The Book of John - 25
The Book of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction: At the end of verse 26, the Lord Jesus Christ reveals to the woman of Sychar that He is the Messiah.
Following this we are going to look at the impacts of this conversation.
Let’s read together verses 26-43.
Read John 4:26-43.
Let’s Pray.
It is very helpful for you and I to look at how the Lord deals with people.
In the previous chapter the Lord spoke with Nicodemus.
Before that, we see how the Lord dealt with Peter, Andrew, James and John.
And here, the Bible shows us how the Lord spoke with this woman of Sychar.
In our last lesson, some time ago we reviewed how this conversation went between the Lord and the woman of Sychar.
John Philips in His commentary stated first there was:
1. A disturbing reservation. v16
2. A defensive reaction. v17a
3. A damaging revelation. v17b-18
Warren Wiersbe stated, “The only way to prepare the soil of the heart for the seed is to plow it up with conviction.”
You and I as Christians should thank the Lord that conviction comes.
But remember when you were lost and God brought conviction to your soul how painful it was.
As the Lord revealed to this woman her sin and her need of a Savior the subject of right worship was brought up.
You will remember in verse number 20 and 21 the woman spoke about the contention concerning the place of worship.
The Place of Worship
Since the woman’s sin had been brought to light, the shift of conversation was an attempt to change the focus of what was being discussed.
One expositor stated this, “Getting excited over ones place of worship, rather than the Person of worship or the piety of worship or the proper way to worship is typical of the unregenerate.” (Butler)
The response the Lord gave was not what she was expecting.
In verse 22 the Lord responds, John 4:22 “22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.”
In this, we see the problem in worship.
The Problem in Worship
What is the problem in what people worship today?
People gather today…work up a lot of emotions and believe they have worshipped God.
The Lord is telling this woman, You worship what you know not what. Did they contend they were worshipping Jehovah God. I am sure they did.
Oftentimes what people gather to do is exalt one another. In this they believe they are worshipping God, but rather are worshipping man.
And that begs the question, Do you know who you worship?
Third, we see that the Lord states the Person to worship.
The Person of Worship
Right worship centers on a Person, not a place.
This was revelatory for the Jews and Samaritans alike.
The Lord states, “Salvation is of the Jews.”
You will remember that when Simeon held the Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, he stated,
Luke 2:29-30 “29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart In peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,”
Who did Simeon see. The Lord Jesus Christ!
The Prophecy of Right Worship
Then the Lord points out the prophecy of worship.
He states, John 4:23 “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.”
Worship is defined as ascribing excellence of character, dignity, worth and worthiness.
The word used here in our text and most prominently in the New Testament gives the idea of bowing low, kissing the hand, or laying prostrate in reverence to another.
When we gather here in this place it is to give honor and glory to the Lord.
It is to dedicate ourselves to Him and praise Him.
It is to hear from Him and bow ourselves before Him.
The Lord states that true worshippers worship the Lord in spirit in truth.
Worship is not defined by a place.
True worship is defined by who we worship and how we worship.
The Practice of Worship
The Lord states that the practice of worship is a spiritual exercise because God is a Spirit.
John 4:24 “24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Our God is the of One way!
The Lord is rejected today because His way is the narrow way.
God’s way is the only way.
You will notice the Bible says, “...they that worship him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
“The how is to be spiritual— thus the posture and the place do not matter as much as the heart in worship. The heart and soul of man is to be engaged.” (Butler)
Could I add to that statement by John Butler, If the heart and soul is right, the posture will be right as well.
Not only do we have the place of worship, the problem of worship, the person of worship, the prophecy of worship, and the practice of worship but next we see:
The Purity of Worship
Then we see that the Lord mentions the purity of right worship.
He states, “…they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
God desires His people to worship Him in purity and holiness.
The Bible says in verse 24 “... for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
Arriving at a particular place does not make people holy.
This place where we gather we have set aside for worshipping the Lord. But the place itself does not make the people holy.
Our hearts as God’s people surrendered to the Lord and walking in the light makes this gathering special.
As the conversation continued this woman understood in the end that He was not just a prophet, but as we see in verse 26-28, that she understood He is the Christ.
What impact did this have?
I want you to see this morning, the impact that this one conversation had, not only with the disciples, but with the people of Samaria.
One expositor said, “We must have large congregations or we are disinclined for Soul Winning.”
But we are taught by the lesson, the importance of one.
The Importance of One
I am reminded of three parables which are found Luke chapter 15.
In that chapter we are told in verses 1-7 the importance of one sheep.
In Luke 15:6 “6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
Then the Lord speaks about the lost coin.
And likewise the summary statement in verse 9.
Luke 15:9 “9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.”
