How to Help the Hurting

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How to Help the Hurting – John 4:1-26 Thank you for worshipping with us this weekend. If you are: 1) New to Coram Deo. Welcome. 2) Following online. Welcome. My name is Jason Taylor. I am the Biblical Soul Care Pastor here at Coram Deo. It is my privilege to share the Word of God with you today. It is also my joy to share my heart with you, for my passion is to bring Biblical hope to those who are hurting. I think we would all agree that we are a nation of hurting people.

So, let’s look to Jesus • The Wonderful Counselor (Is. 9:6) to see how He instructs, admonishes, comforts, encourages, and gives hope. • Let’s see how Jesus helps those who are hurting and use the same principles for how we help the hurting. • A good case study where Jesus helps the hurting is the story of the woman at the well. Please turn with me to John 4:1-26 If you don’t have a Bible, one of our ushers is happy to let you borrow one of ours. Today, I will unpack six ways we help those who are hurting.

Maybe you are here and struggling…

The first way we help the hurting...

So let’s do this…let’s go back and start over…

1) Enter their world (vs. 1-9)

My name is Jason Taylor. I am the Biblical Soul Care Pastor here at Coram Deo.

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisess had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself did not baptize, but only His disciples), He left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son, Joseph.

Thank you for worshipping with us this weekend. 1) If you are here in this audience today and struggling with fear, anger, or anxiety…Welcome. 2) If you are overwhelmed with feelings of depression or despair…Welcome 3) If your life has been influenced by some form of sexual violence…Welcome 4) If your marriage is on the brink of divorce…Welcome 5) If you feel you are in bondage to substance abuse…Welcome 6) If you are tempted by homosexual feelings…Welcome…Sit down next to the adulterer and those hung up on pornography…We are so glad you are here today. We are not just a nation of hurting people, we are a church of hurting people. For this reason, I want to talk about how our church offers help and God offers hope. We call it Biblical Soul Care. It is my purpose today to describe Biblical Soul Care (BSC) to you so you can begin to understand it and participate. • Near the end of service I will refer to the card you were given when you entered the room. It describes how our church offers help. • The temptation right now is to digest the card given, but if you do, you might miss out on some other good stuff. I promise we will return to the card. Not only do I want to share how our church can help, but I also praise God today because He offers us hope. He does this by giving us Jesus • Jesus is our hope (1 Peter 1:3-9)…”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy He caused us to be born again to a living hope.” • Jesus is not only hope for our future—a fire insurance of sorts—but He is our current hope… • Jesus is the hope, that also gives us peace in trauma (John 16:33)

Let’s stop here for a moment. It is important to note that this was a Samaritan and Jesus entered her world. • Verse five states, “So He came to a town in Samaria” (vs. 5) Samaritans were half Jewish and half gentile. They adopted some of the pagan worship practices of the gentiles. Therefore they were despised by the Jews. “For Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” (vs. 9) • The Jews tended to avoid Samaria at all costs. In fact, historically, some Jews would travel to northern Israel by taking the long way around, just to avoid the region of Samaria. • BUT Jesus made a pit stop in a region of rejects—to the Jews, this woman was an outcast (vs. 6) Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as He was from His journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. As an outcast she was ashamed…Have you ever felt shame? Shame is a public humiliation due to who you are or what you have done. Shame makes you feel dirty, unwanted, disconnected, and embarrassed. This woman was filled with shame. • We already know that her people, the Samaritans, were despised by the Jews. Now notice the time she comes to the well. • This woman came to the well at about the “Sixth hour” (vs. 6). This is about noon. • Most women came out to draw water in the cool of the morning. They would gather what was needed for the day and return to the city. • This woman came out to the well at noon. Very few others would be present at the well at this time. She probably came at a time where she wouldn’t have to interact with others. • BUT Jesus entered her world…

