Turning Religious Reluctance-1

TURNING RELIGIOUS RELUCTANCE—John 4:1-26

Turning the Religious Lost

Attention:

When I was a young tween-ager(9-12 yrs.) Daddy bought me a ‘Cox’ brand miniature ‘Baja Bug’ Volkswagen. It was about a foot & 1/2 long & was built to scale. It had fat tires mounted on shiny plastic ‘mag’ wheels. It was orange.

It had a ‘miniature model internal-combustion engine’ which actually functioned. Those engines & the toys that used them(airplanes/cars/boats) put the ‘Cox’ company ‘on the map.’

It was not a remote control car but the front wheels would turn. They could be set in one of three positions. I would pull the string & start the engine(very loud by-the-way). The rear wheels would turn & it had one speed, fast!

Since it was not remote controlled or tethered it would go randomly. Because it was so fast & light, if it hit even the smallest a leaf or pebble or crack in the road, it would turn where I didn’t want it to go or even flip over completely.

But 99% of the time it ended up going in a tight circle!

It was not as much fun as I thought it would be because it was not remote controlled. I was very disappointed with it’s going around & around in a circle.

I would constantly have to pick it up while the engine was ‘screaming’ & reset the wheels only to set it down & have to pick it back up & reset it again within a few seconds.

*The toy car was Reluctant to turn, But turnable nonetheless!

Everybody has a religion—right or wrong!...Everybody has a belief system to which they subscribe—right or wrong. Even atheists have a religion & are religious people.

These may be Reluctant to turn, But they are turnable nonetheless!

*We are all called to serve God in spirit & in truth!

Need:

Jesus divulged/bore witness of/ His Messianic identity to a reluctant/hesitant but religious woman.

God’s people bear witness of Messiah’s/Jesus’ identity to reluctant religious people.

How/When will God’s people turn the reluctancy of the religious?

-OR-What will turn their reluctance?

16 insights received that can turn religious reluctance to God.

1—Turning religious reluctance to God’s way requires...

SERVICE Insight(:1-3)

Explanation:(:1-3)

:1—“Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made & baptized more disciples than John”

John’s testimony was that he regarded Jesus’ ministry as the focus & end point of his own heralding/forerunning ministry(3:25-36). A discussion had arisen with the Jews about purification(3:25-26) due to Jesus’ baptizing more people than John. This called into question the tie between Jesus’ ministry & John’s.

Thru John’s disciples being approached by the Jews(many of whom were Pharisees), Jesus had become well aware that “the Pharisees”(a particular & powerful legalistic/conservative sect of the Jews) were aware of His actions. The “Pharisees” held clout among the Jews because they were adamantly conservative in their acceptance of the Scriptures, yet they were also adamant legalists typically adding to the Scriptures, which additions/hedging they justified, in seeking to protect themselves from violating personal holiness.

“Pharisees” were a Jewish sect or party whose members voluntarily took upon themselves a strict regimen of laws pertaining to purity, sabbath observance, prayer, & tithing. They joined together in”...“Pharisaic communities, to which initiates were admitted after a probationary period,” wherein they would be recognized as “Pharisaic brothers” to one another. “A Pharisee was usually a layman without scribal education, whereas a scribe was trained in rabbinic law & had official status. The Pharisees & scribes observed & perpetuated an oral tradition of laws handed down from their former teachers & wise men of Israel.” “They taught that it had been handed down from Moses & was to be given the same respect as the written laws of the Pentateuch.”—ISBE(‘Pharisees’—Traditional view).

“the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief & life. They sought for distinction & praise by outward observance of external rites & by outward forms of piety, & such as ceremonial washings, fastings, prayers, & alms giving; &, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works.” “In opposition to the usurped dominion of the Herods & the rule of the Romans, they stoutly upheld the theocracy & their country's cause, & possessed great influence with the common people.” “They were bitter enemies of Jesus & his cause; & were in turn severely rebuked by him for their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, & affection of piety in order to gain popularity.”—Thayer

“Therefore”—oun—Particle—1) Then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so. Strong—apparently a primary word; adverbially--Certainly, or conjunctionally--Accordingly.

“When”(See :25)—wv—Adverb—1) As, like, even as, etc. Strong—probably adverb of comparative from ov, h, o; Which how, i.e. In that manner(very variously used).

“Knew”—ginwskw—Verb—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel—1a) To become known; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of—2a) To understand, 2b) To know; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. Ginwskw denotes a knowledge grounded on personal experience. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb; To "know"(absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.