TURNING RELIGIOUS RELUCTANCE-III—John 4:1-42
Turning the Religious Lost
Attention:
—The Elephantaisis Convert—
by: D. G. Barnhouse in ‘Let Me Illustrate’
A disease known as elephantiasis is a terrible scourge in tropical countries. The skin of the diseased becomes very thick, very hard, & fissured like an elephant’s hide; the part affected is enormously enlarged. I have seen unfortunate people whose lower legs—running from above the knee down to the foot—were from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter One poor sufferer from this disease heard the gospel of Jesus Christ & was transformed. He became a radiant Christian & did nothing but tell people of the grace of God, which He had showed in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for them
This man lived in an African village; he was determined that every soul in the village should hear the good news of salvation. Although it was extremely difficult for him to walk on his monstrous legs, he thought nothing of the pain, & toiled from hut to hut telling those who dwelt there about the Savior who had come into his life. Each evening he returned to his own hut, where he was maintained in life by the kindness of his relatives. At the end of several months he was able to tell the missionary that he had visited every hut in the village; now he was starting to take the gospel message to a village about two miles away. Each morning he started out painfully, walked the two miles to that village, went from hut to hut spreading the gospel, & returned the two miles to his own hut before sun-down. Having visited every hut in the neighboring village, he remained at home, but after some weeks, he began to be more & more restless.
He asked the pastor & the missionary medical doctor if the gospel were being taken to a village that lay ten or twelve miles through the jungle. As a boy, before he had become afflicted, he had traveled the jungle path to that village; he remembered that there were many people there, & he knew that they needed the good tidings of the Savior. He was advised not to go to the village, but day after day the burden grew upon him. One day the man s family told the missionary that the man had disappeared from the hut. He had slipped out just before dawn; they had heard him go, but supposed it was just for a moment. He did not return, & the family was concerned about him.
Afterwards, the full story became known. Step after weary step the afflicted man dragged his leathery legs & gigantic feet along the path that led to his goal. The distant villagers said that he had arrived after noon; his feet were swollen, bruised, & bleeding. He was offered food, but before he would eat, he began to tell the people about Jesus. Up & down the village he went, to the very last hut, telling them that the God of all creation was Love & that He had sent His only Son to die that their sins might be removed. He told how the Lord Jesus had been raised from the dead & had come into his heart, bringing such joy & peace.
There was no shelter for him in that village, so though the sun was low, he started on his way down the jungle path toward home. The darkness of Africa is a terrible darkness & the night can bring forth many jungle creatures. The sun went down & the poor man dragged himself along the dark path, guided by some insight which kept him from going astray. He told the pastor later that his fear of the night & the animals was more than balanced by the joy he felt in his heart, as he realized that he had told a whole village about the Lord Jesus Christ.
About midnight the doctor was awakened by a noise on hi: front porch. He went to the door with a light & there was the elephantiasis victim, his leg-stumps wounded & bleeding The doctor & his helpers lifted the almost unconscious man into one of the hospital beds. Seldom had any of them seen such a frightful sight as those bleeding feet that had come back from such an errand of love & mercy. Unashamed the doctor told how he had ministered to those feet—cleaning & dressing them—& how his own tears had fallen into the ointment he put upon the stumps. The doctor ended by saying. “In all my life I do not know when my heart was more drawn out to another Christian believer. All I could think of was the verse in the Word of God, ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings, that publish peace.’ ”
Here was a man who had been sent by God to tell the story of what Christ had done for him. Although he did it at the cost of much personal agony, he had not flinched; he had gone through to the end to tell needy men the good news of salvation for their souls.
Everybody has a religion—right or wrong!...Everybody has a belief system to which they subscribe—right or wrong. Even atheists have a religion & are religious people.
These may be Reluctant to turn, But by the power of God, they are turnable nonetheless!
*We are all called to serve God in spirit & in truth!
?What do you do with what you’ve been given?
Need:
We all must be good stewards of the message of salvation in Christ Jesus.
Jesus divulged/bore witness of/ His Messianic identity to a reluctant/hesitant but religious woman.
God’s people bear witness of Messiah’s/Jesus’ identity to reluctant religious people.
How/When will God’s people turn the reluctancy of the religious?
OR--What will turn that religious reluctancy around?
16 insights toward turning religious reluctance to God.
The last time we looked in these verses we found that,
Turning religious reluctance to God’s way requires...
1. SERVICE Insight(:1-3)
2. CONSEQUENTIAL Insight(:4-6)
3—Turning religious reluctance to God’s way requires...
COMPASSIONED Insight(:7-8)
Explanation:(:7-8)Caring/Step up to the plate/Bold/Engaging
Compassion—English=A sympathetic awareness of the distress of others with a desire to alleviate it.
Mercy=NOT giving another what they deserve.
:7—“A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.””
