43 Preaching teaching/John 4: The Power of One.

An Overflowing Life

Drew calling me after getting a flat tire and sharing the gospel with his UBER Driver

ETS-Jesus reveals himself to a Samaritan woman who embraces him as messiah and leads her community to Jesus .

ESS-We must embrace gospel conversations.

DDS-We will take a step as a church to cross over social norms for the gospel.

FCF-Our small vision of God and lack of desire for God keeps us from overflowing in our relationship with God and missing the abundant life that can only be found in him.

Intro:

Have you ever thought about the power of One.

We see a great illustration with this with the 4 minute mile.

The Impossibility of it!

Bryant reminds us that runners had been chasing the goal seriously since at least 1886, and that the challenge involved the most brilliant coaches and gifted athletes in North America, Europe, and Australia. “For years milers had been striving against the clock, but the elusive four minutes had always beaten them,” he notes. “It had become as much a psychological barrier as a physical one. And like an unconquerable mountain, the closer it was approached, the more daunting it seemed.”

What people thought:

So the four-minute barrier stood for decades — and when it fell, the circumstances defied the confident predictions of the best minds in the sport. The experts believed they knew the precise conditions under which the mark would fall. It would have to be in perfect weather — 68 degrees and no wind. On a particular kind of track — hard, dry clay — and in front of a huge, boisterous crowd urging the runner on to his best-ever performance.

But Bannister did it on a cold day, on a wet track, at a small meet in Oxford, England, before a crowd of just a few thousand people.

https://hbr.org/2018/03/what-breaking-the-4-minute-mile-taught-us-about-the-limits-of-conventional-thinking

The power of one!

Last week we talked about gospel conversations. It is an intimidating topic, but today I want us to see the results of churches and individuals that will embrace this mindset, that we will take responsibility to bring the good news to our families and communities and to the world.

I feel like just like Roger Banister changed the mile forever, that we take ownership of the power of 1-That if just one person here today embraces gospel conversations, if just one church, even a new church, embraces a passion to reach it’s community. We can make an impact far beyond our lives.

Jesus tells a story about the power of one:

God leaves the 99 to go after the 1.

What if one believer embraced the idea of living a life having gospel conversations?

What if we as a church today embraced a desire to reach our community through having gospel conversations?

Could you picture the impact we would have as a church if we embraced a heart that seeks gospel conversations.

Today I want us to see how the power of one is so essential as we embrace gospel conversations.

We must embrace Gospel conversations:

1. Because there is ONE source worth sharing (1-16).

One theologian said, Missions exists because worship does not. But we can say the same thing about evangelism: Gospel conversations exist because not everyone is a worshiper of God.

John 4:1–2 NASB95

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were),

Talk through these verses

The Goal-DISCIPLEMAKING-Love God

1-2-

The pharisees message-Follow Rules and God will Love you

Jesus message-John 3:16

Last week we see Jesus had a divine meeting with a religious leader, someone who should have been a follower but had not yet Become a follower.

Today we are going to see a lady who went from the dregs of society, to being a world changer for God.

JESUS creates A DIVINE meeting WITH A SUPPOSED ENEMY

Did you realize when we have gospel conversations they are DIVIVE meetings

John 4:3–6 NASB95

He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 4:4

4:4. He had to go through Samaria. This was the shortest route from Judea to Galilee but not the only way. The other route was through Perea, east of the Jordan River. (See the two routes on the map.) In Jesus’ day the Jews, because of their hatred for the Samaritans, normally took the eastern route in order to avoid Samaria. But Jesus chose the route V 2, p 285 through Samaria in order to reach the despised people of that region. As the Savior of the world He seeks out and saves the despised and outcasts (cf. Luke 19:10).

Jesus did not go the easy way, he went the hard way and it was a straight through the problem. What was the problem: Jews and Samaritans hated each other.

Why did they hate each other?

Jews thought the Samaritans were half breeds.

