The Seeking Savior Part II
“The Seeking Savior”- Part II
Introduction:
Many claim to be fundamental in their doctrine. But just how many are really fundamental in their teaching or are just fundamental in their title only, not really knowing what the word fundamental means. Fundamentalism by definition means a strong adherence to any set of beliefs in the face of criticism and unpopularity. What some are unknowing of it that the word fundamental was coined in the reformed church in the early part of the 20th century. So to truly be a fundamentalist means that you hold strictly to beliefs that are fundamental to your belief. So to be a Baptist fundamentalist means that you hold, without apology, to the fundamental beliefs of the Baptists.
I bring this up because with some folks when you start to preach on the sovereignty of God in one way or the other, they start to get a little nervous. And I do not what you to misunderstand or miss this point, the sovereignty of God in most certainly seen in John 4, without a doubt.
I had an individual the other day pick up one of the CD’s from my sermon on the Woman at the well, part I from last time, and called me on the phone after listening to it. They had one question and it went something like this. “If what you say is true about the sovereignty of God, then why do we pray?” I love answering those questions. I could speak all day on this subject. Over the years this subject has enrapture me to the point that if I am not careful, that is all that I would ever preach or teach on. The question came as a response to something that I said in the sermon last, “God has a sovereign plan and nothing we do will change that plan.” So the question that is most assuredly on most people’s minds when you make such a statement is exactly what their question was, “Why do we pray?” From there I was given the wonderful opportunity to explain to this person that though God has an absolute sovereign plan that will not be altered, part of that plan is the use of means; one being prayer. God not only predetermines whatever will be but also predetermines how this will be brought to pass. He uses our prayers to bring His sovereign plan to pass; He even uses lost people to bring about His sovereign plan. Someone said one time, “What if I had never surrendered to the Lord then this or that would never have happened.” In response to that someone said, “Yes, it would have happened, God would have risen up someone else to do it”. It might surprise to know that neither one of those person’s are correct in their understanding of the sovereignty of God. The correct view is that God no only predetermined the plan of this or that happening, but as part of His sovereign plan, He predetermined that persons surrender. That is what we need to understand, that God does not only determine what WILL be (the ends), but He also determines HOW what will be will be (the means).
Unfortunately, some “fundamentalist” do not hold to this fundamental doctrine. One said to me one time, “your belief in the sovereignty of God in neither biblical or Baptists”. Really? Let’s see.
Is it Biblical? "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased." (Psalm 115:3, KJV)
"Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places." (Psalm 135:6, KJV)
"Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? " (Isaiah 43:13, KJV)
"He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting." (Habakkuk 3:6, KJV)
"But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth." (Job 23:13, KJV)
"There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand." (Proverbs 19:21, KJV)
"There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD." (Proverbs 21:30, KJV)
"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." (Ecclesiastes 3:14, KJV)
"For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:27, KJV)
"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" (Isaiah 46:10, KJV)
"And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4:35, KJV)
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" (Ephesians 1:11, KJV)
"I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee." (Job 42:2, KJV)
Is it Biblical? I believe so. Now, is it Baptist? In other words, is this classical or fundamental Baptist doctrine? According this person, no it is not. But what does history tell us?
John Leadley Dagg (1794-1884), born in Loudoun County, Virginia, lived to be over 90 years old. When he dies in June 1884, he was one of the most respected men in American Baptist life and remains as one of the most profound thinkers produced by the Baptists. Dagg spent his life defending the Doctrines of Grace and the Sovereignty of God. In 1857 he wrote a book entitles “Manual of Theology” and stands as the first systematic theology book by a Baptist in America.
William Carey (1761-1834), Known as the Father of Modern Missions and a member of the Particular Baptist Church. One of the founding members of the Baptist Missionary Society and was a staunch defender of the Doctrines of Grace until death on June 9, 1834 at the age of 72.
John A. Broadus (1827-1895), He was the first professor ot New Testament interpretation and Homiletics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the second president of the school. A Profound teacher, Broadus served as the pastor of a Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. During the Civil War, he served as Chaplain in Lee’s army in Northern Virginia. Broadus is quoted as saying, “The people who sneer of what is called the Doctrines of Grace, might as well sneer at Mont Blanc. I do not see how anyone who understands the Greek of the Apostle Paul can fail to see this….”
Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), The Prince of Preachers. Probably the best known of the Baptist leaders from the past. Repeatedly preached to more than 10,000 people in the Metropolitan Tabernacle. He was a heavy defender of the Doctrines of Grace and those sermons can still be read today.
James P. Boyce (1827-1888), The principle founder of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and longtime pastor of Baptist Churches in Baltimore, Maryland. His Abstract of Systematic Theology is his magnus opus and continues to be in print today and in staunchly a theology book that defends the Doctrines of Grace.
Andrew Fuller (1754-1815), The Grandfather of Modern Missions. Fuller was a good friend of William Carey and stood strong against what is called hyper-Calvinism, and stood strong for the Sovereign of God.
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), Born and raised in the American Colonies, Edwards stand as a staunch defender of the Doctrines of Grace among American Baptists. His most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an angry God”, emphasizes the just wrath of God on sin and sinners and the provision of God Salvation. His sermons and books and can still be purchased and read online to this day.
John Bunyun (1628-1688), best known as the author of “Pilgrims Progress” was also a Baptist and a defender of the Doctrines of Grace. Imprisoned for his faith from 1658-1666, while there is wrote “Pilgrims Progress” which stands as a favorite of the allegorical view of the Christ life.