And lastly, the set is completed with what we call the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
All of these parables emphasize the importance of the individual person.
We might say, Won by One.
Notice with me as we consider the impact of this incident:
A. The disciples reaction.
John 4:26-27 “26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?”
The conversation concludes and as it does the Bible tells us that the disciples make it back from their time in the city.
They had gone to buy meat according to verse 8 of this chapter.
One commentator tried to suppose what went on in the hearts, minds and mouths of the disciples with this minor task of going to get meat in Sychar.
This is what he said, “That in itself is not a task any of them would have relished. They wanted as little as possible to do with Samaritans. We can read between the lines. Why did they all have to go on such a mission? We can imagine what went on. One speaking to another, “Well, you better go Judas. After all, you have the money bag.” Judas would indignantly refuse— he was a Judean, no less. Certainly he wasn’t going to go. They would look to Peter. “You like to take the lead, Peter. You go. Take the lead in this. And Peter perhaps would be unwilling as Judas. Philip might say to Nathanael, tongue and cheek “Here’s your opportunity, Nathanael. You thought no good thing could come out of Nazareth. Go and see what good thing can come out of Sychar.” So in the end, they all went.”
As the Lord was sitting on the well, weary from His journey, the disciples went to buy food.
When they came back, we see this response in verse 27.
John 4:27 “27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?”
The text said they marvelled that he talked with the woman.
There was good reason why they marvelled.
He talked with a woman.
In this day and culture, it was not proper for a Rabbi to speak to woman alone, or in public.
She was Samaritan.
For the Jews, this was a significant issue.
Remember what was said in verse 9 by the Woman, John 4:9 “9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”
We notice that the disciples did not say a word, although the indication is that they perhaps wanted to.
I do find as a side note for us, that sometimes it is better for us not to speak at all.
These perhaps did not speak out of fear or perhaps they lacked boldness.
But the fact remains “…no man said...”
I have discovered that oftentimes, we are too quick to speak and do so without knowledge. ---In other words, we believe we understand the situation and quickly voice our opinions and we come to find out we did not know the whole story.
Many today lack discretion in their speech.
I have been around long enough to experience the unkind words of others.
I myself have been hasty to speak when I should just keep my mouth shut.
We speak when we should not, and do not speak when we should.
We have not only the disciple’s reaction, but secondly:
B. The woman’s reaction.
What was the woman’s reaction to this revelation from the Lord?
The Bible says in verse 28-29, “28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
Meeting the Lord changes us.
We see a wonderful trend here by the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Every one we encounter in the book of John, when they meet the Lord, understand and receive Him for who He is, they have a change of course in their lives and are never the same.
The Bible says of this woman that she left her waterpot.
The indication is that she did so in a hurry.
Not only was this woman changed, but she now had a message for any who would hear.
Think about her life prior to this, she travelled around secretively to avoid the gossip of others.
She was separated from society and shunned because of her life style.
She went to the well in the heat of the day to avoid others, but all of that was set aside.
She boldly and promptly went to tell others about the Christ.
There is an immediate desire for this woman to tell others, that this was the Messiah.
This was the most exciting news that could ever be reported.
I wonder where our zeal for the most wonderful news ever has gone.
In verse 29, we see the simple message that this woman brought.
John 4:29 “29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
The woman of Sychar did not possess a degree in theology, but she voiced that this was:
a. A man - “Come, see a man...”
b. Possessed omniscience - “...which told me all things that ever I did...”
c. The Christ - “…is not this the Christ?”
In my book that equals — the God-man.
What is amazing and fundamental about this woman’s testimony is that her goal was simply to bring people to the Savior.
She told them her testimony.
She understood the Lord would deal with them, just as He had dealt with her.
I think sometimes we attempt to intrude on the Lord’s business.
In our efforts to lead one to the Savior we attempt to be the Savior.
Did not the Lord deal with this woman of Sychar?
Did not the Lord deal with you?
Our responsibility is to preach the gospel to every creature.
Tell people to repent and believe.
Tell people that all men are sinners, lost and in need of a Savior.
Tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection.
Show them in the Bible what they need to know.
In a sense we are testifying in the same manner this woman did, Come see a man, the God-man who saved my wretched soul!
C. The Samaritans reactions.
The result is astounding. In verse 30 the Bible says,
“30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.”
You never know what is going to happen when you tell others about the Lord.
Look down at verses 39-41.
The Bible says, “39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word;”
We see this immediate fruit, but then in Acts chapter 8 Philip the evangelist goes to Samaria, preaches Christ and sees a multitude of people get saved. (Acts 8:4-8)
The ending result is joy in the hearts of those who receive Christ.
I think we will stop there for this week and come back to the Lord dealing with His disciples in the later verses of this chapter next week.