Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Welcome to this broadcast of Power Walk with author and speaker Reverend Paul Cannings. This week our series is based on the story of the Samaritan woman from the book of John, Chapter 4. Today Reverend Cannings takes us to the latter part of the conversation in this story, and we find that this woman is no longer concerned about the race issue, her religious background, and the worship of her forefathers because Jesus leads her on to focus on him. Let's listen now to today's message titled, Your Thirst. Dr. Cannings?

Dr. Paul Cannings: Over the years if there's one thing that is very powerful is the fact that when a person decides that they're going to get in shape, it's a process they go through. Lots of training, lots of exercise. They have to watch how they're eating as they prepare for the Olympics. They have a lot of different things they're doing, and they are transformed over time into being a machine that can run at the best of their ability.

But if you were to take them back to where they started and ask for them to do what they're doing after years of practice and training and dietary processes and all of these different things, they can't do it. You see, folks, there's a transformation process that we have at the point of salvation. But a transformation process that is called sanctification is a training process that God uses. He disciplines us, matures us, grows us through time and trials. trials are there to teach us endurance and endurance must have its perfect work so that it perfects us. It's a process.

But we can't start that process until we decide to become a part of the Olympic running. Oh folks, that process has to begin with a commitment forward. And that's what Jesus Christ is bringing home to us as he teaches this woman that the whole conversation is the purpose for which she came to the well water. When she comes to this conversation that, praise God, she stays engaged in, Christ uses water to take her where she needs to go.

In verse 15, the woman is now ready. All of a sudden, she's not concerned about the fact that where's the water that you're- how you're going to get this water? You don't have anything to get this water. What kind of water are you talking about? This is not a well that has a spring under it. This is a well that is Jacob's well that has a collection of water. It's deep enough to where the water can be here from rain and stay a long time because it's very deep. There's no spring.

So what are you talking about living water? None of these things are attached to her focus as a woman, a racial issue she has to deal with. Then she has to deal with the fact that he doesn't have anything on him to get to the deep end of this well, which is verse 11. Then she's struggling with history, verse 12. This is Jacob's well. How are you going to come on Jacob's well where he took care of his cattle and his family and all this historical stuff that took place that is attached to our tradition that you really don't respect? And you're going to tell me you've got a better water from Jacob?

She's gone through that transition. But Jesus Christ just keeps because she stays engaged in the conversation. Jesus Christ keeps working with her because this woman's heart was right. Her heart was right. That's why Jesus Christ went the way to this well ahead of schedule, knowing that she's not supposed to even talk to travelers, which is you don't talk to traveling men. And she's coming at a time when the other women aren't there. So it's just she and Jesus.

Jesus Christ understands that he could have gone a different route around Samaria. No, he comes right smack through and he gets there early to talk to her because Jesus Christ knows this woman's heart is right. It's ripe, as a matter of fact. Not just right, it's ripe. Because she goes back and wins a village. She stays in the conversation because she's longing for what he's talking about. She knows what it's like to not have this water, the Holy Spirit as we find John discusses in chapter 7 verse 37 through verse 39. That's this Holy Spirit that John is talking about.

She knows she doesn't have it. She's had five husbands and a live-in boyfriend. She gets it. Okay, I've been coming to church at this mountain, Jacob's mountain where there was a temple that the Samaritans built because they held more towards their Jewish heritage than their Assyrian heritage. And as a result of that, they built a temple because the Jews wouldn't accept them to worship, and they want to worship God. The Jews came and tore that down because how dare you create another temple other than the one in Jerusalem.

She understands that she came to that worship service. She knows that her life was thirsty and it needed a refreshment. This is not the issue for the lady. The issue is, is she now at the point of accepting this gift? This gift he talks about in verse 10. And the woman now is ready. She's no longer in the past history, all this other stuff. In verse 15, she has the shortest conversation is right here.

And the woman saith unto him, "Sir, give me this water." I'm ready. I'm ready. "Give me this water." I don't care if you're a Jew, I don't care about Jacob's mountain, none of that stuff. "Give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." I don't want the embarrassment, humiliation anymore. Just give me this water. I want this water you're talking about that'll give me eternal life. I want that eternal life. I'll drink it. Just give it to me!

Oh folks, Jesus is the way, John would say in chapter 14, verse 6. The truth and the life. Many times we say we are saved, we forget that salvation is a deliverance to a new way. The road is narrow that leads to heaven. Run the race that is set. It's a way. It's a journey. It's a process that we must go through. It's an Olympic trial when we arrive in heaven. "Well done, thy good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with a few things. Here is much." It's a race. It's a process that we're going through each and every day as he sanctifies us.

Not just to "Oh, I'm saved, I'm going to heaven, I got my fire insurance taken care of." That is not the plan. The plan is now that the Holy Spirit is poured into me, I'm committed to the process. That's why the woman is saying, "I'm ready to drink. I'm ready for the process." That's why I say this lady was ready, her heart was- that's why he says later on in John 4 here, he says, "The field is ripe. We just can't find laborers." This woman shows how ripe it is. I'm ready to drink. Just give it to me! I don't want to come to this well and I know I'm thirsty. I know about my life.