(vs. 7) A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.) Enter their world to initiate a relationship • Jesus built a bridge to relationship by asking for a drink (vs. 7) • Her nationality or colorful past didn’t matter…Jesus engaged in gracious relationship • It is critical for us to recognize that gracious and loving relationship is God’s context for growth • Ex. Story of Rosaria Butterfield, author of Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and The Gospel Comes With a House Key • Jesus intentionally addressed one. “A woman” (vs. 7) In His mind, she must have been worth chasing after. • This woman had personal attention from the Son of God. Jesus chose to chase after her, build a relationship, and give her what she really needed—a relationship with Himself. • Today Jesus enters our world to build relationship too… • Jesus entered our world. Philippians 2:8 says, “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” • Jesus bore shame on our behalf. Isaiah 53: 4 says, “He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” • Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes after the one as Matthew 18:10-14 state. • Maybe you are the one that Jesus is chasing after today. I guarantee that there is nothing so bad that you have thought, felt, or done that keeps Jesus from entering your world and initiating a relationship with you. • On the contrary…Jesus embraces the outcast. He is comfortable with shame. He wants you. He wants to enter your world. • So is our church’s desire… • We want you • We want to embrace you and help you • Let us get to know you and build a relationship with you. • Let us help you build a relationship with God • Let us show you how you can know the hope that God provides Not only did Jesus enter the Samaritan woman’s world, but He had an intimate knowledge of her. This is the second way we help the hurting… 2) Know who you are talking to • Have a conversation. o J—Give me a drink (vs. 7) o W—How is it you ask me? (vs. 9) o J—If you knew (vs. 10) o W—Are you greater than Jacob? (vs. 11-12)

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o J—I will give (vs. 12-14) o W—Give me this water (vs. 15) o J—Go call your husband (vs. 16) o W—I have no husband (vs. 17a) o J—What you said is true (vs. 17b-18) o W—You are a Prophet (vs. 19-20) o J—God is seeking people to worship in spirit and truth (vs. 21-24) o W—Messiah is coming (vs. 25) o J—I am He (vs. 26) Listen well as you converse…It is important that you give them an opportunity to be heard. Jesus listened and responded. Proverbs 18:13 “If one gives an answer before he hears it is folly and shame.” Empathize with their feelings He knew what she needed to hear because He knew her heart. He also understood with how she felt—He too is becoming an outcast Look at verses 1-3…”Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisess had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself did not baptize, but only His disciples), He left Judea and departed again for Galilee.” He left for Galilee because the religious leaders were becoming very cautious of Him. But Jesus had an advantage. He is the Son of God who knows our hearts even before we share it with Him. Just like He knew the Samaritan woman. He is so gracious and kind, even when He knows all our sinfulness against Him. Know your friends well

Because Jesus entered her world and knew her intimately, He chose to 3) Focus on the gospel (vs. 10-15) (vs. 10) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?’ Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it Himself, as did his sons and his livestock. Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Jesus knew what she needed—two things: 1) She needed the gift, and 2) She needed the Gift Giver. • Vs. 10 says, ‘If you knew the gift of God—there’s the gift • The gift is living water. (vs. 10) says “living water” • The living water “Wells up to eternal life” (vs. 14) • Jordan Eccles—Endless soda fountain of refreshment • The living water has a double meaning. I believe it also refers to the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit of God as water in verses such as John 7:37-39 says, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If

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anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’’ Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” The gift of God is the Holy Spirit who gives us the eternal rejuvenation of living water The Gift Giver, Jesus, gives us the Holy Spirit. Back to (vs. 10) “…Who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water—there’s the Gift Giver The woman recognized that He was speaking of Himself. She even incredulously asked Him, “…You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?” (vs. 11) She still doesn’t get that He is not talking about literal water. He is talking about the gospel. Jesus is the Giver of the greatest gift one could ever have—His Spirit! And that is the best news we could ever hear! As we are filled with the Holy Spirit we are not only ensured of eternal life but we also can experience the overflow of life today. Today we all need the gospel too. Some of us need the living water because we have never repented of our sins and believed—like the Samaritan woman. Others of us have already received the gift of eternal life but we forget about who gave us the gift. We need a reconciled relationship with the Gift Giver But the Samaritan woman doesn’t quite get it yet. In verse 15, she asks, “Give me this water so I won’t have to come here to draw water.” There is something still blocking her understanding. Jesus who knows her heart, exposes what that is… This leads us to the fourth way we help the hurting…

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5) Speak words of hope (vs. 20-26) Not only do we 1) Enter their world, 2) Know who you are talking to, 3) Focus on the gospel, 4) Expose their heart, and 5) Speak words of hope Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. •

4) Expose the Heart (vs. 16-19) Not only do we 1) Enter their world, 2) Know who you are talking to, 3) Focus on the gospel, but we also, 4) Expose their heart.

