TURNING RELIGIOUS RELUCTANCE-VIII—John 4:1-26(:28-30, 39-43)
Turning the Religious Lost
Attention:
Think Twice Before Continuing down the path you’re on!
The Church exists to turn the world away from it’s errant way!
Everybody lives by a ‘religion’—a set of spiritual & secular values that they hold to. These may be 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, AND to...“Go therefore & make disciples of ALL the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching THEM to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”!(Matthew 28:19-20)...
God’s people(the Church) are to actively reach, invite, & urge(without the confines of fleshly prejudice) others, to become disciples of Jesus.
Thru the symbolism of baptism, God’s people are to publicly declare a person’s belief & allegiance to the body of Christ in the name of the Trinitarian God(Father, Son, & Holy Spirit).
God’s people are to continually teach themselves & others all that God has done, is doing, & will do thru Christ.
God’s people are to encourage each other thru Christ’s eternal presence.
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?
Some insights toward turning religious reluctance to God.
Previously as we looked in these verses we found that,
Turning religious reluctance to God requires...
1. SERVICE Insight(:1-3)
2. CONSEQUENTIAL Insight(:4-6)
3. COMPASSIONED Insight(:7-8)
4. BLIND/UNHINDERED Insight(:9)
5. POSSESSIVE Insight(:10)
6. TRUTHFUL Insight(:11-14)
7. LIFESTYLE Insight(:15-18)
8—Turning religious reluctance to God requires...
PLACE Insight(:19-20)
Explanation:(:19-20)Inquiring/Correct/Right/Localize
:19—“The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”
Thru Jesus’ telling the woman something personal that He could not have possibly known(:18) apart from Divine revelation, “the woman” now recognizes Him as a “prophet” of God.
She knows that He had no way of knowing her colorful history with men, except by the hand/word of God. “Jesus’ precise knowledge of her past proves Him to be”[at a minimum] “inspired.”—D.A. Carson
Given that God is speaking thru this “prophet”(Jesus), she now knows that she can safely, trustingly, & sincerely confirm or repudiate the spiritual knowledge to which she holds & which she defends & with which she wrestles.
“Woman”(See :7, 9, 11, 15, 17, 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.
“Sir”(See :11)—kuriov—Noun Masc.—1) He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord. Kuriov has a wider meaning[than despothv], applicable to the various ranks & relations of life & not suggestive of either property or of absolutism. Strong—from kurov(supremacy); Supreme in authority, i.e. as noun--Controller; by implication--Mr.(as a respectful title).
“Perceive/See”—yewrew—Present Active Indicative 1st Sing.—1) To be a spectator, look at, behold—1a) To view attentively, take a view of, survey—1a1) To view mentally, consider; 2) To see—2a) To perceive with the eyes, to enjoy the presence of one, 2b) To discern, descry, 2c) To ascertain, find out by seeing. Yewrew is a word not used of an indifferent spectator, but of one who looks at a thing with interest & for a purpose; would be used of a general officially reviewing or inspecting his army. Strong—To be a spectator of, i.e. Discern(literally, figuratively--[experience] or intensively--[acknowledge]).?From a derivative of—yeaomai(perhaps by addition of oraw[to stare at, discern clearly, attend to, experience, appear])—To look closely at, perceive or to visit.
“You”—su—Pronoun 2nd Person Sing.—1) You. Strong—Thou.
“Are”—ei—Conjunction—1) If, whether. Strong—a primary particle of conditionality; If, whether, that, etc.
“Prophet”—profhthv—Noun Masc.—1) in Greek writings--An interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things; 2) One who, moved by the Spirit of God & hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, & in particular such as relate to the cause & kingdom of God & to human salvation—2a) The OT prophets, having foretold the kingdom, deeds & death, of Jesus the Messiah., 2b) Of John the Baptist, the herald of Jesus the Messiah, 2c) Of the illustrious prophet, the Jews expected before the advent of the Messiah, 2d) The Messiah, 2e) Of men filled with the Spirit of God, who by God's authority & command in words of weight pleads the cause of God & urges salvation of men, 2f) Of prophets that appeared in the apostolic age among Christians—2f1) They are associated with the apostles, 2f2) They discerned & did what is best for the Christian cause, foretelling certain future events. (Ac 11:27), 2f3) in the religious assemblies of the Christians--They were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak, having power to instruct, comfort, encourage, rebuke, convict, & stimulate, their hearers; 3) A poet (because poets were believed to sing under divine inspiration)—3a) Of Epimenides (Tit 1:12). Strong—A foreteller ("prophet"); by analogy--An inspired speaker; by extension--A poet.?From—pro—a primary preposition; “Fore”, i.e. In front of, prior(figuratively--Superior) to—&—fhmi—To show or make known one's thoughts, i.e. Speak or say.
