The Day Jesus Crossed the Line, Part 2 (Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign, Day 35)

John 4:1-10
1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and
baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of
ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus
on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to
drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest
drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that
saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have
given thee living water.
----Today, I am continuing the daily Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign sermon series,
which is aimed at sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers and
reminding Christians, in this important election year, to keep the main thing the main
thing -- and that is reaching unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and
praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not only disobedient presidents
and politicians but disobedient pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused
to obey God's Great Commission and who have refused to obey God's repeated
commands to "pray without ceasing" for unbelievers, believers, and political leaders.

Yes, you should pray for the right candidate to win; yes, you should vote for the
candidate that the Lord gives you peace about voting for. But, don't get caught up in it
like the world does. Nothing much is going to change until people get saved and get
their hearts right with the Lord.
This campaign is inspired by the following three verses: 1 Corinthians 2:2 which says,
"For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified." Acts 5:42 which says, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they
ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." And 2 Timothy 2:4 which says, "No man
that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who
hath chosen him to be a soldier."
This series is not for Christians necessarily. However, I do hope you are one of those
saints who still loves to hear the "Old, old story of Jesus and His love" -- As the hymn
says, "For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest."
This series is primarily for unbelievers, so they can hear and understand the Gospel and
be saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell. This is message number 35.
Charles Spurgeon said, "What does a thirsty man do to get rid of his thirst? He drinks.
Perhaps there is no better representation of faith in all the Word of God than that. To
drink is to receive -- to take in the refreshing draught -- and that is all. A mans face may
be unwashed, but yet he can drink; he may be a very unworthy character, but yet a
draught of water will remove his thirst."
From this passage, we have seen how Jesus crossed the lines of racial prejudice and
sexism in order to reach the Samaritan woman. Jesus' example is important for us
today, because we are still, two thousand years later, dealing with these issues in both
the secular and religious arenas. Those of us who are Christians ought not to let such
unrighteous divisions prevent us from reaching people with the Gospel. A soul has no
skin color, no ethnicity, and no gender. The Gospel trumps all, and we must be willing to
cross the lines that society says are forbidden to us in order to reach people with the
Gospel.
Warren Wiersbe said, "The Samaritans were a mixed race, part Jew and part Gentile,
that grew out of the Assyrian captivity of the ten northern tribes in 727 B.C." The
Babylonians, who later conquered the Assyrian empire, took the Jews into exile and left
behind the poorer, undesirable people who intermingled with Gentiles, and produced the
Samaritan race.
There is another line that Jesus crossed in order to reach the Samaritan woman and
eventually the Samaritan people with the Gospel, and that is the line of religious

division. The differences between the Jews and the Samaritans were not just ethnic and
racial; they were also religious. Both groups of people claimed Abraham and Jacob as
their forefathers, but that was their only point of agreement. Ray Stedman wrote that the
Samaritans "were regarded as a hated, heretical Jewish cult. They accepted only the
five books of Moses, and they had mingled with the Law of Moses pagan, idolatrous
practices. They had even erected a temple on Mt. Gerizim as a rival to the temple in
Jerusalem. Thus they were regarded by the Jews as reprobates, and were hated even
more than the Gentiles." The Jews destroyed this Temple in 128 BC, further worsening
relations between the two groups. So, with Jesus going to Samaria as a Jewish rabbi,
He was stepping into a hotbed of religious controversy.
Having crossed this line, Jesus quickly proves that there are some things that are more
important than debate over law, religious affiliation, politics and where one should
worship. Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. She responds, "How is it
that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews
have no dealings with the Samaritans." The woman's response is focused on the
divisions that have persisted between Jews and Samaritans for centuries. Even though
she is on the short end of the stick regarding the prejudice that exists between her
people and the Jews, she is immediately suspicious of Jesus' motives. Not knowing who
He is, she does not see the opportunity that is before her.
Jesus responds to her inquiry, saying, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that
saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have
given thee living water." Jesus overlooks this woman's fixation on the division between
her people and the Jews and starts by turning her interest to the real reason for Him
being there.
Like this woman, we sometimes get so caught up in our insignificant differences, that
we miss out on the real reason for Jesus Christ coming into our lives. Sometimes Jesus
is standing right in front of us, holding the offer of salvation and eternal life in His hands,
but we completely miss it because our eyes are clouded by enmity, suspicion, and
doubt. I am convinced that many black and white people in church every Sunday
morning in America are still stuck on stupid regarding race because theyve never met
Jesus, theyve never been born again. You cannot be saved by Jesus and hate white
people. You cannot be saved by Jesus and hate black people.
If Jesus had not insisted on stepping across the dividing line that culture had placed
between himself and this woman, she would have missed out on the greatest message
she could have ever received. She would have missed out on the gift of God that only
came through Jesus Christ: the gift that Jesus described as "living water" -- the only
thing that could satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst that Jesus knew this woman (and

all people) had. He could have let this woman continue on her path of getting water from
the well: metaphorically speaking, getting her fulfillment out of things that only satisfied
her temporarily. Instead, He offered her living water -- the life of God living inside of her
-- fulfillment that would permanently satisfy her now and for eternity.
Like the Samaritan woman, I encourage you not to overlook the gift of God. Don't push
it aside thinking that it is not important or that you have a long time to make up your
mind. When you reach the end of your life, the only thing that will matter is what you do
with the gift of God that has been offered to you through Jesus Christ.
I urge you to accept it today, for tomorrow is not promised you. Here is how you can do
that right now.
First, please understand that you are a sinner and that you have broken God's laws.
The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God." Please understand that because of your sins, you deserve punishment in hell.
Romans 6:23 says "the wages of sin is death" This is both physical death and spiritual
death in hell.
But here is the good news. John 3:16 reads, "For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life."
The phrase "For God so loved the world" means that if you are in this world, God loves
you no matter what you have done.
The next phrase, "that He gave His only begotten Son" refers to Jesus Christ. He is
God's son who suffered, bled, and died on the cross for your sins and for mine, and He
was buried and rose again.
Our next phrase is "that whosoever believeth in Him". The word "whosoever" means
anybody at anytime. The phrase "believeth in Him" means to trust in Him, to depend
upon Him, to rely on Him, or to have faith in Him for your salvation.
Our next phrase, "should not perish", refers to eternal punishment in a place called hell.
And, lastly, the phrase "but have everlasting life" means to live eternally in Heaven with
God.
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,

thou shalt be saved.... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved."
Dear friend, if you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please
pray with me this simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I
have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my
sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and
rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my
life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose
again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that
is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you
grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What
To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door:
by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please e-mail me at
dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want
to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will
pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.