The Book of John - 24
The Book of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsSunday School series on the book of John.
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Introduction - We are continuing to see this conversation that ensues between the Lord Jesus Christ and this woman of Sychar.
We left off in the last lesson with verses 19 and 20.
Let’s read together verses 19-26.
John 4:19-26 “19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”
As this conversation continues we see that the Lord touched her heart.
As John Phillips stated in His conversation there was first a disturbing reservation when the woman was asked to get her husband. Then there was a defensive reaction in her statement “I have no husband.” Which led to a damaging revelation, when the Lord replied, “Thou hast well said...”
Warren Wiersbe stated this, “The only way to prepare the soil of the heart for the seed is to plow it up with conviction.”
This causes us to see a progression in her understanding as the Lord as the Light illuminated her life.
At first she simply called Him a Jew (John 4:9).
Then she preceded to call Him sir in verse 11.
In verse 19 she now call the Lord Jesus Christ a prophet.
By the end, she shall believe on Him as the Christ. (v26-29).
After having been discovered concerning her sin, this woman begins to try to change the focus of the conversation by asking a peculiar religious question.
And what we have displayed here is common when talking to people about the Lord. John Phillips again stated this, “She raised a religous question, one that would steer the discussion away from that area. It happens all the time, as any experienced soul-winner knows. When the issues began to become plain and personal, at once the question is raised: “Where did Cain get his wife?” Or “Did Adam have a belly button?” Or some other irrelevant religous issue.””
Notice what is asked, (v20) Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
Is it true what she stated, her fathers did worship in that mountain.
“The destruction of Solomon’s gorgeous temple in Jerusalem sadly tarnished its superiority as “ the exclusive place of worship”; the rebuilt temple had nine of the former grandeur of the original. Not long after it was rebuilt, Manasseh the son of the high priest Joiada and brother of the high priest Jonathan, married the daughter of Sanballat, the Persian governor of Samaria (Nehemiah 12:10-11; 13:28) The governor of Jerusalem ordered him to dissolve this marriage which had all the marks of an unequal yoke, but Manasseh refused to do so. He was thereupon thrown out of Jerusalem by the redoubtable reformer Nehemiah. But that was not the end of the story. His faith-in-law Sanballat, made Manasseh high priest of the Samaritans and arranged t0 build a temple for him on Mount Gerizim. Manasseh left Jerusalem during or about the year 332 B.C. The temple on Mount Gerizim remained there for about two centuries. There was no doubt about the religous interest of the location. Mount Gerizim and it’s chief neighboring city, Shechem, figured often in the Old Testament history. It was associated with Abraham (Genesis 12:6-7), Jacob (Genesis 33:18), and Joseph (Genesis 37:12-13). It was the site of one of the cities of refuge (Joshua 20:7-9). Here the children of Israel rehearsed the laws blessings and curses, soon after entering into the promised land (Joshua 8:33). Here Joshua have his last address to the tribes (Joshua 24:1-31). Moreover, the place was important at the ti,e Israel set up its rival kingdom (I Kings 12:1,25). To all this, the Samaritans added all kinds of other special (highly speculative) claims for the place: the garden of Eden crowned Mount Gerizim, that is was of the dust of Gerizim that Adam was made, that the ark came to rest on Mount Gerizim, and that here Noah offered the first postdiluvian sacrifice.Here too they said Abraham offered up Isaac and here he met with Melchizedek. and this was the true place where Jacob saw his vision of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven. Great claims!”
What a tremendous amount of troubling claims to deal with. And yet the Lord was not sidetracked by this claim.
In verse 21 the Lord instead present to her amazing revelatory truth! And this my friend is what only God can do!
Notice what He states in verse 21: “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.”
The Lord knew even then, that in less than a generation the Jerusalem temple would be just as extinct as the one that used to be on top of Gerizim.
This statement would have been a shock to all who heard it, whether Jew or Samaritan. For the center of attention for the Jews and Samaritans alike was the sacred place of worship.
Warren Wiersbe stated this, “It was a devastating statement to say that worship would no longer be limited to the Jewish temple. This ties in with John 2:19–21 and also Stephen’s statement in Acts 7:48–50. John’s Gospel clearly reveals that there is a new sacrifice (John 1:29), a new temple (John 2:19–21; 4:20–24), a new birth (John 3:1–7), and a new water (John 4:11). Jews reading this Gospel should realize that God has established in Jesus Christ a whole new economy.”
This indeed shows us the power of God’s Word. These statements not only cause her thoughts to rise above men’s arguments. Her attention is turned from a place to a person.
Notice what the Lord states in verse 22:
John 4:22 “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.”
This statement does away the idea that God’s stamp of approval is on all religions or that all roads lead to God.
God makes clear that His way is the only way.
New ways, new revelations, and new truth are not of God. God has given to us what we need in the Bible. Salvation is of the Jews, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
II Timothy 3:15 tells us that the scriptures “are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
And the sad truth is that many today do not know what they worship. In fact, many who claim the name of Christian have a poor understanding of God and His Word.
The Lord makes a plain statement, that salvation is of the Jews.
One Bible scholar stated this “(BEC): The only faith that God will accept is that which came through the Jews. The Bible is of Jewish origin, and our Saviour was a Jew. The first Christians were Jews. A religious worker in an airport told me that the world’s deliverer came from Korea, but Jesus said, “Salvation is of the Jews.”
Our Saviour, who is the Christ came into this world as a Jew. He is the line of David, of the tribe of Judah. His name is Jesus who is the Christ, God’s only begotten Son.
And this is the One that was talking with this woman.
Next week we will finish this encounter with the next verses: John 4:23 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”