Are You Tired? Come Unto Jesus

Introduction

Have you ever wondered at how meaningless life can feel?

You cut the grass… just to cut the grass again, and then again…

You complete a job/task… only to start another one, and then another one when that one’s done…

We enjoy a dinner/coffee/ice cream… only to want another one, or try something different…

It seems like no matter how hard we try,

we can’t find lasting fulfilment in this life.

Opening Illustration

Ecclesiastes 1–2 paints a raw and honest picture of this feeling of meaninglessness.

The Teacher, who most understand to be Solomon, the son of David, looks at the world and declares,

“Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

He looks at the endless cycles of:

nature,

the pursuit of knowledge,

hard work,

wealth,

pleasure, and

success—

all of it leaves him empty.

He tries

laughter,

wine,

building projects,

accumulating wealth, and

indulging in every pleasure imaginable,

but nothing brings lasting satisfaction.

No matter how much he gains or achieves, he still feels the same emptiness.

Even wisdom and hard work are frustrating—

because in the end, everyone dies, and all is left behind.

The Teacher captures the haunting reality that without something greater than ourselves,

life under the sun can feel like chasing the wind:

exhausting,

repetitive, and

ultimately unsatisfying.

We long for meaning, but everything we try to fill that void with seems to fall short.

These chapters force us to ask:

What’s the point of it all if nothing truly satisfies?

Main Point of Sermon

This morning we’re going to be encouraged to…

Title

Come Unto Jesus

As we pick up this morning in the Gospel According to John, chapter 4,

we will be introduced to a woman Jesus meets at a well.

This woman has been chasing fulfilment in the things of the world,

and understands a bit about how meaningless life can feel,

coming back to the well over and over again to get water.

Jesus invites her to know Him and His gift of true satisfaction by coming to Him.

Billboard

Through her example we will be encouraged to:

Come Unto Jesus, He Knows What You Need

Come Unto Jesus, He Knows What You’ve Done

Come Unto Jesus, He Knows What They Think

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, we confess to You this morning that we are prone to sin because of the weakness of our flesh.

We often give in to the temptation to find satisfaction and fulfilment in the things of this world.

We know they don’t truly satisfy, but every day our fleshly desires are led astray by:

the lust of our eyes

the lust of our flesh, and

the pride of our lives.

We confess these sins to You!

But as we’ve sung this morning, “Thank You Jesus for the blood applied!”

We joyfully come to You in His name, boasting in Him alone.

Through our faith in Him all our sins are forgiven,

and we are given His Spirit,

who is the promise of eternal life.

We ask Lord, that You would be pleased to fill us with the Spirit.

That we would hunger and thirst for righteousness, and be satisfied.

Lead and guide us by Your Word this morning,

for the glory and honour of Your name!

Amen!

Scripture

We are continuing our series through the Gospel According to John.

John was one of Jesus’s disciples,

and He was an eye witness to much of Jesus’ teaching and miracles.

His purpose in writing these things down was:

so that people would believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and have eternal life.

Introduce

This morning we pick up in John 4,

as Jesus uses an everyday situation (being tired and thirsty),

as an opportunity to minister to someone in need.

Read

John 4:1–30 ESV

1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman from 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 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying 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 water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 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. 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 (he 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.” 27 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?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

Transition

The first reason we should…

1. Come Unto Jesus, He Knows What You Need

Here in this conversation with this woman,

Jesus knows that her deepest need is,

and He calls her to trust in Him.

As Jesus and His disciples were travelling,

they stop by a well to rest/get a drink and some food.

John then says…

John 4:7–9 ESV

7 A woman from 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 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

The woman was surprised that Jesus, a Jew, was talking to her, a WOMAN from SAMARIA.

The Samaritans were a group that had broken off when the nation Israel split in Solomon’s day.

In 722 BC they were invaded be Assyria. They left a remnant of Israelites, and hundreds of pagans were imported. They intermarried, forming a mixed race.

Tension grew between Israel and Samaria, and the Samaritans withdrew from worshiping in Jerusalem, and they established their own worship at Mount Gerizim in Samaria.

The Samaritans believed only the Pentateuch was authoritative, so Jews hated them, calling them heretical.

There was so much tension, they both avoided contact as much as possible.

