February 3, 2019 - Come and See

You continue driving, as now you’re close enough to gain some perspective, and you see this THING - this part of creation - that literally - takes your breath away

You’ve just experienced seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time...

There are NO words… you take pictures but they can’t explain the sensory OVERLOAD...

You get back to your family - back on the other side of the country - and the first thing you say to them is...

YOU HAVE TO GO SEE THE GRAND CANYON...

GO SEE IT - for yourself!

I could TELL YOU about it - but that WON’T do it justice...

I could…show you...

SLIDE:

Grand Canyon...

You MUST GO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!

This thing is SO AMAZING…so OVERWHELMING - ONLY A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WILL DO!

We DO THIS!

the Grand Canyon

A Great Restaurant

a Great Show

A Great Concert

A Great Store

A Great Movie

We’ve ALL done this!

You MUST GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!

And it’s THIS attitude...

this POSTURE of heart that we’re going to see today in our text.

For the past couple of weeks we’ve been walking through this story of the Woman at the Well...

This woman encounters a man at the well, where she came to draw water...

to MEET a physical need...

And what she ends up finding is a MAN who is offering her ETERNALLY satisfying water...

LIVING water...

…and YET - she doesn’t understand...

She DOESN’T know who she is talking to...

Jesus said to her - If you knew who I was, you would have ASKED ME for a drink...

…and I would satisfy you - FOREVER!

Even after this - She STILL doesn’t understand - and so she asks Jesus for some LIVING WATER - so that she wouldn’t be thirsty anymore...

…and so she wouldn’t have to go to the well anymore...

SO Jesus proceeds to tell her something no one knew...

That she had 5 husbands…and that the guy she was with now WASN’T her husband...

She tries to CHANGE the subject...

and Jesus then defines for her what it means to TRULY WORSHIP God..

Jesus explains that TRUE worship of God is done - In Spirit…and in TRUTH...

TRUTH - about who we are before God...

and TRUTH about who Jesus Christ is and what He accomplished!

See - if we DO NOT embrace the DAMNING truth about who we are before God - it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to Worship God...

We then hear this in the story...

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.”

AND SO - Christ tells her ALL that she is doing in her life...

SHE - equates that to the Coming Messiah...

And then Jesus affirms that HE himself is indeed - the Messiah!

AND THIS AFFECTS her...

It has an effect on her…what effect?

Let’s read it…

Today we’re actually going to be looking at 2 SECTIONS of verses within this chapter 4 of John.

And so there’s going to be a SECTION of verses that we skip over today...

..but will get to next week (i won’t be here - but Joe will take you through that part we skip today)

And so today we’ll be looking at - verses 27-30, and then verses 39-45.

And so - this will be our text for today...

John 4:27–30 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?” 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.

John 4:39–45 ESV

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 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.” 43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

Ok, so - if we were to jump back up to v27 today...

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?”

The first thing we see here - in v27 - is that the disciples return from getting some food...

IF YOU REMEMBER - Jesus and the Disciples were on this journey…to Galilee

making their way from Judea to Galilee (between 90 - 125 miles)

The Disciples get some food - and then return to FIND Jesus speaking with a woman...

NOW - we’ve spoken about this issue the past couple of week, right...

....tensions between Jews and Samaritans...

…and cultural customs of men speaking to women...

YET - we see here that the Disciples don’t question Jesus...

SO - we can speculate as to why they didn’t question this - BUT - ultimately we know they didn’t.

THEIR response to this conversation…is different then how the WOMAN responded right?

How did the woman respond when Jesus asked her for a drink?*

The Disciples - while yes - they MARVELED at this conversation…they DID NOT vocalize those QUESTIONS...

And that’s a least a start - progress

MAYBE they had seen enough of Jesus that they were MAYBE BEGINNING to understand that He was now REORIENTING life...

getting us to VIEW life from a HIGHER angle…Spiritual angle...

Either way, we see them NOT question this conversation…and then we see this going into v28...

SLIDE: The Gospel of Christ: More Satisfying Than the Gospel of the World

The Gospel of Christ

And we’re going to see this right away in v28

John 4:28 ESV

28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people,

This women - left her house...

