FACING OUR 'SAMARITANS'
Notes
Transcript
ILLUST:
Small boy, sent to bed, gets thirsty, dad threatens spanking - “can you bring me a drink when you come to spank me?”
OR Criminal in desert and tie story
What would you do for water that satisfies?
FACING OUR ‘SAMARITANS’
FACING OUR ‘SAMARITANS’
READ John 4:1-30
Jesus is making an impact, and His enemies are not liking it
And v. 3 - no mistaking it, Jesus did NOT come to baptize, but to save the repentant
What can we take from this encounter?
1) Jesus Reaches the REALLY Lost
1) Jesus Reaches the REALLY Lost
You know what I mean, right? The really bad
The Samaritans
The “half-breeds” - remnant of N Kingdom Jews, intermarried with Assyrians in the invasion of 722 B.C. and beyond
Had adapted “God” to their own “gods”
Pagan way of worship
Hated by Jews, likely more so than Gentiles
No Jewish contact publicly - focus was on avoiding contact
(REM - OT - Jews were to be a light to the world)
And Jesus goes right through where the Samaritans live and get water
Samaritans
Women (lest they learn something about God…)
(Wonder why Jews hated Jesus when He tells the parable of the Good Samaritan?)
This woman - background
Samaritan
A woman
A reputation - 5 husbands, and now just co-habitating
(Interesting fun fact, Jews allowed up to three, not quite what God planned)
This is who Jesus approaches - He thrives on contact
I mean, the devout Jews who should accept Him were not approachable
Nicodemus was exploring, for example
This woman really needed Jesus - the world she expected to satisfy her had not
Deep inside she knew it - she needed true life
She stumbled onto the truth - regarding her moral life (husbands)
She meets the Way, the TRUTH, the Life
2) Stark Contrasts
2) Stark Contrasts
A well in the desert or barren land (Jacob’s)
Miraculous almost
Necessary for life
You’d defend a well!
Water
Cistern, well - stale
Living - the Gospel
Bible talks often about moving, fresh living waters
Psalm 23 - still waters, ‘cause sheep are dumb and afraid, so the Shepherd calms a portion of the stream/river
Life and Death
Well/Cistern water - physical life-sustaining
Without it 3-5 days - physical death
Living water - Gospel - spiritual life
Without it - spiritual, eternal death
People go their whole physical life, with this sustaining water right in front of them, and they choose to not drink, choose death
Jesus is making a profound statement, offering this woman life over death, using water, using her spirit, using truth
That leads to a great conversation...
3) Worship the Personal Savior
3) Worship the Personal Savior
Challenges/Objections are presented here
Jesus has the answers
The answers are found spiritually
The answers come from the truth
If we leave it to our flesh, ourselves, to figure things out, forget it - we’ll end up expecting this world to satisfy us
The question of where to worship:
“You people say to worship in the temple/Jerusalem”
Indeed, Jews worshiped their temple
The question of WHO to worship
“You people say the Messiah is coming”
The Samaritans has developed their own version
Common ancestry with Jacob
Think about Samaria - once the capital of the Northern Kingdom - supposedly worshiping God
They turned to idolatry - taken by Assyria
Note the response to her objections - not just winning an argument - but introducing people to Him
True worshipers KNOW Him
Not based on subjective feelings or experiences
But a true encounter where Jesus is revealed to them - by His Word! Truly introduced to Him
True worshipers worship in spirit and truth - wherever they are
Nicodemus was confused about being born from above, water and the spirit
God is spirit - He breathed life into us - we are spiritual beings
It is our spirit that must be born again
Jesus came from above to invite birth from above
It is with this born-again spirit that we must worship
And that’s truth
Jesus is Messiah, that’s truth
I am He - “I’m the one” - That is His response to the woman talking about some “Messiah”
Conversation over!
Now, decide!
She leaves her water pot - she had found the life she needed and deeply desired - life in Jesus - the Living Water
“Could this be the Christ?” - OH YEAH!
CLOSING LESSONS - (Incl. personal testimony?)
This is Personal
We’ve lost the idea of a personal God
We’ve lost the notion of personal interaction with people to tell them about Jesus
Especially the really bad ones
Like John said, he didn’t want people connected to him, but to Jesus - this should be the same with us
Don’t avoid ethical and moral issues
Jesus confronts her sin
We have to deal with sin, with sinners
They need to repent (just like we believers did)
“They” say - just stick to saving souls, and stay out of the ethical and moral issues in life
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount - disagrees
Jesus with this woman - disagrees
TODAY: LGBT, Trans, Cults, Co-habitaters, Pagans, so-called “atheists,” Satanists
When the church, backed by the Spirit, proclaims truth, hearts will change
But it’s just easier to avoid them - like the Jews did with Samaritans
I mean, I feel better spiritually staying separate
Actually the Bible tells us more often to stay away from “believers” living in sin and luring you away
Jesus’ disciples felt better avoiding this woman
BE THE LIGHT, IT’S DARK WHERE YOU ARE GOING MOSTLY
Example, real story, recent interaction
“Faith-based” - generally means “we might talk about God but let’s no go crazy or get too serious”
SO many social services out there - a few “faith-based” and fewer truly centering the work on Christ
Frustration - expecting to go somewhere “faith-based” and finding lots of “Jesus” there - and not
Dawned on me (more like getting smacked in the head by the LORD)
“Yes, they need more Jesus there, that’s why I sent YOU there!
Point taken
Maybe you expect to find more Jesus in your town, in your family, where you work, live, etc…in your church!
Guess what - there is not a lot or enough of Him there in any of those places - room for so much more Jesus there
That’s why God has you there, here
Look around - people need to meet Jesus - they need to experience your born-again spirit and be introduced to the truth
That’s why God has you there
You go and be the “Jesus” that’s needed there!