We all like some things.
(1) WE ALL LIKE TO BE APPRECIATED
We all like to be appreciated for WHO WE ARE and WHAT WE HAVE DONE!
Illus: Thinking about being APPRECIATED FOR WHAT WE HAVE DONE, did you hear about the artist that asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in his paintings that were on display?
• The gallery owner said, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that a gentleman inquired about your work and wondered if your art would appreciate in value after your death. When I told him it would most likely triple in value, he bought all fifteen of your paintings."
• "That's wonderful," the artist said. "What’s the bad news?"
• "The gentleman was your doctor."
We all like to be APPRECIATED for WHO WE ARE and WHAT WE HAVE DONE! This is a god-like attribute that we possess.
(2) WE ALL LIKE TO BE LOVED
Illus: While …serving in Paraguay as a missionary, a Maka Indian named Rafael came to sit on a missionary’s porch. The missionary said, “I was eating and went out to see what he wanted. He responded, 'I don’t want anything; I have just come near.'" The missionary said, "I later shared the incident with a local veteran missionary. He explained that it was Rafael’s way of honoring me. He really didn’t want anything; he found satisfaction and pleasure just being near me."
We who are made in the image of God know how good it is to have people that love us and that desire to be near us. They are not there because they want something from you; they are there simply because they want to be near you. This brings delight to our life!
Illus: This is how the Lord must have felt when he went to the house of Mary and Martha. While Martha considered her job (chores) more important than to sit at the feet of Jesus, it must have blessed His heart that Mary put aside everything to sit at the feet of Jesus. SHE JUST WANTED TO BE NEAR HIM!
We are made in the image of God and we want people to APPRECIATE US, LOVE US, AND WANT TO BE NEAR US!
The Lord Jesus came to Samaria to get close to this Samaritan woman. She was a woman that had been confused, abused, and used by so many! Before the Lord could bring about this close relationship with her, He had to clear up some of her problems.
WHAT KIND OF PROBLEMS DID SHE HAVE? The Lord had to deal with THREE things in her life.
I. HER RELATIONSHIPS WERE WRONG
Look at John 4:16-18, we read, "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly."
Notice, "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither."
WHY DID THE LORD ASK HER TO CALL HER HUSBAND? He was omniscient; He already knew everything about her that was to be known. So why did He ask her to do this?
He asked her to bring her husband because He was trying to get her to lay her problems on the table so that they could be dealt with.
WHAT WAS HER PROBLEM? She had a wrong relationship problem! It seems to be that she thought she could find everything she was looking for in a man. She did this at least FIVE TIMES!
In other words she lived her life focusing on the wrong thing. Many people today still have that problem.
• Some people think that if they get the right car, home and nice clothes they will be happy, so they seek for these things in their life with all their heart.
• Some people think that if they can get so many thousands in their savings account they will be happy, so they seek to accumulate money.
• Some people think that if they can meet Mr. or Miss. Right they will be happy. So they seek to find that person with all their heart.
Evidently, she fell into this last category. Five times she has given marriage a shot and everytime it failed her. What she needed was a close relationship with the Lord Jesus and then she would find the satisfaction in life she was looking for.
Listen, God looked at man in the garden and saw that he was alone and God gave him a help-meet. But as good as the marriage relationship is it does not satisfy all the longings within our heart.
Illus: A Canadian is walking down the street with a case of Ginger Ale under his arm. His friend Doug stops him and asks, "Hey Bob! Whatcha get the case of Ginger Ale for?" "I got it for my wife, eh." answers Bob. "Oh!" exclaims Doug, "Good trade."
Illus: This woman in John 4 is like the man that said, "My wife told me I should be more affectionate, so I got two girlfriends."
As wonderful as marriage is, it takes more than human relationships to find the peace we are looking for.
The Lord Jesus came to Samaria because he knew this woman was there. He knew how she was seeking for a satisfying relationship and He came there to show her, HER
RELATIONSHIPS WERE WRONG.
II. HER REASONING WAS WRONG
Look at verses 19-20, we read, "The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
To put this in the vernacular, she was saying, "I perceive you are a prophet, you know all things. WHICH CHURCH SHOULD I JOIN?"