“Women were more likely to come in groups to fetch water...”—D.A. Carson/BECNT They would have also avoided the strenuous task of fetching water during the hotter parts of the day rather than during the cooler mornings or evenings.
This Samaritan “woman” came alone. Given that this woman had probably violated both of these norms(solitary & time of day) may suggest that this particular woman had been relegated to status as an outcast.—NAC/BECNT
“Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
Surprisingly, rather than avoiding speaking to the woman outright(Cf.-:27), Jesus takes the initiative & tells her(imperative) to “give” Him “a drink” of the well water she is intent on drawing.
*Jesus is actually asking the woman to expose, reveal, & supply the resources she has within her possession & ability. He will use this in an attempt to show the woman how spiritually empty her life really is(See :10)...
He cares for her spiritual well-being.
*Jesus’ witness of Himself is not hindered by any religious human misinterpretations as were the Pharisees. Rather He is freed & we are freed by the Holy Spirit, to minister to anyone, anywhere regardless of geography, country, creed, culture, color, kinship, or social standing, etc.. Jesus fully trusts God & knows His own Divine Messianic standing in any circumstance.
Likewise God’s people are to so trust God that we are not ashamed of being His witnesses in any circumstance, whether it be before kings or convicts!
“Woman”(See :9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 25)—gunh—Noun Fem.—1) A woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow; 2) a wife—2a) Of a betrothed woman. Strong—A woman; specially--A wife.
“Samaria”(See :5, 6, 9--“Samaritans”)—Samareia—Noun Proper Locative—Samaria = “guardianship”—1) A territory in Palestine, which had Samaria as its capital. Strong—of Hebrew origin [Nwrmv Sho-mer-own']; Samaria (i.e. Shomeron), A city & region of Palestine. Used 11X.
“Came”(See :15)—ercomai—Verb—1) To come—1a) of persons—1a2) To appear; 2) metaph.—2a) To come into being, 2b) Be established, become known; 3) To go, to follow one. Ercomai denotes motion or progress generally, & of any sort, hence to “come” & arrive at, as well as “to go.” Strong—middle voice of a primary verb(used only in the present & imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred [middle voice]eleuyomai; or [active]elyw; which do not otherwise occur); To come or go(in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Draw”(See :11, 15)—antlew—Verb—1) To draw out of a ship's bilge-water, to bale or pump out; 2) To draw water. Strong—from antlov(the hold of a ship); To bale up(properly--Bilge water), i.e. Dip water (with a bucket, pitcher, etc.). Used 4X.
“Water”—udwr; or genitive case, udatov—Noun Neuter—1) Water—1a) Of water in rivers, in fountains, in pools, 1b) Of the water of the deluge, 1c) Of water in any of the earth's repositories, 1d) Of water as the primary element, out of & through which the world that was before the deluge, arose & was compacted, 1e) Of the waves of the sea, 1f) figuratively used of many peoples. Strong—from the base of uetov[rain, a shower]; Water(as if rainy) literally or figuratively.
“Said”—legw—Verb—1) To say, to speak—1a) Affirm over, maintain, 1b) To teach, 1c) To exhort, advise, to command, direct, 1d) To point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say, 1e) To call by name, to call, name, 1f) To speak out, speak of, mention. Strong—a primary verb; properly--To "lay" forth, i.e. figuratively--Relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas epw & fhmi generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while rew is properly, to break silence merely, & lalew means an extended or random harangue]); by implication--To mean.
“Give”(:11, 12)—didwmi—2Aorist Active Imperative 2nd Sing.— Didwmi denotes “to give” in general, opposite to lambanw “to take”; dwreomai specific, “to bestow, present”; didwmi might be used even of evils, but dwreomai could be used of such things only ironically. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb(which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
“Me”—moi—Pronoun 1st Person Dative—1) I, me, my. Strong—the simpler form of emoi; To me.
“Drink”(See :9, 10, 12, 13, 14)—pinw—Verb—1) To drink; 2) figuratively--To receive into the soul what serves to refresh strengthen, nourish it unto life eternal. Strong—a prolonged form of piw; which (together with another form pow; occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses); To imbibe(literally or figuratively).
:8—“For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.”
Jesus was recognized as a Rabbi or honored teacher. He was served by His disciples but did not press that service(Mk. 10:45). Normally disciples would be charged with food purchase, preparation, & serving for their teacher/master.—BECNT
Mk. 10:45—“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, & to give His life a ransom for many.”
Lk. 22:25-27—“And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, & those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, & he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”
Jesus is there by the well by Himself with the Samaritan woman because His “disciples were in the nearest “city” on grocery run. They must have gone to Sychar(:5).
Thus Jesus freely commands the woman to supply Him with a drink of water(:7).
“Disciples”—mayhthv—Noun Masc.—1) A learner, pupil, disciple. Strong—from manyanw[to learn (in any way)]; A learner, i.e. Pupil.
