The Harvest

Introduction

Good morning it is great to come together as believers and celebrate together what God has done in our lives. In the next few minutes, I want to open the fourth chapter of the book of John and see what Jesus did in the midst of his disciples. When we look into this book I see that it has great application for us today as believers here in the city of Merritt.

If you brought you Bible or have a copy it on your devices, I want you to open up to the book of John and have it as we walk through this passage.

I won’t be reading all of the chapter, but we will pop in and out of the various verses.

Now if you are familiar with this chapter and have heard many sermons or know the story, we often focus upon the interaction with Jesus and an unnamed women, a Samaritan women in fact, and the dialogue with the two, but I want to take you through this as just a part of the greater story and lesson Jesus had for his disciples.

When I was in college, one of my summer jobs was working on dairy farm in Southern Manitoba. I was raised all my life in the city and this was a completely new experience for this city slicker. The Farmer was a believer of the risen Christ and seeing a young man aspiring to enter into the ministry he was able to take opportunities to show me Biblical truths.

On day as we were walking to the next area of work we passed by an old hay wagon.

On the wagon, left alone dirt had gathered on the top an growing in the dirt were weeds.

The farmer thought it would be an excellent time to show me something about seeds.

Wild Oats.

He walked over and pulled out the wild oat plant, broke open the seed and showed me what the seed looked like. It was bent and twisted. It didn’t look like the oats that had straight seeds.

He then took one of the seed, placed it on the deck with the dirt and dropped a bit of water on the seed.

To my amazement, this seed began to untwist and spin and drill itself into the dirt planting itself.

To me it was the wonderful example of God’s creation, although a weed, its seed is able to penetrate itself into soil.

I hope this morning as we unpack this passage that God’s truth will penetrate your hearts and mind as followers of Christ.

Open you bible and I will begin reading in John 4:1-6

John 4:1–6 ESV

1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 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.

Successful Ministry

Successful ministry.

For you in the crowd that have ever started a ministry and it began to grow, can you remember the experience?

Or maybe you started a venture and it grew and grew and you were excited of where it was going.

This was happening in Jesus’ ministry as well.

We live in a small town. If you were to open up a business and wanted that business to be successful, what is the best way to advertise,

The Paper, the radio, the mail, posters, Facebook, yes to all but

Word of mouth and personal testimony seems to be the most effective, or in some cases the most destructive.

“Did you hear” some one comes up to you and begins their statement with “Did you hear”

We learn to spread information this way, and folks to be honest, this has been going on for some time.

Look at verse 1

“The Pharisees had heard”, Jesus learned this.

Let’s set the scene,

John is going around town baptizing people into repentance and Jesus is gaining notoriety and his disciples begin to do the same.

Word gets around.

“Did you hear?” Jesus’ ministry is growing.

“Did you hear?” His disciples are converting more than the famous John the Baptist.

One of the greatest things we are doing as believers in Merritt is this.

Gathering together.

It is so wonderful that we can partner together, work together rather than

“Did you hear”

Crossroads fellow believers, I said the other day to Jim, “We are praying for your congregation as you are searching for you knew pastor.

The believers at the Baptist Church had a lost one of their members and I was asked to step in and help this past week, it was my pleasure to assist one another.

Ministry is not a competition, in fact this story is not about the comparison between John and Jesus, rather the harvest.

Did you see what Jesus did when he was approached by

“Did you hear”

The comparison had begun with the pharisees.

Jesus did the opposite of what most of us would have done in that situation.

Ministry is growing, developing, success on the human realm, and what does Jesus do,

He leaves. moves on and takes his disciples with him.

I’m sure this must have dumbfounded his followers.

He not only left but he went to where?

Samaria

The place any good Jew would pass around, but not Jesus, He knew where He had to be.

The travel was hard and we find Jesus arriving at the well to take a rest.

Do you notice where the disciples are during this interaction that was about to take place?

Some people have commented that they were out to lunch.

Or out for lunch.

As the apostle John is telling this story, not in real time but looking back, tells us

John 4:8 ESV

8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)

Jesus uses many times to teach both the intended target and the listeners (often the disciples) but not this time,

The disciples missed the whole interaction with Jesus and the Samaritan women.

let’s look at the text once again.

