Intro: a new pastor decided to teach the young boys class to see where they were at Biblically. He asked them, who tore down the walls of Jericho? Not one of them knew. So he called a board meeting about the situation that no boys knew who tore down the walls of Jericho. One board member spoke up and said, I know those boys quite well, and I am sure none of them tore down those walls. Another board member spoke up and said, don’t worry preacher, I’ll call all those boys parents up and we’ll find who tore down those walls. The last board member said, let’s not stir anything up, I vote we give the preacher some money and we’ll have those Jericho walls fixed.
Knowing how walls come down is important. Not just Jericho’s walls, but the walls and barriers of life. Today, I would like to preach-Tearing Down the Walls
John 4:4-42
Background: in the story of the woman at the well we have Jesus breaking down the barriers of life. Many people face these same barriers, and today we can all be set free by the love, compassion and the grace of Jesus.
I. gender—verse 7-there cometh a woman—maybe this isn’t a shocking statement to you, but in this culture, women had been devalued to the point that it would be shocking for Jesus to stand at a well talking to a woman.
a. our society has devalued women in many ways. It is so important for the church to tear down these walls. We need our young men to be taught to respect women and value them as women of God. Jesus placed value on women all through his ministry.
b. Women need to be honored, valued and praised within the church. The gender gap must be broken for the church to go forward.
Ill) Bethel’s Women’s ministry: they contribute so much to the life
Of the church that we could not function without this valuable
Ministry in place. Sister Linda and her team have an honored place
In the church family.
II. Race or religion—v.7b from Samaria—even more amazing than Jesus
speaking to a woman, he was speaking to a Samaritan. There were deep seated prejudices between the Jews and Samaritans. Jesus came to tear down walls and break down barriers. One of the most important barriers to break in the church is prejudice.
a. Azuza street revival—in Los Angeles we had a great move of God at the turn of the last century. What was amazing is people from different cultures were all worshipping together. Today, we need to have these barriers broken. Jesus isn’t available for one group only, but he is available to all.
b. denominational walls—the other day a group of ladies from the Methodist church in Patten Maine came over to one of my mom’s cousins house to minister to her while she is battling with cancer. My family in Maine were raised Pentecostal and years ago preached against lipstick, make-up and any jewelry, which the Methodist church allowed. Mom and her cousin were saying, isn’t it sad that our religious walls kept all of us apart for so many years.
Ill) walls don’t come down easy—in Northern Peru, the Inca
Civilization has disappeared off the landscape except for one
Important feature, the walls. Even though everything else of this
Civilization of people is gone, their walls still stand. That is the
Bad thing about walls, they don’t come down easy.
III. Impossibilities—v.11 Sir, you have nothing to draw with—
The next barrier that Jesus must break in all of our lives is the barriers of limitation. With Christ all things are possible.
a. Jesus has water that doesn’t come from earthly wells. A wall that must be torn down in all of our lives is independence. Jesus is saying you need the water that only I can give.
b. The wall that must come down is our own self worth, our pride, Jesus tells all of us, we need Him more than He needs us. He is first, seek His kingdom and all others things will be added unto us.
c. Are you greater than Father Abraham? Jesus said, a greater than Moses, a greater than Abraham is among you. The barrier that must come down in our lives is Jesus is more than a prophet, more than a great teacher, in the Words of Peter, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
IV. The Past—v.18—thou has had five husbands and he who thou
Now hast is not thy husband. Jesus broke down the greatest barrier we all have in our lives, the past. He basically spoke into this woman’s life the truth, and set her free from sin.
a. Jesus must break down the barrier of our past so that we can reach for our future.
b. Jesus must set us free, go and sin no more.
c. When Messiah comes—v.25-26 Jesus said, the one you are speaking to is He—the hope of every person is that Messiah will come and set them free from the past, free from any sins. Today, that is what Jesus does best, he breaks down the barriers, He tears down the walls, He sets us free indeed.
Ill) one of the great controversies at the end of the Clinton
Presidency was all the presidential pardons given out. 62 to be exact
And some of those set free seemed undeserving in the public eye.
But greater than a presidential pardon, we are set free from our past,
We are set free from sin, and we don’t deserve the freedoms we
Enjoy.
V. Worship—v.23-24 a great barrier that Jesus had to break down
Was ritualistic worship that came from the lips but not from the heart.
At this well he set forth the news that true worship of God would be
Done in Spirit and Truth. He was to break down the formalistic
Worship of the day, and place man in right standing with God to truly
Worship Him.
a. God desires true Worship. Sincere not formal, real not traditional,
From the heart and from the Spirit.
b. today it is still the same, Jesus gives us a heart of worship. Worship isn’t stale, it is alive.
c. With all our heart, all our strength, all our might.
Close: Jesus broke down the barriers of life—gender gaps, racial barriers, the realm of possibilities, sin and our past, and ritual worship. Today, some of these walls are still standing in lives, and Jesus is here to break them all down. Ill) during all the tributes to Ronald Reagan during his funeral services, the fall of the Berlin Wall was mentioned many times. But greater still, is that Jesus tore down the walls, all the barriers of life.
