Sermon Tone Analysis

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

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

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.

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.