Raising the Dead

In the Sixth Sense, a movie from 1999, Malcolm and psychiatrist is helping a boy who claims that he can see dead people. It’s one of thos movies with a crazy twist at the end. The movie ends with Malcolm, the psychiatrist realizing that apparently he has been one of the dead people that this kid has been seeing.

What’s interesting is what the boy says about these dead people. “They don’t know that they’re dead. The only see what they want to see.” Basically dead people refusing to accept that they are dead.

While that isn’t really what happens (You die, you will either be in heaven or hell, not walking around here sorting out your unfinished business.) There is a spiritual truth here that M. Night Shyamalan stumbled onto. There are dead people in this world stumbling around and they have no idea that they are dead. They’re spiritually dead in their sins. And they only see what they want to see.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at the process of spiritual growth. We’re going to look at how we go from being spiritually dead to being a spiritual parent.

This morning we begin with the spiritually dead and how we can raise them from death into life in Christ. Obviously Jesus saves, but we have a responsibility, a part to play in leading others to life in Christ.

John 4:1–5 “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.”

Go to the lost.

Samaria was avoided by everyone else because of the people there.

They were Half-Jew and Half-Gentile, which was worse than a Gentile.

The feeling was mutual.

They had been reaching people in Judea and were going to Galilee.

Most Jews would avoid Samaria when traveling. Go west, up and back east, or vise versa.

You can imagine the disciples being hesitant as Jesus led them straight through Samaria.

Jesus knew the people there were lost, so He went there.

John 4:6–9 “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. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 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.)”

See the lost.

We learn a little bit more about this woman in a few more verses. But at this point. I want you to just see that she has accepted her state. He has lost all hope of being anything less than who she feels like she is and how the world around her sees her.

She is showing up at the heat of the day to avoid everyone. She feels alone and has accepted that she will always be alone in her condition.

She doesn’t expect anyone, especially a Jew to talk to her.

You need to see the lost around you. Imagine their condition and instead of judging or condemning at first, imagine where you would be if you didn’t respond to the Gospel. Remember who you were before you accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him.

John 4:10–14 “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.” 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? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 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.””

Share the promise of the Gospel.

Jesus took the well right in front of her and used it as a metaphor for eternal life.

Honestly the woman is a little confused at first. How are you going to give me water? You don’t have a bucket? Where are you going to come up with this “living” water?

The water that He was offering was obviously eternal life and it was a life fully satisfied “never be thirsty again” and continually satisfying “spring of water welling up”.

Jesus satisfies our deepest longings and frees us from our never ending pursuit of satisfaction in things of this world.

John 4:15–20 “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.” 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.””

This looks like a change in subject, and it kinda is.

But what she is really confronting is what she thinks is a “I’m better than you attitude.” She doesn’t see the Savior confronting her sin, she sees a Jewish rabbi condemning her.

Confront the sin, but don’t condemn the sinner.

First of all, it is not our place to condemn. God is the only righteous one and He alone knows the heart of a person.

He confronted her sin, not to show how horrible she is, but to show her how horrible it is.

Love, relationships, men is the well that she has been trying to drink from. And it has never been enough.

There are so many in our world today that are trapped in sin. They bought a lie that that particular life or lifestyle would satisfy them.

One of the most prevailing lies in our day is gender and sexuality. It is all wrapped up in the idea of identity.

And unfortunately, the enemy already has them programmed to think that Christians hate them for what they are doing. They’re so wrapped up in what they think they are that they believe you hate them instead of their sin.

Here in the Bible Belt, you have not only Christians who are perceived as hateful, but also southern “culture Christians”. People who find their identity in the Republican Party instead of Jesus Christ. People who find their identity in moralism instead of Jesus Christ.

Notice what Jesus does here. He’s not changing the subject, but using her question to bring her back to the issue He’s dealing with in her life. He’s not backing down and there’s a very important thing He wants her to know.

John 4:21–30 “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.”

Jesus is telling her that He is not out to make sure everybody has the doctrine right and is living a good moral life. He’s after the heart. He wants people who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

Spirit and Truth literally just means with the whole heart and with sincerity. He wants people to love Him, not just give Him lip service so they can get something out of Him.

Would you follow Jesus if the cross was all that He gave you? Would you still follow Jesus if life never got better for you. Will you just love Jesus for what He has done for you, not merely in hopes that He will do more for you?

Now He will do more for you. But He is worthy of your heart solely on the basis that He has died to save you from your sin.

v. 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.” 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.”

Jesus revealed Himself as God to her.

Samaritans only studied the first five books of the Old Testament. She would’ve grown up hearing the story of Moses and the burning bush and God’s Name, “I am that I am.” She knew God’s covenant name.

And Jesus claimed it. And for some reason, she stops arguing and she believes.

I believe everything finally dawned on her. This man was waiting by the well in the heat of the day, no one else would be doing that. This Jew talked to her, this man talked to her, this holy man talked to her, NO ONE WITH THAT DESCRIPTION SHOULD BE TALKING TO HER. Who is this prophet and why is He talking to her.

I think she was warmed by Jesus’ statement but maybe even shut off. I want to worship in Spirit and truth, but I doubt that my spirit can be forgiven and healed to do so. The Messiah will come and tell me what I can and can’t do. He will tell me if I can be forgiven.

I am THAT I AM that you are waiting for. I have come here at the heat of the day to wait for you and talk to you.

Jesus came for everyone, including you!

Even the Samaritan? Yes. Even the persecutor? Yes. Even the homosexual? Yes. Even the transgender? Yes. They one who had an abortion? Yes. The one who (put whatever you think is the worst sin imaginable) and the answer is yes.

Jesus came for every sinner.

Her testimony is simple. “Come see a man who told me (He spoke to me) everything I ever did.”

He knew everything about her and yet He still talked to her and offered her salvation.

How can he offer salvation to everyone? Because ultimately, He came to die thirsty. On the cross He would utter those words reflecting the deep hopelessness of sin that He felt on the cross. He knew what it was like to feel the misery of separated from satisfaction in God. He was thirsty.

He did that to save us all.

Will you go to the lost?

John 4:35 “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.”

There are people in your life who are white unto harvest. They’re ready, but waiting on you to be the laborer who goes and reaps.

Some will never hear you share the Gospel because you won’t leave the comfort of the Church and other Christians.

Some will never hear you share the Gospel because you don’t like them.

Some will never hear you share the Gospel because you are too busy telling them how how horrible they are for sinning against God.

Some will never hear you share the Gospel because you have believe the lie that you aren’t ready to share the Gospel.

This woman left her bucket, a picture painted by John to show her conversion. She wasn’t thirsty anymore. She left her bucket and immediately began sharing her testimony and many believed because of that testimony.

She had no training to share the Gospel. She was so moved by what God did to save her that Jesus came to save HER! She couldn’t help but tell others.

Are you moved by what God has done for you?

Are you overwhelmed by what He has saved you from?

Will you go to the lost and tell them so they can be brought to life in Jesus Christ?