Christ the Savior of ALL

The Need For Jesus is Universal

As we move on in our study of the Gospel of John, We see a huge contrast from the characters in Chapter 3 to the Characters in Chapter 4

In Chapter 3 We are introduced to man named Nicodemus

Nicodemus was a wealthy man

Nicodemus was a Prestigious man

Nicodemus was an educated man

Nicodemus was a Religious man

Nicodemus was a Respected man

Put simply Nicodemus from the worlds perspective was very well off. He was the cream of the Crop, a leader among the leaders.

and what we learned in the story of Nicodemus was that even though he had all that the world could offer He still needed Jesus in order to gain eternal life.

Nicodemus asked J.C. What must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven

In John3:16 Jesus Gives Nicodemus the only way for him to have eternal life

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

jesus offered Nicodemus a way for him to have a place in the kingdom of God.

Believe in Jesus and You will have eternal life.

We know that from later on in the book of John that Nicodemus this wealthy, educated man,, Believed in the gospel message of Jesus.

And now today as we turn the page in our Biles to chapter three of the gospel of John we are going to ready another account of someone Who Jesus offers eternal life to.

But I want you to understand this morning that our character today couldn’t be more opposite from Nicodemus .

Look with me at our text:

John 4:1-9 “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),[ stop here for just a minute- John wants the readers to know that Jesus hasn't actually doing the baptizing himself but his disciples who were with him were the ones baptizing the people as followers of Jesus.] 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. 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. [that would be noon according to our time] 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.)”

So here we jump into another story about Jesus conversing with someone who doesn’t know who he is.

Because the Pharisees where trying to stir up competition between Jesus ‘s followers and John the Baptist Followers, Jesus leaves Judea and is headed to Galilee which is a three day walk. But in order to get to Galilee from Judea, they had to go through Samaria.

For us to understand the deep contrast between Chapter 3 and chapter 4 we need to understand who the Samaritans where in relation to the Jews.

Orthodox Jews would have avoided Samaria at all cost because they had a deep rooted hatred towards one another.

The Samaritans were a mixed race, half Jew and half Gentile.

When Assyria captured the northern kingdom of Israel in 727 B.C. some were taken in captivity while others left behind. The ones left behind intermarried with the Assyrians. This meant that their children were no longer fully Jewish but now half Jewish and Half Gentile.

Because of this they were Rejected by the Jews they were treaded as lower class, as not important to society.

Because the Jewish leaders called them unclean and not worthy to worship in Jewish temple, the Samaritans established their own temple and religious services on Mt. Gerizim. This only made the prejudice worse.

By the time Jesus was on earth, the Jewish dislike of the Samaritans was so great that some of the Pharisees prayed that no Samaritan would be saved!

And for Many Jewish leaders if someone went through Samaria they couldn’t touch anything or anyone while they were there otherwise they themselves would be considered unclean to worship in the Jewish temple.

So,Here we have Jesus, A man who has just been identified as Rabbi, walking through Samaria, and because he was tired sat down by the Well outside of the town of Sychar and he sends his disciples into the town to get something for them to eat.

and While he is sitting there at noon a woman comes by herself to get water to drink.

Jewish Customs would have said Jesus should not speak or even acknowledge that this women was there. He shouldn’t even look in her direction because she is not worthy of his time or attention.

But Jesus breaks all Cultural and social Normalities Not only does he speak to her, but also asks the women to give him something that she had touched.

Notice the woman’s response if verses 7-8

John 4:7-9 “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.)”

The fact that Jesus spoke to the woman went against everything this woman believed to be true between the Jews and the Samaritans.

A Jewish man speaking to a Samaritan woman - You cant get more outside the cultural norm than this.

But we cannot miss the big picture of this story- Jesus Crossed all cultural boundaries because the NEED for Salvation is Universal

All mankind Regardless, of Race, Color, Religion, National origin, Gender, or Economic status Need the same remedy for their sin problem.

Romans 3:23 FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHOR TOF THE GLORY OF GOD!

All mankind is in need of Savior. We need the redemptive work of the Messiah in our lives if we are going to have eternal life.

Nicodemus needed jesus for Eternal Life, and this samaritan woman needed jesus for eternal life.

Look at The Contrast between Nicodemus in Chapter 3 and the samaritan women In Chapter 4- It is so great this it encompasses all mankind!

Nicodemus He was educated, powerful, respected, orthodox, theologically trained; He was the cream of the crop the cats meow,

The Woman was unschooled, without any influence, She was despised, An outcast of society, and only new simple religion. She was the social waste thrown out with the trash.

Nicodemus was a man, a Jew, a ruler;

she was a woman, a Samaritan, a moral outcast.

