John 4:13-14  ¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ 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.”

This passage represents the heart of Jesus’ response to the Samaritan woman who he met at the well in Sychar (John 4:1-26).  Jesus in essence says this to the woman, “You’ve come here for what you think you need, but I am what you really need!”  Jesus declares Himself to be her true need because only he makes payment for sin through his death and resurrection before a Holy God.

What then is the significance of Jesus describing His death and resurrection in terms of providing living water?

1. Jesus is using water as an evangelistic connection point. Often Jesus uses metaphors from the material world to raise a spiritual need.  Just like Nicodemus who needed to be born again, Jesus connects with the woman around a physical need.  As we learn from Jesus, let’s remember that every day there are issues that believers can use as springboards into gospel conversations.
2. Jesus is emphasizing our need to be satisfied in Him alone. We cannot live without water and Jesus wants us to see that we cannot live without Him either.  This begins when we first repent of sin and place our faith in Christ, experiencing true peace with God as we move from His enemy to His friend.  But this peace continues for believers as we continue to savor Christ.  Savoring Christ means thinking on Christ, thanking Him for the incredible salvation that He has brought. I believe Jesus used water as a metaphor to emphasize the ongoing need for savoring the gospel in the life of the believer.
3. Jesus is calling believers to overflow for Him. Lest we think that satisfaction for Christ leads to passivity and laziness, I believe that true satisfaction for Christ always leads to overflowing for Christ.  This overflowing life moves from our heads to our hearts as we truly desire Christ and obedience to Him.  These desires finally overflow in our actions, as we submit to and speak of Christ and His Word, the Bible.

Given that true satisfaction in Christ leads to an overflowing life for Christ, believers aren’t meant to respond to Christ out of mere duty or drudgery, but out of a desire that wants to submit.  This joyful submission may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s an attainable reality for believers.

If this overflowing life is there for believers, what are the factors that distract us from it?

1. Lie of the Next. Many of us, especially in America, can get caught in the lie that the next thing will bring true satisfaction.  These lies can include the next car, the next house, the next promotion, the next season of life.  But the truth is, none of these things can ever satisfy.
2. The Tension of Greed and Fear. Greed is the motivation to accumulate and amass more for purely personal gain.  The problem with greed is that once you’ve amassed you have to protect.  This inevitably leads to fear.  A desire to excel and grow in your calling is not inherently evil, but when it moves us to this tug of war between greed and fear, satisfaction will always allude us.
3. Lack of fellowship with God. One of the ways we savor Christ is by spending time with Him in the Bible.  The Bible is the way the Holy Spirit speaks to us, encourages us, and convicts us.  When we are not in the habit of consistent fellowship with God, we miss the opportunity to truly savor Christ.

Church, lets commit to truly find satisfaction in Christ and overflow for Christ this week.  For more on this, you can listen to the message here on John 4:1-54 preached at Riverview this past week.