History

Following the Babylonian exile when Zerubbabel led the rebuilding of the temple, Samaritan help was adamantly refused (Ezra 4:2–3), which fueled more conflict.

Burge, Gary M.. John (The NIV Application Commentary Book 4) (Kindle Locations 2792-2793). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

If we want to have gospel conversations we cannot be scared of going through Samaria?

Are you willing to have the good and sometimes hard conversations?

Are you willing to go through Samaria?

John 4:7–9 NASB95

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

They thought the Samaritans were compromising, they were not as devout.

(Samaritans vs Jews )First five books

6th hour was noon-she wanted to get away from her society she left during the hottest part of the day. She was running.

Jesus uses his humanity to connect with this Samaritan women, I am thirsty, can you give me a drink.

Did you know that God wants to use everyday things in our life to connect the gospel message to others.

What do you have that can connect with others?

John 4:10–11 NASB95

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.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?

Observation #1

a. Living Water is what we were made for (10).

Just from this Samaritans’ response she wanted something more, there has to be something more to life.

Living Water

“Living water” refers to water that flows as in a spring, river, or stream, that is, moving water. other water stood still, and one could find it in a well, cistern, or pond. Living water was precious and valued and, according to rabbinic law, was the only water that could be used in ritual washings to make pure unclean worshipers.

Jeremiah 2:13 NASB95

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.

If anyone should be drinking of living water it should be the people of God but even they were forsaking the living water.

Illustration of Cups HERE

Different sources

Relationships

Money

Success

Fame

People pleasing

There is something you were created for

Observations about Living Water (10-15)

GOSPEL

I could have went the way every other Jew and skipped Samaria but I have sought you out to give you what you were created for. You need to stop eating dog food.

You were created for this: a deep relationship with God and it is available as a gift. IT is not easy, but it is good, and it satisfies.

Observation #2

b. Jesus is the greatest of all time. (12)

John 4:12 NASB95

“You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”

“To teach women or girls not only was a waste of time, but a profaning of sacred things. jesus disregards such custom and here is talking to a singularly irreligious woman about matters of utmost spiritual profundity. “

The reason Jesus can offer us living water is because he is the greatest of all time, this is what he is offering this woman. He is God. The Samaritans believed only the first five books of the Bible. Notice all the other religions are connected or acknowledge the Old Testament some way. Jesus > Jacob. Jacob is a legend and you know legends keep getting bigger. This is one of the patriarch: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But these heros are lacking what Jesus has they do not have living water.

Jesus is not just greater that Jacob he is the greatest of all time. Mohamed Ali Story

The true story about Muhammad Ali. Once he was on an airplane. The flight attendant came and asked him to buckle his seatbelt.

He replied, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.”

She responded, “Superman don’t need no plane.”

Jesus is truly the greatest he is the only one who has defeated death once and for all

He is the only one who can forgive sins and give us eternal life. He is the only one who offers living water.

Will you drink from him?

The reality is you will not share what you are not drinking.

Observations #3 about living water

c. This water quenches our thirst forever (14-15).

John 4:14–15 NASB95

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

I found a video clip that really shows the difference of drinking living water and not drinking from living water.

Maybe video clip of 3 amigos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L08fJmbHcPo

We are not here to offer people lip balm, we are here to offer people living water.

People may not know what they want but they do want something more than this world has to offer. She was now at least willing to listen to Jesus.

Application:

Church before as we step out of our comfort zones let’s not forget to drink from the very well where life is found.

Could you picture a church that all the people said we are not going to settle for anything less than living water?

And this is an important distinction: We will embrace the Lost, we will embrace gospel conversations because we are drinking from the very water we are sharing.

We must embrace Gospel conversations:

2. Because it only takes ONE unlikely candidate to respond (16-26).

Who is the most unlikely person you could think of who would respond to Jesus.

I was an unlikely candidate for Jesus.

What made her unlikely?

a. Sin: She had a big mess.