You see that she is wide open to this when Jesus Christ responds this way. In verse 16, Jesus said unto her, "Go call thy husband and come hither." He just went smack up in her business. Go call your husband and come hither. So there has to be a decision because Jesus is the way. John chapter 3, verse 16. Yes, he came to save us, but he's also the way that leads to life.

She has to accept this way that is a part of the salvation process. And she's wide open, and the only way to deal with that is when we are committed to be exposed for the truth because the way is the truth and the life. So look at her response. The woman answered and said unto him, "I have no husband." Jesus said unto her- that's the shortest type of conversation she's in because her heart is now surrendered to "give me this water." So she's not trying to have no long conversation.

"Thou hast said it well, I have no husband. For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou hast is not thy husband. In that saith thou truly." What you're saying is the truth. You've got a live-in boyfriend. Okay, the woman says to him, "Okay, you're a prophet. I perceive that you're a prophet." See, this woman is knowledgeable. This woman is not a dummy. She may have an immoral past, but this woman is engaged in going to Mount Gerizim to worship God. She's engaged and understood about Jacob and the history.

She says, "Oh, you've got to be a prophet. Now that you're a prophet and you're talking about my background and I want to drink the water, we have a problem. The problem that we have is that I can't worship God. I want to fix my life, but I can't worship him." That's what she's going to say. Why? Because they tore the temple down. "And I can't go to Jerusalem. I'm a Samaritan. Five husbands? I can't go there. So you tore the temple down so I can't go there to get my sins forgiven. What are you going to do about this? I'm ready, I'm willing, I want the water, but you tore the temple down. I can't worship God. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. I can't fix my problem."

Oh folks, how many times people come to our churches and can't fix their issues? I'll never forget speaking somewhere, and a lady walks in, and all of a sudden, movements were taking place around that this is a problem in the way this woman is dressed. I remember preaching through the sermon, but I was so inquisitive. I wanted to find out what happened. What happened? Because I saw the woman go and sit in the back. She didn't sit towards the middle anymore, she sat in the back.

So I wanted to figure out what happened to this woman. And the woman could never really be in church because there was so much tension about this dress that she couldn't hear the gospel message that night. I looked at the woman and said, "What happened to her? Could you please tell me what happened to her?" She says, "Well, she's a woman of the street, so she's gone." Oh no! This is why we're here! This is why we're doing this revival! Okay, praise the Lord God. The one from the 99 that we didn't go get came in the door, and we sent her back out the door.

Oh folks, would we accept this woman in church if we knew she had five husbands, divorced five times, and now she has a live-in boyfriend? Would we even have a conversation at the well? Be honest. Would we have this conversation, or would we put our hands up and stiff-arm her because we live in this community and know who she is?

Could you imagine you're a follower of Jesus Christ? Would he have to send you away like he did the disciples so he could actually talk to this woman? Because they couldn't handle it. I could just see some of them struggling. But he couldn't have them there. He needed them to keep following him as he went into the village later on when the people came out and they shared the gospel and the people got saved. Now they feel a little bit better, they could go in.

But if Jesus Christ was somebody you followed and you saw him talking to a woman at the well and you knew about the woman, what would you say about Jesus? Would we be like the Pharisees who said, "How could he be a prophet? He's among sinners!" Or would we say, "Praise the Lord. Jesus is reaching this woman. We could have a better community, a better family, a better person."

Because that's where Jesus was all the time. He came to seek and to save the lost. That's who he was seeking out. The Samaritan woman. That's who he sought. If Jesus Christ was walking around today on earth, would we follow him? Sometimes we forget that at the cross, we're lost and wretched like everybody else. So we look from a cultural perspective at a person. Christ looks from a spiritual perspective. He sees the heart of this woman and wins her to Christ and changes a city. Are we selective, or are we open to anybody who is lost? I pray to God that we will help people make this journey and create such a thirst for Christ that they would say, "Teach me this." We need to stay focused on this fertile soil that exists right around us.

Guest (Male): Profound insight from Dr. Paul Cannings. Jesus reaches across all boundaries to change her life forever. Now friends, if you'd like to have such an encounter with Jesus but you don't know where to begin, then please call us. Our number is 281-260-7402. The number again is 281-260-7402. Once again, here's Reverend Cannings.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Hello everyone, this is Pastor Cannings. It's been a pleasure coming into your home, maybe your car, maybe you're sitting at your desk at your job and listening to this message. It's been a blessing to serve you. And I hope that you will become a partner this year as we seek to continue to serve God in an effective manner. Many times he opens up so many doors, but what we lack is resources to get it done. You can't go through every door, but you know the ones that are a great fit for our ministry to touch lives. And sometimes we can't do it because we don't have the resources to get it done. So I pray that you will become a Power Walk partner as we power walk together to impact lives. Thank you for listening. It's been a blessing serving you.

Guest (Male): To become a Power Walk partner, please visit us online at powerwalkministries.org. If you'd prefer to write us, our mailing address is P.O. Box 920517, Houston, Texas, 772092. Now as we leave you, remember to apply this encounter not only to your own thirst, but pray for opportunities to create such a thirst for Christ in others.