Category: Jesus Christ

How can we overcome spiritual paralysis? Part 2

“The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’” John 5:7

If we are to overcome spiritual paralysis, we must also … REFUSE to BLAME Others (John 5:7). When Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6), the lame man replied, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (John 5:7). He was complaining, “Every time the water bubbles up, no one is here to help me into the pool. It’s always the stronger ones who reach the water first. It’s a shame those of us who need it the most get the least amount of help. It’s been that way for thirty-eight years.”

We do the same thing today. How often do we hear people say things like, “I’d stop drinking if my wife would quit nagging me!” “I’d work harder, but no one appreciates my effort.” “I’d stop doing drugs if my friends would stop pressuring me.” “I’d make better grades, but my teacher doesn’t like me.” “I’d come to church, but there are too many hypocrites there.” We have such a difficult time saying, “I’m responsible for my choices.” We blame heredity, environment, circumstances, the past – everything except ourselves. Yet what the Lord wants is for us to accept responsibility for our own behavior.

 When Jesus asks, “do you want to be made well?” what is our response? When Jesus asks, “do you want to be healed from your past hurts?” Do we reply, “you don’t know how badly they hurt me”? When Jesus asks, “Do you want to be freed from the chains of your secret sin?” do we counter, “I just can’t control myself”? When Christ says, “Do you want to be saved?” will you excuse yourself, “I’m not nearly as bad as other people I know.” When Jesus asks, “Do you want to become more effective in reaching the lost?” do we say, “I’m happy with the way things are?” When Jesus asks, “Will you try new ways to minister to the lost?” do we say, “I’m afraid of what could happen?” Jesus said to the cripple “Do you want to be made well?” And he replied, “I don’t have anyone to put me in.”

To receive the healing Jesus has for our lives, we must refuse to blame others and take responsibility for ourselves. Christ is eager to help us, but we must be willing to let Him. Living in denial only makes our spiritual paralysis worse. We must break out of denial and stop blaming someone else for the choices we have made. It is time to face the pain in our lives so we will recognize our need for Jesus. Denial can stop today! Healing can begin today!

Prayer: Ouch! Lord Jesus, Your Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Thank You for loving me enough to expose the denial in my life which is often cloaked by blaming others. Lord God, please forgive me for refusing to take responsibility for my own choices which has caused more pain in my life than anything else. Right now, I am asking You to help me break out of denial and face the pain in my own life. Thank You my Lord and my God for Your healing grace and mercy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How can we overcome spiritual paralysis? Part 1

“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’” John 5:6

In the next three articles, we are going to address a deadly, dreaded disease. It is important that you listen closely because you could have this disease and not even know it. This disease can spread rapidly and render an entire church body spiritually bedridden. It is called spiritual paralysis or the loss of the ability to walk with God. Those stricken with this disease find themselves spiritually paralyzed… unable to do what God wants them to do. They are unable to make disciples – to lead others to Christ and train them to do the same. They may be unable to overcome a past hurt, habit or hang up. If that describes you, then you are invited to go with the Doctor on a swimming pool call to see how this dreaded disease can be cured. Just how can we overcome spiritual paralysis?

RESOLVE TO GET WELL (John 5:1-6). You must want to get well. The first year of Jesus’ ministry had come to an end. At the start of His second year of ministry, Jesus went to the Passover feast in Jerusalem. “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed.” (John 5:1-3a). “Bethesda” means “house of outpouring” or “house of mercy.” This pool was near the Sheep Gate so that sheep coming to be sacrificed in the temple could be brought through this gate and washed in this pool. The Bethesda pool was surrounded by five porches to shelter the sick. Five is the number of grace. Why were all these needy people gathered here?

They were “waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” (John 5:3b-4). Some scholars reject these verses stating that they are not found in older Greek manuscripts and are not consistent with John’s writings. But there are convincing arguments to include these verses in the original text of the gospel of John.

