Synopsis of Sermon 06.29.25
Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III
John 4:7-26 (NKJV):
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 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.”
11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14 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.”
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
I. Introduction
Have you ever felt overlooked, unimportant, or rejected? Maybe it was by people who said they cared about you. Maybe it was by a system or by society. All of us know the sting that comes with rejection.
But today, I want to challenge you to look at rejection through a different lens. A lens of faith.
What if your rejection was actually a part of God’s redirection?
Today is not just a gathering—it’s an encounter moment.
God wants to speak to you personally—to bring you into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him.
A. Grace That Breaks Barriers
Let’s talk about this Samaritan woman. She experienced rejection on multiple levels—gender, ethnicity, and personal history.
Yet she becomes one of the most powerful examples of the grace of God in the New Testament. This encounter with Jesus will blow your mind.
She was labeled, isolated, and misunderstood—but she was still included. Tell somebody near you: “You are included.”
Let’s break down the context:
- She’s a Samaritan.
The Samaritans were the result of intermarriage between Jews and Assyrians. Because of this, other Jews considered them impure and heretical.
- They had their own temple on Mount Gerizim, accepted only the first five books of the Torah, and were divided religiously from the Jews.
This created a deep divide—so deep that Jews would walk around Samaria just to avoid them.
- She’s a woman.
And in that culture, women were often seen as inferior. It was especially scandalous for a Jewish rabbi to speak to a Samaritan woman in public.
Jesus breaks all of that.
He meets her at Jacob’s well at noon, a time when women normally did not come to draw water. Why? Because she was trying to avoid people. She had a reputation.
She wanted to get in and get out—but what she didn’t realize was this wasn’t going to be an ordinary day.
Jesus asks her for a drink. That request alone shatters cultural and religious norms. Then He offers her living water—a spiritual satisfaction she had never known.
B. Living Water: Spiritual Satisfaction
She didn’t understand at first. She says, “You have nothing to draw with. The well is deep—where do you get this living water?”
Jesus sees past her confusion—and past her past. He asks her about her relationships. She says, “I have no husband.” He replies: “You’ve had five husbands, and the one you’re with now is not your husband.”
That’s a bombshell moment—her truth exposed, but instead of running, she shifts the conversation to worship: She says “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place to worship.”
Jesus responds: “The hour is coming—and now is—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth… for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”
Then comes the revelation: “I who speak to you am He.” Jesus reveals His identity—not to a rabbi, not to a Pharisee, not to a religious leader—but to her, an outsider, rejected, broken, and branded.
C. True Worship
Worship is not about place—it’s about presence.
The living water represents eternal life, spiritual renewal, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus teaches that worship is no longer confined to temples or mountains—it’s about encountering God in spirit and truth.
This woman came for water—but she left with a well on the inside of her. Some of you come to church for a routine—but you’re about to leave filled, refreshed, and restored.
Tell somebody: “You’re closer than you think.” You’re closer to breakthrough, closer to freedom, and closer to destiny.
II. Accept Rejection As Redirection
Sometimes rejection is the clearest sign that God has something greater in store. We struggle when we’re excluded—when they don’t invite us, don’t text us, or don’t choose us, but maybe, just maybe, that closed door is God’s way of opening a better one.
The Samaritan woman was rejected—as a woman, as a Samaritan, and as someone with a troubled past, but Jesus didn’t avoid her, He didn’t shame her, and He didn’t ignore her. He included her.
A. Man Rejects You Because They Don’t Understand You
People often judge you without reading your full story. They walk into the middle of your chapter and act like they know your whole book.
Jesus knows the beginning, the middle, and the end—and He still chooses you. She came to the well in isolation—but Jesus saw her pain, her past, and her purpose.
He didn’t ask questions to condemn her—He asked questions to make her feel seen. Tell your neighbor: “You are known. You are seen. You are included.”
B. Jesus Meets Us at Our Lowest to Lift Us to His Level
Jesus didn’t wait for her to come to Him—He went to her. He stepped into her story and changed the ending.
Somebody next to you could testify: “He met me at my lowest—and lifted me to where I needed to be.”
She didn’t come for a miracle—but a miracle found her.
III. Receive Revelation and Reality
You’ve got to receive revelation as reality.
See, the revelation you’re about to receive will be your reality.
Perception is not your reality—revelation is.
People may perceive things about you, but that’s not your truth. That will be revealed naturally.
Look at the Samaritan woman. What is she coming to do? She’s coming to draw water. She’s got her bucket, ready to pull from the well, but Jesus sees beyond her routine.
He says, “I see what you’re doing. You’re drawing water, but you’re still thirsty, huh?” Because the truth is—You’re not just thirsty for water, you’re thirsty for something deeper.
Her problem wasn’t the water in the well. The problem was the emptiness inside her.
She kept dipping the bucket in—and drawing it out—but remained empty. That well was a mirror of her life. Relationship after relationship. Situation after situation. Drawing in… drawing out… and always dry again.
Jesus says, “I know what’s really going on. People see one thing, but I see the deeper thing.
I’m not asking you for water because I need it— I’m trying to give you a revelation that will transform your life.” If you knew who was asking you for a drink, you’d be asking me for living water!
