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Becoming a soul winner with Jesus.
John 4:1 – 42.
In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, we meet a man named
Nicodemus. He was a lost religious Jew who wanted to talk to Jesus. He came
to Jesus at night so no one would see him.
In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, we meet a nameless woman.
She was a lost Samaritan who came to Jacob’s well at noon so she
wouldn’t have to talk to anyone.
The contrast between Nicodemus and the woman at the well is
interesting:
· One was a man; the other was a woman.
· One was a Jew; the other was a Samaritan.
· He was a respected ruler; she was social outcast
· He was a moral man; she was an immoral woman
· He came to Jesus at night; she met Jesus at mid-day
· The man fades unnoticed; the woman went back to her crowd and
brought them all to Jesus.
· We will hear from Nicodemus again in the Bible; the woman will fade
into invisibility.
I. THE MUST OF SOVEREIGNTY. 4:4.
Jesus said: “I must needs go through Samaria.”
A. The Movement Of Jesus.
Jesus left Judea (vs. 3) and departed into Galilee.
Jesus has a divine appointment in Samaria. This appointment had been
on God’s schedule for centuries.
I am arrested by the statement, “Jesus must needs go through Samaria.”
There seems to have been a divine necessity placed on the Son of God.
Every move Jesus made was according to a divine plan for His life.
Friends, I want to assure you your life has been filled with divine
appointments. God knew you would be present in this service thousands of
years ago.
B. The Ministry Of Jesus.
Jesus is going to Samaria simply to help a woman with the greatest need
of her life – meaning and purpose.
II. THE MEETING OF A SINNER. John 4:5-14.
A. A Truth To Remember.
Far too many churches have a “Field Of Dreams” mentality, “Build It and
They Will Come.”
The Bible does not tell sinners to come to church.
The Bible tells Christians to go to the unsaved.
At 12:30 the church will no longer be in this building; we will be
scattered all over the community eating lunch.
B. A Trip Jesus To Be Made.
Jesus could have traveled north by turning left and following the
coastline of the Med. Sea. But He didn’t.
Jesus could have traveled north by turning right, crossing the Jordan
River, and then headed north. But He didn’t.
Jesus went straight up through the countryside to a city of Samaria
because He had a divine appointment with a woman at Jacob’s well.
C. A Time That Was Significant.
Jesus was tired and thirsty and needed a drink of water.
The woman had come to the well to draw water and it was the sixth hour
or noon.
D. A Talk That Was Sensational. 4:7-14.
1. The humanity of our Savior is revealed.
He was tired from walking. He was thirsty because of the trip. So He
spoke to the woman.
Jesus said, “Give me a drink.”
2. The hatred between Jews and Samaritans is revealed.
The Samaritans were half-blooded Jews who lived north of Jerusalem.
They came into existence when the Jews who lived north of Jerusalem
were conquered by the Assyrians. Thousands were carried into captivity
and many foreigners came to live in the land.
From that time on Samaritans in the north and the Jews in the south did
not get along.
3. Jesus broke down many barriers as He talked to this woman at the
well.
· Men didn’t speak to women in public, not even to their wives.
· Jews did not speak to Samaritans at all.
· No Jew would drink out of anything that belonged to a Samaritan.
They would be considered dirty of they did.
· Jesus broke down a religious wall as He spoke to this woman.
E. A Truth To Remember. John 4:14.
Jesus said: “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (vs. 14).
III. JESUS SHARED WITH HER THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION. 4:15-26.
Illustration: A woman’s car stalled out at an intersection. The hood
was up and she flagged down a man to help her. She said, “I can’t get
it started. But if you will jiggle the wire on the battery, I think it
will work.”
The man who stopped to help her grabbed the positive battery cable and
it came off in his hand. He said, “Lady, the terminal needs to be
tightened up. I can fix it if you have some tools.”
She said, “My husband says to just jiggle the wires, it always works.”
The man said, “Ma’am, if I jiggle the wires, you’re going to need
someone else to do it every time you shut the engine off.”
“If you will give me two (2) minutes, and a wrench, we can solve the
problem and you can forget about it.”
