Sermon Tone Analysis

JOHN 4:31-42.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE EVENT IN THIS READING?

WELL JESUS HAD DECIDED TO GO TO SAMARIA.

THIS WAS A PARCEL OF LAND BETWEEN JERUSALEM AND GALILEE.

AT A TOWN CALLED (SICK-ar) SYCHER THERE WAS A WELL, AND AT THIS WELL HE MET A SAMARITAN WOMAN WHO WAS GOING TO GET SOME WATER.

NOW WE NOW THE STORY OF JESUS AND THE

 

 

SAMARITAN WOMAN AND WHAT TOOK PLACE THERE.

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE THEN YOU CAN FIND IT IN

JOHN 4 STARTING AT VERSE 1. THIS SAMARITAN WOMAN

AFTER TALKING TO JESUS, WENT BACK TO THE TOWN AND TOLD EVERY ONE SHE MET ABOUT JESUS, AND WHAT HE HAD SAID TO HER.

THIS THEN IS THE WOMAN WE ARE HEARING ABOUT IN VERSE 39 OF THIS READING.

AND THIS VERSE HAS A BEARING ON THIS SERMON STORY.

BUT FIRST LET US HEAR ABOUT THE BULK OF THESE VERSES, WHICH TALK TO US ABOUT THE HARVEST.

JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARE CONCERNED THAT HE HAS HAD NO FOOD, AND HE TELLS THEM IN VERSE 32 THAT HE HAS FOOD TO EAT, THAT THEY NOW NOTHING ABOUT.

NOW THEN THAT’S A BIT OF A PUZZLE ISN’T IT?

AND THEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE HARVEST.

JESUS MENTIONS THE HARVEST BECAUSE FOR HIM IT HAS A DOUBLE MEANING, AND BECAUSE FOR THOSE LISTENING THEY WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT THE HARVEST WAS ALL ABOUT.

WE ARE CELEBRATING THE HARVEST THIS MORNING, AND WE CAN SEE ALL THE LOVELY FRUIT, VEGETABLES

BREAD, ALL SORTS OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT!

NOW IF WE AGAIN GO BACK TO JESUS’ TIME, WHEN FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE ISRAELITES THE HARVEST WAS EVERYTHING, THEIR WHOLE LIVELIHOOD DEPENDED ON IT.

THEN WE CAN SEE WHY THOSE PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO THANK GOD FOR IT.

SO THEY HAD A HARVEST CEREMONY CALLED SUKKOT,---THE FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS.

IT COMES FROM DEUTERONOMY 16:13, WHERE GOD SAID TO THE ISRAELITES “AFTER THE HARVEST FROM YOUR

 

 

 

THRESHING FLOOR AND YOUR VINEYARDS, YOU SHALL CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF BOOTHS FOR SEVEN DAYS.”

SUKKOT MARKS THE END OF A LONG HARVEST, THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN FARMERS FINNISH WORK.

IT WAS THE TIME FOR GRAPES TO BE GATHERED AND MADE INTO RAISINS AND WINE; FOR OLIVES TO BE PICKED AND PRESSED INTO OIL; AND  FRUITS TO EITHER RIPEN, OR BE EATEN OR STORED.

BUT IT WAS NOT ONLY TO CELEBRATE THE HARVEST, BUT IT WAS ALSO TO COMMEMORATE THE WANDERINGS OF THE ISRAELITES WHEN THEY LEFT EGYPT AND TRAVELLED THROUGH THE SINAI DESERT FOR 40 YEARS.

*THE IDEA OF THE TENT HERE IS TO SHOW YOU* SOMETHING OF WHAT THE ISRAELITES, - THE JEWS, AND REMEMBER JESUS WAS A JEW, WHAT THEY WOULD DO AT THEIR HARVEST CELEBRATIONS.

TO CELEBRATE THEIR HARD WORK THEY WOULD BUILD A BOOTH, TO REMEMBER HOW THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

 

 

BUILT BOOTHS OR TENTS IN THE DESSERT, IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE JEWS TO REMEMBER THEIR PAST AND WHAT GOD HAD TOLD THEM TO DO.

IN LEVITICUS 23 :42 IT SAYS “YOU SHALL LIVE IN BOOTHS SEVEN DAYS IN ORDER THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS MAY KNOW THAT I MADE THE ISRAELITE PEOPLE LIVE IN BOOTHS WHEN I BROUGHT THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT.”