If you looked @ her like the Jewish people looked at her she would not be a likely candidate. Back then divorce was looked down upon, it was the exception not the rule. She was a woman and a Rabbi was talking to her. Nicodemus would have been a likely candidate for Jesus but not this Samaritan woman.

John 4:16–20 NASB95

He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

(16-20). Truth Hurts.

Exposition-The hottest time in the day and she is walking to get water she was ashamed.

She had like five husbands, that would be like 20 divorce today

God’s not looking to crush us for our sin but he knows we have to deal with it in order to come to him properly.

This lady who God could use greatly had a profound sin issue.

She was sitting here with the master and all the sudden like a master surgeoon her heart was exposed.

I love what Charles Spurgeon says:

“The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.”

― Charles Spurgeon

You won’t need a great savior if you are not a great sinner.

Do you remember when Jesus exposed your heart?

Her mess was about to become a message!

She may have been running from the conversation but whether she was or was not she was running exactly where Jesus wanted her to run, to the topic of WORSHIP. What we are created for.

I love sports: But why is it that we will go so out of our way to talk about sports and rarely bring up God?

She had a small view of worship (21-24).

John 4:21–24 NASB95

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Samaritans rejected all of the old testament except the first five books.

Can you picture someone saying you have to live in Washington D.C to be an American. jesus was saying it is not about a place it is about a person.

I AM THAT PERSON.

She uses religion to keep Jesus at bay because she does not want to get to the heart of the issue. She has to be thinking who is this dude, he is blowing my mind. He knows everything about me. Have you ever had a freaky moment like this.

True worshipers worship in Spirit and Truth- [did a little deeper here].

Application:

When we have gospel conversations we will talk about the deepest things in the world.

c. She could have missed Jesus as Messiah (25-26)

John 4:25–26 NASB95

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

This lady correctly asserts that a Messiah is coming. She just does not think it will be from the Jews. Old Testament tells us that the messiah is coming.

Jesus makes a bold statement- I am the MESSIAH. He was the one who was predicted about in the Old Testament. I am the one.

Do you realize what a great claim this is. If this is not true he deserves to be stoned and killed accordin\ng to the very culture he lives in.

Look at the progression.

Application:

Jesus 4:6

Jew 4:9

Sir (Lord) 4:11,15,19

Prophet 4:19

Messiah 4:25

This is the first time Jesus specifies he is the messiah and it’s not to his Jewish disciples it is to a Samaritan woman.

People’s eternities are on the line.

Charles Spurgeon example of how he will preach to everyone, if the elect just had a mark on their arms he would lift up peoples sleeve and see if they had the mark he would preach the gospel to them, since it does not work like that he will preach to everyone.

We must embrace Gospel conversations:

3. Because everyONE drifts towards self-centered living (31-38).

We need gospel conversations more than God needs our gospel conversations. (31-33).

Isn’t that a freeing thougth that God does not need you.

The disciples drifted all the time.

John 4:31–33 NASB95

Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?”

Exposition-It is not that the physical is not important, but Jesus had more concern for the souls of men and women. The woman and the disciples where they same in that the woman just saw water as physical and the disciples only saw food as physical. But Jesus is on like a whole other plane.

But doesn’t this happen to us I don’t think if you are a believer in Jesus we think to ourselves I don’t want to share Jesus. Our lives get going so busy and fast that before we know it we are just trying to get by, we have work, family and all kinds of other responsibility and before we know it we are not even thinking about gospel conversations.

Contrasted to Jesus who had all kinds of intentionality.

John 4:34–38 NASB95

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. “Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

This story is greater than you. It has been going on for all eternity because our God is a missionary God. And we get to be a part of it.

Have you ever just walked in your neighborhood and prayed

Christian labor is never a solitary effort, divorced from the labor of God. Christians are called to go where God has already “done the hard work” and in this place reap the harvest.