John 4:7–9 ESV

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 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.)

Cultural Barriers

As believers I believe it is our job to break down cultural barriers that have been created in the world in which we live in.

For many of us this is hard as we have lived in our own cultures for so long. For me, as I have gone through life, I didn’t realize how many barriers I have had in my life and with God’s grace I am working at removing them.

The other day, an odd, rough looking vehicle showed up in our parking lot.

I assumed the owner of the vehicle found a spot to stay overnight to get some rest, but it didn’t move.

By the end of the day, I was receiving text from our church folks wondering about this vehicle, so I went to investigate.

I approached the vehicle, full of items, items in the back and it looked suspicious. It had no plates, no one was there. So I called the authorities to see if it was stolen, and they responded. I was telephoned to be told it was a person who is known to them, but parked it there to find lodging at the shelter. It was parked there to protect the stuff. The authorities told me that they can’t tow it but I could if I wanted it gone.

Folks when I heard the story, I thought of ways to help than the “concern” of the vehicle.

By the time I came back it was gone, I wished I could have helped.

Jesus calls us to care for those around us, to cross cultural barriers and he did it by asking the cultural taboo.

“Can I have a drink”

Living Water

Living water.

What is your source of strength.

What do you daily draw from

Jesus met this women at the well and asked for water to begin a dialogue.

He quickly turned the tables on her thinking and brought about the theme that should be in all of our lives.

God’s Living Water.

As a teenager we use to love to sing the song

Spring up o well.

Is your source of strength on your own.

Do you feel week and burdened by the load of sin in your life.

Christ provides us with living water that those who seek this will not want to go to any other source.

Did you notice that this is a Gift from God.

God’s gift to us is that He sent his only Son into the world for us. To die on a cross to take the punishment for our sins. To rise again and triumph over death, victory over death and to grant those who believe everlasting eternal life.

Living water, provides life everlasting.

Maybe you are hearing this message for the first time. You came with a friend, you stopped by in the park, or you are truly hearing it for the first time.

God’s Gift is living water for us to have eternal life.

If you are puzzled, you are not alone. This women at the well had come the distance to get a pure water to fulfill her thirst, and this man is telling her that he has a source of water, but she still sees the natural and not the supernatural.

Where is your cup. Where do you get the water?

John 4:13–14 ESV

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus moves from the physical sense to the spiritual sense.

Water is life. We all need it, and Jesus is offering the woman a source that will never run dry.

it has been said this way

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 27: John The Woman at the Well: Living Water

All through the Scriptures water has a rich and varied spiritual meaning, but always of life. It seems that the precious physical water, coming from well or river, bringing life and beauty to the barren land of Jesus, had become a symbol of that everlasting water which could quench and revive the parched, dying human spirit. So the psalmist cries out, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Ps. 42:1). And the prophets speak repeatedly of its rich spiritual meaning: “living water shall flow from Jerusalem” (Zech. 14:8); “with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Is. 12:3); and there is the promise of the day when “waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (Is. 35:6).

So the teaching of Jesus, His words of wisdom and truth, is life, water for man dying of thirst. There is no inner newness without receiving God’s wondrous gift, the Holy Spirit, promised and offered by the Son. Nicodemus in that earlier conversation had heard Jesus say he could only be born again “by water and the Spirit.” And on the last day of the feast (John 7:37–39), Jesus flings out that urgent invitation, “‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit.” It is this invitation the woman at the well is now hearing.

So this morning if you are hearing this for the first time, may you seek out God’s free gift of eternal life.

talk with someone we would love to share

True Worship

Still not convinced, Jesus and the women go into a dialogue about where true worship will happen.

Religious differences are marked out in this passage, differences that over the years have divided believers and not drawn them together.

True worship, Jesus reminds us, is that we Come to worship the Father in the Spirit with truth.

Truth in the Son of God came to this world to redeem us and restore us with a right relationship with God.

at the end of this dialogue, look at verse 26

John 4:26 ESV

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

God revealed to this women with clarity of who he was.

He is the messiah.

He is God.

He is to be worshiped.

He is the giver of living water.

What happens next is just as marvelous.