And started making her way to the well - ON A MISSION...

For what purpose?

to get water (physical water)

She was thirsty...

ALL she needed was - a drink

She grabbed her JAR…and headed for the well

Well here we see what - She LEFT her water jar and went into the town!

SOMETHING happened here at this well - that what - REORIENTED her desires...

Did she GET A DRINK??

maybe she did…we don’t know for sure...

But i don’t think so...

We’re CERTAINLY not told that she did...

She came to that WELL - searching for PHYSICAL water...

And what she ended up FINDING there - was something MORE SATISFYING...

THE WORLD OFFERS us - countless PLEASURES...

countless opportunities

AND YET - all of them - TEMPORARY!

Think of all of the experiences of life - WHICH of these are eternally satisfying?

Good Looks....last forever?

Athletic ability....last forever?

Eating a great meal after a long hard day (good news?)

Drinking a cool drink after a long hard workout (good news?)

a warm bath on a -27 degree wind chill day in Cleveland (good news?)

a no-kid, romantic, couples-weekend getaway (good news?)

NO - we’re always wanting something MORE - we can’t GET ENOUGH!

These things WON’T FILL THE GAP of eternity!

We recently walked through LIFE - UNDER the SUN - in Ecclesiastes...

What was Solomon’s conclusion?

All Under the Sun is - Vanity!

You hear recently what Isreal may have discovered?

A Cure for CANCER! - GOOD NEWS? Sure!

WOW - will that help people - SURE...

but for how long?

It might buy you - 1, 5, 10, 50 more years…THEN WHAT?

You’re going to - DIE

Last I checked - the WORLD hasn’t FOUND a CURE FOR DEATH!

OH wait = actually we have - His name is Jesus

and THAT’S WHY -

The Gospel of Christ: More Satisfying Than the Gospel of the World

And we see examples of this throughout Scripture...

Hebrews 11:24–26 ESV

24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Moses has a choice to make:

He was looking “the treasures of Egypt” in the eyes

And he was looking at Suffering for the sake of God’s people...

And he CHOSE - he EMBRACED - suffering

WHY?

More valuable! - With a BETTER reward!

And this is what we see - in part - in v28…of our text

John 4:28 ESV

28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people,

v29

John 4:29–30 ESV

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.

If you remember a couple of weeks ago when we began looking at this story...

We saw that the:

Purpose and POWER of the Gospel is actuated when the person of Christ is embraced!

Well here - we see THIS TRUTH being PLAYED out!

Here we see the POWER of the GOSPEL on display!!

You might say HOW?

Let’s look together!

Remember how the WOMAN responded to Jesus when He asked her for a drink?

Her mind, right away, went to all that DIVIDED THEM…! correct?

Her DEFAULT response in life was to - STAY IN HER OWN LANE…and QUESTION anything that CUT AGAINST - cultural NORMS...

BUT NOW WHAT?

We see here...

SLIDE: The Gospel of Christ: Breaks Through All That Divides

The Gospel of Christ

She initially responded by DEFENDING the DIVISIONS between Jew and Samaritan...

That’s what she clinged to...

BUT NOW…she encountered Jesus Christ!

…and she heads BACK INTO TOWN...

John 4:29 ESV

29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

First thing - WHO IS SHE TALKING TO?

Samaritans!

And WHO is she asking THEM to go TALK TO?

A JEW!

The SAME WOMAN who couldn’t comprehend why a JEWISH MAN was speaking with HER...

IS NOW TELLING her fellow SAMARITANS ...

to go SPEAK with the JEWISH GUY down at the well!

This is the POWER of the Gospel!

It BREAKS DOWN ALL that DIVIDES us!

Ephesians 2:11–18 ESV

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

The Gospel is not PARTIAL to what divides us TODAY...

The Gospel is not partial to:

Our Racial divides

Our SocioEconomic Distinctions

Our Religious Denominations

Our Income Status

Educational credentials

Romans 10:12 ESV

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

The GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS) BREAKS THROUGH ALL of it - and that’s GREAT NEWS…because...