But they both desperately needed the same thing- They both needed Jesus!

This morning our Big idea is this:

The Gospel is Equally for ALL Because all Equally Need the Gospel

John begins our story this morning letting us as the reader ,that Jesus’s burden for the lost was not just for the Jews but all mankind regardless of how Society sees them.

To Jesus we are all equally Sinners in need of Grace.

Transition: The Second truth we see in this passage is that

The Gift From Jesus is Eternal

In Vs: 7 -9 the Well)

The Woman- comes to the well to get water She is seeking to meet her physical needs but jesus in return offers to meet her spiritual needs.

In verse 7 Jesus asks the Women to get him a drink of water from the well .

Surprised that Jewish man would speak and ask for a drink the women questions Jesus? How can you—a Jewish man —ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” You Jews use nothing in common with us Samaritans.

And in verse 10 Jesus responds to her Question… “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 in his answer points out that she was ignorant of the gospel message, She didn’t know who Jesus was, She didn’t know the gift he was offering, and she didn’t know how to Receive it for herself.

She came to the well looking to quench her physical thirst but Jesus was offering to quench her spiritual thirst.

The woman still not completely understanding Who Jesus was Questioned His authority and Said are you greater than Jacob the one who built this well and drank from it himself,

And this is the point... just like Nicodemus, Jesus opens her eyes so she can see him for who he truly is- as the Messiah.

Look with me at our Text

John 4:16-26 “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.” 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.” 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.””

Jesus came to this women- and he brought to her the message of Eternal Life. He offered her the living water that will never run dry.

At this moment the Woman put her faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Understand the this morning that the gospel of Jesus is a Living water that will never run dry., It will never run out. You will never cease to receive the blessing of Salvation in your life if you have accepted his gift .

The gift that Jesus offers us is the same as he offered Nicodemus, and the same that he offered this samaritan women. The gift from Jesus is eternal life. Freedom form the penalty of Sin.

But understand - Just like the woman at the well we all must respond to the message of Jesus in our own lives.

The women would not have recieved the gift of spiritual living water if she would not have believed in jesus.

Romans 10:9-10 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

When Jesus Saves us from our sin it is eternal- Our Salvation through Christ is the everlasting water that will never run dry.

transition: As Jesus is talking with the woman, the disciples returned from town with some food for Jesus to eat, and in verse 27 it says that they were shocked that Jesus was talking with a women.

But not one of them even thought to asked Jesus why?

The woman doesn’t seem to care that these Jewish men are not impressed with her talking to Jesus, She leaves her water jar there at the well, and runs back to town, Because she wants to share Jesus with everyone she knows.

She goes back to town and says come and See!

While she is Gone, Jesus takes the opportunity to teach his disciples a biblical truth that I believe many of us as His followers today also need to hear.

The Disciples were following jesus with their lives but they failed to see the need for the gospel with this woman.

Jesus is going to teach his followers that Gospel must be preeminent in our lives as his disciples.

He is trying to tell them “ We need to keep the main thing the main thing.

In Look 19:10 Jesus Said “ I have come to seek and save the lost.

The gospel message -the saving grace that is only possible through Belief in Jesus - is the main thing.

And Jesus wantsa his followers to understand that their is rejoicing in lives that are changed by the gospel

Our third point this morning is

The Harvest for Jesus is Joyful (don’t say yet)

Jesus begins his teaching to the disciples by saying stop making excuses - Because you are missing the point

Stop Making Excuses

Excuse #1 They wouldn’t be interested in the gospel (dont say yet)

Th

vs. 27- 30- ”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.”

When the disciples came back from town they didn’t care about the women or her spiritual need. It says they were shocked that Jesus was talking to a woman, and not just any women but a samaritan women. “Why would he want to talk to this woman?”

they made the assumption that this samaritan wouldn’t want to hear the message -that the Jewish Messiah had come to redeem mankind from their bondage of sin.

These Men, didn’t even address the women but instead they spoke to Jesus. They didn’t believe that the women would care what A Jewish teacher had to say.

The point we see here is that They missed their opportunity to be part of the message of salvation to this woman. They missed their opportunity to bring glory to God by their actions and their voices.

The first excuse we see from the disciples is that they thought that she wouldn’t be interested in the gospel.

How many times have we used this same excuse in our lives with the people God has put around us?

How many times do we just assume that our friends care more about our hobby’s and our abilities than the hope we have in jesus Christ?

We cannot keep quiet because we think they don’t care- Their need for Christ is as great as our need was before He saved you.

Lets move on to Verse 31-34 (READ)

Excuse #2 - I’m too Busy to share the gospel right now (don’t say yet)

in verse 31 we see a second excuse for not sharing the gospel with the people around.

