 00:39:55.699 --> 00:39:57.360 the power of the 00:39:57.360 --> 00:39:58.599 cross to forgive 00:39:58.599 --> 00:39:58.960 sin, 00:39:59.500 --> 00:40:00.940 to make us new, 00:40:01.639 --> 00:40:03.199 to take away 00:40:03.199 --> 00:40:04.500 this need that we 00:40:04.500 --> 00:40:05.400 feel to isolate 00:40:05.400 --> 00:40:06.019 ourselves, 00:40:06.539 --> 00:40:07.840 to take away our 00:40:07.840 --> 00:40:09.039 shame and our 00:40:09.039 --> 00:40:09.400 guilt, 00:40:09.980 --> 00:40:11.519 to give us new 00:40:11.519 --> 00:40:11.940 life, 00:40:11.940 --> 00:40:13.820 to give us hope. 00:40:15.079 --> 00:40:15.940 God, I pray that 00:40:15.940 --> 00:40:17.220 we would be like 00:40:17.220 --> 00:40:17.659 this woman, 00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:18.240 that we would be 00:40:18.240 --> 00:40:19.380 people who see 00:40:19.380 --> 00:40:20.840 the beauty of being 00:40:20.840 --> 00:40:21.800 fully known and 00:40:21.800 --> 00:40:22.920 fully loved and 00:40:22.920 --> 00:40:23.900 find that as a 00:40:23.900 --> 00:40:24.980 liberating truth in 00:40:24.980 --> 00:40:25.539 our lives, 00:40:26.460 --> 00:40:26.840 that you would 00:40:26.840 --> 00:40:27.740 empower us as we 00:40:27.740 --> 00:40:28.480 experience that 00:40:28.480 --> 00:40:30.059 forgiveness to go 00:40:30.059 --> 00:40:30.720 out into our 00:40:30.720 --> 00:40:31.460 worlds and share 00:40:31.460 --> 00:40:31.900 with the people 00:40:31.900 --> 00:40:33.159 around us how 00:40:33.159 --> 00:40:34.240 great and powerful 00:40:34.240 --> 00:40:35.200 and intense your 00:40:35.200 --> 00:40:36.340 love is for us. 00:40:36.340 --> 00:40:38.400 I pray for anyone 00:40:38.400 --> 00:40:40.500 here who feels 00:40:40.500 --> 00:40:41.340 like they need to 00:40:41.340 --> 00:40:41.980 confess something 00:40:41.980 --> 00:40:42.780 but is afraid, 00:40:44.120 --> 00:40:44.620 that you would 00:40:44.620 --> 00:40:45.100 give them the 00:40:45.100 --> 00:40:46.840 boldness to step 00:40:46.840 --> 00:40:48.360 up and share with 00:40:48.360 --> 00:40:49.860 someone today or 00:40:49.860 --> 00:40:50.559 this week about 00:40:50.559 --> 00:40:51.120 what's been going 00:40:51.120 --> 00:40:51.920 on in their lives 00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:53.539 and that through 00:40:53.539 --> 00:40:54.180 this you would 00:40:54.180 --> 00:40:55.420 help us grow as a 00:40:55.420 --> 00:40:56.160 people who love 00:40:56.160 --> 00:40:57.680 you and love one 00:40:57.680 --> 00:40:57.980 another. 00:40:58.980 --> 00:40:59.700 In Jesus' name, 00:41:00.260 --> 00:41:00.480 amen. 00:41:00.480 --> 00:41:00.600 Amen. 00:41:00.600 --> 00:41:00.640 Amen. 00:41:00.640 --> 00:41:00.660 Amen. 00:41:00.660 --> 00:41:00.700 Amen. 00:41:00.700 --> 00:41:00.720 Amen. 00:41:00.720 --> 00:41:00.740 Amen. 00:41:00.740 --> 00:41:00.760 Amen. 00:41:00.760 --> 00:41:00.800 Amen. 00:41:00.800 --> 00:41:02.640 Amen. 00:41:02.640 --> 00:41:02.700 Amen. 00:41:02.700 --> 00:41:02.740 Amen. 00:41:02.740 --> 00:41:04.700 Amen. 00:41:04.700 --> 00:41:04.740 Amen. 00:41:04.740 --> 00:41:05.740 Amen. 00:41:05.740 --> 00:41:06.320 Amen.