A well holds what was, but a spring pushes up what’s fresh and alive. Jesus wasn’t there to refill her same old bucket—He came to place a source inside her that never runs out!
When you understand the power of living water, you won’t panic when people leave.
You won’t fall apart when someone walks out. You won’t chase validation in dry places.
You’ll say, “I’ve got a fresh flow inside me!”
So your ex may see you and say, “Why are you so happy now—its like you’re doing better without me?” And you can say, “Exactly. I’ve got a source that never runs out.”
A. God Exposes What You Hide to Heal What You Fear
Jesus knew everything about her—her past, her patterns, her pain and still, He didn’t shame her.
He revealed what she tried to hide, not to embarrass her, but to heal her.
Let me say this:
God will expose what you hide, to heal what you fear.
B. True Worship Begins With Truth
Jesus said, “Go call your husband.” She said, “I have no husband.” He replied, “You’re right. You’ve had five—and the one you have now isn’t yours.”
Why did He make her say it? Because healing begins when you’re honest. Any good therapist will tell you—you can’t fix what you won’t face.
You’ve got to say it: “I’m broken.” “I’m battling addiction.” “I’ve been masking my pain.”
Touch your neighbor and say: “I can’t say it around you, but I can say it before Him.”, because worship creates space for truth.
And once the truth enters your heart, the Word can take root. Worship tills the soil so the seed of the Word can grow.
Jesus said some seed fell on stony ground—because trauma and offense harden the heart, but worship breaks up the soil—so the Word can penetrate.
Let me teach this:
When Job lost everything, the Bible says he tore his robe, shaved his head, sat in ashes…and worshiped. Then—he spoke revelation: Naked I came, naked I’ll return. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
We’ve had it twisted in church. We used to say, “Before the preacher comes, the choir will give us a selection—A and B.”, but the choir wasn’t prepping us to receive—it was entertaining us!
Let me tell you:
Worship is not about performance—it’s about preparation.
Worship isn’t entertainment—it’s engagement.
You don’t need a show—you need a word.
Ask your neighbor: “Do you want a concert, or do you want a revelation?”
When you worship—for real—it breaks your pride.
When your heart is open, God can drop a seed right into it. That’s when restoration begins.
IV. Restore Righteousness Through Relationship
Jesus says, “Someone like you? Yes, you’re included.” She had five husbands, and her situation was complicated—but He still included her.
Why? Because righteousness is received, not achieved. You can’t be free and fake at the same time.
You’re not righteous by performance. You’re righteous by surrender. Jesus spoke to her heart—and righteousness came through relationship.
Let me make it plain. You ever pulled into a car wash in a hurry? You don’t want people to see your dirty car, so you drive to the one where you can stay in the vehicle.
The attendant waves you in—guides your tires—gets you aligned. Then what? They say, “Put it in neutral.”
Why? Because you can’t control the process and be cleansed at the same time. Alignment leads to transformation. You go in dirty, you let go, and when you come out… you’re clean.
Tell somebody: “You should’ve seen me a few years ago.” I don’t even look like what I’ve been through!
Now she’s clean. But she still has questions. Where should I worship? This mountain? That temple?
Jesus says: It’s not about location. It’s about alignment.
A. Worship Isn’t About Location—It’s About Alignment
Jesus says, “The time is coming—and now is—when true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth.”
Don’t limit God to a place, a building, or a denomination.
Tell somebody: “I don’t need a sanctuary to shout. I’ll praise Him in the gas station, the grocery store, the hallway!”
B. Living in Righteousness Requires Relationship, Not Religion
Jesus wasn’t just breaking gender barriers—He was breaking religious rules. A Jew speaking to a Samaritan? That broke every norm.
Religion is about rules—relationship is about access. Religion says, “You don’t belong.”
Relationship says, “You’re included.”
Some of y’all are missing God because of man-made traditions. You want robes and rituals… but God is trying to give you revelation and righteousness.
Religion will have you shouting in church but bitter in the parking lot.
Testifying on Sunday—but not paying back what you borrowed on Monday.
V. Respond to Revival
Revival is not just a service—it’s a response. The Samaritan woman didn’t keep her encounter to herself. She ran back and told her community—and revival broke out!
Water wasn’t meant to be stored. It’s meant to flow through you.
A. Revival Begins When You Recognize the Need for Change
She said, “I need something deeper. I need Jesus to fill the empty places in me.”
Revival starts when you realize:
“Only Jesus can give me what I truly need.”
B. True Revival Results in a Transformed Life
She was changed—and she shared that change and revival spread.
Let me testify for some folks in here:
I was broken—but He made me whole.
I was disappointed—but He healed my heart.
I was lost—but He gave me direction.
I was chasing validation—but now I walk in alignment.
I was anxious—but now I have peace.
I was prideful—but now I have perspective.
I was a performer—but now I serve for an audience of one.
I was angry—but now I have joy.
I was just surviving—but now I’m thriving.
Tell your neighbor: “You haven’t seen anything yet.” I just came to tell somebody—you are included.
If you’ve ever felt rejected, dismissed, or disconnected—
You are included.
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