Walking With the Master - Woman at the Well
Introduction:
1. We’re continuing our series this week: Walking with the Master
- we striving to connect this to our Worship Service study: Reaching New Heights in Our Love for Our Savior – John 18-21
2. We trying to focus on specific situations Jesus faced, and what we can learn from Him – after all, He is the PERFECT MODEL for us as we seek to reach out to others.
- so far we’ve studied John 3 and Jesus’ contact with Nicodemus:
- TODAY John 4 – Woman at the Well
- Mar. 25 Matt. 19:16-22 & Mark 10:17-22 & Lk. 18:16-27 – Rich Young Ruler
- Apr. 1 John 9 – Blind Man
- Apr. 8 Luke 19 – Zaccheus - [Easter]
3. We want to challenge one another to ‘Reach New Heights’ . . . in our love for the Lord which should lead to ‘Reaching New Heights’ . . . in our love for people
> …no matter what their background is (spiritual or pagan)
> …no matter what their life style is [that’s really going to be obvious in our study today and the next few weeks)
- we all have a tendency to think we just automatically love everybody . . . no matter where they are from or no what their lifestyle is!
4. But that is not true – love is a fruit of the Spirit, and doesn’t come automatically – we’re facing the effects of the curse of sin on our minds ability to think and reason . . . and so we don’t always THINK right . . .nor do we always ACT right!
- we probably all know what we SHOULD be thinking/doing, but that doesn’t mean that happens 100% of the time!
Key: “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart” 1 Sam. 16:7
> with the help of the Holy Spirit and power of God’s Word, that can be different
- we can have a right view of God and Who He is (that will affect our view of ourselves, and therefore our view of people) . . . and what He has DONE and is ABLE to do in the life of any person who will ‘bow the knee and submit to Christ’s authority in his/her life!
5. I want to keep reminding us: The more you love Jesus (and have the right view of Him – like we are studying in our Worship Services), the more you will love people . . . and if you don’t love people, you really don’t love Jesus
- 1 John 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
6. Our study takes us to a very familiar passage and an event in the life of our Lord
- Very honestly, we need to put ourselves into this passage and glean all the lessons we can
- The number of truths & applications in this text are amazing
7. Please open your bible again to John 4 [READ John 4:1-30, summary v. 31-38, READ 4:39-42]
8 * This passage presents our Lord as the model EVANGELIST & Outreach Expert!
- Though He is the CREATOR, he gets involved in the life of His CREATION
- Though He is the KING, He takes time for the SUBJECTS
- Though He is SINLESS, He takes time for the SINNER
Note: Explain the Samaritans
- Samaritan were a mixed race (part Jew part Gentile)
- Because when the 10 northern tribes were taken captive by Assyria in 727 BC – the Jews intermarried with the surround nations
- These “HYBRID JEWS” – were rejected by the orthodox Jews because they could not prove their genealogy to ABRAHAM!
- so, as a result: Samaritans established their own temple and religious services in Mount Gerizim!
- The Jews hatred of the Samaritans was so intense that some of the Pharisees prayed that no Samaritan would be raised in the resurrection!
- So the fact that Jesus knew this and still went through Samaria is very important to our application of this text to our lives
- remember MacArthur’s comment (very good one!)
“The ministry of our Lord provides a stark contrast to the contemporary evangelical confusion. Christ was not interested in shallow responses or quick pseudo-conversions. He refused to compromise the truth or give anyone false hope. Instead of making it easy for people to believe, Jesus turned away more prospects than He received.” – MacArthur, John 1-11, p. 98
- I’d like to study 3 ATTITUDES WE NEED TO HAVE TO BE EFFECTIVE IN OUR REACHING OTHERS FOR CHRIST
I. We Must Be Growing in Our Attitude of COMPASSION.(C)
- if there is one area that will make or break us in our outreach efforts, it is the attitude of LOVE FOR PEOPLE
- Paul said it this way in:
- 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Input: What are some evidences of our Lord’s compassion in this text that ought to be true of our lives as we seek to be evangelistic?
- wearied in the journey
- talked to a Samaritan
- went without food
* A compassionate person thinks & acts like this:
1) The greater the DIVERISITY, the greater the OPPORTUNITY to minister.
- Rather than viewing this situation as negative or a “comfort zone” issue . . .
> Jesus viewed it with compassion and saw an opportunity to minister the Word!
- We often miss opportunities because we simply aren’t as loving as we should be
- Ultimately, it’s rebellion and part of the rebellion is “I don’t want to love that person the way God expects me to”
Q: Can you think of an example of someone in the O.T. who had that attitude?
Answer: Life of Jonah!
Note: I’m glad for the Personal Evangelism Training – but evangelism is not first and foremost a TECHNIQUE ISSUE (though we will talk about methods and how to build bridges)
.>> Evangelism if first and foremost a HEART ISSUE!
Point: Jesus saw this woman for what she could be in Christ – not what she was today!