Zane Hodges summarizes several reasons to include these verses in the original gospel of John text:

1. All known Greek manuscripts of John’s gospel include these verses except for less than a dozen.

2. Tertullian confirms the authenticity of the passage in the third century.

3. The reading was widely distributed in both the East and West as evidenced in the versions and writings of the church Fathers.

4. The stylistic pattern of this passage is consistent with the unique content and probable connection with the traditions of Bethesda.

5. The absence of these verses in older manuscripts can be explained by a falsely perceived “pagan tinge.”

6. The statement about the multitude of sick assembled under the five porches in verse 3 and the response of the lame man in verse 7 demand the presence of verses 3b-4.

We must not forget that the Bible records many miraculous interventions of angels in the lives of ordinary people. God in His mercy granted miraculous healings at the Pool of Bethesda to heal some of the sick. “Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.” (John 5:5). The lame man lay forlornly in a place where God’s mercy seemed to always touch others but never himself. There had been no mercy at the house of mercy for this man. For thirty-eight years he had been confined by paralysis to a bed, leaving him weak and hopeless.

“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’” (John 5:6). That’s a question we may need to answer, as well. The first step to overcoming spiritual paralysis is to resolve to get well. Do you want Jesus to heal the parts of your life where you’ve been wounded or is it easier to hold on to the hurt? Do you want Christ to overcome your fears or are you more comfortable playing it safe and not taking any risks because you are ruled by the fear of what could happen? All too often we hold on tightly to the things that paralyze us spiritually.

To the one crippled by past hurts, Jesus asks, “Do you want to be healed?” To the one chained by secret sin Jesus asks, “Do you want to be set free?” To the one battling addiction Jesus asks, “Do you want to overcome?” To the one who is paralyzed by fear, Jesus asks, “Do you want to admit you are not in control and learn to trust Me?” To the one who has not yet trusted Christ to get them to heaven Jesus asks, “Do you want to be saved?” Toall of us who need His healing touch in any part of our life He asks, “Do you want to be made well?”

Christian psychiatrists Drs. Minirth and Meyer have written a book about overcoming depression entitled “Happiness Is a Choice.” They wrote, “As psychiatrists, we cringe whenever Christian patients use the words, `I can’t’ and `I’ve tried.’ Any good psychiatrist knows that `I can’t’ and `I’ve tried’ are merely lame excuses. We insist that our patients stop saying `can’t’ and say `won’t’ instead… They need to see what they are really doing, so we make them face up to it by saying, `I just won’t get along with my wife.’ `My husband and I won’t communicate.’ `I won’t discipline my kids the way I should.’ `I won’t find time to pray.’ `I won’t stop gossiping.’ When they change their ‘can’ts’ to ‘won’ts’ they stop avoiding the truth and start facing reality.”

We need to choose what we really want, and as God’s people, learn to say with the apostle Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). Overcoming spiritual paralysis begins with a RESOLVE TO GET WELL.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, of all the people whom You could have healed at the pool of Bethesda, you chose a man who had been lame thirty-eight years. Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy that leads You to the people who need Your healing touch. Thank You for approaching me with Your mercy to heal the wounds in the depths of my soul that kept me from walking closely with You in my Christian life. Please make me willing to invite You into other areas of my heart that need Your healing touch. You will not force Your way into my life without my willingness to welcome You. Right now, Lord, I need You to walk with me through the painful memories of the past so I may see You there and hear Your voice of truth which helps me to see the past through Your eyes. Thank You my Lord and my God for the new perspective You are giving to me. In Your name I pray. Amen.  

How can we experience God’s life-giving Word? Part 4

“So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives.’ And he himself believed, and his whole household.’” John 4:53

The final way to experience the life-giving word of Christ is THROUGH TRUSTING IN CHRIST’S PERSON (John 4:51-54). Jesus and His disciples remained in Cana that night, but the nobleman did not. He started back to Capernaum alone that evening over the Galilean hills. After dark, he probably stopped to sleep, then arose early the next morning and started on his way. He then noticed some travelers coming his way. “And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, ‘Your son lives!’”(John 4:51). Momentarily shaken, the nobleman realizes that these words were similar to Jesus’s words the night before.

