The Samaritan Woman, Identity in Christ - Amy Weaver

I think it's very appropriate that the invitation for this event is in Barbie pink because I want to share something from the Barbie movie with you now I'm not promoting the movie at all but there is a speech that America perera's character gives as she's talking to Barbie that I feel is very fitting to kick off our women's point of view event so here we go it is literally impossible to be a woman you are so beautiful and so smart and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough like we always have to be extraordinary but somehow we're always doing it wrong you have to be thin but not too thin and you can't say that you want to be thin you have to say you want to be healthy but also you have to be thin you have to have money but you can't ask for money because that's crass you have to be a boss but you can't be mean you have to lead but you can't squash other people's ideas you're supposed to love being a mother but don't talk about your kids all the time you have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people you have to answer for men's bad behavior which is insane but if you point that out you're accused of complaining you're supposed to stay pretty for men but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be part of The Sisterhood but always stand out and always be grateful but never forget that the system is rigged so find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful you have to never get old never be rude never show off never be selfish never fall down never fail never show Fear never get out of line it's too hard it's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you and as it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong but also everything is your fault I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single Other Woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us sadly there's a lot of Truth in all of that but that is how the world expects women to respond so our Focus during this conference is to shift the narrative to see how God expects us to respond there are many examples in scripture of women who respond to their circumstances with a Godly point of view and many who did not and we can actually learn from both of them during this conference conference we're going to focus on just four of them and we're going to look at how their point of view impacted their situation these women are varied we have practical practically Polar Opposites represented so you will relate to one or more of these women and not at all to one or more of these women but our prayer is that you will see how with each one their Godly point of view can be yours as well that you will leave this conference tomorrow afternoon transformed because of a deeper understanding of God's heart for you so with that let's begin with our first woman do you ever wonder why some people in scripture are named and others are not why was this woman at the well simply referred to as a Samaritan woman now we need to remember that every word in scripture is God ordained and is intentional so there was a purpose for not giving her name and while we do not definitively know what that purpose is what we do know is this moment this conversation was pivotal in Jesus's Ministry to this obscure nameless Samaritan woman Jesus reveals point blank what he had up to that point chosen to conceal from others that he is the Messiah the story of this woman is found in John's gospel in chapter 4 now in the previous chapter Jesus had an encounter with a man named Nicodemus he was a Pharisee a member of the religious ruling Council he was at the top of Jew Jewish Society it was to this man that Jesus proclaimed very truly I tell you no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again and then we have the very familiar John 3:16 verse the woman at the well by contrast she's at the bottom as a woman a Samaritan and a social outcast three strikes Sans were considered by Jews half breeds they were enemies Jews hated the Samaritans and they did everything they could to avoid contact with the Samaritan including going way out of their way traveling from Judea to Galilee to avoid Samaria but John verse4 John 4:4 tells us Jesus had to go through Samaria he did not take the detour because he had a Divine appointment with this woman it was around noon and normally women would go to the well to collect water either in the morning or in the evening to avoid the heat of day and this Gathering of water was a social time in that day your first around the water cooler so this likely indicates that this Samaritan woman is avoiding contact with others so she might have been a little annoyed and a little irrit ated to find this man sitting there when she shows up Jesus is tired and thirsty and asks her for a drink she is startled because Jewish men especially religious ones would rarely talk to a woman let alone a despised Samaritan woman the passage tells us starting in verse 9 the Samaritan woman said to him you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman how can you ask me for a drink Jesus answered her if you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink you would have asked him and he would have given you living water sir the woman said you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep where are you going to get this living water Jesus answered everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst indeed the water I give them will bre become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life the woman said to him sir give me this water so that I won't be thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water he told her go call your husband and come back I have no husband she replied Jesus said to her you are right when you say you have no husband the fact is you have had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband what you have just said is quite true now she is often identified as a sinful loose woman but the text does not say that in Judaism and likely in Samaria as well only men could initiate divorce maybe she couldn't have children so men kept divorcing her maybe one or more of her husbands died we just don't know nevertheless in the wake of five failed relationships this woman likely felt hopeless resigned to failure and Scorn she likely saw no other choice than to just live with this Sixth Man her circumstances betrayal rejection abandonment hurtful words caused her to disconnect from others she was an outcast that was her identity and how often do we make our circumstances our identity I hear it all the time I have depression I have anxiety I am an addict even something simple like I'm an introvert now please hear me depression anxiety addiction is serious and real and sometimes does require medical intervention but are you making those things your identity identity encompasses the values we hold which dictate the choices that we make each day so how does your I have or I am statement Drive the choices that you make each day I myself have strong struggled with bouts of depression over the years so I know just a little bit about the hold that it can have on your life I had an episode a few years ago I could not Shake I was praying I had others praying and it was only getting worse finally I had had enough I went into my bathroom I closed the door and I just started saying the name of Jesus that was all I could think to do Jesus Jesus I could barely get the word out Jesus but as I went I got louder Jesus Jesus Jesus until I was shouting his name boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus over my depression the cloud lifted the weight lifted and there was Joy I couldn't believe it but I should have there's a song that we're going to be singing tomorrow and I want to read the lyrics for you um tonight and so hopefully when you sing it tomorrow it might have a little different meaning for you I just want to speak the name of Jesus over every heart and every mind cuz I know know there is peace in his presence I speak Jesus I just want to speak the name of Jesus till every dark addiction starts to break cuz there is hope and there is freedom I speak Jesus I just want to speak the name of Jesus over fear and all anxiety to Every Soul held captive by depression I speak Jesus cuz his name is power his name is healing his name is life speak Jesus Speak Life that is the point of view that God wants you to have over your circumstances that there is power over them in the name of Jesus now I know some of you are probably tensing up a little bit right now thinking that I'm saying that if you proclaim the name of Jesus over your situation that he is going to heal you every single time no that is not what I'm saying I hate to bring another man into the conversation but you know it's Paul and we love Paul I bring him up because scripture tells us that he was given a thorn in the flesh we don't know what that was whether it was a physical ailment or possibly even depression but 2 Corinthians 12: 7-9 says I was given a thorn in my flesh a messenger of Satan to torment me three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you for my power is my sorry my power is made perfect in weakness there is again such power in proclaiming the name of Jesus over your situation whether he removes the situation or strengthens you to endure in full depend dependence on him either way he gets the glory okay so maybe it's not fear or depression or anxiety or shame maybe your identity is in your job maybe it's in your success maybe your identity is in your talent or your skill maybe it's in your Ministry how might your service for the Lord become who you are outou that's a sneaky one isn't it it's a dangerous trap we get so focused on doing good for the Lord that we forget just being what about your identity as a mother the fact is motherhood is so allc consuming we're supposed to be available to our kids 24/7 right we're even referred to as our kids mom I can't tell you how many times over the years I've been like oh hi I'm Graham's Mom oh hi I'm Ethan's mom which I mean they are pretty amazing so I'm kind of okay with that but anyway now these are all good things some very good things but if they become who you are then you have placed those things higher in your life than Jesus the passage goes on to tell us that the woman left her water jar went back to the town and said to the people come see a man who told me everything I ever did could this be the Messiah a woman who had previously avoided contact with the town's people I think ran to tell them about this man and how often are we afraid to talk to people about Jesus I for sure I'm guilty and I think that just as much as she avoided contact with them they probably avoided contact with her but she had an encounter with an extraordinary man and so her point of view was everyone needed to meet him the Messiah the savior of the world revealed himself to this broken previously hopeless Lonely Woman and it propelled her she had a story y'all the change in her was obvious and compelling her words moved a whole town who again had previously judged and avoided her to actually go out and meet this Jesus all she said was come and see that's it come and see her faith became a turning point for an entire town verses 39-42 tells us many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony so when the Samaritans came to him they urged him to stay with them and he stayed two days and because of his words many more became Believers wow and don't miss that she left her water jar what she brought with her to the well that day she laid it down she left it there as she moved forward in faith he took the emptiest of lives and he filled it to over flowing with his lifegiving water knowing