Sharing the Passion 2/26/04
John 4: 27-38
As I thought about what to preach on this morning I found myself all week thinking about the movie most of us went to see Tuesday night. Now I wanted to make sure that it was God giving me the message and not just the everyday talk. Everyday you’ve heard something about the movie. It’s been in the paper, on the news, and you can’t turn on the Radio without hearing something about the movie. For those who have not or choice not to see it, I can see where you may be tired of hearing about it. But you should never be tired about hearing about Jesus.
When we left the movie Tuesday night, I began to question son and my 13-year-old nephew about their thoughts on the movie. My nephew stated about how sorry he felt for Jesus and how sad he was that he couldn’t do anything for Him. He was right in a sense. Even if we were there and not just watching it on a screen we still couldn’t have done anything about it. It would have not been for the soldiers, who would keep us from doing anything, if we had enough people we could have over powered them. No we couldn’t have done anything to help Him because He wouldn’t have allowed it. Peter tried to stop it, and He told him, “Put your sword away, I can pray to My Father and He would provide me with 12 legions of angels”. Then in Matthew 26:54 How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?
It had to happen. We could not do anything about it then, but as I told my nephew, we can do something about it now. So now turn with me to John 4:27-38 so we can learn a way that we can do something in return for what He has done for us.
This morning we will be picking up at the end of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. To refresh you on the story, Jesus was on His way back to Jerusalem for the Passover when He sits down at a well to take a rest. The disciples went to go buy some food and while resting there. A Samaritan woman who was an outcast even by her own people came to draw from the well. Jesus asks the woman for a drink to her surprise due to the fact that the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus proceeds to tell her about the living water that only He can provide and also tells her about her past. She at first perceives Him to be a prophet but then when she tells Him about the coming of the Messiah, he replies in verse 26 Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am He.
Now is where we pick up the story.
She left her waterpot (Vs. 27-30)
What was the first thing this new believer did? She left the very thing that she had come for. She left her waterpot. But did she leave empty handed? No she left with the Living Water. So what can we learn from this?
When we accept Christ, we also need to leave the things of this world as well. So often you see new believers who never leave the things of this world when they accept Christ.
When you accept Christ you might lose some friends because you are not the same person that you use to be. You won’t want to go to the same places or do the same things. The Bible says that old things will pass away and all things will become new.
So when people accept Christ weather by watching a movie or by the help of another or in the privacy of their heart, they need to leave the things of this world behind them.
In the meantime (Vs.31-33)
Here the disciples came back with the food and were more concerned with the physical rather than the spiritual. Here eat they said. When He replied in verse 32, “I have food to eat of which you do not know”.
He was talking about a spiritual feeding. You see they had missed the fact that this Samaritan woman had just had an encounter with Jesus.
Christians can be just as dead to the spiritual truth as non-Christians. We can get caught up with the physical need to the point that we miss the spiritual need.
The disciples brought back the food while the Samaritan woman brought back the harvest. This leads to my next point.
We have a job to do (Vs.34)
The food is not simply knowing the will of God, but doing it. Then when we start doing it don’t quit, finish it. What is the will of God? To share with others by word or deed and lead them to Christ.
John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
When do we do we know that we are finished? When you hear the words, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”. You don’t quit when the world tells you to; you don’t quit when your body tells you to, you finish when God calls you home.
Our job requires certain things to do it properly.
We need to have a sense of urgency. (Vs.35)
Jesus is offering the disciples a chance to do something that would be food for them. They were in a land where they could be part of a spiritual harvest. The Samaritan woman had gone out and done the sowing, and now they were ripe for the harvest.
As Jesus told the disciples, it’s time for us to look at the fields that are ripe for the harvest.
I heard on the news the other day that 60% of Americans have plans to see this movie. You hear about it from non-believers as well as believers. I went to lunch the other day and a waitress was talking a survey about the movie to the tables she was waiting on.