Recovering his composure, he thought of a question. Perhaps his son’s healing was a coincidence. Perhaps when he left home his son had begun to get better by himself. If that were the case, his trip to see Jesus would have been needless. There’s one way to find out. “Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’” (John 4:52). The seventh hour would have been 1 p.m. when the fever left his son. Fever left him? So, it wasn’t a matter of beginning to get better, but of getting well all at once. Jesus’s words were not the start of a process of healing, but the point at which his son’s health was completely restored.

The Person who spoke these words with such a miraculous result, unhindered by the hills and valleys that separated Him from the nobleman’s sick son, was no ordinary man. After all, had it not been the word of the Creator God that caused all things to leap from nothingness into existence?! “6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth… 9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:6, 9).

This was the Messiah-God, the Christ. The nobleman believed in Jesus at this moment for eternal life. “So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives.’ And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.” (John 4:53-54). What did the nobleman do after he believed in Christ alone for eternal life? He “ate his food” as we learned in the last chapter – he led his whole “household” (family and servants) to believe in Christ. It probably didn’t take long for the family to be convinced of their need to believe in Christ. The power of Jesus’s Word was the same from Samaria to Galilee, from Sychar to Capernaum. The power of Jesus’s word creates life in every believing heart.

And His Word does the same thing today. Wouldn’t it be great to see people like the royal official come to Christ today? To see people in high places put their faith in Jesus for their salvation? To see our governor, state representatives and senators, mayor, and city council members all come to faith in Christ (if they have not already), and then lead their family and friends to do the same?! That’s what it is all about, isn’t it?!

This second miracle that John records pictures salvation in the following ways:

1. Like the miracle, salvation takes place at a POINT in time, and is not a PROCESS. Just as the nobleman’s son was healed at the moment Jesus spoke, so Christ gives eternal life the moment a person believes in Him for it (John 3:15-16).

2. Like the miracle, salvation is a TOTAL transformation. The healing of the nobleman’s son was complete, not partial. Likewise, when a person trusts Christ for eternal life, they undergo a complete transformation. They have passed from spiritual sickness to spiritual health, from death into life (John 5:24). They are completely forgiven, never to come under judgment again to determine their eternal destiny.

3. Like the miracle, salvation is a total work OF GRACE. Just as the nobleman did not contribute to the healing of his son, so we cannot contribute to our own salvation. “For by grace you have been saved, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a gift that we receive by grace through faith in Christ. We can do nothing to make ourselves deserving of heaven. Only Christ can save us. 

A few years ago, our minivan broke down 1.5 miles from my parent’s home the day before Christmas. I was helpless to move the van. Fortunately, my nephew-in-law had a flatbed tow truck. So I trusted him – a person – to take me and my van to our destination using his tow truck. God is asking us to trust a Person, His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins and take us to heaven. The moment we do, He instantly gives us the gift of eternal life and guarantees to take us to heaven in the future.

God wants us to experience His life-giving word. We can do that through the TESTIMONY of His People… TRUSTING CHRIST’S POWER… PROMISE… and His PERSON. Maybe you feel like the nobleman. You feel hopeless and afraid. The wrong things you have done have separated you from God and you have nowhere else to turn but to Jesus now. He loves you, and died in your place on a cross and rose from the dead. And He wants to give you His life-giving Word if you will trust Him to do so. Jesus said: “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40). Only Jesus’s word can give us life that never ends and guarantee a future resurrection to all who believe in Him!