SO SUKKOT WAS AND STILL IS A FESTIVAL, A WEEK OF CELEBRATION TO COMMEMORATE THE JOURNEY FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN AND TO GIVE THANKS FOR THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE LAND OF CANAAN.

SO YOU SEE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ISRAELITES, THE CHRISTIANS WHO FOLLOWED ON AFTER JESUS, AND US TODAY.

WE ALL THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS PROVIDED FOR US, IN OUR HARVEST SERVICE.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE PASSAGE?

HERE THEN WE COME BACK TO THAT DOUBLE MEANING THAT JESUS HAD WHEN HE SAID

 

 

“I HAVE FOOD TO EAT THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.”

THE DISCIPLES NEW ALL ABOUT THE HARVEST AND THE CELEBRATIONS AS WE HAVE HEARD, BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT JESUS WAS ON ABOUT.

THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THIS FOOD WAS THAT JESUS HAD TO EAT.

JESUS SAID “MY FOOD IS TO DO, WHAT THE ONE WHO SENT ME WANTS ME TO DO, AND TO FINISH HIS WORK”

JESUS HAD COME TO FINISH HIS FATHERS WORK.

JOHN OFTEN MENTIONS THAT JESUS DEPENDED ON THE FATHER AND DID THE WORK THE FATHER SENT HIM TO DO.

IN JOHN 9:4-5 IT SAYS --- “WHILE IT IS DAYTIME, WE MUST CONTINUE DOING THE WORK OF THE ONE WHO SENT ME.

NIGHT IS COMING, WHEN NO ONE CAN WORK.

WHILE I AM IN THE WORLD, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.”

AND AGAIN IN JOHN 17:4 --- JESUS SAYS, “HAVING FINISHED THE WORK YOU GAVE ME TO DO; I BROUGHT

 

 

YOU GLORY ON EARTH.”

SO WHAT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT, WHAT IS THIS OTHER HARVEST?

WHAT IS THE WORK THAT GOD HAS GIVEN JESUS TO DO?

IT IS MY FRIENDS THE HARVEST OF THE SOUL.

IN VERSE 35, JESUS SAYS “DO YOU NOT SAY, ‘FOUR MONTHS MORE, AND THEN THE HARVEST.”

BECAUSE THEY NEW THAT THE CROPS MUST TAKE THEIR TIME TO RIPEN, BUT IN THE FIELDS THAT JESUS REFERRED TO, THE HARVEST WAS AND IS ALREADY RIPE.

IT IS THE HARVEST OF PEOPLE, THE HARVEST FOR THE HEARTS, MINDS, AND SOULS OF PEOPLE.

THE DISCIPLES WERE NOT TO THINK THAT THE HARVEST WAS FAR OFF.

JESUS WAS NOT SPEAKING OF GRAIN BUT OF ‘THE CROP FOR ETERNAL LIFE’.

THERE WAS URGENCY, FOR THE CROP WOULD NOT WAIT, THE HARVESTER HAD A JOB TO DO.

AND THAT URGENCY

 

 

IS JUST AS MUCH TODAY FOR WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN JESUS WILL COME AGAIN, WHAT DAY OR HOUR, BUT WE SHOULD BE READY.

JESUS HAD COME FROM GOD TO BRING GOD’S PEOPLE BACK TO HIM; THE DISCIPLES WERE GIVEN THE SAME AUTHORITY TO BRING PEOPLE BACK TO GOD.

IN VERSE 37 IT SAYS “ONE SOWS AND ANOTHER REAPS.”

MEANING THAT WHEN THEY WENT OUT TO THE PEOPLE, THEY WOULD NOT KNOW ALL THE TIME, WHAT EFFECT THEIR PREACHING WOULD HAVE.

THE PROPHETS OF OLD AND JOHN THE BAPTIST HAD PREACHED ABOUT GOD AND OF HIS SON, SO SOME SEEDS HAD ALREADY BEEN SOWN OVER THE MANY YEARS.

THE DISCIPLES WERE TO SOW THE SEED AS ALSO DID THAT SAMARITAN WOMAN WHO WE READ ABOUT.

SHE WENT BACK TO THE TOWN AND TOLD ALL SHE MET ABOUT JESUS DO YOU REMEMBER?

