Jesus and Samaritan woman - Pt. III

In our slow, methodical look at the gospel of John we are now in week three of the Samaritan woman and Jesus with focus on Jesus example of personal evangelism.

Here are some points we have previously covered:

Contact people socially

We need to meet people where they are at socially.

Look for opportunities to contact and connect

Look for common interest

In this story the common interest was “water”

You may have many common interests with people, you just need to look for them and start from there.

Arouse spiritual interest

From common interest to arousing spiritual interest through your words and your actions

(Transition) now that leads us to tonight, may we look at the rest of the story (vv.15-26). Glean from the text then look at some personal evangelism tools from Jesus for us to learn from and apply.

This is a longer section so want to break that in two.

Gleaning from the text

My words don’t matter, but Jesus do, so let’s look, glean from His words from our passage and the continued interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well.

John 4:15–16 NASB95

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16 He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.”

John 4:17–18 NASB95

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

John 4:19–20 NASB95

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

John 4:21 NASB95

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

What observations did you make reading this passage?

Any words you need to define?

Is the woman thinking literal in (v.15)?

What were Jesus instructions (v.16)?

Look at (vv.17-18) what do you learn about the woman and Jesus response to her?

What did the woman now perceive Jesus to be (v.19)

The woman has a question now (v.20), what is it?

Jesus answers with a revelation of what is to come, what is it (v.21)?

(Transition) we will be going back and look at personal evangelism in a few, but we need to continue with the rest of text.

John 4:22–23 NASB95

22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

John 4:24–25 NASB95

24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”

John 4:26 NASB95

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Some of the same questions apply, observations, words to define, so I did not list those on your outline/question sheet again, but now let’s look at pulling, gleaning from the rest of the text.

What significant statement does Jesus make about salvation (v.22)?

What does Jesus have to say about true worshipers (v.23-24)?

What does the woman know is coming (v.25)?

What does Jesus reveal (v.26)?

(Transition) Let me take a few minutes now and give a few things to think about as we delve forward.

Facing the truth

Jesus had to go through Samaria (4:4) to have a divine appointment with an unlikely person at an unlikely place at an unlikely time. As we see the story progress we see the woman is now having to face the truth, as we all must.

The woman is called to face the truth, personally (Jn4:15-16)

John 4:15–16 ESV

15 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

The woman asks for physical water, Jesus is offering spiritual water, but first she must face the truth within herself when instructed to go call your husband.

Two revelations will happen for someone to be a Christian

Revelation of God

Revelation of ourselves showing we need the revealed God.

What are the two revelations? Note them down yourself.

The woman is having to face the truth about her own immorality and the total depravity of her life.

Barclay says “No man ever really sees himself until he sees himself in the presence of Christ; and then he is appalled at the sight.”

Christianity starts with a sense of the depravity and severity of sin. And that there is nothing we can do on and of ourselves.

Christianity begins when we awaken to the point of our need for God.

“Someone once said that prophecy is criticism based on hope. A prophet points out to a man or a nation what is wrong; but he does so not to push them into despair but to point the way to the cure and to amendment and to rightness of life.”

Jesus pointed out to the woman what was wrong, then it was up to her what she was going to do with the information.

Facing the truth, the woman was convicted of her sinful state, and her question back to Jesus (after the observation that He was a prophet) was where am I to go to worship, to offer my sacrifice?

She knew only of offering sacrifices to God and she wanted to know where to go to take care of her sin offering. Was it to be made at the temple (well) on Mt. Gerizim or at the temple on the mount in Zion (Jerusalem).

Jesus answer changed everything in (vv.21-24), but stay with me a minute longer and let’s talk about location of worship a little more

Zephaniah 2:11 NASB95

11 The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

Everyone will worship from his own place

Malachi 1:11 NASB95

11 “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts.

In every place according to Malachi

So, Jesus is going to build on those, to fulfill those as he continues his conversation with the unlikely person at an unlikely place at an unlikely time.

True worship

There are some principles we can glean regarding true worship that will help us when we look at personal evangelism.

Jesus is telling the woman that the old ways were that, old, and there was a new time, a new way coming and is.

A little background here and lay a little foundation. The Samaritans worshiped in ignorance.

They only accepted the Pentateuch, rejected the rest of the sacred writings.

They rejected the messages of the prophets

The beautiful devotions found in the Psalms

They took what they wanted and left the rest, they had a truncated religion because they had a truncated bible (Barclay).

For us to understand true worship we can use this passage to demonstrate some facts about false worship.

False worship is a selective worship.

It chooses what it wants and leaves the rest, like a buffet line or smorgasbord.

This is more common that you may think, and more dangerous too. Like to hear about grace but don’t like to hear about repentance.

Selective worship is like salvation apart from a believers baptism for remission of sins.

False worship is an ignorant worship

Lenski says “Worship ought to be the approach to God of the whole man. A man has a mind and he has a duty to exercise it.

Barclay says “Religion is never safe until a man can tell, not only what he believes, but why he believes i. Religion is hope, but it is a hope with reason behind it (consider 1Pt3:15 “15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”

False worship is a superstitious worship

worship not out of love, not out of duty, but out of fear, the danger if does not give it.

Layman’s speak, do you walk under a ladder?

Pick up a penny that is heads up for good luck?

Real religion is not based on fear, but on the love of God and gratitude to God for what He has done.

Jesus points to true worship in the passage.

It is spirit

God is spirit (v.24)

When we can wrestle that and understand the significance of that we have spiritual eyes opened to the foolishness of false worship, idol worship, ignorant worship.

God is spirit and cannot be contained in anything made by man.

God is spirit and one does not need to go to Mt. Gerazim or Mt. Zion for God is everywhere and wherever you are God is with you.

You most inner being is your soul, your spirit, it is your soul, your spirit that leaves you when you die until the great and dreadful day comes. So your innermost part, your spirit worships in truth.

It is truth

Since Jesus is truth (Jn14:6); since Gods Word is true (Ps119:160)

We need to worship knowing that and to worship with a heart fully and holy devoted to him.

Worshiping in spirit is in love, loyalty, obedience and devotion.

Turning to commentator Skip Heitzig “Genuine worship does not consist in coming to a certain place nor in going through a certain ritual or liturgy nor even bringing certain gifts. True worship is when the spirit, the immortal and invisible part of man, speaks and meets with God, himself immortal and invisible.”

It must be done in spirit and truth.

It’s not about location, it is about devotion

It’s not about religious rituals, but a personal relationship of love, devotion and obedience.

The woman was about to hear a great declaration that made her life change.

John 4:26 NASB95

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

He just told her He was the Messiah.

She had already been faced with facing the truth

She had already been faced with acknowledging the truth

She had been taught about how to worship in spirit and in truth

Now she is told the final thing. Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. And when you are faced with that you have to do something with it.

Are you going to have selective worship

Are you going to have ignorant worship

Or, are you going worship in spirit and truth?

We need to know, understand and apply these things in our lives personally so we can effectively share them with others. We will pick up there at Jesus example for personal evangelism next week.