Prayer:  Only Your Word, Lord Jesus, can give me life that never ends. Your Word is not limited by distance nor the condition of its recipient. In this world filled with chaos and hatred, I pray my Lord and my God, that You will bring people in higher places (like the nobleman in this second miracle recorded in John’s gospel) to trust in You alone for everlasting life. I also pray they will share this good news of everlasting life with their family, friends, and countrymen. Please turn this world upside down with Your message of grace so that more people can experience Your life-giving Word. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

How can we experience God’s life-giving Word? Part 3

“Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.” John 4:50

The third way we can experience the life-giving word is THROUGH TRUSTING CHRIST’S PROMISE (John 4:49-50). Tears were probably flowing down his cheeks when the nobleman said – “Sir, come down before my child dies!” (John 4:49). This dad thought Jesus only had the power to heal before his son died and from a close distance. He knew Jesus had the power to help him. How could He withhold it? The next words were more shocking than the first.

“Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives’” (John 4:50),  meaning “he will not die now.” “My son lives?” the nobleman thought. Then recovery was guaranteed. What a wonderful promise. It sounded too good and gracious to be true. Could he believe it? Yes – yes, he could. He had no proof, nothing visible to rely upon, just the Word of Jesus. That was all he had. But there was absolute, unwavering authority in that word.

Are you able to take Christ at His Word even though your situation seems impossible? Jesus’ Word is not limited by distance or the condition of the recipient. That’s why we can pray for people who are thousands of miles away from us. Maybe your health doesn’t permit you to go prayer walking around your neighborhood. It doesn’t matter. Christ’s Word is not limited by distance. Nor is Jesus’ Word limited by the condition of the recipient. The nobleman’s son was near death. No doubt, the nobleman could afford the best doctors but they could not cure his son. He probably called the priests but they couldn’t help him. He probably tried every possible means to save his son but without success. He was broken. His only hope was in Jesus.

But death is no match for Christ. No matter how bad your situation is, Christ can overcome it with His life-giving Word. He can give life to a dead marriage… relationship… job… or church. He can overcome a bad habit or attitude. Don’t let circumstances or the condition of your life keep you from asking for His help. He promises to provide if you will only ask Him. Jesus said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14). If you pray for what He wants and what glorifies Him, He will do it.

Prayer: Jesus help.

How can we experience God’s life-giving Word? Part 2

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.’” John 4:48

Another way we can experience God’s life-giving Word is THROUGH TRUSTING CHRIST’S POWER (John 4:43-48). “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him.” (John 4:43-45a). Christ wasn’t born in Galilee, but He was raised there in Nazareth and now made His home in the lakeside town of Capernaum in Galilee. So, He was somewhat surprised by the hospitality of the Galileans. He never received any honor in His own country. He was trained at home as a carpenter with no formal theological education. He had received very little recognition as a qualified Rabbi; much less a prophet of God. But now these Galileans were very receptive to Him. Why?

“…Having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.” (John 4:45b). They had witnessed the power of Christ through the miracles He had performed at the Passover in Jerusalem. They welcomed Jesus as the Miracle-Worker. But He was more than that – He was the Messiah-God, the Savior of the world, whose Word could create an inexhaustible well of life in every heart that believed in Him (John 4:10-14). The Samaritans learned this by listening to Him talk. But the Galileans (Jews) had to see miracles first before they could trust in Him.

“So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.” (John 4:46-47). There was a lot of talk about Jesus in Cana of Galilee because of the spectacular miracle whereby “He made water wine.”(John 2:1-11). And a certain royal official heard about Jesus’ miracles, and so he approached Christ after traveling eighteen miles from his home in Capernaum. His son was desperately sick. He was afraid that his son would die at any moment, so he begged Jesus to make the eighteen miles journey to heal his son.

But look at Jesus’ response. “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.’” (John 4:48). This seems harsh at first, doesn’t it? The “you” (idēte) is plural. He’s talking to a group of people, not just the nobleman. The Galileans were unlike the Samaritans. They needed to see a miracle before they would believe Jesus’ Word. In Sychar, Jesus’ Word had been enough. But in Galilee, the Jews could not believe in Christ without miracles (cf. I Corinthians 1:22-23).