Now, is it Biblical, I think so. Is it Baptist, history proves there are those who, with strong conviction, stood on the Doctrines of Grace.
This is all fascinating, but what is the point to the text at hand. There is a point, this has not just been a lesson in apologetics, the point is that as we look at the text in John 4, we see a Savior with a sovereign mission and I what you to understand that when the Lord has a Sovereign mission, nothing will hinder that mission, nothing! I will be guarantee you that when we get to heaven and we meet the woman at the well that she will be so thankful that the sovereign purposes of God cannot be hindered and I know that I am.
We ended last time talking about our third point “A Son with a Petition”, as he “breaks the ice” in the conversation with this woman. Breaking all the laws of tradition and would have causes the Pharisees to lose all posture if He was caught speaking with a woman period, much less a woman of Samaria who was a woman of loss living. Let’s look at our next point.
I. The Sinner with a Prejudice (vs. 9)
This woman was also a product of the same prejudice that the Jews felt toward her. The hatred among the Jews was reciprocated by the Samaritans. This woman could not believe that Jesus, being a Jew, would speak to her at all. Little did she know that she was talking to her creator.
II. The Savior with a Prescription (vs. 10-15)
The OT is the background for this term, which has important metaphorical significance. In Jer. 2:13, Yahweh decries the disobedient Jews for rejecting Him, the "fountain of living waters." The OT prophets looked forward to a time when "living waters shall flow from Jerusalem" (Zech. 14:8; Ezek. 47:9). The OT metaphor spoke of the knowledge of God and His grace which provides cleansing, spiritual life, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Is. 1:16–18; 12:3; 44:3; Ezek. 36:25–27). John applies these themes to Jesus Christ as the living water which is symbolic of eternal life mediated by the Holy Spirit from Him (cf. v. 14; 6:35; 7:37–39). Jesus used the woman’s need for physical water to sustain life in this arid region in order to serve as an object lesson for her need for spiritual transformation.[1]
However, just like the Jews and Nicodemus, this woman misunderstood this as a spiritual lesson, instead looks at it as physical. That is just like unredeemed people who do not have the Spirit of God, they cannot understand the things of God. So all spiritual lesson are going to seem strange to them. That is why Paul calls the preaching of the Cross in 1 Cor. 1 18 as foolishness to some. It was foolish to the Jews that who they thought to be a criminal dying on a cross could be the only way to the Father, when they had been taught all of their lives that it was by obedience to the law. The same is true today, the cross if foolish to people, it was the same to this woman, she just didn’t understand.
Jesus tells her that whoever drinks of this water, speaking about the physical, shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give, speaking of the spiritual, will never thrist but will have a well springing up to everlasting life. But this woman was not looking for a spiritual answer, but would love not to have to come to this well and get water again, which is exactly what she thought Jesus saying. Because she asked Jesus that He would give her this kind of water that she would not have to come to this well again. She completely missed the point of the spiritual truth Christ was trying to give her. So then Christ really brings in her need by revealing to her the sin in her life. But that will be for next time.
III. The Samaritan with a Predicament (vs. 16-18)
This is a very interesting part of the text. The woman, not understanding the things of Grace, which no sinners does, will understand the next area that Christ brings up. He tells her to go and call her husband. You see, grace works where God brings us face to face with ourselves and with our hang-ups. The word for “call” there is very interesting. It is the Greek word “ὑπάγω” and it does not just merely call out with an audible tone, it means to leave someone’s presence. Obviously, Christ knew that this man was not her husband, but Christ wanted to bring this woman fact to face with the fact whether she was willingly to go and get her sin. True saving grace is only effective if we are willingly to go and get our sin and, what’s the next thing? Come back. Get your sin that the Lord already knows about and bring that sin back to the Savior. Listen, in the lives of people that you deal with on a daily basis, there is no true saving faith if they are leaving in at the door. True faith is a relinquishment of all sin to the Savior.
It is just like the rich young ruler of Luke 18. When he comes to Jesus and asks what he must do inherit eternal life. Did he want eternal life? Yes. But he wanted it on his own terms. Jesus tells him the conditions of salvation, perfect obedience to the Law. Listen, people must see themselves in light of the Law. They must see themselves as breakers of the Holy standards of the law and because of that they will never see heaven. Any Gospel presentation that does include our disobedience to the law is not the true Gospel message. And whatever Gospel presentation that does not include someone bowing before the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not the true Gospel message.
Then Jesus wanted to show this ruler if he were willing to give up the sin in his life and he was not. Jesus wanted to show this woman if were willing to go and get her sin and bring it to the Savior.
Now, did she physically go and get her sin. No. But she did bring it to the savior. How? When she said to him, “I don’t have a husband”. That put her on the path of repentance when she admitted in herself that she was living in sin. Listen, even though Christ had not yet revealed that He knew that she had five husbands and the one that she is no living with is not her husband; she knew when she admitted that she did not have one, that this was a sin.
Jesus wanted to bring this woman up front to the law of God that she had broken. Because even as a Samaritan she had been taught the law, she was still part Jew. So Jesus brought this woman face to face with her sin and that is how Sovereign Grace works. There is a realization of our sin as Christ brings us face to face with it and then once there is a knowledge of the breaking of the law of God, then the process and continue.
That is why God’s Spirit always has the perfect timing. His Spirit works on people’s hearts at just the right time and in the right way, and we are going to see a wonderful transformation in this woman’s life as a result of the sovereign work of the grace of God.
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[1]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Jn 4:10). Nashville: Word Pub.