As a sales background, you are constantly looking for a crack in the door to present your product. I don’t believe the door has just been cracked, but swung wide open.
If you have not seen the movie, I recommend that you do so. If you have, invite a friend or coworker to see it with you. This is an easy way to show others what Christ has done for them. The price was paid for ALL, and the choice was given to all to accept or reject the greatest gift of all.
When 9/11 happened many were searching then. Churches were filled. People were praying. Where are they now? It was a need developed out of fear. Now I’m not saying that there were not lives changed and many affected by that tragic event, there were.
But this is something that will not have people searching out of fear, but rather out of love. When you see the price that Christ paid for your sins; when you see how much He loved you, you will be affected.
When a fruit or a vegetable get s ripe and is not gathered it would literally rot on the vine. We need to open our eyes and get busy while the harvest is ripe.
To the lost, you will see how much He loved you and my prayer is that you will be searching. To those who are saved my prayer is that once you see how much He did for you, you will be a little bit more willing to do something for Him.
Then we need to see that it does not matter who is doing the sowing and who is doing the reaping. (Vs.36-38)
We all are on the same side. You don’t know the effect you may have on someone’s life. Jodi’s grandfather was saved Friday. I know that I had shared the plan of salvation to him. Mitch and Betty had gone to his house many a time. And who knows who else has had an effect on his decision. But someone else had the privledge of leading him to Christ, but we all rejoice together as our texst says.
Ill. There was once a very wealthy father who had a beautiful daughter. It came time for him to offer the hand of his daughter in marriage, yet this father wanted to select just the right kind of man for his little girl. An invitation was issued to all of the available bachelors in town. They were collectively summoned to the massive estate. The advertisement read, if you will answer this invitation, you will receive either a million dollars in cash, a thousand acres of land, or the hand of my beautiful daughter in marriage and then everything I own will be yours. Well, the young men came in droves, yet upon their arrival to the mansion they discovered that there was one requirement not mentioned in the advertisement. The stipulation was, to receive the prize someone had to swim the length of a certain pond. Well, that seemed simple enough, but there was another catch. The father had stocked his pond with some of the most dangerous creatures known to mankind. Alligators, water moccasins, sharks, piranha, they were all there and all these men had to do was demonstrate their bravery by swimming to the other side. The father thought that if I’m to give the hand of my daughter, the most precious possession in life, I want to make sure that the man is worthy and will be a good protector. “READY, SET, GO!” But no one seemed willing to take the plunge. The father was broken hearted. He turned to walk away, but then, to his surprise heard a splash. He quickly turned around to see one young man fighting his way through the pond. He was kicking a shark, wrestling the alligator, and had a snake in each hand. Finally, the young man climbed out on the other side bloody, torn, totally exhausted -- barely alive, but alive. The father rushes up saying, "I’ve never seen such bravery. I’ve never witnessed such heroism. You are indeed a worthy young man. Now, do you want the million dollars?" The young man answers, breathlessly, "No!" "Well, do you want the 1000 acres of land?" Again the young man says, "No!" "Then you must want the hand of my beautiful daughter in marriage, right?" The young man exclaims, "No ... all I want is the name of the guy who pushed me in."
My prayer is that this movie will give the people who need that push will receive it to jump in.
For the lost, those who are on the edge of the pond, who almost have received Christ, I hope that when they see the love the Christ had and the pain and suffering that He went though for them it will lead them into accepting Him. You know, I wouldn’t want to die and when I meet my maker say I almost got saved. I almost made it to Heaven. I hope this will not just “Almost” but lead them into a relationship with Christ.
Too many Christians standing at the edge of the pond. They are going through the motions, they are straddling the fence, but my prayer is that after watching this movie the will get the push they need to sell out for Christ. We’ve got all the power of God and the power of heaven at our disposal, and sometimes all we need is a little push.
If we decided to take Christ out of the theater and into this community, don’t you think it would make all the difference in the world?
For after all He has done for us, this is the least we can do for him.
