Sermon Tone Analysis

John 4:1-30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2001

 

Introduction

 

This morning we saw the first of God's five purposes for the Church, evangelism.

We saw the reason why we should evangelize the Church.

God /commands us to preach the Gospel to every creature./

Tonight we will look at how Jesus shared the Gospel with a sinful Samaritan woman.

Salvation is a free gift, but it is only given to those who believe in God's Son.

Tonight we will look at three things about Christ's ministry.

Christ's Search, Christ's Offer, Her Salvation.

/Firstly/     Christ's Search

 

/a.

By Going/

/ /

*John 4:1-4* /Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

But He needed to go through Samaria./

/ /

Jesus had been making disciples and baptizing them in Judea.

God sent Him for this very purpose.

God wanted people to believe in His Son.

God wants to save people.

When Christ's work finished in Judea because of the Pharisees scheming, He went back to Galilee.

Verse 4 tells us that Jesus had to go through Samaria.

/Why?/

Most Jews avoided Samaria even though it was the shortest route.

Because Christ came into the world to save all sinners, not just Jewish sinners.

Jesus loves all people.

Today we saw how Christ commanded the apostles to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.

In *Acts 1:8* Jesus told them start in Jerusalem, then go to Judea and Samaria and then the uttermost parts.

Jesus did what He asks us to do.

/ /

*Mark 16:15* /And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature./

/ /

/Going /is an important part of evangelism.

We can't expect the lost to come to us.

We must take the Gospel to them.

They cannot believe the Good News unless we go and tell them.

*Romans 10:14-15* /How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?

And how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

As it is written:  How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!/

/b.

By Overcoming Barriers/

/ /

*John 4:5-7* /So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Now Jacob’s well was there.

Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.

It was about the sixth hour.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus said to her, *Give* Me a drink./

Often barriers need to be overcome to reach the lost.

Missionaries face this problem when they move into a new culture.

We must be very careful that our personal prejudices don't keep us from sharing the Gospel with the lost.

Jesus didn't conform to the prejudices of His day.

He overcame racial barriers, religious barriers and sexual barriers.

*1.

Racial Barrier*

 

The Jews despised the Samaritans because they were a mixed race.

They had descended from Jews intermarrying with pagans.

Centuries earlier, the Samaritans had offered to help rebuild the temple.

But their offer was rejected because they were considered unclean.

Over the years the Jews and Samaritans became bitter enemies.

In fact the Jews avoided all contact with Samaritans.

Verse 9 highlights this barrier between them.

*John 4:9* /Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?

For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans./

 

*2.

Religious Barrier*

 

The Samaritans worshipped the true God but not according to God's Law.

They believed that Mount Gerezim was the place that one should worship God, whilst Jews claimed that it was in the temple at Jerusalem.

The Samaritans even built a temple at Mount Gerezim to worship in.

*John 4:20-22* describes the debate of where they should worship.

Samaritans accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament and rejected the rest.

This woman didn't believe the right things about God or His plan of salvation.

This Samaritan woman had also lived very immorally.

She would have been considered particularly unclean by the Jews.

*3.

Sexual Barrier*

 

Another significant barrier Jesus overcame was the one of sex.

Men didn't talk to women in public; not even their wives.

It was considered to be sinful.

This was the protocol of the day.

And to talk to a Samaritan woman was even worse.

*John 4:27 highlights this:* /And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; /

/ /

/c.

By Meeting Needs/

 

*John 4:7* /A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink.

/

 

Jesus had come here specifically to reach this woman.

He knew that she would be coming here and waited for her.

Jesus asked this woman for a drink not just because He was thirsty but also to start a conversation with her.

He didn't care about the protocols and prejudices of the day.

Jesus had searched for her and now He started to share with her.

This Samaritan woman came to draw water out of necessity.

But in reality she was thirsting for a meaningful life.

Yet her search for meaning was in vain.

She is like so many others today.

Her life was empty.

Verse 15 says she had gone through five failed marriages and was now living in sin.

A life of sin had left her thirsting for something better.

Probably she was also lonely because of her sinful lifestyle.

She came to the well alone.

One would think that if she had girl friends she would have come out with them.

This Samaritan woman was a lot like the nation of Israel in Jeremiah's day.

*Jeremiah 2:13:* /For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns — broken cisterns that can hold no water.

/This Samaritan woman obviously had some knowledge of spiritual things from the conversation that she had with Jesus.

She knew how Jacob had dug this well.