It’s the 3rd week of Advent – have you been keeping up at home? I hope so. Today’s topic is JOY. Just as in the past weeks with peace and hope, JOY is a huge subject that we will barely scratch the surface of today. But I want to use a great story from John 4 to show you one way that Jesus said you can have JOY in your life immediately.
In John 4, Jesus is traveling by foot with His disciples, and He stops in the country of Samaria to keep a “divine appointment” with a woman whose life is about to change – we only know her as the “woman at the well.” Jesus was from Israel, and his stopping in Samaria would be the same as a Jew today stopping in the country of Iran – lots of hostility because those two countries hate each other. Yet Jesus stops in Samaria and has a conversation with the woman at the well that transforms her life. She is at the well to get water – Jesus tells her that the water she is seeking comes only from Him. He is the “Living Water” that if she drinks from, she will never thirst again. She doesn’t understand because she is thinking physical water, but He is speaking on a spiritual level. And at the peak of their conversation, in vs. 26, Jesus plainly tells her, “I am the Messiah.”
Now why Jesus would go out of His way into a hostile country to tell an insignificant and immoral woman at a well that He is the Messiah, the Promised One, will become clear eventually, but to the disciples, this made no sense. Actually, before this conversation, they had Jesus rest by the well while they went and got something to eat. And it is at the point when Jesus reveals to the woman that He is the Messiah that they come back. Let’s pick up in verse 27-30
27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” (that she was an immoral woman was the big deal) 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
The disciples were still very new at following Jesus, and their minds flooded with questions about this woman and her reputation and why Jesus was talking to her. We do the same thing, don’t we? We wonder why God would work in someone who we don’t approve of – why not work in the heart of a respected businessman or politician?
But Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. This woman was known for her “boldness” in approaching men, and He knew that she would be a wonderful follower who demonstrated great boldness for God. And that’s exactly what happens as she immediately went back to the town to go and tell people about this man who might possibly be the Messiah.
You see, Jesus knew this woman’s heart. Yes, she had a checkered past where she was “looking for love in all the wrong places,” but it was a result of her truly seeking love. And when she meets Jesus, who was the God of the universe, at a well (of all places!) on the side of the road – this woman who was looking for love in all the wrong places finally finds love in a place she’d never imagined! And her boldness that in the past was used for lust becomes boldness used for God that results in many people coming to see Jesus (vs. 30).
At this point, Jesus has had a life changing conversation with the woman. Now while she is gone bringing people back, Jesus turns His attention to the disciples. At this point, the disciples are probably hot and tired from walking; testy from having to deal with the Samaritans (have you ever tried to buy something from someone who doesn’t like you?! I’m SURE they got a GREAT deal on lunch); and to top it off, they arrive to find Jesus interacting with a VERY questionable Samaritan woman. But they’ve brought back food to eat, and they insist that Jesus eat His Whopper before it gets cold (that sounds good right about now). Look at verse 31-38:
Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
The tired and hungry disciples urge Jesus to eat, and rather than eat, Jesus uses this chance to teach them a little about Himself and alot about serving God. Through what we read here we find that we can have fulfillment and JOY by serving the Lord.
When the disciples go to hand Jesus His whopper and fries, He turns them down and says in so many words, “Look guys, you think that I’m hungry, and you’re right – but I’m hungry to see God do something here. That’s why I came into Samaria! And you know what, guys? God IS doing something right now, and you can be a part of it.” Jesus then goes on to lay the groundwork for finding joy in serving God, but He begins with the statement – “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God.”
If we want to find joy in serving God, we must first GET AN APPETITE FOR ACTION!
When Jesus told the disciples, “I have food you know nothing about,” it was a wake-up call to the disciples to get them thinking on a different level. They were thinking of physical nourishment, and Jesus was thinking spiritual.
I love what John Piper says about this:
“We are concerned about the nourishment that comes from eating. (God) is concerned about the nourishment that comes from loving. Jesus gets strength and satisfaction from (doing what the will of God). There is a reason for this. When we give ourselves to (God’s work), God pours more life into our souls. In giving life away, God pours life into us.” (from www.desiringgod.org, message Vision for the Harvest: 2000 by 2000)
And just like the disciples, we at The Journey need to think on a different level. Oh, we understand that there is a difference between physical and spiritual – that’s not the problem. Our problem (and I think this is where God’s wake up call comes to us) is that we view our maturity in Christ strictly as gaining more knowledge. Jesus’ words here serve as a wake-up call that Christian maturity is not being the smartest Christian in the room, is it?
For years, Christians have been consuming – books, sermons, CD’s, webcasts, TV shows – and we have developed a religion that revels in knowledge – so much so that many Christians have made knowledge a false god. But Jesus speaks to us loud and clear here in John 4:34, telling us to quit consuming and start acting on what we’ve consumed! As followers of Christ, there will be times to learn and meditate on deep things, but there has to be a balance – sometimes ALL the fulfillment we get should be from DOING what God tells us to do. There will be great times of learning, but the greatest times of growth in your life will be when you ACT on what you know, not just know what you know.
