Sermon Tone Analysis

and PRAY…

The Main Thing

and PRAY…

and PRAY…

and PRAY…

In 1993, a man by the name of T.F.

Tenney published a book.

Now, I have not read the book, so please do not take this as either an endorsement, nor a warning.

I can honestly say I have no idea what’s in the book.

Now, you are probably asking, why is he telling us about a book that he knows nothing about?

Well, I know one thing about this book, the title.

And the title is what I want us to think about as we work through this rather long account from the Gospel of John.

The title of T.F.

Tenney’s book is The Main Thing … is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.

You see, there are tangents, or rabbit trails, that could be chased from almost every verse that I read a moment ago.

Yet, I don’t believe the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle John to write a story that had 40 different thoughts to be chased.

Not that those thoughts are trivial, they just don’t really have a basis in this text.

So, I’m going to tell you the main thing before I even get into the meat of this sermon, then I will attempt to show you how every detail of this story applies to the main thing, and then I will tell you how the main thing should apply to your life.

In other words, I am going to work at keeping the main thing, the main thing.

So, the main thing about this story is this, God saves sinners.

Before we dive into the story, let me remind you of the context of this book.

The Gospel according to John is unique among the Gospels as it does not even claim to lay out the events of Jesus life in order.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all do that.

But John is writing to convince his readers.

- but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The whole point of the book is so we can know that this Jesus is the Christ, the promised hope of Israel.

That He is the Son of God, and that we might have life by believing those things about Him.

So, every story, every passage is intended to show us how Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing that we can have life.

This familiar story of the woman at the well shows us that as the Christ, Jesus offers life to those who believe.

Or, that God saves sinners.

Let’s take a closer look at the verses I read a moment ago.

1. Jesus goes

1. Jesus goes

1.1.

In the context of keeping the main thing, the main thing, Jesus goes to where He knows He will meet someone.

The comment about Him being weary from the journey is not a mistake.

Being fully man, Jesus was tired.

But being fully God, Jesus knew He was going to a meeting.

So, Jesus sits down by a well outside of the city of Samaria to rest from the journey around noon.

2. Jesus engages

2. Jesus engages

2.1.

It should go without saying, but in our culture, I have to show you.

The main thing is that God saves sinners.

In the book of Romans, Paul makes it clear that God saves sinners through the spoken word.

And that means that we have to talk to people.

Jesus gives us a perfect example of this here.

He is tired, and probably thirsty also.

So when she comes to draw water from the well, Jesus asks her for a drink.

2.2.

She simply asks Jesus why He would ask her for anything.

She is a Samaritan, the race hated by the Jews and a woman, in those days, a second-class citizen.

In other words, to a Jewish man, she would be a nobody and not worth talking to much less asking a favor of.

She is giving Jesus every reason to walk away from the conversation.

3. Jesus goes deeper

3. Jesus goes deeper

3.1.

Instead of walking away, Jesus tells her that He is more than just some random Jewish man sitting by a well.

He has living water.

And if she would just ask, she could have it.

Of course, Jesus is not talking about some special formulation of H2O.

The water He is talking about is the water of life.

It is, perhaps, the same water He was talking about in - Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

She needed the water that led to the kingdom of God.

The water that would lead to eternal life.

Not a temporary quenching of thirst, but a permanent, eternal solution to a thirst of the soul.

3.2.

But she just wants a drink (v.

11).

She expects Jesus to give her a magic potion.

He will draw the water out of the well and then add something so that it becomes living water.

Then she realizes, He can’t draw water from the well.

He doesn’t have even the basic implements to get water from the well.

So then she wonders if He considers Himself too good to drink from this particular well.

Are you greater than Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it?

3.3.

Jesus doesn’t take the bait.

He lets her know that the water He is talking about can’t come from a well.

Because water from a well is only a temporary solution.

We know that the human body can survive for about 3 weeks with no food.

However, without water, no one has lasted longer than 1 week.

Water is essential to every function of our body.

We just can’t live without it.

But Jesus goes on to say that this living water can sustain forever.

In fact, the water Jesus is talking about will become a living spring that continues forever.

3.4.

Remember, she went out to the well to get water.

It is very likely that she is thirsty.

And this man tells her about water that will last forever.

What would your response be?

She says, “I want that water that will not let me be thirsty ever again.”

She still doesn’t get that Jesus isn’t talking about a physical thirst.

She wants her thirst quenched.

Jesus has begun to go deeper with her, but she doesn’t yet see just how deep Jesus will take her.

4. Jesus probes

4. Jesus probes

4.1.

Jesus tells her to go get her husband.

Notice how He completely disregards her question about wanting this eternal water.

He just tells her to go get her husband.

4.2.

She honestly replies that she doesn’t have a husband.

4.3.

Jesus gets right to the point.

He agrees with her statement that she does not currently have a husband.

And then Jesus goes from informing to meddling.

He tells her He knows that she has had 5 husbands, and that she is currently in a relationship with a man who is not her husband.

He tells her that He knows she is telling the truth.

4.4.

She responds with words that I think are humorous.

Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

There is no earthly way Jesus could know what He knows about her.