TURNING RELIGIOUS RELUCTANCE-XI—John 4:1-42
Turning the Religious Lost
Attention:
What Temptation?
A man who was getting a bit overweight, decided to go on a life-altering diet. But one of his main problems with his diet was that he would stop for donuts every morning on the way to work.
To make things easier for himself, he changed his route to work to avoid the temptation of stopping. Once he got busy during the day, he more easily could avoid the temptation, he figured, if only he could get past the mornings...
As the weeks passed by, he began losing a great deal of weight & was receiving compliments from his friends & co-workers alike
Then one morning without thinking, he accidentally turned onto the road that would take him by the donut shop again.
At first he was going to turn around & head for safe territory, away from the awful temptation, but then he thought to himself, "Maybe the Lord is rewarding me for my efforts these past weeks!"
So, he entered into a short prayer, telling God that if this was His true intention, let there be an open parking place available & awaiting his arrival, directly in front of the shop(which, by the way, rarely happened at the busy shop).
Sure enough! On only the fifth time around the block, there was his favorite spot, right up front!
Think Twice Before Continuing down the ‘track’ you’re on!
Most People in this world are entering into temptation & sin with no means of avoiding it...
The Church exists to turn the world away from it’s errant way!
Need:
Everybody lives by a ‘religion’—a set of values that they hold to. These may be right or wrong.
Everybody has a belief system to which they subscribe—right or wrong.
These may be ‘reluctant’ to turn, But by the power of God, they are turnable nonetheless!
*We are all called as God’s witnesses to turn those who are headed for disaster...“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)...
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 we have 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. PLACE Insight(:19-20)
9. DECISIVE Insight(:21-24)
10. IDENTITY Insight(:25-26)
11—Turning religious reluctance to God requires...
INTERRUPTIVE Insight(:27)
Explanation:(:27)Flexibility/Distractions
:27—“And at this point His disciples came, & they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?””
Jesus had just definitively/unequivocally introduced Himself to the woman as Messiah(:26).
The 12(?) disciples returned from the city of Sychar(?) in order to buy food for themselves & Jesus(:8).
Jesus’ witness to the woman is now interrupted.
Jesus’ talking/speaking with a woman was “a shocking breach of societal norms.” Judaism considered that “for a rabbi to speak with a woman was at best a waste of time, & at worst a distraction from studying the Torah—which” for them “could lead to eternal damnation.” Being a Samaritan & a woman only compounded the reprehensible nature of the conversation.—MNTC
The disciples were not initially(cf.-:34-38) concerned with Jesus’ rationale for speaking with the Samaritan woman—noted by the absence of the two elephant-in-the-room questions. Rather their initial concern surrounded the offense brought to their civil tradition thru Jesus’ actions.
Keep in mind that John(the author of this Gospel account) was probably one of these returning disciples. And that this event took place prior to the Holy Spirit’s individual & continual indwelling presence(cf.-Acts 1:4-58).
Tangible interruptions—not just surprise encounters— to sharing the Gospel, are interruptions formulated by flesh that ‘may’ have been surrendered to the devil. However interruptions can also arise innocently!
What are we to do when we are interrupted while sharing God’s Good News in Jesus? What are we to do when other responsibilities interject themselves into our current situation?
Jesus used the interruption as an opportunity to explain other, but related, truths to the ones bringing the interruption.
We cannot control interruptions. But interruptions can be corralled into being springboards to Gospel truth, even for those unintended.
“At This Point/Upon This/Just Then”—epi toutw—Lit.=‘Upon This’——epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution[with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.—&—toutw—Pronoun—1) To this one. Strong—To(in, with or by) this(person or thing).?Dative case singular masculine or neuter of—outov/outoi/auth/autai—1) This, these, etc..
“Disciples”(See :1, 2, 8, 31, 33)—mayhthv—Noun Masc.—1) A learner, pupil, disciple. Strong—from manyanw[to learn (in any way)]; A learner, i.e. Pupil.
“Came”—ercomai—2Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Plural—1) To come—1a) of persons—1a1) To come from one place to another, & used both of persons arriving & of those returning, 1a2) To appear, make one's appearance, come before the public; 2) metaph.—2a) To come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, 2b) Be established, become known, to come(fall) into or unto; 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—To come or go(in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Marveled/Surprised/Wondered”—yaumazw—1Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Plural—1) To wonder, wonder at, marvel; 2) To be wondered at, to be had in admiration. Strong—from yauma[Wonder, or admiration]; by implication--To admire.
“Talked” & “Talking”—lalew—Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Sing. & Present Active Indicative 2nd Sing.—1) To utter a voice or emit a sound; 2) To speak—2a) To use the tongue or the faculty of speech, 2b) To utter articulate sounds; 3) To talk; 4) To utter, tell; 5) To use words in order to declare one's mind & disclose one's thoughts—5a) To speak. Strong—a prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; To talk, i.e. Utter words.?Lalew means an extended or random harangue, while legw means to 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].
