The Response to Evangelism- John 4:16-42

Introduction

Prayer

Alright, 2nd—5th graders you guys are free to dismiss. And as a reminder, parents you can pick those children up at the Wetlands Building, and if you need any help finding where that is, don’t hesitate to ask someone with a lanyard.

If you’re new with us, my name is Andrew McClure and I’m one of the Pastor’s here, and if you would please turn in your Bible’s to John chapter 4.

Today, we’ll be closing out our 3 week study of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman at the Well.

We began by looking at the Foundation of Evangelism

and learning that the Need for Evangelism is Universal.

Rather you’re like Nicodemus, and need to know that nobody is too good for the Grace of God, or more like this lady of Samaria knowing that nobody is too bad for the grace of God…

Regardless of your story, your struggle, or your situation… we all possess a Universal need of the Gospel of Grace of Christ.

Yet, Jesus remedies our needs with very personal presentations of the Gospel Message.

Then, last week we took a deeper dive into that Message- the Message of Evangelsim.

And if you remember, I stated that the Message begins with a God who Seeks.

In our sin, our natural inclination is to run from God, hide from God, to avoid God… Yet in His natural inclination of love and mercy He seeks us out.

Secondly, the Message of Evangelism is that Jesus Satisfies.

This Samaritan woman had spent years, if not decades trying to quench her internal thirst for meaning, pleasure, and purpose at the wells of this world.

She had had 5 husbands, and the man she was living with presently wasn’t her husband.

And yet, she still wasn’t satisfied.

Because the more you drink from the wells of this world, the thirstier you become.

And Jesus tells her, that he has come to offer her living water.

Which is a Satisfied Life. Abundant Life.

But, it would require a response.

You see, the Message of Evangelism is that God Seeks, Jesus Satisfies, but we Respond.

And the first response that Jesus was leading this lady to make was to come to terms with her own sin.

To acknowledge and confess what the specific wells of this world she had run too.

And due to a pinch on time, that’s where I left you last week.

And I hope by God’s grace, many of you dd some self-reflection over the last week.

That the Kindness of God began to expose some of the empty wells that you run too.

Becuase you’ll never truly sing, “Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound, until you can also sing… who saves a wretch like me.”

Well that’s where i want us to pick up.

We must acknowledge our wells, but today I want to give you a couple of more responses to the Message of Evangelism.

So let’s read our text, then I’ll give you our 2 points for today.

John 4:16–42 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on 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 the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him. 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 said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 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, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

What is the Response to this incredible offer of Living Water?

Worship

Work

Worship

Jesus had totally read her mail. Because He’s omniscience. He knows Her.

So he tells her that he knows all about the empty wells of her life.

And in an attempt to take His attention off of his uncomfortable questions about her personal life, she changes the subject to a theological question.

Instead of leaning in with personal transparency, she throws up a road block with abstract theorizing.

Oh boy, we’re guilty of this too aren’t we.

We’re good about talking about God in theory. Or debating some doctrine. As long as it doesn’t get too close to home in our applied lives.

But true transformation doesn’t happen at arm’s length with the God of the Bible, but in proximity.

So in an effort to change the subject, she asks a question about the proper place of worship.

You see Jews said Jerusalem is the proper place.

But the Samaritans said Mount Gerazim in the West.

She’s concerned with place.

But Jesus is interested in place, so he tells her in verse 21, that place is irrelevant.

But look with me at verse 22.

John 4:22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

Jesus is clearly not saying, that only Jews can be saved. Remember the Gospel reduces us all to the same level.

Living water is availble to Jews and Gentiles, even Samaritan Adulteresses.

But He is directly confronting this religious division between Jews and Samaritans.

You see Samaritans only accepted the Pentatauch as religious scripture.

That’s Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

They rejected teh Judges, the Historical Writings, the Wisdom Literature and the Prophets because they were all very Jerusalem centric.

But what Jesus is saying is that their approach is wrong.

That in fact the Jews hold the full revelation of God in the OT.

And that its the Jews that have preserved it and chereshed it.

This is what Paul says in Romans 3:1–2 “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

The Jews were Go’s people, they had been given God’s oracles. They had a fuller picture of who God is and the salvation He had promised.

And with Jesus being a Jew, and hailing from the Tribe of Judah--- Salvation, its foreshadowing and fulfilllment is clearly from the Jews.

