The Gospel Project® for Adults

Leader Guide CSB, Unit 20, Session 2

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THE SON OFFERS LIVING WATER

SESSION OUTLINE

1. The Son gives living water (John 4:7-14).
2. The Son enables true worship (John 4:19-24).
3. The Son provides an abundant harvest (John 4:34-38).

Background Passage: John 4

WHAT WILL MY GROUP LEARN?

Jesus promised the Samaritan woman that all who believe
in Him receive living water—the Holy Spirit—
who completely satisfies the longings of the heart and enables
true worship of God.

HOW WILL MY GROUP SEE CHRIST?

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that a day was coming
when worshipers would not focus on the physical location
of their worship but would worship God in Spirit and truth.
Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, our worship
is no longer confined by geography. We worship Jesus
as the Savior of the whole world wherever we are, knowing
that God indwells us always.

HOW SHOULD MY GROUP RESPOND?

Because Christ satisfies our deepest longing, we worship Him
as a way of life, praying that God might use us to draw others
to Himself so that their thirst might be quenched as well.

GROUP TIME

INTRODUCTION

Click on the link or scan the QR code for a reproducible handout of this session’s Scripture passages:

Setting:

Jesus was returning home to Galilee after some time spent in Judea.
Instead of going around the region of Samaria, He went through it.
While in Samaria, He stopped at a well and interacted with
a Samaritan woman who was known for her immoral lifestyle,
seeking satisfaction from the pleasures of the world. Jesus
met her and promised that He could give her living water—the
Holy Spirit—who would completely satisfy her deepest longings.

Explain:

Last week we looked at Nicodemus, and this week we look
at a Samaritan woman. These two people could not
be more different from each other. One, a respected leader
in the spiritual community, the other probably shunned
for her sexual promiscuity.

Discuss:

• Why do we often evaluate people by their public standing
  or by their actions?
• (because if we don’t know them well, we go by public opinion,
• whether right or wrong;
• because sometimes we think people’s actions define them
  and
• they might not be able to change;
• because we think good people deserve good
  and bad people deserve bad;
• because we are commanded to judge and lovingly confront
  professing believers by their actions for their repentance,
  but we mistakenly think we are to judge unbelievers
  rather than share the gospel with them [1 Cor. 5:9-13])

Transition:

Inside of everyone there is a longing for something more,
for something greater than ourselves. We long to be satisfied.
The problem comes when we look for satisfaction in things
of the flesh or things of this world. The problem is
those things never satisfy. Jesus explained that He is the only One
who can quench and satisfy our desires. Jesus made a promise
to a Samaritan woman that all who believe in Him will receive
living water—the Holy Spirit—who completely satisfies
the longings of the heart and enables true worship of God.

Optional Question:

• Would you consider your life before Christ to be more like Nicodemus
  or the woman at the well?
• (be prepared to share an answer of your own to jump-start
  the conversation)