This woman’s reasoning was all messed up just as many people's reasoning is all messed up today. There are some folks who think:
(1) YOU CAN NOT GO TO HEAVEN UNLESS YOU JOIN OUR CHURCH
The Baptist church is the oldest group among Christians. It goes back to John the Baptist. But let’s suppose that the Baptists say, “Unless you join a Baptist Church you will perish”. That would be false teaching. Being a Baptist will not save anyone.
Let me set the record straight today in this church,
• You can join this church and it will not save you
• You can attend all the services and it will not save you
• You can faithfully tithe to this church and still not be saved
Heaven is a wonderful place, but no one will get there because they have joined a certain brand of church.
Illus: Today's churches remind me of a man pulling up to a four way intersection and you have four policemen directing the traffic in four different directions and they are all saying, “Go this way.” Today many religious groups are proclaiming “Follow us, we are the way!” And this leaves those who do not know the scriptures as confuse as a termite in a yo-yo, not knowing which way to go.
When it comes to Heaven, Christ said, "I AM THE WAY!" Heaven is a wonderful place, but only those who have put their trust in Christ will be allowed to enter.
Illus: A man stood before St. Peter requesting to enter. St. Peter asked on what grounds he should be allowed to enter. He said, "Because I am a Baptist." St. Peter denied him entrance. The man said, "If I being a Baptist cannot enter, then who is in there?"
• "Are there any Methodists in there?" St. Peter said, "There are no Methodists in here."
• "Are there any Presbyterians in there?" And He said, "There are no Presbyterians in here."
• "Are there any Pentecostals in there?" And he said, "There are no Pentecostals in here."
He said, "WHO IS IN THERE THEN?" He said, “Only sinners saved by the grace of God!”
We talk, preach, teach and sing about heaven, but Christ is the only way to get there.
Illus: This 85-year-old couple, having been married almost 60 years, had died in a car crash. They had been in good health the last ten years, mainly due to her interest in health food and exercise.
When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion, which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen, a master bath suite and a Jacuzzi.
As they "ooohed and aaahed," the old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost. "It's free," Peter replied, "this is Heaven."
Next they went out back to see the championship golf course that the home backed up to. They would have golfing privileges every day and each week the course changed to a new one representing the great golf courses on earth. The old man asked, "What are the green fees?" Peter's reply, "This is heaven, you play for free."
Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisines of the world laid out. "How much to eat" asked the old man? "Don't you understand yet? This is heaven, it is free!" Peter replied, "The Lord Jesus has paid for it all!
"Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods?" the old man asked timidly. "That's the best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never will get fat and you never get sick!"
The man said, “This place is wonderful!" Then the old man looked at his wife and said, "If you had not been stuffing those bran muffins down me, I could have been here ten years ago!"
Heaven is a wonderful place, but none of us will be there because a certain brand of religion saved us.
The way to heaven is through Christ, but we have false religions still saying, "FOLLOW US, WE ARE THE TRUE CHURCH, YOU CAN NOT GO TO HEAVEN UNLESS YOU JOIN OUR CHURCH."
This woman’s reasoning was all messed up. She thought what she was looking for could be found in A MAN or A RELIGION!
(2) WE HAVE SOME RELIGIOUS GROUPS THAT TEACH THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO ARE SPIRITUAL
They feel sorry for everyone that does not have what they have. Listen, all religions are noted for certain things.
Illus: A kindergarten teacher gave her class a "show and tell" assignment of bringing something to represent their religion.
• The first boy got in front of the class and said, "My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is the Star of David."
• The second boy got in front of the class and said, "My name is Billy. I'm am Catholic and this is the Crucifix."
• The third boy got in front of the class and said, "My name is Tommy and I am Baptist and this is a casserole."
The answer to this woman’s problem is not religion. The Lord Jesus is the One we all need. He is the only one that is able to TRULY SATISFY US!
The thing that will make you a child of God today is NOT RELIGION but the Lord Jesus.
HER RELATIONSHIPS WERE WRONG, and HER REASONING WAS WRONG. But also-
III. HER RELIGION WAS WRONG
Look at verses 20-24, we read, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Notice, the error came from listening to false ideas that came down from their fathers. She said, “Our fathers worshipped…”
Many are in a false religion today because they are making the same mistakes their father’s made.