SLIDE: The Gospel of Christ: Is For You If You Believe

The Gospel of Christ

The Gospel of Jesus Christ - breaks through ALL that divides us BECAUSE - It’s FOR YOU if you believe...

And THAT sentence could be said to ANYONE on this planet...

To the kid who shoots up the nearby movie theater… the GOSPEL is FOR YOU - if you believe (and you need it)

To the most popular jock in school…the GOSPEL is FOR YOU - if you believe (and you need it)

To the 16 year Math teacher at the High School…the GOSPEL is FOR YOU - if you believe (and you need it)

To the serial rapist on death row…the GOSPEL is FOR YOU - if you believe (and you need it)

To the leader of ISIS…the GOSPEL is FOR YOU - if you believe (and you need it)

To the 5 year Pastor..the GOSPEL is FOR YOU - if you believe (and you need it)

It’s FOR ALL mankind…it’s the POWER of the GOSPEL...

WHICH MEANS = It’s for YOU as well..

There is NOTHING that you could have done in your life that would put you OUT OF REACH from God’s saving HAND...

And so it’s the POWER of the Gospel = that brings HOPE to the WORLD...

And DUE to it’s power - the woman at the well says -

COME and SEE…she says...

At this point - SHE’s not THINKING about the Jewish-Samaritan tensions...

Instead she’s PROMOTING - the examination of Christ!

Now i don’t believe she’s a full-fledged believer at this point...

the question she asks here - COULD THIS BE the Christ?

This question in the Greek - denotes a NEGATIVE response!

Could this BE Him?

There’s definitely doubt in her mind...

The Gospel is so powerful, you don’t even need to be a believer to be a witness

How do I know that - because of this story - if we just keep reading...

John 4:30 ESV

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

They heard this woman’s testimony....and they sought to find out for themselves...

John 4:39 ESV

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”

*How many of you - were impacted EARLY ON in your walk of faith - by the testimony of someone else?

Testimony is a HUGE part of evangelization...

Simply telling someone else what Christ has done for you...

And in this story...

Her (almost half-certain) testimony was enough to persuade others

BUT - an important aspect of FAITH is about to SHOW ITSELF in this text...

John 4:40–41 ESV

40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word.

Do you see what happened?

FAITH - true FAITH - is going to go - TO THE HORSE’S MOUTH...

to the SOURCE

The TESTIMONY of a person is extremely important, but it’s not ever going to be the end of the story...

SLIDE:

True faith in Christ will seek it’s validation from the word of Christ

And we see this very thing in this text...

The Samaritans heard about Jesus - and then went to Him and asked Him to stay with them...

They wanted to STUDY Him…to seek a higher knowledge of Him...

And the result of that?

John 4:42 ESV

42 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.”

Their ASSURANCE became solidified in the WORD of Christ...

not HERE_SAY...

And so for us today - maybe you’ve HEARD ABOUT Jesus Christ...

Maybe you’ve been coming to church and fellowshipping here for the past 20 years...

But maybe you’ve never REALLY SOUGHT out Jesus...

Maybe you’ve never REALLY pursued HIS WORD...

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - if you are CONTENT with what you already know about Jesus Christ, and there is no pursuit of Him…in your life

…could it be that you are no different than the demons mentioned in Scripture...

…who KNOW who Jesus is...

they believe He’s the Son of God...

…they KNOW He died for sins....

YET - they don’t pursue HIS word joyfully...

They HAVEN’T EMBRACED Jesus - LOVINGLY…as their SAVIOR...

The Gospel of Christ - IS FOR YOU...

Will you believe?

SUMMARY:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

More Satisfying Than the Gospel of the World

Breaks Through All That Divides

Is For You, If You Believe

And IF you ARE a believer - think of the ramifications of these points for your unbelieving...

Spouse

Family

Friends

Coworkers

Neighbors

The Gospel is for ALL of them - EACH of them - as it...

BREAKS through all that divides mankind...

And ends up SATISFYING them - forever more...

Let’s pray...

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