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Jesus said to her, ‘Go call your husband and come here.’ The woman answered Him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true. The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive You are a prophet.’ •

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Beware of God-substitutes—“Go call your husband” (vs. 16) o What an odd way to continue the conversation. Jesus goes from talking about living water to requesting she bring her husband out to talk with Him o Jesus knew her heart and now exposed it plainly o This woman has a God-substitute in her life. She has tried to find in men what can only be satisfied in God. o Jesus called out an area of her life in which she needed to grow. Draw out the heart—Proverbs 20:5 “The purpose of a man’s heart is a deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.”

Again, Jesus has an advantage when it comes to knowing people. He knows the heart. Have you ever talked to someone and thought, “They can see right through me?” That’s because the Holy Spirit is giving them discernment as they draw out your heart. That’s what Jesus did. He exposed the “Why?” behind her own life story, and her journey has a complicated past. It is so important to get down to the heart of level—the why behind our actions and reactions. This is our desire at CDBC…reach the heart After exposing the heart, then one can speak words of hope.

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You may have heard some common false hope statements: o Time heals all wounds o Sticks and stones can break my bones but your words won’t hurt me o It’s going to be okay o Just suck it up o All’s well that ends well o Keep calm and carry on… Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had… Praise God! He has made a way to worship no matter the culture or background—“Salvation is from the Jews” and “True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (vs. 22, 23) o A relationship with God is available to Jews and gentiles alike. o Because of the Living Water, the Holy Spirit, we can worship in any place— not just in Jerusalem at the temple. o We are the temple of God o We also worship in truth—from the Bible Call for reconciliation with God because that is His desire—“The Father is seeking such people to worship Him” (vs. 23) o Our God is a jealous God. When we replace Him in our lives with other things, there won’t be peace and joy in us. o We cannot worship a lie—a false god—an idol o We must worship the One True God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “…Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the Kingdom

of God. And such were some of you…But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.” •

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But there is hope. While this woman desired to be loved, she searched for it from men but only found it in Christ—“I who speak to you am He” (vs. 26) o She had an encounter with Jesus Christ which changed her life. o If we were to go on beyond verse 26 we would see that this woman, who was so full of shame is now full of life. She goes to the town and tells others about her encounter with Jesus. o Because of God’s grace in her, “Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him” (vs. 39). Our desire in the BSC department here at CDBC is that the hurting have an experience with Jesus which is life changing. When one encounters Jesus Christ, their life will change. It is with this hope that I encourage you to engage with BSC here at CDBC.

6) Engage with BSC at CDBC • •

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There are two ways you can engage with BSC: 1) Be a helper, and 2) Be helped Be a helper o Romans 15:14 “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” o Your role—Components of personal ministry: Love, Know, Speak, Do Be helped What does BSC offer? o Freedom Group o Alive and Free Small Group o Griefshare Small Group o Marriage Mentoring o Soul Care o Intensive Retreat Text in response—SOS or SERVE We need you

Let’s pray—Lord God thank you for giving us eternal life that in hope we know will come if we have repented of our sins and believe in Jesus. Also Lord, thank you that you have not let us alone but you have given us the Holy Spirit to comfort us when we struggle and show us how we can glorify and worship You. Lord, thank you for your Word. You reveal Yourself to us in Your Word and illumine to us the hope that you have given us in Jesus. Finally, thank you for this church. May we help the hurting, just like Jesus did. Help us to help others. In Jesus’ holy and precious name. Amen. Close – Welcome Packet/Guest Central – If you’re new to our church, don’t forget about Guest Central in the lobby, and be sure to pick up a Welcome Packet on your way out of the Worship Center.