Illus: On the sixth day God turned to the angel Gabriel and said "Today I am going to create a land called Canada."
• "It will be a land of outstanding natural beauty, it shall have tall majestic mountains full of mountain goats and eagles, beautifully sparkling lakes bountiful with carp and trout, forests full of elk and moose, high cliffs overlooking sandy beaches with an abundance of sea life, and rivers stocked with salmon."
• God continued, "I shall make the land rich in oil so to make the inhabitants prosper, I shall call these inhabitants Canadians, they shall be known as the friendliest people on the Earth."
• "But Lord," asked Gabriel, "don't you think you are being too generous to these Canadians?" "Not really," replied the Almighty, "just wait and see the neighbors I am going to give them!"
The fact is, we Americans are not perfect, but neither is any other nation. Many today have fallen into a false religion because they are making the same mistake their fathers made.
Their fathers worshipped wrong like many today are worshipping wrong:
• Some attend church to worship a preacher
• Some attend church to worship a building
• Some attend church today to worship sports, activities and socials
Illus: Henry Ward Beecher was a pastor of yesteryear. He had to be absent from the pulpit once Sunday, and so he asked his brother Thomas Beecher to fill in. When many of the folks saw that the famous Henry Beecher was not going to be preaching that Sunday.....they began to leave. Undisturbed, Thomas simply said......"Would those who came to worship Henry Ward Beecher please leave, but those who came to worship God please be seated."
Listen, when PEOPLE'S WORSHIP IS WRONG they should not be surprised that when they get to their places of worship GOD IS NOT THERE!
The Word of God says, in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
We have so many dead churches all over the place because God knows that many do not congregate to worship Him but for other reasons.
Illus: A new Pastor in a small Oklahoma town spent the first four days making personal visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first services.
The following Sunday the church was all but empty. Accordingly, the Pastor placed a notice in the local newspapers, stating that, because the church was dead, it was everyone's duty to give it a decent Christian burial. The funeral would be held the following Sunday afternoon, the notice said.
Morbidly curious, a large crowd turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, they saw a closed coffin, smothered in flowers. After the Pastor delivered the eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his congregation to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead church.
Filled with curiosity as to what would represent the corpse of a "dead church," all the people eagerly lined up to look in the coffin. Each "mourner" peeped into the coffin then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look.
In the coffin, tilted at the correct angle, was a large mirror.
When the Lord got her RELATIONSHIPS, REASONING AND RELIGION straightened out, He changed her life totally.
Notice, the Lord stressed to her the need to Worship in the Spirit. If you read the Book of Genesis you’ll find that the first thing that moved on the earth was The Spirit of God. And when the Spirit of God moved across this earth look what a change He made.
The first thing that moved on Earth in the Book of Genesis is the Spirit of God.....but it seems to be the last thing moving in the church today.
Our services are more like wakes than worship. We’re stiff, and over starched. We are dried up, dormant and dead. Instead of entering his gates with thanksgiving in our hearts, we walk in looking like our Father in heaven died, and didn’t leave us a cent.
What happens when we worship in the Spirit?
• The Spirit produces life
• The services will come alive
• The sermons will come alive
People do not go around talking about being spiritual, THEY ARE SPIRITUAL.
• We have some churches today that are caught up in ritualism. They can not make a move unless it is in the bulletin. But next week they will live the same sinful life they have always lived.
• We have some churches today that are caught up in emotionalism. They are jumping and shouting. A preacher could preach out of a Sear’s and Roebuck catalog and they could care less. They are there just to have a good time. But next week they will live the same sinful life they have always lived.
If people worship God in the Spirit then when they leave this place they will not be the same person because they have connected to God.
When people learn to worship God in the Spirit they discover-
• Worship is not in a particular church
• Worship is not in a particular place
• Worship is IN THE PERSON OF LORD JESUS
Conclusion:
I. HER RELATIONSHIPS WERE WRONG
II. HER REASONING WAS WRONG
III. HER RELIGION WAS WRONG