Burge, Gary M.. John (The NIV Application Commentary Book 4) (Kindle Locations 2979-2981). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

We get to be a part of God’s story: Telling others about Jesus is simply one beggar telling another beggar where the food is.

A couple of weeks ago I began working out and afterwards I had to go get a bite to eat because my wife was having a thanksgiving party at the house, I think a lot of you guys went. But when I was at Chik-Fila

Application:

Church what if we became a church that is known for sharing the good news?

We must embrace Gospel conversations:

4. Because ONE community can be transformed (28-30, 39-42).

Think globally, act lovally

What do we need to know about telling others about Jesus?

a. There are no surprise candidates (27-30).

I think from last week scripture if we had to pick who we think would have been the most likely to tell others about Jesus you would have picked Nicodemus.

Nicodemus is a male, he is pure Jewish, highly respected, ruler and teacher, but there is no indication that right away he tells others about Jesus.

The Samaritan is a woman, she is mixed (hated by the jews), not respected and at the lower end and a great sinner in their eyes (5 husbands) of society, but she begins to tell others right away.

If I were stereotyping these two candidates I would think Nicodemus would have been the one who responded with the most positive attitude. This is such great news because maybe you are here today and you are thinking there is no way I can tell others about Jesus.

John 4:27–30 NASB95

At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and *said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

The disciples were preoccupied with irrelevant topics and food and this lady who just met Jesus was already telling everyone she knew about him.

Once this lady realized Jesus was the messiah she was so excited that she left her waterpot behind. It was natural. Church we need to be sharing with lost people because when someone who was lost and becomes found brings a passion and excitement that brings life to the church.

She left her water behind, one quote I ran across was “She abandoned the bringing of water for the bringing of men.”

I remember there was a girl who my wife lead to Christ and after bible study one day she said that was a ___Fing good Bible study. This lady is still now a passionate follower of Christ

Application:

Zach Little-Met him because he was dating one of Heather’s roomates, he was a D1 football player and they were in an impure relationship. We started meeting and I got to share Christ with him. Zach eventually became a missionary to India. The people that we think are far from God are the one’s God wants us to go after.

This is huge. It should change the way we look at people. That means that the guy or gal who seems the furthest from God could actually be the greatest potential candidate. That person on your top 10 list can actually be the person who ends being our next small group leader, elder, ministry director yo name it.

I want you to see how much greater this woman view of Jesus grows.

He is now the savior of the world

Savior of the world 4:42

When we drink from God’s living water our vision of him cannot help but grow. This lady is now a worker for God. When Jesus was on earth he knew what the problem was, he said the harvest is plentiful. There are so many who are hurting and far from God.

But he also knew his solution: More workers. That is why he invested so heavily in his 12 disciples and others. Because there has always been a shortage of workers.

Know these disciples were about to see the harvest from one worker.

We see what happens when someone decides to be worker:

1. She told and the people believed because of her word

John 4:39–40 NASB95

From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

From my experience in the US those who do not know Christ are not going to just start reading the word that can happen but does not seem to be the norm.

Look how Jesus is so gracious to them: Yes I’ll stay.

2. Then they experience Him for themselves

John 4:41 NASB95

Many more believed because of His word;

I love the flow of this passage that they believed because of the words of the women.

that God would use a Samaritan like this and then more believed because they encountered him themselves.

God can use you and me to share God’s word with others. Sometimes those outside of Christ will believe because of your faith and then your faith will become their faith.

HOw are you doing on your top ten?

Application

“Some want to live within the sound Of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop, Within a yard of hell.”

― C.T. Studd

Where are the Samaria’s today?

Church today I want to challenge us to drink from Living water. Could you picture the eternal impact our church would have if you would.

Are you willing to tell those around you about Jesus.

I long for the day where we don’t have to tell others about him but we get to because we are drinking from his source.

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

When it is all said and done let us not be a church that settles for mediocrity. It starts with you and me. We see what one woman can do who overflows with Jesus. What if we had an entire church that overflows with him, we could literally impact the entire world.