John 4:31 -34 “Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

The disciples failed to see the gospel message Jesus was sharing because their focus was on other things.

They were so focused on their own physical needs and Jesus’ physical needs that they failed to see the spiritual conversation that Jesus was having with the woman who was sitting right in front of them.

The 2nd excuse for not sharing the gospel is ...I’m too Busy serving others to share Jesus with the lost.

I think that we all struggle with this in our lives today- We get so focused on life and our own physical needs and the drive to want to be successful in this life, that we fail to take the time and see the spiritual needs of the people right in front of us.

Understand here we have a broken women, A woman who is a social outcast, a women who has been rejected by many men in her life, A women who came to the well at time no other women would be there, most likely because she was not welcome when the other women came in the morning and in the evening. This was women who was crying out for love, and acceptance and yet the disciples didn’t even notice your desperation.

the question we all need to ask ourselves is this “am I too busy living my physical to see the spiritual needs of others around me?”

This can happen in our home with our children- We spend so much of our time making sure our kids can be involved in every activity they want to be in ,while at the same time failing to teach them the importance of bible study, of prayer , and faithfulness to body of Christ.

This can happen in our workplaces when we care more about getting the job done right than we do about building redemptive relationships with those who are in need of Jesus.

This can happen in our neighborhood when we care more about how our house and our cars, and our stuff looks to our neighbors rather than caring about their eternal souls.

The point is this--- Don’t get so caught up with finding a solution for physical problems that you fail to share the solution for their spiritual problem.

Trans; Jesus Goes on and gives us a third excuse that I believe many of us, including myself struggle with today.

LOok with me at our text verse 35...

Excuss #3 I have no time, I’ll do it later

Text 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.”

Jesus Speaking to his disciples says you guys are like a lazy farmer “Your the ones who say ‘There are still four more months until the harvest comes’ We don’t need to do anything right now because there is still time to get everything ready to go.

the disciples saw no urgency in the message of the gospel.

The 3rd excuse we make is we think there is still time so we don’t see the gospel as urgent in peoples lives

Jesus looks down the road leading into the town - and what does he see? Its the samaritan women - the outcast of society , The one the disciples had just written off , coming back to jesus and bringing a crowd of sinners with her to meet with Jesus.

and he looks at these men and says “you guys think that you need to wait to reap the harvest of the gospel, bur you are wrong- - Look at the crowds coming to me- The field of lost souls is rip and ready for harvest.

I am afraid that we as the church today have not learned this lesson for ourselves. I am afraid that we are just like these disciples here in Samaria.

We are surrounded by people who need Jesus.

But instead of gospel urgency, We have built lives of comfort next door to people who are looking for the hope that we have been freely given to share -through the gospel of Jesus Christ that has saved us.

We like the disciples fail to to see the necessity of the gospel in their lives.

We have the same excuses that they had in not sharing Jesus with the lost in Samaria.

Transition: Jesus in the next 4 verses is telling his disciples to stop making excuses and start making disciples.

Start Making Disciples

Text: John 4:35-38 Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. [look at the crowd of lost sinners coming to me] Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.””

Story- In a few weeks the fields around clear lake will all start to look a little different -farmers will begin to plow and cultivate their fields.

Then they will plant the seed in rows across the fields

In May little sprouts will start to emerge from the ground, and as we drive down the roads we will start to see row after row of perfectly aligned corn stalks beginning to grow from one edge of the field to the other.

In time the farmers water their fields so the plants can continue to grow,

they weed their fields to get rid of those things that can hinder the plants growth,

they put nutrients on their fields to give them a boost so they can produce more.

and after 3 months of putting time into the fields, of caring for their fields, of watching over their fields The corn is ready for Harvest.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT all a farmer does during harvest time?

He Harvest his crops from before the sun rises in the morning until after it sets in the evening.

getting the corn out of his fields is the most important thing a farmer has to do.

He doesn’t spend his time, painting his tractor, or mending useless fences.

He doesn’t take a Hawaiian vacation because its been a long month

He doesn’t sleep in or take extra break-s because the harvest is ready today and tomorrow may be too late!

There is nothing more important to a farmer during harvest than to reap what has been sown.

When it comes to the fruit of the gospel We need to understand our roll

God has allowed us, as his church, to be a central part in his redemptive story of mankind.

Did you notice the roles we play in God’s plan salvation?

Text John 4:36-38 “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.

“For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.””

We plant the seed of God’s Word in the hearts of people who are in need of a savior, and we seek to cultivate that seed by our love and prayers for the lost . and just like a farm, with his fields, It takes time and diligence to cultivate the fields so that they are ready for harvest. And In due time, that seed that we have planted and cultivated may bear fruit to the glory of God.