the worst he gave her his best to be wanted to be cared for to be loved when no one not even herself thought there was anything of value in her that is Grace indeed Jesus is not our accuser he's our restorer our forgiver our our healer Our Savior ladies I can relate to the Samaritan woman with the exception of the five husbands just want to make that clear my whole life up until I was about 25 was characterized by loneliness rejection betrayal very hurtful words emptiness I longed to find love and no matter how hard I try it eluded me I swore I wasn't going to open up my heart again and yet I would allow it to Hope again only to be betrayed again I had no love for myself and believed I was unlovable but then someone shared with me that God loved me that he wanted to have a relationship with me that he longed to have a relationship with me how could that be if God was real he knew what I had done but my heart was moved could this be true could he be what I had been longing for all those years I heard a story many years ago that I want to share with you it's about a woman who found out that her unborn baby was severely physically and mentally handicapped and many encouraged her to abort the baby I mean why bring a life like that into the world and this woman said when I picture my unborn child I picture a stage and down on the stage is a man with my child shouting oh who wants this child he's useless he will be completely dependent on you for your entire life he will never be able to tell you that he loves you he probably won't even actually be able to love you you will pour your everything into him with likely no response who wants him and from way in the back of the auditorium I see me jumping up and down me me I want him I'll take him please give him to me I will love him I will care for him I would die for him she then goes on to say that the scene shifts and now it's her on that stage and the same man is there shouting the same thing who wants this woman let me tell you what she's done she'll never love you the way you deserve she'll let you down every day and she's pretty much useless who wants her and from way in the back of the audit torium is Jesus and he is jumping up and down and he is saying me me I will take her I will love her I will care for her I will be with her every single day I Died For Her She's Mine when I hear that story that woman on the stages me that woman on stages you no matter your circumstances no matter what you've done God loves you and he is pursuing you and pursuing your heart now maybe you cannot relate to the Samaritan woman's story or my story at all for many of you this isn't your story but the fact is Jesus is the world's Messiah what unites every single one of us is our need for a savior no one no one is so bad that they have no hope for a savior and no one is so good that they have no need for a savior right through faith in Jesus we find what every single one of our hearts Longs for True Love Peace Hope meaning Jesus alone can give you those things Jesus alone can save you and give you eternal life I referenced John 3:16 at the beginning but I saved reading it until now it's a very familiar verse so I pray that as I read it you will hear it along with verse 17 you will hear it with fresh ears yeah for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life for God did not send his son in the world into the world world to condemn the world but to save the world through him at the beginning of John's gospel 1:2 he says to all who received him to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God if you have put your faith in Jesus as your savior you are a child of God that is your identity 2 Corinthians 5:17 says therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the old is gone that water jar it's gone what you bring to the well gone the new has come and we are his forever the name of this woman is not known to us but Jesus knew her name yeah and he knows your name yeah you are God's redeemed dearly loved daughter if you have put your faith in Jesus you are chosen we just sang it you are chosen by the god of the universe and he says you are unique you are special you are lovely you are precious and you are strong when Jesus C first called his disciples he said come and see the Samaritan woman told an entire town come and see I say to you tonight come and see will you will you come to Jesus and see his heart for you he is waiting for you to come to him he is longing for you to come to him so he can pour His grace out upon you so he can satisfy the longing in your soul and give you Abundant Life in him he says come to me all you who are thirst weary and burdened and I will give you rest Come All You Who are thirsty come to the waters if anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink I'd like to invite the worship team back up for another song ladies no matter where you've come from no matter what you've done no matter what you will go through Jesus walks with you through it all he will never leave you he will never abandon you he will never reject you will you turn to him now if God is nudging you if he is tugging at your heart please do not ignore that please don't let this moment slip by we are going to have some ladies up front um if you want to come up if you have questions if you want prayer again please don't let this moment slip by let's pray gracious Heavenly Father oh Lord God Almighty how amazing that you the god of the universe chooses us that you love us no matter what we've done you love us with an everlasting love and you're calling to us to our hearts saying come to me I love you I want you I want to be with you every day and care for you and satisfy every longing in your heart I don't care what you've done I love you God we give the rest of this evening over to you it is all about you we surrender to you in Jesus precious name we pray amen [Music]