Look at verse 27

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 Harvest

Just then,

The disciples missed the greatest interaction of two people, Jesus, God and a women who will become on of the greatest evangelist to her people.

They return from the town having left Jesus at the well for refreshment only to approach the scene and seeing the unbelievable.

Jesus was talking with a women, a Samaritan women.

Have you ever felt and wondered or scratched your head as how God works in your life.

Have you questioned why something has happened and thought to yourself, why God.

In those moments in your life that leave you wondering, remember this scene.

The disciples have left to go and get some food, leaving Jesus by himself and return to see the unthinkable. Talking with a Samaritan women.

What does the bible say,

They marveled.

Some say surprised.

You could even use the word questioned why.

John gives us a picture of what they were thinking.

It’s like they were figuratively deciding to draw straws to ask Jesus why he would be doing such a thing.

The women leaves and the disciples are now happy.

It is like they are thinking,

It’s time to get back to business.

What were we doing, right. We went and got food for you master,

Here it is eat, you need nourishment so that we can continue on our way to Galilee and get out of this area.

While reading this passage I often think of my own life.

and maybe this is yours

How many times am I so busy working on the things I believe are important that I am missing the ministry God is about to bring right to my front door.

Does this happen in your life?

How many times are we so busy working on the things that we believe are important that we miss the ministry God is about to bring right to our front door.

We are rushing around believing we are doing what God has called us to do that we miss those potential opportunities around us.

let’s look back at the text and see Jesus’ response.

John 4:34–38 ESV

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 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. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

We have been conditioned to look at life and sometimes ministry as results based.

We want to see results from our efforts, but God’s economy is much different than ours.

God’s economy compared to the worlds is upside down.

God asks us to labour and yet sometimes we don’t reap,

Other times we don’t labour but receive the blessing from other’s hard labour.

We need to begin to see things in God’s economy.

Are you building time and energy into someone’s life and they leave to serve somewhere else?

Jesus said Rejoice.

Have you spent years talking and praying with a friend about the salvation message and then they talk with someone and follow Christ ,

Jesus said what....Rejoice

Do we have a quick conversation and through that we have the pleasure to harvest all the work others had done in their life to bring them to that moment,

Jesus said Rejoice

You see, while the disciples were off getting some food, Jesus was bringing forth life.

And now many were coming not because of what they had done, but what Christ was doing in their midst.

You see Jesus wanted the disciples and He wants us to be Kingdom minded.

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.”

She had met Jesus and found in Him a personal relationship with her saviour. Her delight was so clear that she began to tell everyone about her new found life.

John 4:40–42 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. 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.”

This is kingdom business.

Bringing people to Christ. Sharing the work He has done in our lives and leading them to the saviour.

I’m sure the disciples were very surprised of the outcome of this side trip and began to realize the scope and depth of Jesus was about to do.

someone wrote,

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 27: John The Ripened Harvest

It is these Samaritans, not the Jews, who first know that Jesus is the “Savior of the world.” He has performed no physical miracle among them, only made Himself known. They have been outsiders and now they know they are included. He has come for them as well.

At the beginning of the chapter, ministry among the Jewish people was growing and prospering only to leave to the unknown and banished people.

What is God calling us to do today?

As believers from two or more fellowship, what has God called us to do to build up His Kingdom.

When I first moved to Merritt, I was surprised the little interaction between our two church and others.

The first step was the fire in Crossroads and we were able to share space in our building for yours, then the flood opened our buildings for the community to share our space, what an open harvest given to us as we watched in amazement.

It is my prayer that we continue to seek God’s Kingdom, have a kingdom mindset.

I’m going to ask the worship team to come forward to lead us in a song that is only fitting.

In Summary

In summary, our lives should be patterned after Christ’s example for us.

To seek the lost, to share God’s gift of Salvation

To spring forth his love and to build his kingdom

The first verse of our response to worship says this

Come set Your rule and reign In our hearts again Increase in us we pray Unveil why we're made Come set our hearts ablaze with hope Like wildfire in our very souls Holy Spirit come invade us now We are Your church We need Your pow'r in us

Let’s Pray

Response to Worship

Benediction

Revelation 1:5–6 ESV

5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.