The point Jesus is making for us to see from this passage this morning is this… It takes all of us faithfully doing our part to plant, cultivate and reap the gospel in our community.

And the result of church that is producing gospel fruit is rejoicing together that God has harvest what we have labored for.

we need to stop making excuses for why we are not planting and cultivating the gospel message in people’s lives, Because The field of lost souls are ready for harvest-

I have to believe that as Jesus and the disciples came to this small samaritan town, The disciples said to themselves “lets just stop here quickly and move on because there's no point in sharing the gospel with these people. “These samaritans despise us Jews and they would never listen to our message anyway.”

But Jesus wanted to teach his disciples that the gospel message is universal- all mankind including those who we think don’t want it, or those we we think don’t deserve it need the gospel message in their life.

Transition: Our story moves on..... as Jesus is Rebuking his disciples the crowd of Samaritans from the town start to gather around them . Read with me John 4:39-42

John 4:39-42 “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him [ why? it wasn’t because of the disciples took the time to share the gospel when tey were in own in fact they most likely spoke to hardly anyone.] “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there [in their town in samarea] two days. [ Jesus by staying for two days in this Samaritan town went against all Jewish practices, but what he demonstrated to his disciples, and the samaritans and the Jewish leaders, was the gospel message is for all mankind and it does not show preference to anyone.] and he stayed there two days, And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, [ands this is the key of the gospel message] “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.”

The fourth truth we see from this story is that ...

The Gospel of Jesus is Reproducible

This uneducated, unaccepted, outcast, woman who just came to Jesus herself Led many to Christ.

She reproduced the gospel message to her entire community.

She came to them and said look what has been done in my life. But she didn’t stop their she said to the people “ COME AND SEE FOR YOUR SELF”

Come and meet Jesus met with the one who knows all things.

I love the passion new believers for sharing the gospel.

When their eyes have been opened to their need for Jesus and they finally have the hope that they have been longing for their only passion seems to be to share that hope with everyone. To let people know what they have found. .

When Andrew Met Jesus He ran and found Peter to take him to meet Jesus

When Philip Met Jesus He ran and found Nathanial and said you need to come meet with Jesus

and when the Samaritan woman found Jesus She ran back to her village and invited everyone to come meet with Jesus.

Believers do remember that passion you had after you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?

Do you remember that longing you had to share the story of Jesus with everyone around you so that they too could experience His grace in their own lives?

Its the honeymoon stage of Marriage- Its that longing to be together- to grow in your love for one another, and to share your love with everyone around you.

The Bible calls this your first love.-

unfortunalty, it seems that many times the people who have met jesus seem to loose this love for the gospel.

In the book of Revelation we read about a church that has lost their first love - their love for the gosple of Jesus Christ and Jesus speaking to this church says

Revelation 2:4-5 “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”

The gospel that saved us is the gospel that we fell in love with at the moment of salvation, and I believe that many Christians today have fallen from their first love. that deep joy and excitement from the gospel message.

The gospel story was meant to be shared. The gospel story was meant to be Reproduced.

BRING IT HOME

I believe this story rings true in many of our lives today including myself.

Like the disciples our focus can drifts from the spiritual needs of people to our our physical wants and desires.

We have forgotten our first love.

We need to keep the main thing the main thing.

the time for harvest is Now! Not tomorrow, not next week, Not next year The time to share Christ is now. The fields are ready to be harvested.

God has sovereignly placed you in a field that is ready to planted, and cultivated and reaped.. You are in your family to harvest the field, your are in your community to harvest the field.

We are called to go into the world and preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the rich and the wealthy and to poor and destitute, because the world is ready to hear the gospel of Jesus.

When Christ’s redemptive work is clearly explained and faithfully shared with the lost , Men women and children will come toJesus. Thats the beauty of the good news.

God uses us as his church to plant the seed of the gospel, to water the seed of gospel, to cultivate the groweth of the gospel in the lives of the lost, and to lead them to jesus.

How dare we think that our unsaved friends dont want the message of the gospel,

How dare we think that meeting peoples physical desires should take priority over their spiritual need for the gospel

How dare we think that people have more time on this earth to repent and turn to Jesus.

James 4:14 “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

We are all just one breath away from our eternal destiny.

Don’t waste your life focusing on things that will not last- We need to stop making excuses and see the fields ready to be harvested.

Don’t wait for someone else to share Christ with the people you love in your life, Because that may never come.

Be the gospel messenger that God has called you to be!

REMEMBER YOUR FIRST LOVE!

PRAY