:20—“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, & you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
Thru her history with the Samaritan belief system, the woman had never come to know everlasting life(cf.-:14), only to know about it. She now seeks to clarify or weigh her belief in relation to that of the “prophet” before her.
In so doing she is discovering God’s truth believing that this “prophet” before her is trustworthy.
The woman appears to skirt Jesus’ prophetic message(about the living water & everlasting life) altogether, preferring instead to press Jesus to justify a major area of Jewish belief versus Samaritan belief. OR it may just be that given He is obviously a prophet—a man inspired of God in some way(:19)—then He should be able to delineate this point of difference/disagreement for her....Then Jesus’ ‘living water’ will have credence & greater appeal for her.
The very “mountain”(Mt. Gerazim) adjacent to where they were conversing, was a sacred place to the Samaritans. In the Samaritan Pentateuch, Deut. 27:4 “reads “Gerazim” instead of” the Jewish Pentateuch’s “Ebal.”—NAC[They changed the word to match their theology] “Gerazim” was the mountain of God’s blessing upon the people’s obedience, whereas “Ebal” was the mountain of God’s cursing upon their disobedience(Deut. 11:29; Deut. chapts. 27-28; Josh. 8:33).
The woman identifies herself with the Samaritan belief system. She, representing Samaritan belief, held that their “fathers” or ancestors “worshiped” at the very mountain next to which she & Jesus were meeting. However, she related that Jesus’ belief, representing Jewish belief, was contrary to her own(& Samaritan). She was aware that Jews believe or “say that” “Jerusalem” is instead the correct “place” of “worship.”
The woman supposed/surmised that both Mt. Gerazim & Jerusalem could not simultaneously be the sacred places of true or viable “worship.”
She wants to confirm ‘Where God is’ or answer the question, ‘Where is God?’
Mat. 18:18-20—““Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.””
People have in mind(rightly or wrongly) that there are important & decisive “ought to’s” regarding one’s “worship.” But do not localize God! To do so is to limit Him & His work in your own mind & life!
Is a “place” so tied to the God whom we worship, that there can be no other? Should God be tied to a “place”?
1Kgs. 8:17-29—“Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’ “So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; & I have filled the position of my father David, & sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; & I have built a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.” Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, & spread out his hands toward heaven; & he said: “LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant & mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth & fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. “Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ “And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven & the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! Yet regard the prayer of Your servant & his supplication, O LORD my God, & listen to the cry & the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night & day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place.””
Jer. 7:2-10—““Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house, & proclaim there this word, & say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!’” Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways & your doings, & I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’ “For if you thoroughly amend your ways & your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man & his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, & the widow, & do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever & ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, & walk after other gods whom you do not know, & then come & stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, & say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’?”
Here the reader is reminded of the disparity between the disciples of John & the Jews regarding true purification(3:25-26).
Jn. 3:25-26—“Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples & the Jews about purification. And they came to John & said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified--behold, He is baptizing, & all are coming to Him!””
“Fathers”(See :21, 23)—pathr—Noun Masc.—1) Generator or male ancestor; 2) metaph.—2a) The originator & transmitter of anything; 3) God is called the Father—3a) Of the stars, the heavenly luminaries, 3b) Of all rational & intelligent beings, whether angels or men, 3c) Of Christians, 3d) The Father of Jesus Christ. Strong—apparently a primary word; A “father”(literally or figuratively, near or more remote).
“Worshiped”2X(See :21, 22, 23)—proskunew—1) To kiss the hand to(towards) one, in token of reverence; 2) among the Orientals, esp. the Persians--To fall upon the knees & touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence; 3) in the NT by kneeling or prostration--To do homage(to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication—3a) Used of homage shown to men & beings of superior rank. Strong—To fawn or crouch to, i.e. literally or figuratively--Prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore).
“On/In”—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“This”—toutw tw——toutw—Pronoun—1) To this one. Strong—dative case singular masculine or neuter of outov/outoi/auth/autai; To(in, with or by) this(person or thing).—&—(o, h, to)—Article—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—The definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
“Mountain”(See :21)—orov—Noun Neuter—1) A mountain. Strong—probably from an obsolete orw(to rise or "rear"; perhaps akin to airw[to lift up or take up]; compare orniv[a bird or hen(as rising in the air)]); A mountain(as lifting itself above the plain).
“You”(See :22, 32)—umeiv—Pronoun 2nd Nominative Plural—1) You. Strong—irregular plural of su[Personal pronoun of the 2nd person singular]; You(as subjective of verb).