There are people like that all around the world. It is not enough for them to hear the Word of God.They need to see the power of God. And the greatest display of God’s power is a changed life. God calls all believers to live a life that honors Him. But you know what? It’s impossible for you to live the Christian life in and of yourself. You can’t do it in your own strength. But the good news is that God doesn’t expect you to. Instead, He wants to live through you. Only through Christ’s power can we love our enemies… forgive… practice self-control…. and be a positive witness. Only through His power can we find hope and healing.

Prayer: Lord God, there are many people around the world like the Galileans who need to see Your power before they believe in Jesus alone for eternal life. But there are also people like the Samaritans who only need Your Word to believe in Christ alone for salvation. Please use Your word and my actions to influence non-Christians to come to faith in Jesus alone. I cannot live a God-honoring life in my own strength, Lord. I need You to live Your life through me so others will be drawn to Christ in me. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Look into the Future – Part 5 (Video)

This is the fifth in a series of videos about the future as recorded in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. This video focuses on the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.

The Revelation Art is used by permission of Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. To order art prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site, http://www.revelationillustrated.com. Millennial Kingdom pictures are used by permission of GoodSalt at www.goodsalt.com. The music and video scene in this video is used with permission from the producers of the video entitled “The Free Gift.”

Is Jesus Christ Alive Today? (Video)

This video contains a message of everlasting hope that is found in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Please share this video with those you want to see in heaven.

The song “Because He Lives I Can Face Tomorrow” by Jesusman, is Public Domain Mark 1.0 and is therefore not subject to copyright.

Living life with the right priorities

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’” John 4:34

During COVID-19 restrictions, I have noticed my waist line growing in size. If you are like me, you may be in the process of finding a diet plan to take off that COVID-19 fat to look good in your warm weather clothing. And there are as many diet plans out there as there are people. But that is not the case in our spiritual lives. God has one diet plan that will answer the needs of every person. His plan will reduce unwanted spiritual fat and fatigue. It will give you benefits which last far beyond this life. What is God’s diet plan?

LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH THE RIGHT PRIORITIES (John 4:31-34). While the Samaritan woman went back to her village to tell people about Jesus, Christ’s disciples focus on Jesus’ physical needs. “In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’”(John 4:31-33). The disciples were encouraging Jesus to eat and He told them that He had food to eat. The disciples are asking themselves, “How can this be? He didn’t carry any food with Him. Did that woman give Him something to eat?” Before they left to get food, Jesus was tired and hungry (John 4:6), but now food and rest was not important to Him. Whatever food Christ spoke of, they weren’t familiar with it.

Have you ever gotten so wrapped up in what you were doing that you forgot to eat? Christ was so consumed with love for lost souls He had no interest in food or rest.

As followers of Christ, we must be careful that we do not get so focused on the physical realm that we forget about the spiritual needs of others. Christ shares the key to God’s diet plan. “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’” (John 4:34). His focus is on doing what God wants Him to do. It was God’s will for Christ to give eternal life to the Samaritan woman and through her to the people of Sychar. Consequently, He felt no hunger while doing the will and work of God. God was seeking true worshipers (John 4:23-24) and that is why He gave the woman eternal life so she could worship the Father. Now it was time for the disciples to find worshipers for God. To eat and enjoy that task as one who eats and enjoys food was what Jesus was teaching them now. The Samaritan woman seemed to know this intuitively as she quickly went back to the village to tell others about Christ

Jesus says the priority now is to DO God’s will and FINISH His work. He is not talking about just knowing His will, but doing it. There may be 101 things you can do this week, but how can you get it all done? There is housework, homework, schoolwork, office work and church work. In a world full of things that need to be done, where do we go to get some sense of what to do first? How do we determine our priorities? Most of us just jump right in and overload ourselves. As a result, we begin to get very nervous. We say to ourselves, “Well, I will just have to try harder.”

