Making It Personal!
John 4:39-42 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
Intro: Have you ever taken something personal that someone said, even though they did not mean to insult you with their words? If not, maybe you aren’t overly sensitive, or maybe you have thick skin. Sometimes, people lash out at those closest to them when they are angry, and they personally offend someone close to them. These are negative examples of getting personal. What about the positive side? Close friends like to get personal, sharing things with each other that they would never share with anyone else. If someone else tried to butt into one of these conversations, the response (whether verbal or nonverbal) would be, “Mind you own business. This is personal!”
-Since God is a personal God, He wants to get personal with you. He wants to get past the invisible barriers you may have built up and get close to you. The main thought of the sermon today has to do with getting personal.
Prop: The Christian life is most effective when we get personal with God and man.
Interrogative: What do I mean by that?
TS: As we will see from this passage, Christianity is all about relationships – having a close relationship with God and having close relationships with man. Let’s look first at the effect the woman at the well had when she ventured to relate with other fellow human beings, after meeting Jesus.
I. The Power of a Personal Testimony (39)
(My words about Jesus.)
“Many believed.”
-The Samaritan woman at the well had an encounter with Jesus that changed her life. Jesus offered her living water, forgiveness and a new beginning. She accepted that offer and left her water pot. She was so full of the living water she had to run back to town to share it with whoever would listen. In what may have been less than an hour, she went from being a woman who lived in shame and humiliation to an individual who had something to offer those around her. As she shared her words about Jesus and who He was, the result was that many people believed.
-It is amazing how the power of the gospel can change you. Sin and shame may compel us to avoid people – just like this woman did for so long. However, when Christ takes away our sin and guilt and shame, we can look people in the eye with nothing to hide. Our hang-ups are hung up on the cross where Jesus died. We are free to love other people and interact with them, because we know we have been forgiven.
-Many of you have experienced a life change as a result of what Jesus has done for you. Whatever your life was like B.C., you entered a completely new realm after receiving the Lord’s forgiveness and starting a personal relationship with Him.
-If that is even remotely your story, then you have something to say. You are what the book of Acts calls a witness of Christ (1:8). You have a story to tell other people. One small difference is that you cannot run into town and say, “Hey, come meet the Savior of the world, the Messiah. He is out at the old well on the edge of town.” What you can do is invite people to meet the Jesus who lives in you. You can introduce Jesus to them by the way you live, and by telling your story.
-There is power in your life AND in your personal testimony of what Christ has done in your life. You may not have all of your theology or doctrine down perfect (I don’t know anyone who does, but I’ve met a lot of people who thought they did). However, you know that your life has never been the same since you met Jesus. Your personal testimony is simply the story of the difference Jesus has made in your life. Are you a new person? Is that load of guilt and shame gone? Are you free from being a slave to sin? That does not mean that you are perfect, but you are growing and becoming who you were meant to be in Christ.
-Well, as a result of this woman’s testimony, the Bible says that many believed. However, they did not just take her word for it, nor will people simply take your word for it. There is something in us that makes us want to see for ourselves. In Missouri, they would say, “Show me.” It is known as the “Show Me” state. People need to find out for themselves who Jesus really is. That leads us to the next point.
II. The Power of a Personal Encounter with Jesus (40-41)
(Christ’s words about Himself – today that applies to the Bible & prayer.)
“Many more believed.”
-Now, we already focused on the personal encounter that the woman at the well had with Jesus. Her testimony was that He told her everything she had ever done, and still offered her living water from God. As a result, her life was dramatically changed.
-After she returned to town and told the people about Jesus being the Messiah, many of them believed in Jesus, because of her words. However, vv. 40-41 tell us that Jesus accepted their invitation to stay with them, and was there for 2 days. Jesus used that time to tell them in His own words who He was and how their lives could be different. As a result, because of his words, many more became believers.
-Have you ever wondered why Jesus doesn’t just come and reveal Himself to people personally? Wouldn’t that seem to be the most effective means of evangelism? If Jesus came and stood before you and told you all about your life and offered to give you a new start – I mean, who could turn that down? Well, there are stories of that very thing happening, but it does not appear to be His normal way of doing things. I think of what Jesus told Thomas, who had to see to believe: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." I also fully accept the fact that Jesus left us with work to do. He could do it all Himself, but has chosen to use us (believers) to spread the word around the world. He wants us to use our personal testimonies of what He has done in our lives to invite people to come to Him. Then, when people experience Jesus for themselves, they will say what the Samaritan townspeople told the woman at the well: “Now, we see and know for ourselves, not just because you told us.”
-Never underestimate the power of your personal testimony, but always be aware that your testimony will not save someone. It only helps lead them to the source.
[Show slide of how to draw people to Christ]
-Once they go directly to the source, then they can have a firsthand encounter with the Savior of the world. It’s a personal thing. It is not a formula, or a pretty prayer, or a religious ritual. It is a relationship with the One who created you and knows your name.