- maybe you were like that before your salvation
- you were one of the people nobody liked to be around
- this passage not only teaches us THE GREATER THE DIVERSITY, THE GREATER THE OPPORTUNITY TO MINISTER, but
2) The greater the DIVERSITY, the greater the NEED for COMPASSION.
- Pastor Bill Goode, our former Senior Pastor: “It’s easy to love the beautiful people”
- But Matthew 28:19-20 “Go into ALL the world and preach the gospel to EVERY creature.”
> Rich/poor – educated/ignorant – black/white or whatever color – man/woman – acceptable/socially unacceptable
- Jesus didn’t care what the:
- DISCIPLES thought
- SAMARITAN thought
- PHARISEES thought
- He was interested in her because God the Father loved her and sent Him to die for Her!
* Samaritan woman represents all of us to a degree!
Input: What are some of the terms the Bible uses to describe us before our salvation?
> Enemies, aliens, outcast, strangers, depraved, dead, objects of wrath
Point: Sometimes, the thing that can help our compassion the most is a serious look at verses like:
- Ephesians 4:32 “. . .forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.”
- Romans 5:8 “But God . . . in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Q: What am I saying?
>> We will never be effective in outreach/evangelism unless we look at people through the eyes of Jesus Christ and love them in spite of their sin and in part because we see the magnitude of our sin!
- not only do we need an ATTITUDE OF COMPASSION . . .
II. We Must Grow in Our Attitude of PERSISTANCE. (P)
* This passage says 2 things about that attitude:
1) I am responsible to proclaim and live the gospel to EVERYONE (no matter the type of person)!
Q: Do you believe the gospel should be available to everyone? (Jesus did)
Note: Remember the issue of being a Samaritan (convenient for Him to avoid culturally & spiritually
Q: Who is the Samaritan in your life?
> Q: Who is the person you avoid or are reluctant to seek to build a bridge with?
- too many time, we are too quick to allow things like color of skin, clothing, and a hard countenance to hinder us in our efforts to win others to Jesus Christ
[Note: Jeremiah 1:8 – “do not be afraid of their faces”]
- this passage not only says salvation is for “all who will come unto God by Him”
- it also says
2) I cannot “quit” on a person I’m trying to win to win to Christ!
- Jesus engaged in an active dialogue with this woman
- He made her THINK (Note: There is a point to made about Christianity being a thinking man’s religion!)
> He asked her questions // He related to her life
* He started with where she was living and led her to where she ought to be!
Note: 4:16,17 – re-read
- He didn’t start with the sin issue – he started where she was living and led her to where she ought to be
Note: That can be done in counseling as well!
Point: He didn’t give up on her as a person – He was persistent with His approach!
Q: Is there anyone on whom you have given up? Have you quit too soon? Have you lost hope and have the attitude “He/she will never be saved”?
- We need to have the attitude of Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England, when he spoke to the first graduating class after WW 2 and he said:
Lesson: “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, GIVE UP!”
- the 3rd attitude that this passage teaches us is this:
III. We Must Be Growing in Our Attitude of RESPONSIBILITY. (R)
Quote: If not me, then who? If not now, then when?
* People who are effective at outreach see it as a personal responsibility!
- Missionaries are great, pastors are great, SS teachers are great --- but we ALL have to come to the conviction: “I MUST DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST”
- John 4:35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows, and another reaps.' 38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
- By the way, evangelism is NOT just the reaping (not about counting noses)
* Outreach & Evangelism is the PROCESS OF SOWING THE SEED. – and that is both an individual effort and a TEAM effort within the church
* IMPORTANT POINT: There is a sense where I can mess up your evangelistic efforts
- some plant, some water, but God gives the increase
- Bill Hill, Bethany Baptist, Brevard, NC:
Quote: We are not responsible to make the Gospel BELIEVABLE, we are responsible to make the Gospel AVAILABLE!
Q: Who has God brought into your life that does not know Jesus as Savior?
Q: Do you have the right attitudes toward reaching them for Christ – are you thinking right?
- if you are, you can be sure it will affect you actions!
Cf. Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Conclusion:
C = Compassion
P = Persistence
R = Responsibility
1. May the Lord help us to not allow missions or corporate outreaches to be a substitute for personal evangelistic & outreach efforts!
2. You would agree wouldn’t you: A Missions Budget DOES NOT = a missionary minded person or church?
- we demonstrate our thinking with what we DO, not just in the area of money, but ACTIONS!
IMPORTANT:
1) Review the “Seeking Individual Relationship” cards [GIVE OUT NEW ONES TO FOLKS WHO WERE NOT THERE LAST WEEK] – discuss how to use them; pray for those listed but DO SOMETHING to reach out to that person!
2) Use Preparation for Easter Prayer sheet – spend some time praying for this week’s request!
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
NEXT WEEK: Read Matt. 19:16-22 & Mark 10:17-22 & Lk. 18:16-27 3-4 times – make some observations and be ready to discuss them NEXT WEEK!