Learn from Jesus how to determine your priorities:

1. Pray and seek wise counsel from the Lord. We can have problems determining our priorities if we are not taking time to hear God’s voice. Look at the order of determining priorities in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

a. I must be still enough to hear God’s voice.

b. I will be able to know God and what He wants me to do.

c. God will be exalted as His priorities are carried out.

2. Plan and prioritize. We need to plan. Jesus did not choose to go with His disciples. He found a quiet place and had a one-on-one conversation with the Samaritan woman. He started talking about water, because that’s what the woman came to the well for. Then He gave her water that would satisfy her forever. Prioritize and you will be able to DO and FINISH the works God has entrusted you. 

Prayer: Father God, this is such a convicting message for me. It has been a struggle maintaining the right priorities in my life lately. I can easily become preoccupied with my own physical needs and the physical needs of those close to me during this COVID-19 crisis, so that I forget about the spiritual needs of others. Thank You for the example of Jesus with the Samaritan woman. Even though He was tired from His journey, He focused on her need for everlasting life. His food was to do Your will and finish Your work. Father, I want the same food that Jesus consumed. Please show me Your will for me at this time so I may finish the work You have set before me. I believe it involves sharing Your message of everlasting life with those You have prepared to hear and believe it so they may worship You in spirit and in truth. By Your grace, help me to finish well what You have set before me so that all the glory is given to You. Thank You for hearing my prayer, Father God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Eternal life is absolutely free through Jesus!

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” John 4:10

We learn from Jesus’ conversation with a hurting Samaritan woman at a well that eternal life is absolutely free (John 4:1-26)! After Jesus asked this woman to give Him a drink from Jacob’s well, the woman was amazed that He, being a Jew, would ask a drink from a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-9).

Christ now moves from the water that could not satisfy her thirst, to the water that could. In other words, Jesus is being relevant by communicating what this woman needs to hear in a way she could understand it. They were at a well, so He talks to her about living waters (John 4:1-26).

What does Christ say she (and all people) needs to know to quench her spiritual thirst? “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10). I cannot receive a gift until I know about that gift and the giver of that gift. Before she could ask for the gift of God from the Giver of that gift, she needed to know what the gift was and the identity of the Giver.

Jesus explains what the gift of God is when He says, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14). Physical water does not permanently quench our physical thirst (John 4:13), but “the living waters” that Jesus offers is a permanent thirst quencher (John 4:14). This living water becomes in the believer “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The word “drink” means to “believe” in the gospel of John. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). “To drink” means “to believe” – because both drinking and believing permanently quench our spiritual thirst. The spiritual need that Jesus’ water meets can never reoccur. One drink of His water will satisfy our need for eternal life forever. The phrase “will never thirst” literally means “will by no means thirst forever!” Eternal life is a forever gift because it is eternal – without end. Eternal life cannot be lost because the believer can never thirst again for it.

How is this possible? When a person believes in Jesus, He digs a spiritual well in the human heart that continuously meets the needs of the one who drinks from it. But Jacob’s well was in the earth and the drinker of it must return again and again (John 4:12). Men dig wells in the earth, only Jesus Christ can dig a well in the human heart so that it gushes up into everlasting life. Jesus’ well never runs dry.

Keep in mind that everlasting life is a free gift. It is absolutely free. You do not have to work or pay for this gift, otherwise it would not be a gift. For example, when you receive a birthday gift from someone, do you have to pay for it? No, because it is a gift. It has already been paid for. Everlasting life is a free gift because Jesus Christ has already paid for it in full when He died in our place on a cross for all our sins and rose from the dead (John 2:19, 22; 3:14-15; 12:23-24, 27-33; 10:11, 17: 19:16-20:31). All you must do to receive this gift is believe in the Giver.

Before this woman could ask for this free gift of everlasting life, she needed to know the identity of it’s Giver. The apostle John wants a lost person to know that the Giver of the gift of God is Jesus Christ (4:16-26) Who is fully God (John 1:1, 34, 49; 5:16-47; 6:69; 8:57-59; 11:27; 20:28) and fully Man (John 1:14; 4:6; 11:35; 12:27; 19:28).