But Jesus doesn’t stop there, because His goal is to get His disciples thinking differently – read vs. 35:
“You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.”
First Jesus calls us to action. But then we are instructed by Jesus that if we want to find joy in serving God that we must WAKE UP TO THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY.
This isn’t just a call to action, but Jesus is calling them to get their eyes off of themselves and look up at what God is doing around them. How many of you know that before you ever tell somebody about Jesus that God has been working in that person’s life long before you came along? Whenever an opportunity presents itself for you to minister in, I want you to remember one thing – GOD WAS THERE FIRST! (SAY THAT WITH ME!)
If this church would look outward instead of inward, we would recognize that GOD IS WORKING IN THIS SEACOAST AREA AND THERE ARE SOME REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT FOR JESUS CHRIST! As a matter of fact, if God has been working before you arrive on the scene, do you know what that means? There are people in our lives and areas in our city that God is working in right now, preparing the way for us to minister and show people what Jesus Christ is all about! JUST BECAUSE WE CAN’T SEE SOMETHING HAPPENING, DOESN’T MEAN NOTHING’S HAPPENING!
And something was happening that the disciples weren’t yet seeing, but Jesus points it out when He told them, “Wake up and look!” At that moment, a mass of people that the woman had invited were all walking toward Jesus. And Journey, let me tell you this – there will be times when you don’t even have to MOVE to start seeing the work of God – He brings them to us and we just have to be ready!
God continues to bring people to this church all the time that we can show the love of God. Let me share a few stats with you:
1) From 2004-2006, we have had about 150 people become Christians – this happened without us doing any large outreach project. God is telling us to “WAKE UP – the opportunity is here!”
2) In 2005-2006, we’ve had approx. 600 visitors come through our doors. Some were invited, but many were just curious. God is telling us to “WAKE UP – the opportunity is here for a harvest!”
3) In 2006, from January to September, we had approx 72,000 hits on our church website in 9 months – which is good. But since we began running our commercials in October, we have had 79,000 in just 10 weeks! We have averaged more hits in ten weeks (8000 more) than during the entire rest of the year! People are coming even via the web! WAKE UP Journey! The fields are white, even on the internet – as people are coming to see what the Messiah is all about.
Jesus first called the disciples to action, and then to wake up to the present opportunity. But this 3rd week of Advent is all about JOY, and this is where JOY comes in. Look what He told the disciples in vs.36-38:
36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits (say that with me) both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
What’s a planter? (not a peanut) It is someone who works behind the scenes, or who starts a process, but doesn’t finish the job, and doesn’t get much credit.
What’s a harvester? It is someone who is visible, who comes in at the end of the process, who finishes a job, and gets credit that isn’t all his.
Jesus teaches His disciples here an important lesson that we still too often forget, but if we remember this lesson, it will bring us great joy in serving God – the lesson is this - ACCEPT THE ROLE YOU HAVE.
You see, Jesus tells us that there is a difference between the planter and the harvester, but what do they both receive according to vs. 36? Regardless of my role, God gives me joy. (say this with me)
We have planters and harvesters at our church. I get the joy of harvesting a lot of what many of you plant. You tell people about God, invite them to church, and they come. So many times we have witnessed with joy when through your invitation and my preaching, men and women become Christians.
Do you want to know who’s responsible for 150 people becoming Christians since 2004 here at The Journey? Lots of planters and harvesters.
o Brenda Bumford and her children’s workers, who teach our children to love God, and who invite parents.
o Kim Becker and the nursery workers who care for our babies and provide a nurturing environment, which also enables us to be more effective out here.
o Lee Thompson and his youth workers who provide a place for our teens to grow and relate and learn and become followers of God – these same teens contribute to our other ministries.
o Amber Weststrate and Kriss Gagnon who teach and care for our toddlers and preschoolers.
It’s you who invite people, and pray with them, and invite them into your homes. It’s you who get involved in your community, who are always ready to lend a helping hand, and who do the little things that no one sees. In order for God’s work to be done, every Christian needs to commit to being a planter or a harvester – working in some way. There is JOY that is promised to you if you will act, see the opportunity, and accept your role.
The result of this story is reflected in vs. 39:
Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”
JOY is ours, Jesus said, when we plant and harvest, watching people come to know about God through what we do. As we wrap us this third week of Advent, I want to ask you to commit to finding joy in serving the Lord.
Invitation
I preached this today because I want you to find joy in serving the Lord, and some of you, it’s time to step up your commitment. Right now, in our nursery and pre-school, we are in serious need of some men and women and teens who will be planters – who will work behind the scenes and minister to our babies and children.