“Gone Away”—apercomai—Verb—1) To go away, depart—1a) To go away in order to follow any one, go after him, to follow his party, follow him as a leader; 2) To go away—2a) Of departing evils & sufferings, 2b) Of good things taken away from one, 2c) Of an evanescent state of things. Strong—To go off(i.e. depart), aside(i.e. apart) or behind(i.e. follow), literally or figuratively.?From—apo—1) Of separation—“From”. Strong—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).—&—ercomai—1) To come; 2) metaph.—To come into being, arise, come forth, Be established, become known, To go, to follow one. Ercomai denotes motion or progress generally, & of any sort, hence to “come” & arrive at, as well as “to go.” Strong— To come or go(in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Into”—eiv—Preposition—1) Into, unto, to, towards, for, among. Strong—a primary preposition; To or Into(indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or figuratively--Purpose(result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases.
“City”(See :5)—poliv—Noun Fem.—1) A city—1a) One's native city, the city in which one lives, 1b) The heavenly Jerusalem—1b1) The abode of the blessed in heaven, 1b2) Of the visible capital in the heavenly kingdom, to come down to earth after the renovation of the world by fire, 1c) The inhabitants of a city. Strong—A town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size).
“Buy”—agorazw—Verb—1) To be in the market place, to attend it; 2) To do business there, buy or sell; 3) Of idle people--To haunt the market place, lounge there. Strong—properly--To go to market, i.e. by implication--To purchase; specially--To redeem.?From—agora—from ageirw(to gather); properly--The town-square(as a place of public resort); by implication--Market or thoroughfare.
“Food”—trofh—Noun Fem.—1) Food, nourishment. Strong—nourishment(literally or figuratively); by implication--Rations(wages). Used 16X.?From—trefw—a primary verb (properly, yrefw; but perhaps strengthened from the base of troph through the idea of convolution); properly--To stiffen, i.e. Fatten(by implication--To cherish[with food, etc.], pamper, rear).
Argumentation:
Zech. 7:8-9—“Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, Show mercy & compassion Everyone to his brother.”
Notice that “justice” is couched & meted out within “mercy & compassion.”
Mat. 9:10-13—“Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors & sinners came & sat down with Him & His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors & sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go & learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy & not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.””
Mat. 9:35, 36—“Then Jesus went about all the cities & villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, & healing every sickness & every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary & scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Mat. 14:13-18—“When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; & He was moved with compassion for them, & healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, & the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages & buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves & two fish.” He said, “Bring them here to Me.”
Mat. 15:32—“Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself & said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days & have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
Heb. 4:15—“For we do not have a High Priest[Jesus] who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
1Pet. 3:8-9—“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
1Jn. 3:16-18—“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, & sees his brother in need, & shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed & in truth.”
Illustration:
(Norman)—A local Carrabelle ‘vagrant’/He used to tell me he has a ‘winter house’ & a ‘summer house’ on the waterfront in Carrabelle—One is in the dilapidated buildings & the other in the woods!/He has family here, but his chosen lifestyle is such that his own family can do very little to help him//He confessed his former life of drug abuse & jail time/He had confessed to me his remaining addiction to alcohol/He shared with me that the Cbelle UMC pastor had found him a means of working his way out of his predicament/As a result, Norman has committed to a 1yr. ‘pathway’ to sobriety & productiveness!/Norman recognized real Compassion in Dustin/Dustin actually DID something about Norman’s situation!/COMPASSIONED Insight
Ideally, IF the Christian Churches in our area were or could be totally unified...We would meet the needs of people who do not know the Good News of Jesus...We would meet the needs of widows...We would meet the needs of orphans...We would meet the needs of the marginalized...We would meet the medical needs people/In short we would ‘put legs’ on our supposed compassion/COMPASSIONED Insight
I recently took a ‘Spiritual Gifts Test’/One of the lowest scores I received was the gift of ‘MERCY’/The description of ‘Mercy’ sounds a lot like ‘Compassion’ to me/I have a heart that is concerned about others, but yet I prioritize other things above physical Compassion/Some of you are just the opposite—You are very gifted & adept at physical Compassion!/The ways in which you respond to people who are hurting shows that you are compassionate/My Compassion is tied to ensuring that the the message of God’s Compassion in Christ is championed/COMPASSIONED Insight
Application:
?Your COMPASSIONED Insight readily Turn others to Christ/God’s way?
?You Turn Religious Reluctance of others into a Confident Relationship with God?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Action:
Turning religious reluctance to God’s way requires...
3. COMPASSIONED Insight(:7-8)
1. SERVICE Insight(:1-3)
2. CONSEQUENTIAL Insight(:4-6)
Pt.#3 only! presented 04/29/2018am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