But Jesus was willing to cross the line,

because He knew what this woman needed,

and therefore, what we need…

EXPLAIN

a. You need to know Jesus’s gift

After this woman’s surprise that Jesus would even talk to her,

Jesus answered her…

John 4:10 ESV

10 “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus is exposing her ignorance.

She WANTED to know why Jesus was talking with her,

but what she NEEDED to know was the gift Jesus could offer her.

The gift of Jesus is LIVING WATER!

Later in verse 14, Jesus says…

John 4:14 ESV

14 The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

This woman came to the well because she needed water, to satisfy her physical body,

but Jesus shows her her need to be spiritually transformed.

The gift that Jesus offers this woman: IS HIMSELF!

Through Him, she could be eternally satisfied!

This woman needed to know this gift,

and “Come Unto Jesus”!

Transition

You also need to know...

b. You need to know Jesus’s authority

The woman still does not know what Jesus is talking about so she says…

John 4:11–12 ESV

11 “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”

She doesn’t know the gift of Jesus.

She thinks Jesus is talking about physical water,

so she doesn’t understand where/how Jesus would get water since he doesn’t have a bucket.

She also doesn’t know the authority of Jesus,

and questions if he’s greater than Jacob.

John 4:13–14 ESV

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

JESUS IS GREATER THAN JACOB!

Jacob dug the well,

but all it contains is water…

water that you continually have to come back for…

over and over again!

Jesus is God, and therefore has the authority to offer living water,

that perfectly satisfies, and leads to eternal life!

The woman’s response is…

John 4:15 ESV

15 “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

She still doesn’t know what Jesus is talking about,

since she is still talking about physical water.

She wants water that eternally quenches thirst,

so she doesn’t have to keep coming to the well.

But Jesus knows what she needs!

to know that He is God; and

that He offers the gift of salvation and eternal life,

if she will come to Him!

Though she doesn’t fully understand,

we see the seed of faith taking root in her heart.

APPLY

What about you?

Are you like this woman,

seeking to be satisfied by the things of this world?

She kept going back to the well for water, over and over again,

and her thirst was never quenched.

In what way are you seeking to be satisfied?

Are you seeking satisfaction through eating the best foods?

Are you seeking satisfaction through owning the coolest toys?

Are you seeking satisfaction through enjoying the best experiences?

The problem with the things of this world,

is that they will never satisfy!

All they leave you with, is a desire for more!

Once you find a good restaurant,

you want to go again, or find a new one, or try something else…

Once you enjoy a good concert/event/vacation,

you can’t wait till the next time, or the next place, or the next event…

Once you have the new toy/tool/wardrobe you’ve been wanting,

you begin looking for more of the same colour, or different style…

The things of this life don’t satisfy our deepest longings,

they just give us a craving for more!

What you need to know is the gift that Jesus offers rest from all this meaningless chasing!

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

When you come to Jesus, there is nothing left to do,

because it has all already been done!

We no longer need to chase satisfaction in this world, because:

our sins are forgiven in Jesus...

we have new life through His Spirit in us… and

we have the hope of eternal life!

Jesus offers us the gift of rest through His righteousness,

and He can offer it because of His authority as the Son of God.

Brothers and sisters…

You have the living water.

You have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour,

and have His Spirit living in you.

Through the Spirit, You have access to rest, joy, satisfaction

that wells up from inside of you.

Stop seeking to be satisfied with the things of this world!

They will never satisfy your heart and give you rest!

They will wear you out, because they are always calling you to get more!

Find your rest in Jesus and all that He has done for you!

Pursue joy and rest through spending time with Jesus in His Word and prayer,

through seeking to follow and be obedient to Him who died for you!

Friend…

Maybe you’re like this woman,

and you don’t fully understand what it means to follow Jesus.

You’re chasing the things of the world,

thinking they will satisfy you,

but you have already experienced enough to know they don’t!

Come to Jesus! He knows what you need!

He does not want to add burdens to you,

but He wants to take them off,

and give you rest!

Summary

It is only in Jesus that we can find the lasting joy and contentment that our hearts crave!

Transition

The next reason we you should…

2. Come Unto Jesus, He Knows What You’ve Done

We’ve already seen the theme that light and darkness a number of times in John’s gospel.

Jesus is the light that comes into the world,

and He comes to expose the darkness.

Through His infinite wisdom and knowledge,

He knows every person’s sin.

You may think because you can hide your sin from other people, or

that you can hide it from God,

but you can’t!