I wonder how many times people have gone to God for a quick fix.
“Lord, if you will just jiggle the wires, I can get started again.”
Jesus will not let this woman get by with a quick fix.
A. Jesus Talked To Her About Her Inner Thirst.
· This woman had been looking for love in all the wrong places.
· She had experienced “one quick fix after another.”
· She had been looking for a perfect man but she didn’t find him.
· In the process of hunting for someone to fill her life this woman
became empty of self worth, significance and value.
· She was like a dirty worn out sock lost under the washing machine in
a basement laundry room.
B. Jesus Doesn’t Concentrate On “What” We Are;
But On What We Can Become With His Help.
When Jesus drank the water out of her bucket He spoke the most powerful
words she had ever heard.
Jesus Said: “You are a person of great worth.”
Jesus Said: “You are a person worth talking too.”
Jesus Said: “I’m not afraid of what someone might think or say.”
Jesus Said: “You are a special person and I am glad to be talking to
you.”
You See: Jesus Said All Of Those Things Before He Spoke A Word When He
Drank From Her Bucket A Drink Of Water.
C. Jesus Made A Point Everyone Needs To Remember: “Nothing In This
World Gives Lasting Satisfaction.”
A Drink Of Water – will quench your thirst for a short time.
A Delicious Meal – will quench your hunger for a short time.
Fame and Fortune – will only last for a short time.
Popularity and Prestige – will only last for a short time.
Many people feel somewhere in the experiences of this world there must
be something that will bring satisfaction.
But it’s like the little boy who had an ice cream which unfortunately
slipped off the cone and fell on the floor. He tries desperately to
pick it up with his fingers but he couldn’t.
Nothing in this world gives lasting satisfaction.
D. Jesus Revealed To Her He Knew Her Life’s History And She Couldn’t
Hide Anything From Him.
Jesus: knew about her many husbands.
Jesus: knew about her hopelessness.
Jesus: knew about her helplessness.
Jesus: looks beyond our faults and sees our needs.
IV. JESUS SHARED WITH HER THE MIRACLE OF SALVATION. 4:22 – 30.
Jesus Talked To Her About The Father. 4:23-24.
The Woman Talked To Jesus About The Messiah. 4:25.
Jesus Revealed Himself To The Samaritan Woman. 4:26.
The Woman Believed In Jesus As the Messiah And Savior. 4:28-30.
Illustration: Cassie was a 17 year old junior a with long blond hair.
She went to school in Littleton, Colorado. She was active in her youth
group at Westpool’s Community Church and was known for carrying a Bible
to school. She was letting her hair grow long so she could have it cut
off to make wigs for cancer patients who had lost their hair.
Cassie was in the school library that day when two students went on a
rampage of shooting and killing. One of the killers went into the
library, pointed his gun at Cassie and asked, “Do you believe in God?”
Cassie paused and then answered, “Yes, I believe in God.” “Why?” the
gunman asked.
She didn’t get to respond; the gunman had already shot her dead.
A Poem Was Found In Her Room. It reads:
“Now I have given up on everything else,
I have found it to be the only way
To really know Christ and to experience
The mighty power that brought
Him back to life again, and to find
Out what it means to suffer and to
Die with him. So, whatever it takes
I will be one who lives in the fresh
Newness of life of those who are
Alive from the dead.”
Cassie Lost Her Life but Gained Everything.
A. The Woman Found Out That Jesus Was Right: His Water Changes
Everything.
Everything changed when Jesus came into her life.
The direction of her life changed.
The purpose of her life changed.
B. The Woman Became The Town Evangelist.
She became a witness! She told “the men.”
She obviously had many male friends.
C. Many In Her City Came To Jesus And Were Saved.
CONCLUSION:
1. JESUS WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED.
Jesus wants everyone to be saved.
He wants everyone to be saved.
Jesus can come into your life and change you and make you a new person.
Invited Him into your life today and be saved.
2. JESUS WANTS EVERYONE WHO IS SAVED TO BE A WITNESS FOR HIM AND TELL
OTHERS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM.
Will you be a witness for Jesus?
INVITATION.
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