When Jesus offered the woman everlasting life, she said, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” (John 4:15). She missed His point. She was still thinking of physical water. She didn’t recognize her need for this gift of God. So, Jesus confronts her with the truth. “Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’” (John 4:16). This was the most sensitive area in her life… the area where she had experienced the most hurt and shame… the area where she had the highest and thickest walls of self-protection.

At this point, she could have turned away and left (as many do), but she didn’t. Somewhat embarrassed, she blurted out, “’I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” (John 4:17-18). This woman was not only divorced, but she had been through five broken marriages, and now the man she was living with was not even her husband. All this woman knew was an unending sense of dissatisfaction. She had five husbands, but none of her marriages worked. They may have left for different reasons, but she was left with the same results – loneliness and emptiness inside. She tried to quench her spiritual thirst with men but it did not work.

How did Jesus know about this brokenness in her life? He knew this because He was much more than a moral teacher or prophet, He was the long awaited Messiah-God. John writes, “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ ” (John 4:25-26). The woman first thought Jesus was a prophet when He revealed His knowledge of her sin-stained life (John 4:17b-19), but now the truth of His identity flooded her soul. He was the long awaited Messiah-God! She had arrived at the well empty, but now she departed full of life – life with God forever. She now knew the Gift and the Giver. And that is all she needed to know. That’s all anyone needs to know. And when they do, an eternal transaction occurs. Without a word or prayer, her heart had asked in faith and He had given her eternal life.

From this conversation we discover that everlasting life is an absolutely free gift! Jesus knew this woman was living with a man who was not even her husband. But He does not tell her to leave her boyfriend or get married to him in order to have everlasting life. Why? Because the only condition for this free gift is to believe in Jesus for it (John 4:14; 6:40, 47; 7:38-39; 11:25-26; 20:31; et al).

Some of you will read this article and ask, “But what about confessing your sins or being baptized or turning from your sins?” Jesus does not mention any of those things as a condition for everlasting life in His conversation with this hurting woman. If ever there was an appropriate time for Jesus to tell someone to turn from her sins or confess her sins, it was now. But He does not do it. Why? Because everlasting life is an absolutely free gift and the only condition to receive it is to believe in Jesus for it.

Jesus’ conversation with this woman also tells us that no one is too bad to receive the gift of God. Perhaps you can relate to the Samaritan woman. Your life is empty and parched. You have tried to fill it with substitutes – achievements, drugs, emotions, pornography, relationships, your work, special projects, etc., but they leave you feeling emptier. You need the real thing – a permanent thirst quencher. Ask Jesus in faith for the gift of eternal life and He will give it to you right now.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You now as a broken sinner who has been deeply hurt by my own sinful choices and the sinful choices of others. I have tried to satisfy my spiritual thirst with so many substitutes that have only made my condition worse. I realize today that You still love me despite all of the pain I have caused You and others. I believe You died in my place for all my sins on a cross and rose from the dead. Right now I am asking You, Lord Jesus, to give me everlasting life as a free gift. Thank You for the everlasting life I now have which satisfies my spiritual thirst forever. Thank You that I can never lose this gift. Please help me to share this good news with others who are longing to quench their own spiritual thirst. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

To help you grow in your new relationship with Jesus, please explore our website here or visit www.knowing-Jesus.com.

If you found this article helpful, please share it with those you want to see in heaven. Thank you, and may Jesus richly bless you as you make Him known to others.

A Look into the Future – Part 4 (Video)

This is the fourth in a series of videos about the future as recorded in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. This video focuses on the most significant event on God’s Prophetic Calendar – the Second Coming of Christ to earth.

The Revelation Art is used by permission of Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. To order art prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site, http://www.revelationillustrated.com. The music and video scene in this video is used with permission from the producers of the video entitled “The Free Gift.”