Jesus Uses The Word To Invoke Deeper Thinking Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• Today we are going to take another look at a story that is familiar to many. We have examined this narrative in the recent past, but today, we are going to examine this story of the Woman at the Well through a different lens.

• One of the things that seem to have happened in our society is that a significant number of people do not take the time or make an effort to think at a deeper level.

• It is so easy to think at or a little below the surface.

• I am not sure why this has happened, I think it has a bit to do with our sound-bite driven media which in turn has spilled over into our society.

• It seems like if the media says something or some celebrity says something, many will just accept it.

• If a professor tells something, or a politician tells us something, many just believe it.

• I also think that from a political standpoint the divisions have grown so deep over the past 20 years that we put barriers up that keeps us from thinking on a deeper level.

• Biblical illiteracy on the part of the church has made it more difficult for folks to engage society on a deeper level.

• To win the battle for the soul, we need to win the battle for the mind.

• The Word of God is a powerful tool in our arsenal. The Word can change the destiny of anyone.

• SLIDE #2

• 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (CSB) — 3 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

• We are called to take every thought captive to Jesus! That requires us to think on a deeper level than normal or that society is comfortable with us doing.

• As we examine the story of the Woman at the Well, we will glean some principles that will help us to be able to think at a deeper level and it will help us to invoke a deeper level of thinking to those whom we seek to share the gospel with.

• The encounter Jesus has with the woman at the well changed her life forever when Jesus was able to help her to be open to thinking on a much deeper level.

• Let’s turn to John 4 to see how Jesus helped invoke a deeper level on thinking for the woman at the well.

• SLIDE #3

• John 4:1–9 (CSB) — 1 When Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), 3 he left Judea and went again to Galilee. 4 He had to travel through Samaria; 5 so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 because his disciples had gone into town to buy food. 9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

• SLIDE #4

SERMON

Invoking deeper thinking requires:

I. Breaking down barriers. 1-9

• Barriers are one of the things that keep us from thinking on a deeper level.

• There are so many barriers that will keep us from questioning what we are told or will prevent us from challenging the conventional group-think of the day.

• Barriers are made to keep things out, we see some actual physical barriers on Highway 92 as we see all the road construction that is going happen.

• Those barriers are meant to keep drivers out of the areas where the work is taking place.

• When we have barriers of the mind, those barriers will keep out things and thoughts that run contrary to what we think we already know.

• There are a variety of barriers that stifle our ability to dive deep into the questions we face in life.

• There are political barriers, if I am a D I think a certain way, an R another, and I or an L yet another.

• Anything that comes to me that does not match with what I already believe gets summarily rejected without a thought given.