EXPLAIN

Jesus is God,

and Jesus knows…

a. Jesus knows your heart

John 4:16–18 ESV

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Jesus shows His divine insight into this woman’s life,

even though this is the first time they have met.

Not only was this woman chasing satisfaction through water,

she was also chasing satisfaction through men.

She married 5 different men, thinking the next one was going to satisfy her needs,

but each one fell short of her expectations!

Now she is on to the 6th man!

This must have been humiliating for her…

having her sins exposed like that!

Her shame over her sin may have been the reason she was drawing water in the heat of the day.

Women would usually draw water in the morning when it wasn’t so hot,

but this woman is out during a time when maybe no-one would be there,

so that she didn’t have to face those who would judge her for her sin.

Here, in this moment with Jesus,

without her telling Jesus,

He knows all her sins…

He knows her heart!

Transition

And Jesus knows YOUR heart!

This truth often leads us to hesitate to come to God,

because we know that we’re guilty,

and we fear God’s judgement.

But what we see next,

is that even though Jesus knows your heart,

you should come unto Jesus,

because…

b. Jesus knows God’s heart

John 4:19–20 ESV

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

There were two main differences in the worship of the Jews and Samaritans:

Where to worship God.

The Samaritans worshiped God on Mt. Gerazim.

This is near where Abraham first built an altar, and

Where Moses blessed the people before entering the Promised Land.

The Jews worshiped God in Jerusalem.

The reason for this difference of opinion on where to worship,

is the second difference between these two groups:

What was God’s Word.

The Samaritans believed only the Pentateuch was God’s Word.

The Jews believed God had revealed Himself in ALL the OT Scriptures.

So where is the right place to worship?

John 4:21–22 ESV

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

The Samaritans were worshiping God out of ignorance…

they didn’t have all of God’s law.

While the Jews did have all of God’s law,

because God had revealed it to them.

But in either case, it doesn’t matter, because it’s all about to change!

The hour is coming where neither place will matter!

John 4:23–24 ESV

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. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The hour Jesus mentions His coming and the accomplishment of His’ mission:

After living a sinless life, Jesus will die as the final sacrifice for sin.

He will rise from the grave, defeating sin and death,

and all who put their faith in Him, will worship the Father in spirit and truth.

SPIRIT

What Jesus means by ‘spirit and truth’ is debated.

Some believe ‘spirit’ refers to the whole person…

Others believe ‘spirit’ refers to the Holy Spirit…

I agree with William Cook, who, in his commentary, finds the middle ground.

“Exactly what Jesus means by ‘spirit and truth’ is debated. It likely carries the idea that worship ‘in spirit’ is worship that arises from the deepest recesses of a person’s being, and in light of the previous discussions about the Spirit, it is the result of the Spirit’s work in a believer’s heart.”

Those who worship God must do so with all their being,

and after Jesus accomplishes His mission,

those who worship God must be born again by the Holy Spirit.

TRUTH

They also worship in truth.

Those who love God don’t worship Him any way THEY please...

They worship God according to who He has revealed Himself to be… IN HIS WORD!

Transition

This all seems confusing…

how is this poor woman to make sense of it all?

She doesn’t need to worry, because…

c. Jesus knows the way

John 4:25–26 ESV

25 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.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

This is the whole point of this passage:

Jesus is the long awaited Messiah!

He is the One who was going to come reveal God’s will,

and fulfill God’s plan.

Jesus is God, and He knows your heart,

but He also knows God’s heart.

God’s heart is to save people from their sin by sending Jesus.

Not only does Jesus KNOW the way… He IS the way!

So Come Unto Jesus!

APPLY

But so often, we don’t want to go to Jesus.

We feel too much guilt and shame over our sin,

or we think we’ve sinned too much,

and CAN’T go to Jesus!

Adam & Eve

We’re like Adam and Eve in the garden.

After they sinned, when God came walking in the Garden, THEY HID!

But God:

knew where they were!

He knew what they had done!

He didn’t strike them dead, or give up on them!

He came to help them, and clothed them,

covering their nakedness and shame.

BACK TO US

We’re just like them!

We want to hide our sin from God…

That’s a natural thing, because we know God is holy!

But what we need to understand is what Christ did for us!

He took God’s wrath on sin…

He died in our place…

He paid for your sin, and my sin…

We no longer have to fear God,

but can humbly come to Him to confess our sin,

and receive forgiveness!