But now look at verse 23

John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

Here’s what Jesus is really getting at. This woman has just encounted a God who Seeks, and a Jesus who satisfied… and she assumes the proper response is to go to some holy place to worship.

But Jesus is interested in Place of Worship, instead he is seeking the right Posture of Worship

Posture of Worship- that’s response #2.

True Salvation will always result in Proper Worship.

Here’s the reality--- if you live to have your thirst quenched in the wells of this world, then your worship will be reduced to place, and formality, and doctrinal dead devotion.

Your worship will be like going through the motions, stale. An Obligation.

You may come to the place--- here at City Center.

You may even sing some of the songs--- although quietly.

But your heart isn’t in it.

You’re just going through the motions.

But… if you have drank from Living Water. If you’ve seen the wretchedness of your sin, and yet still been satisfied by his free offer of grace… you WILL WORSHIP with the very depth of your being.

From the core of who you are.

And that’s what it means to worship in Spirit.

When you think of God, and posture to worship Him you’ll be like David dancing down the streets totally. undignified.

Even in the midst of terrible circumstances, you’ll be like Paul and Silas singing hymns at the top of your lungs.

With everyone watching, you won’t care because you’ll be like the poor woman with the Alabaster flask of expensive ointment, pouring it out at the feet of Jesus.

You will worship in Spirit.

You’ll also worship in Truth.

This means you will worship Him according to who He actually is, and what He actually wants.

The opposite of this is idolatry.

There has never been an idol fashioned by a man’s hand that did not first exist as an image of his mind.

So many times are images of God are formed more by our own worldly wells, than who He actually reveals himself to be.

But when you drink from the Grace of God, you won’t want to worship your own desires… instead, you’ll want the Truth of God.

So that’s response #2— Worship

True Salvation turns people into True Worshippers.

And with her heart set aflame by the grace of God.

With her life being satisfied, for the first time ever verse 28 says, John 4:28 “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town...

She had forgotten what she had come for, because she had instead received what she was made for.

But as she gets into town, we see Response #3— WORK

Work

And the work that this lady immediately jumpted into was the Work of Witness.

The first type of work this new satisfied soul does is witness to the Living WAter of Jesus Christ.

John 4:28–30 “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him.”

Now, did she have a seminary degree?

Was she ordained?

Had she sat through her church’s Foundations class?

NO.

But let me ask you, did she first fix the brokenness of her home life?

Or first become an example of Christian virtue?

No.

She just witnesses to her own testimony and encounter with Jesus Christ.

Church, it can really be that simple.

One of the post powerful witnesses in all of Scripture was the man born blind in John 9.

After being crossexamined by the Pharisees, not once but twice he simply says

John 9:25 “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.””

If you in this room this morning, have a story of your life being satisfied by the Grace of Christ… than the proper response for you is to get to work in witness.

Church, this is the Will of God for your life.

Look at John 4:31–34 “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 said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

When the disciples had left Jesus earlier, he was weary, thirsty and hungry.

And now, they realize he’s not.

In fact, he doesn’t look famished at all. He looks invigorated. Full. Energized.

And he tells them why.

“I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

Here Jesus is reavealing his priorities.

Have you ever been so engrossed in the task at hand, that you forgot about your own tiredness, hunger, or peasure.

I love all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and that’s one thing that always struck me. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes that Holmes could go days without food or sleep because he was laser focused, utterly consumed with the present case.

I remember watching people, after hurricane debby, fill sandbag after sandbag, hour after hour.

And over to the side was a tent with snacks everywhere… but nobody went to that tent, because there was work to do.

Now, let me be clear--- Jesus isn’t saying that we should never eat or sleep, but he is saying that we should have such a passion for the work of God in the witnessing of his grace that we could temporarily forget about our own self and needs and cravings.

Listen to what Charles Spurgeon had to say on this particular verse… but beware its a bit challenging.

“Some of you good people who do nothing except go to public meetings, and bible studies, and conferences, would be a good deal better Christians if you would just tuck up your sleeves for work, and go and tell the Gospel to dying men. In fact, you would find your spiritual health mightily restored, for very much of the sickness of Christians comes through having nothing to do. All feeding and no working makes spiritual sickness.”