“Jerusalem”(See :21)—Ierosoluma—Noun Proper Locative—Jerusalem = “set ye double peace”—1) Denotes either the city itself or the inhabitants; 2) “The Jerusalem that now is”, with its present religious institutions, i.e. the Mosaic system, so designated from its primary external location; 3) “Jerusalem that is above”, that is existing in heaven, according to the pattern of which the earthly Jerusalem was supposed to be built—3a) metaph.--“The City of God founded by Christ”, now wearing the form of the church, but after Christ's return to put on the form of the perfected Messianic kingdom; 4) “The heavenly Jerusalem”, that is the heavenly abode of God, Christ, the angels, saints of the Old & New Testament periods & those Christians that are alive at Christ's return; 5) “The New Jerusalem”, a splendid visible city to be let down from heaven after the renovation of the world, the future abode of the blessed.
“Place”—topov—Noun Masc.—1) Place, any portion or space marked off, as it were from surrounding space—1a) An inhabited place, as a city, village, district, 1b) A place(passage) in a book; 2) metaph.--2a) The condition or station held by one in any company or assembly, 2b) Opportunity, power, occasion for acting. Topov denotes a “place”, indefinite; a portion of space viewed in reference to its occupancy, or as appropriated to itself. Strong—apparently a primary word; A spot(general in space, but limited by occupancy; whereas cwra is a large but participle locality), i.e. Location(as a position, home, tract, etc.); figuratively--Condition, opportunity; specifically--A scabbard.
“Where”—opou—Particle—1) Where, whereas. Strong—What(-ever) where, i.e. At whichever spot.?From—ov, h, o—probably a primary word(or perhaps a form of the article o, h, to); the relatively(sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, Who, which, what, that.—&—pou—genitive case of an indefinite pronoun pov(some) otherwise obsolete(compare posov); as adverb of place--Somewhere, i.e. Nearly.
“Ought to”—dei—Verb—1) It is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right & proper—1a) Necessity lying in the nature of the case, 1b) Necessity brought on by circumstances or by the conduct of others toward us., 1c) Necessity in reference to what is required to attain some end, 1d) A necessity of law & command, of duty, equity, 1e) Necessity established by the counsel & decree of God, especially by that purpose of his which relates to the salvation of men by the intervention of Christ & which is disclosed in the Old Testament prophecies—1e1) Concerning what Christ was destined finally to undergo, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension. Dei seems to be more suggestive of moral obligation, denoting especially that constraint which arises from divine appointment. Dei, the third person of dew, is commonly used impersonally in classical Greek. This usage is less common, but frequent, in the N.T. Dei indicates a necessity in the nature of things rather than a personal obligation; it describes that which must be done. Strong—used impersonally; It is(was, etc.) necessary(as binding).
Argumentation:
Gen. 28:10-22—“Now Jacob went out from Beersheba & went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place & stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place & put it at his head, & he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, & behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, & its top reached to heaven; & there the angels of God were ascending & descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it & said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father & the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you & your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west & the east, to the north & the south; & in you & in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you & will keep you wherever you go, & will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep & said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, & I did not know it.” And he was afraid & said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, & this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, & took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, & poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, & keep me in this way that I am going, & give me bread to eat & clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, & of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.””
Jer. 23:20-24—“The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has executed & performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings. “Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven & earth?” says the LORD.
1Cor. 6:19, 20—“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, & you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body & in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Rom. 14:7-9—“For none of us lives to himself, & no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; & if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died & rose & lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead & the living.”
1Cor. 3:9-17—“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, & another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God & that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
1Pet. 2:1-5—“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, & all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God & precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Eph. 2:13-22—“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, & has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, & that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came & preached peace to you who were afar off & to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers & foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints & members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles & prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Ps. 100:1-5—<<A Psalm of Thanksgiving.>> “Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, & not we ourselves; We are His people & the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, & bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”
Illustration:
Hold on loosely to your ‘place’ of worship[localizing God believing ‘God is only here!’], because God does not just show up at your church house only!
Be free in your worship!
I placed an article in the hallway months ago which pictured places/buildings/locations of corporate worship in different cultures, areas, & people groups, etc.
The shapes, & sizes, & locations are as varied as the church itself! The church ‘buildings’ may be as simple as chairs under trees, or as complex as multiple buildings. They are among people who are poverty stricken OR opulently gilded. The places of worship are as varied as are God’s people!
But the true church does not hold that their church building is the church, any more than another that is also the true church. Such is the foundation & nature of true cooperation in the body of Christ!
Application:
?Your PLACE Insight readily Turn others to Christ/God’s way?
?You instrumental in Turning the Religious Reluctance of others into a Confident Relationship with God?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Turning religious reluctance to God requires...
8. PLACE Insight(:19-20)
1. SERVICE Insight(:1-3)
2. CONSEQUENTIAL Insight(:4-6)
3. COMPASSIONED Insight(:7-8)
4. BLIND/UNHINDERED Insight(:9)
5. POSSESSIVE Insight(:10)
6. TRUTHFUL Insight(:11-14)
7. LIFESTYLE Insight(:15-18)
Pt.# 8 only! presented 09/09/2018pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