VIDEO CLIP

I saw a short video clip this week that said…

You know you don’t get the gospel when you’re like, “Oh no, I screwed up, don’t tell Dad.” Versus, “Oh no, I’m in trouble, call Dad.” That’s the fundamental difference, and when you know Christ as your mediator, you’re like, “Call Dad. I know I screwed up… call Dad.”

BACK TO US

When we truly understand who Jesus is and what He has done,

we don’t run and hide from Him,

we run toward Him!

We see this beautifully explained in Hebrew 4.

Hebrews 4:12–16 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12–16 ESV

13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

God exposes our sin… He sees it all…

And He is the Judge!

So what should we do?

Hebrews 4:12–16 ESV

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Hebrews 4:12–16 ESV

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:12–16 ESV

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus Christ is our great high priest…

He pays for our sins with His own blood!

Not only that, He actually sympathizes with us,

because He faced all the same temptations we have,

the only difference is He didn’t sin.

For that reason, we should ashamedly go to God with our heads down??? NO!

Let us draw near with confidence!

Confidence in myself? NO!

“All My Boast Is In Jesus!”

And the promise for us, is that when we come to God, through Christ,

we receive mercy and grace when we need it!

Summary

Let’s willingly go to Jesus,

the only One who can save us,

and give us the rest we need!

Transition

The next reason we should…

3. Come Unto Jesus, He Knows What They Think

Just as Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah, His disciples come back,

and they see Jesus talking with this woman.

Remember, she has a lot working against her as far as her reputation goes:

She’s a woman;

She’s a Samaritan;

She’s immoral.

And the disciples are surprised to see Jesus talking with her!

Maybe they would have thought someone like her was too far gone!

But Jesus knows their thoughts!

He knows what they think of her,

and yet His grace is still sufficient for her.

EXPLAIN

a. Since Jesus accepts you, don’t be ashamed to come to Him

John 4:27 ESV

27 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?”

Maybe this woman got a little nervous when she saw the disciples walk up.

She herself had been surprised that Jesus would talk to her!

But:

He WAS willing to talk to her…

He WAS willing to tell her He was the Messiah…

He WAS willing to tell her of the living water…

and call on her to ask Him for it.

Jesus wasn’t scared of all her baggage…

He knew that was why He had come…

to help those burdened and weighed down by sin!

And since Jesus was willing to accept her,

she didn’t need to care what others thought,

and didn’t need to be ashamed to come to Him!

Transition

Not only is she not ashamed to come to Jesus,

now she goes to tell others to come to Jesus!

b. Since Jesus accepts you, don’t be ashamed to tell of Him

John 4:28–29 ESV

28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

Isn’t it interesting that she left her water jar there?

She came for water,

water that would never fully quench her thirst…

She would have to keep coming back over and over again.

But Jesus knew what she really needed… LIVING WATER!

She needed to be satisfied in Christ.

She came empty, and left filled with Jesus!

Obviously she was going to need to drink water again,

but when we are satisfied in Christ,

we realize there’s more to life than food and water.

Also, notice how she’s not afraid to share her testimony?

The reality of her broken life was something she would have tried to keep hidden before,

but now she’s using it as a way to point people to Jesus!

She doesn’t care what people think anymore!

Since Jesus has accepted her,

she gladly points to her sin,

so that she can invite others can experience the ‘Living Water’ that is Jesus!

And look what happens…

John 4:30 ESV

30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

Summary

God used the faith and witness of this unlikely Samaritan woman,

to bring salvation to many people!

Jesus knew what others thought,

that she was a lost cause…

but Jesus accepted her,

and she willingly came to Him,

and told others of Him.

APPLY

Do you have people in your life that you have given up on?

You look at them, and you think:

they’re too far gone…

they’re too lost…

they’ve sinned too much…

You wouldn’t say it that way,

but you definitely think it.

Maybe you think YOU’RE the person who is too far gone!

You believe the lie that Jesus wouldn’t accept you.

This story is an amazing reminder that:

Jesus isn’t afraid of your sin…

He isn’t afraid of your past…

He isn’t afraid of you even though others look down on you…

He knows what you need…

You need to find true satisfaction…

You need living water!

He knows what you’ve done…

He knows all your sin,

but He offers forgiveness if you will ask Him!

He knows what others think…

He knows they think you’re too lost…

WHO CARES!

Since Jesus is willing to accept you,

DON’T BE ASHAMED TO COME TO HIM!