Church, we have been redeemed to work. To love our neighbors, serve the needy, and witness to the Grace of God. Our reponse must include “GOING and BEING THE CHURCH.”

And Jesus goes on to tell his disciples that this work must. be done with Urgency

He says, don’t you have a saying… that there ar 4 months between sowing and reaping, agricultrually speaking.

He says, but I’m saying… don’t wait 4 months. Sow now. Reap Now.

Because the harvest is white. It’s ready.

Because as Jesus is talking about this response, on the horizon, walking toward the Well is the entire village of Sychar.

Look at John 4:39–40 “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.”

Her response to work and to witness, brought the entire town to Jesus.

And he stayed with them for 2 days, working and witnessing.

And what was the result?

John 4:41–42 “And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.””

Conclusion

Church--- the Good News of Jesus is a Universal Need, met in Personal Ways.

And the Good News is that God Seeks, and Jesus Satisfies.

And when you encounter the Well of Living Water--- it changes you. We respone.

We forsake the Wells of this World.

We learn to genuinely Worship.

And we roll up our sleevse and get to Work with our Witness.

And truly the Harvest is Plentiful, but the laborers are few…

But one life… one broken, rejected, sinfilled life surrendered to the Grace of God can be used to turn whole communities to the Savior of the World.

What an encouragement. What a story.

Togo

Well now I’d like to transition us a bit.

God’s Harvest is Plentiful, and our labor primarily is to Witness, right where our feet are.

But sometimes, God will set apart people to move to different places, even cross-culturally to do the same work… Witness

And while they go, we who stay have the unique opportunity to GIVE and Support them in their going.

So over the last several weeks you’ve gotten to hear from many cross-cultural missionaries that we support as a church.

Alex Becker and their time in Guatemala. They went to see and experience the life of Ryan and Laura Wilson and the Soccer Academy BVSA.

We heard from Hunter and Charlotte Dominy who live and minister in North Africa, with their family.

We’ve heard from James and Jenna Roberts, who serve with 6degree Initative in church planting in Togo.

Well most of you are aware, but during the first week of October, Annie and I had the unique privelege and opportunity of traveling to Togo.

We spent the 1st half of our time there, just spending time with James and Jenna and getting a picture of the incredibel church planting work they are doing there.

But on the back end of our trip, we actually got to visit the Bible Translation Project, that we funded through Wycliffe Ministries this time last year.

As a reminder, we presented to you the KWI Cluster Translation Project.

This time last year, there was ZERO Bible translated in the languages of

Kpsessi — K

Waotsi- W

Idaatcha- I

Those 3 languages are spoken by about 1.1 million individiuals, so 1.1 million people have never heard the Word of God in their own language.

Now although these people probably speak French as a trade language, we aren’t attempting to communicate information to them, but heart change with the Gospel.

So to get to the heart, we need to speak the heart language.

Well last year, we as a church, raised $76,000, kickstarting the translation of the Gospel of Luke for all 3 of these villages.

And in such a God fashion, Annie and I had the rare opportunity of visiting EVERY ONE OF THOSE VILLAGES while in Togo, and church--- of the 15 years Annie and I have been in ministry together, we believe this translation work is the most eternal endeavor weve been a part of.

So I want to call Annie up, and we’d love to report to you all that we saw and heard.

KWI Slide

Waotsi

Our first visit took us to Waotsi, and we were fortunate because it was only about an 90 minutes from where James and Jenna live and minister.

In fact, the church plant they are most involved in is located in a Waotsi speaking village.

When we got there, we shook hands with a man named Parfait who oversees all the language projects for Togo.

Well Parfait ushered us in to meet the Translation team, comprised of various pastors, and various community leaders,

We got to see their studio, and hear their process for translation.

Photo #1

Photo #2

But what stood out in Waotsi were two stories.

First, one of the translators himself said that simply working on the project has been like a second conversion for him. That since working on this project, his personal faith has been reinvigorated, because he’s studying and digesting the Scriptures in his own language.

Secondly, once they were completed with Luke they wanted to kind of test it in the community. So they visited a local hair salon and played a few of the parables of Jesus… resulting in the FIRST CONVERSION due to the Bible in Waotsi.

Here’s a short clip of the Gospel of Luke in Waotsi.

Video of Recording

Kpessi

Well the next day, Parfait picked us up at James’ home and drove us 5 hours North to the village of Kpessi.