-If you have never had a personal encounter with Jesus, you are in for the best surprise of your life! In fact, you can look forward to really starting to live your life – once you meet Jesus and encounter Him personally in your life. When we get personal with God, we give to Him everything that has to do with us or our person. Nothing to hide.
-One other thing should be said about this personal encounter with Jesus. It is personal, but it must begin and continue by faith. Most people do not have the dramatic experience the Apostle Paul had. While traveling, a bright light burst out of nowhere, and Paul fell to the ground and heard the Lord speaking to Him audibly. That’s enough to make a guy want to change his life! Those with Him heard the sound but did not see anyone. Most of us have not experienced anything like this. However, many of us have genuinely experienced Jesus and our lives have never been the same. Paul wrote in another place that we walk by faith, not by sight. We trust that Jesus is who He said He was and that His words bring life to us.
TS: This faith that is awakened in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is what leads us to the next point.
III. The Power of a Personal Confession of Who Jesus Is (42)
(A new believer’s words about Jesus)
“We know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
-After hearing the woman’s testimony about Jesus, and after seeing and hearing Jesus for themselves, many of these people believed in Jesus and confessed that He really was the Messiah and Savior – not just of themselves or the Jews, but of the world.
-Why is a personal confession of who Jesus is so important and powerful? Without overanalyzing it, let’s look at a couple of other Scriptures that deal with this issue.
-Peter made a confession of who Christ was in Matthew 16. Jesus had asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” After a few different answers, Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter replied immediately, “You are the Christ (the Messiah), Son of the living God.” Jesus then told Peter that man had not revealed this to Him, but His Father in heaven had revealed who Jesus was.
-When we come to a place of confessing who Jesus really is, it is not just the words that someone else has given us that make this confession powerful, but the fact that God has revealed to us who Jesus really is. Again, a personal testimony is powerful and directs a person to the source of life- Jesus. However, there are at least two ways that the Father reveals His Son to us. First, it is through His word. His word (the gospel) may be shared along with our personal testimonies, and it will accomplish what God intended for it to do. It doesn’t even have to be spoken in Old Shakespearean English – although it can be, if a person understands it. God reveals Jesus through His word. The second way the Father reveals Jesus is by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is confirming in our spirits and hearts that Jesus really is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. He is the only hope for mankind. The work of the HS in our lives is what leads us to a place of making a personal confession of who Jesus is.
-Listen to what Paul wrote in Romans about a personal confession of who Jesus is: Romans 10:8-9 Paul says, [This is] “the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
-What kind of power comes from a personal confession of who Jesus is? It is the power of God to change a person’s heart, mind, and life. It is the power to put your name in the Book of Life. It is the power to change you from living for yourself to living as a child of God. It is the power to save from sin, from bondage, from addictions, from hopeless-ness. When someone makes a personal confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the world, they receive new life and are given a new beginning in life.
-I would love to hear more of the stories of how you who are believers came to Christ. I would love to hear how the Lord changed you from being what you were to who you are. Some of you may think that you do not have anything to offer to others, but you do! You have a wonderful testimony of how Christ changed your heart and life when you called on Him.
-A personal confession of who Jesus is has incredible power! When I hear someone confess Jesus as Savior and Lord of their life, I am moved so deeply that I often choke up with tears. It is such an awesome thing when someone reassigns the ownership of his or her life over to God. I have to confess, I also cried when my girls were born. So maybe it is this whole birth thing – seeing someone emerge as a brand new person. It is wonderful. It is life-giving. It is powerful. It is personal.
Conclusion: As we close, there is power in your personal testimony; there is power in a personal encounter with Jesus Christ; and, there is power in a personal confession of who Jesus is. To restate it, there is power in your words about Jesus; there is power in Christ’s words about Himself; and, there is power in a person’s words when from their heart they confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of the world. I urge you, Christians, to use your personal testimony. Tell someone about the most wonderful thing that ever happened to you – a personal encounter with Your Creator and Savior.
-If today you have never had a personal encounter with Jesus, He invites you to do so. Find somebody here who is a believer, and ask them about their first encounter with Jesus. They will be happy to tell you. I would be happy to tell you. When you hear of the extraordinary work Jesus can do in an ordinary human heart, you will want to encounter Him yourself and see for yourself how wonderful He is. This is the most important decision you will ever make- to experience Jesus, asking Him to forgive you and to lead your life. If you are ready to do that, I would love to pray with you. If you are not yet ready, my prayer is that your heart would be ready very soon.
-Finally, we could all use a fresh encounter with Jesus. Hopefully, we encounter Him each day of our lives, as we pray and obey what He speaks to our hearts. If you have not been in touch with Jesus lately, today would be a good time to renew your relationship with Him. I encourage you to talk to Him right now. The important thing is that you encounter Jesus personally.