“With/After”—meta—Preposition—1) With, after, behind. Strong—a primary preposition(often used adverbially); properly--Denoting accompaniment; “Amid”(local or causal); modified variously according to the case(genitive case association, or accusative case succession) with which it is joined; occupying an intermediate position between apo[Off, away from] or ek, ex[from, out] & eiv[to, into] or prov[toward, near to]; less intimate than en[in] & less close than sun[with, together]).
“Woman”(See :7, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 25, 28, 39, 42)—gunh—
“Yet/But”—mentoi—Particle—1) But yet, nevertheless, howbeit. Strong—Indeed though, i.e. However. Used 8X.?From—men—Particle—1) Truly, certainly, surely, indeed. Strong—a primary particle; properly--Indicative of affirmation or concession(in fact); usually followed by a contrasted clause with de(this one, the former, etc).—&—toi—probably for the dative case of (o, h, to); An enclitic particle of asseveration[solemn/emphatic declaration] by way of contrast; In sooth[truth].
“No one”—oudeiv, feminine--oudemia & neuter--ouden—Pronoun—1) No one, nothing. Strong—Not even one(man, woman or thing), i.e. None, nobody, nothing.?From—oude—Not however, i.e. Neither, nor, not even.—&—eiv—(including the neuter [etc.] en hen); A primary numeral; one.
“What” & “Why”—tiv—Pronoun—1) Who, which, what. Strong—an interrogative pronoun--Who, which or what(in direct or indirect questions).?Probably emphatic of—tiv—some or any person or object.
“Seek”—zhtew—Present Active Indicative 2nd Sing.—1) To seek in order to find—1a) To seek a thing, 1b) To seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into, 1c) To seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after; 2) To seek i.e. require, demand—2a) To crave, demand something from someone. Strong—of uncertain affinity; To seek(literally or figuratively); specially(by Hebraism)--To worship(God), or in a bad sense--To plot(against life).
“With”—meta—Preposition—1) With, after, behind. Strong—a primary preposition(often used adverbially); properly--Denoting accompaniment; “Amid”(local or causal); modified variously according to the case(genitive case association, or accusative case succession) with which it is joined; occupying an intermediate position between apo[Off, away from] or ek, ex[from, out] & eiv[to, into] or prov[toward, near to]; less intimate than en[in] & less close than sun[with, together]).
“Her”—autov—Pronoun—1) Himself, herself, themselves, itself; 2) He, she, it; 3) The same. Strong—from the particle au[perhaps akin to the base of ahr[air] through the idea of a baffling wind]--Backward; the reflexive pronoun--Self, used(alone or in the comparative eautou) of the third person , & (with the proper personal pronoun)of the other persons.
Argumentation:
Lk. 11:37-50—“And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in & sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup & dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed & wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint & rue & all manner of herbs, & pass by justice & the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues & greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, & the men who walk over them are not aware of them.” Then one of the lawyers answered & said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, & you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, & your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, & you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets & apostles, & some of them they will kill & persecute,’ “that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar & the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.”
Acts 26:1-29—“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand & answered for himself: “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, “especially because you are expert in all customs & questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand & am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night & day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, & many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; & when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue & compelled them to blaspheme; & being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority & commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me & those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me & saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise & stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister & a witness both of the things which you have seen & of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus & in Jerusalem, & throughout all the region of Judea, & then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, & do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple & tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small & great, saying no other things than those which the prophets & Moses said would come-- that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, & would proclaim light to the Jewish people & to the Gentiles.” Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth & reason. For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost & altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”
Gal. 1:3-10—“Grace to you & peace from God the Father & our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God & Father, to whom be glory forever & ever. Amen. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you & want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
Gal. 5:1-12—“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, & do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!”
Mat. 9:18-26—“While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came & worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come & lay Your hand on her & she will live.” So Jesus arose & followed him, & so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind & touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, & when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, & saw the flute players & the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in & took her by the hand, & the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.”
Illustration:
One of the good things about the very involved ‘Continuous Witness Training’(CWT) evangelism series, is that it addresses the near certainty of distractions & interruptions.
When more than one of us enters a house to share the Good News of Jesus, one of the other witnesses may ask permission to begin playing with the kids, OR pet the dog or cat, OR turn off the TV & or answer the telephone, OR close a door, etc....
...All this so the Gospel conversation can take place with minimal distractions!/INTERRUPTIVE Insight
*An interruption—at the particular time, is something that seems of lesser importance—may yet have just as great a significance.
An alarm/Suppose my wife is cooking bacon in the oven/She turns on the timer & then We sit down together & watch TV, or call the kids, grandkids, or siblings or Granny, or read a book, or even all three!/We completely immerse ourselves in something other than the bacon/The timer sounds!/We must stop what we are immersed in...in what has got our attention, in order to focus on the soon to be burning bacon!/INTERRUPTIVE Insight
Application:
?Your INTERRUPTIVE 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:
Visualization:
Must be from God—Sure enough! On only the fifth time around the block, there was his favorite spot, right up front!
Action:
Turning religious reluctance to God requires...
11. INTERRUPTIVE Insight(:27)
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. PLACE Insight(:19-20)
9. DECISIVE Insight(:21-24)
10. IDENTITY Insight(:25-26)
Pt# 11 only! presented 02/24/2019pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