Now, we lived in India and visited many rural off the road villages there, but I don’t think we’ve ever been in the bush as deep as Kpessi.

Video of the Drive

It was a Sunday, so when we got there church was still going on!

Now, it’s not some 65 minute on the dot programming. There church was a little more active.

Video

THen we circled up with Kpessi’s translation team and ya’ll the stories we heard were overwhelming.

Kpessi Photo

Kpessi Photo 2

One man, communicated that he and his wife had been cursed by the local witch doctor and couldn’t get pregnant. And although a believer, he was just done with the darkness of that village so he fled south and worked construction.

Well a few years later, his Pastor called, and told him about the translation project and said that after praying, he was put on the Pastor’s heart by God to aid in the work.

Well after the Spirit convinced his wife to return, they landed back in Kpessi to begin working on the book of Luke.

And as they translated the word of God in their own language they became full of faith, and not fear. They read things like Luke 12:4–5 ““I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”

He said, their faith in God began to rise and their fear of voodoo began to decrease.

And in the last year they’ve had a child, and are pregnant with another.

We heard story after story in Kpessi, and I’m pleased to tell you that the church in that area is booming with growth, largely due to the Bible in the Kpessi language.

That village left its mark on us. They gave us some incredible gifts,

Photo

in fact they tried to send us home with a couple of chickens and firewood— but Parfait explained about TSA.

But I wanted to share one gift with you.

They had a local artist, paint this just for us as a church.

Read the Card

Well after several hours in Kpessi, we drove a few hours back south to the final village. Daatcha.

Daatcha

Daatcha was a bit overwhelming, because when we pulled in to meet the translation team, they had organized a local performance for us…

Check this out.

Video #2

Well after we showed off our lack of rhtym and flapping like birds for way too long, we went into the meeting hall to hear more testimonies of the power of God’s Word.

Photo

They shared that to their knowledge there has never been a single worship song or hymn sung in Daatcha language. But they as a team have been able to write their own songs with the use of Luke.

They also shared stories of incredible favor.

When they began the work, they faced considerable opposition from the 3 village chiefs.

But they pressed on, and what started happening was that the younger generation started passing the gospel of Luke around like wildfire via whatsapp.

And what it did was created a hunger in the younger generation to promote and speak, and carry on their tribal language.

Well this was a huge deal, because Idaatcha is feared to be a dying language. That as the older generation passes away, so too its culture and language.

Well when the village chiefs started witnessing a resurrection of their language, they themselves donated land and money to the translation team to continue their efforts for the entire New Testament.

Slide

Church, this tour of the KWI Languages was deeply encouraging, but by God’s Grace Annie and I were able to encouage them too.

Every village asked us, “Why would you do this? Why would your church want to help us like this...”

And every time I answered in 2 ways.

First, I told them that we believe the Word of God is truly God’s Word. The Ultimate authority in our life, and it is powerful to change and transform a life, a marriage, a family, and a village. We believe in God’s Word.

Secondly, I told them that we as American’s may not be tempted with Voodoo, but that we are tempted with consumerism and selfishness. To get so wrapped up in our own worlds, and lives, and situations, and that this project has given us an opportunity to resist temptation by blessing God’s church in Togo.

Giving

Well church, I want to give you another opportunity TO GIVE RADICALLY AND GENEROUSLY again this year.

So far each village has totally completed Luke, and 2 of the 3 are finished with Acts.

Well over the next 3 years their ambition is to complete Mark, John, Philippians, 1-2 Timothy and 1-3 John as well as record the Jesus Film in their languages.

But to do this, they need more funding.

In fact, they are projected to need $642,000 over the next 3 years to accomplish this goal.

Now, I don’t necessarily expect us to give that much this year, but I WANT TO CHALLENGE you to give

Sacrificially

Joyfully

And readily.

So here’s what we’re going to do.

Beginning today and concluding next Saturday Night at 11:59pm. So the next 6 days, every dollar given to CBC Richmond Hill is going directly to this translation work.

We by faith are suspending weekly giving for our operational budget, and giving 100% of this week’s tithes and offerings to this eternal work in Togo.

So, under your seats are a KWI Card. Take that home, discuss as a family, and go ahead and start giving to this incredible work.

Pray