FACING OUR 'SAMARITANS'

ILLUST:

Small boy, sent to bed, gets thirsty, dad threatens spanking - “can you bring me a drink when you come to spank me?”

OR Criminal in desert and tie story

What would you do for water that satisfies?

FACING OUR ‘SAMARITANS’

READ John 4:1-30

Jesus is making an impact, and His enemies are not liking it

And v. 3 - no mistaking it, Jesus did NOT come to baptize, but to save the repentant

What can we take from this encounter?

1) Jesus Reaches the REALLY Lost

You know what I mean, right? The really bad

The Samaritans

The “half-breeds” - remnant of N Kingdom Jews, intermarried with Assyrians in the invasion of 722 B.C. and beyond

Had adapted “God” to their own “gods”

Pagan way of worship

Hated by Jews, likely more so than Gentiles

No Jewish contact publicly - focus was on avoiding contact

(REM - OT - Jews were to be a light to the world)

And Jesus goes right through where the Samaritans live and get water

Samaritans

Women (lest they learn something about God…)

(Wonder why Jews hated Jesus when He tells the parable of the Good Samaritan?)

This woman - background

Samaritan

A woman

A reputation - 5 husbands, and now just co-habitating

(Interesting fun fact, Jews allowed up to three, not quite what God planned)

This is who Jesus approaches - He thrives on contact

I mean, the devout Jews who should accept Him were not approachable

Nicodemus was exploring, for example

This woman really needed Jesus - the world she expected to satisfy her had not

Deep inside she knew it - she needed true life

She stumbled onto the truth - regarding her moral life (husbands)

She meets the Way, the TRUTH, the Life

2) Stark Contrasts

A well in the desert or barren land (Jacob’s)

Miraculous almost

Necessary for life

You’d defend a well!

Water

Cistern, well - stale

Living - the Gospel

Bible talks often about moving, fresh living waters

Psalm 23 - still waters, ‘cause sheep are dumb and afraid, so the Shepherd calms a portion of the stream/river

Life and Death

Well/Cistern water - physical life-sustaining

Without it 3-5 days - physical death

Living water - Gospel - spiritual life

Without it - spiritual, eternal death

People go their whole physical life, with this sustaining water right in front of them, and they choose to not drink, choose death

Jesus is making a profound statement, offering this woman life over death, using water, using her spirit, using truth

That leads to a great conversation...

3) Worship the Personal Savior

Challenges/Objections are presented here

Jesus has the answers

The answers are found spiritually

The answers come from the truth

If we leave it to our flesh, ourselves, to figure things out, forget it - we’ll end up expecting this world to satisfy us

The question of where to worship:

“You people say to worship in the temple/Jerusalem”

Indeed, Jews worshiped their temple

The question of WHO to worship

“You people say the Messiah is coming”

The Samaritans has developed their own version

Common ancestry with Jacob

Think about Samaria - once the capital of the Northern Kingdom - supposedly worshiping God

They turned to idolatry - taken by Assyria

Note the response to her objections - not just winning an argument - but introducing people to Him

True worshipers KNOW Him

Not based on subjective feelings or experiences

But a true encounter where Jesus is revealed to them - by His Word! Truly introduced to Him

True worshipers worship in spirit and truth - wherever they are

Nicodemus was confused about being born from above, water and the spirit

God is spirit - He breathed life into us - we are spiritual beings

It is our spirit that must be born again

Jesus came from above to invite birth from above

It is with this born-again spirit that we must worship

And that’s truth

Jesus is Messiah, that’s truth

I am He - “I’m the one” - That is His response to the woman talking about some “Messiah”

Conversation over!

Now, decide!

She leaves her water pot - she had found the life she needed and deeply desired - life in Jesus - the Living Water

“Could this be the Christ?” - OH YEAH!

CLOSING LESSONS - (Incl. personal testimony?)

This is Personal

We’ve lost the idea of a personal God

We’ve lost the notion of personal interaction with people to tell them about Jesus

Especially the really bad ones

Like John said, he didn’t want people connected to him, but to Jesus - this should be the same with us

Don’t avoid ethical and moral issues

Jesus confronts her sin

We have to deal with sin, with sinners

They need to repent (just like we believers did)

“They” say - just stick to saving souls, and stay out of the ethical and moral issues in life

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount - disagrees

Jesus with this woman - disagrees

TODAY: LGBT, Trans, Cults, Co-habitaters, Pagans, so-called “atheists,” Satanists

When the church, backed by the Spirit, proclaims truth, hearts will change

But it’s just easier to avoid them - like the Jews did with Samaritans

I mean, I feel better spiritually staying separate

Actually the Bible tells us more often to stay away from “believers” living in sin and luring you away

Jesus’ disciples felt better avoiding this woman

BE THE LIGHT, IT’S DARK WHERE YOU ARE GOING MOSTLY

Example, real story, recent interaction

“Faith-based” - generally means “we might talk about God but let’s no go crazy or get too serious”

SO many social services out there - a few “faith-based” and fewer truly centering the work on Christ

Frustration - expecting to go somewhere “faith-based” and finding lots of “Jesus” there - and not

Dawned on me (more like getting smacked in the head by the LORD)

“Yes, they need more Jesus there, that’s why I sent YOU there!

Point taken

Maybe you expect to find more Jesus in your town, in your family, where you work, live, etc…in your church!

Guess what - there is not a lot or enough of Him there in any of those places - room for so much more Jesus there

That’s why God has you there, here

Look around - people need to meet Jesus - they need to experience your born-again spirit and be introduced to the truth

That’s why God has you there

You go and be the “Jesus” that’s needed there!