Brothers and sisters,

let’s not give up on those we think are too far gone,

but let’s be willing to share the Good News with them!

Many people will think you’re crazy…

they will think you’re foolish…

WHO CARES!

Since Jesus accepts you…

DON’T BE ASHAMED TO TELL OF HIM!

The only opinion we should care about,

is Jesus’s opinion of us.

Likewise, the only opinion of others we should care about,

is Jesus’s opinion!

We tend to let others’ opinions cloud our judgement of someone.

But we must learn to see people as Jesus sees them.

ILLUSTRATE

In the book of Acts chapter 10,

we read of a vision that God gave Peter.

He saw the heavens opened,

and a great sheet coming down,

with all kinds of animals…

animals that were unclean for Jews.

Acts 10:13–15 ESV

13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

This vision repeated 3 times,

and Peter was totally confused about what it meant.

Shortly afterward, some non-Jewish men sent by Cornelius,

who showed up at his door,

and the Spirit told Peter to go with them.

Once Peter arrived and saw all the non-Jewish people gathered to hear what God had laid on his heart,

he understood what God was revealing to him.

Acts 10:28 ESV

28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

God has created all people in His image,

and desires that all people be saved.

His grace is sufficient for all people,

and we should gladly and willingly tell others of the blessings we have in Jesus!

Closing

As Peter tells these non-Jewish people the Gospel of Jesus,

there’s something interesting that happens…

Acts 10:44 ESV

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

This is what John testified about what Jesus came to do as John the Baptist had said…

to baptize with the Holy Spirit.

John 1:32–34 ESV

32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus,

and Jesus’s ministry is going to be SENDING the Holy Spirit,

causing people to be born again.

Why do we need the Holy Spirit?

Hasn’t Jesus finished the work?

Yes, but The Holy Spirit APPLIES the work of Christ in our lives.

Illustration

Just the other day I signed up my phone number to get a discount,

and I got a text that said…

“Hi there! Welcome! Tap the link below and your 40% discount will auto-apply”

You see I had a great discount available to me,

but unless I click the link, I won’t receive it!

In the same way, we have the privilege and bless of being saved,

but if we don’t have the Holy Spirit,

it won’t be applied to us!

Michael Horton…

“The Father sends the Son, and the Spirit perfects the work begun. It is the Spirit who unites us to Christ and applies all the benefits of redemption to us.”

Sinclair Ferguson…

“The Holy Spirit is the executive of the Godhead—He brings to fulfillment the plan of the Father and the work of the Son in the life of the believer.”

R.C. Sproul…

“The Spirit applies the work of Christ to the believer. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no regeneration, no faith, no justification.”

This is why Jesus told Nicodemus “You must be born again.”

Without the Holy Spirit,

Jesus’s work is not applied to us!

So, how do we receive the Holy Spirit?

Jesus tells the woman to ask…

John 4:10 ESV

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus will give the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who ask!

The Holy Spirit in us becomes a well of water springing up,

applying the work of Christ to our lives,

giving the strength and desire to live for God!

This is the promise made by Jesus in…

Luke 11:13 ESV

13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I used to wonder about this passage.

Honestly, it felt disappointing that Jesus didn’t say,

‘If you know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the heavenly Father give good gifts,

like a nice car, big house, fame and fortune to those who ask!

But that’s because I didn’t understand what good gifts are.

God could give us all those things,

but He knows they don’t satisfy!

So instead, He offers the best gift we could possibly have:

THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO APPLIES THE WORK OF JESUS TO US!

God The Father has designed the plan of salvation through Jesus from eternity past…

God The Son finished the work of salvation through His life, death, and resurrection…

God The Holy Spirit APPLIES that work of salvation to YOU!

Land the Plane (Last call to action)

Believer

Stop trying to find fulfilment in all the things of this world!

You know they will not satisfy you!

Come Unto Jesus…

rest in His love!

find joy in His presence!

rejoice in His work for you,

and seek to follow His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Non-believer

Are you chasing after the things of this world and finding that they don’t satisfy?

Are you tired of trying to find fulfilment and joy and coming up empty?

Come Unto Jesus…

He is the rest you need…

He is the satisfaction you are looking for…

He will give you the Holy Spirit,

and you will be forgiven of all your sin…

have all the blessings of God…

and the hope of eternal life…

COME UNTO JESUS!