AND WHAT IN VERSE 42 DID THE PEOPLE SAY WHEN SHE TOLD THEM, AND THEN THEY HEARD JESUS HIMSELF TALKING.

“WE KNOW THAT THIS MAN REALLY IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.”

THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD, HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT?

HOW WONDERFUL TO KNOW THAT WE TOO, CAN KNOW THAT SAME SAVIOUR.

JESUS CHRIST.

WHAT DOES THE WORD SAVIOUR MEAN?

“DADDY, WHAT DOES THAT SIGN SAY ON THAT BUILDING?” 4 YEAR OLD SUSAN ASKED AS THEY WALKED PAST?

“IT SAYS ‘JESUS SAVES,” HER FATHER REPLIED.

A SHORT TIME LATER WHEN AT HOME ONE OF THE FAMILY SAID “WE MUST FIND A BANK SO THAT WE CAN OPEN AN ACCOUNT AND GET A CHEQUE CASHED.”

SUSAN IMMEDIATELY SPOKE UP “WHY DON’T WE GO BACK TO THAT BANK WE PASSED WHERE IT SAYS ‘JESUS SAVES?”

 

YOU SEE THAT IS WHAT JESUS DOES, HE SAVES.

THE WORK THAT JESUS WAS DOING FOR GOD WAS TO SAVE PEOPLE, THE WORK THAT THE DISCIPLES WERE DOING THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IN JESUS’ NAME, AND THROUGH HIS BLOOD POURED OUT FOR US ON THE CROSS AT CALVARY WAS TO SAVE PEOPLE.

SAVE PEOPLE FROM WHAT YOU MAY ASK?

TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM THE CONSEQUENCE OF SIN, THAT IS WHAT.

JESUS HAD COME TO GATHER UP THE HARVEST, THE PEOPLE THAT HAD TURNED THEIR FACES FROM GOD.

JESUS HAD COME INTO THE WORLD BECAUSE THE WORLD HAD TURNED ITS FACE FROM GOD, AND NOW IN THIS DARKNESS, JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD HAD

 

 

COME TO SET PEOPLE FREE FROM THE CONSEQUENCE OF SIN.

TO BRING THE PEOPLE BACK TO GOD AND TO GIVE THEM GOD’S FORGIVENESS.

JESUS IS LABOURING FOR THE HARVEST OF PEOPLE’S HEARTS AND MINDS,-SUCH AS THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AND THOSE SHE WILL BRING WHO ARE EAGER FOR THE GOSPEL.

HE IS STILL LABOURING TODAY, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, THROUGH THOSE THAT TAKE HIS WORDS INTO THE WORLD.

ARE YOU HEARING JESUS WORDS THIS MORNING?

YOU KNOW A MAN CALLED JOHN ONCE SAID AND IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN CHANGE THIS NAME TO MARY, JEAN, OR ELIZABETH!

“QUITE FRANKLY I’M SICK TO DEATH OF IDEALS.

I HAVE SO MANY IDEALS AND I’VE BEEN SO FRUSTRATED BY THEM, I REALLY DON’T CARE ANY MORE.

WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR IS A SAVIOUR – NOT SOMEONE WHO WILL TELL ME WHAT I OUGHT TO DO, BUT JUST SOMEONE

 

 

WHO WILL FORGIVE ME FOR WHAT I AM, AND THEN WITH HIS VERY LOVE, WILL ENABLE ME TO BE MORE THAN I EVER BELIEVED I COULD BE.

 

*IT’S EXACTLY THAT, THAT JESUS DOES.*

* *

THE HARVEST GOES ON.

WHEN JESUS TALKS ABOUT THE HARVEST, HE USUALLY MEANS THE HARVEST OF THE KINGDOM.

HE WANTS PEOPLE TO LOVE HIM, TO LOVE EACH OTHER, FOR THE WORLD TO BE A SAFER, FAIRER PLACE.

ARE WE HEARING THAT CALL THIS MORNING?

ARE WE GOING TO ACCEPT THAT CALL THIS MORNING?

THE TIME IS URGENT FRIENDS.

JESUS FOR US GAVE HIS LIFE ON THAT CROSS AT CALVARY.

SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US, FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.

AND THEN ROSE AGAIN TO DEFEAT THE POWER OF