Sharing The Passion

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.