Sermon Tone Analysis

Outline

Clearing up potential textual confusion

Kind or Cunning -46

Supernatural Seeing gives birth to Spiritual Vision (Faith) John 4:48-53

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Potentially confusing text.

There are a few things in our text today that can quickly confuse us so let’s clear up the confusion and them try and see the main point that John the author is trying to bring home here.

Potentially confusing text.

There are a few things in our text today that can quickly confuse us so let’s clear up the confusion and them try and see the main point that John the author is trying to bring home here.

1. Clearing up potential textual confusion

Potentially confusing text.

There are a few things in our text today that can quickly confuse us so let’s clear up the confusion and them try and see the main point that John the author is trying to bring home here.

Potentially confusing text.

There are a few things in our text today that can quickly confuse us so let’s clear up the confusion and them try and see the main point that John the author is trying to bring home here.

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Potentially confusing text.

There are a few things in our text today that can quickly confuse us so let’s clear up the confusion and them try and see the main point that John the autor is trying to bring home here.

Not the same has the healing of the Gentile centurion servant in & Luke 7>2-10

The healing of the official’s son resembles that of the Gentile centurion’s servant in Matt.

8:5–13 and Luke 7:2–10, but this is not the same incident.

2. Geographical Confusion.

Lots of locations being mentioned here.

Helps me to get my head around the geography.

📷 See Slide in Power point

2.1.

Note that Bethlehem is South.

2.2.

Jesus has been with the women at the well in Sychar because he was traveling with disciples from Judea to Cana.

Shortest route was through Samaria but more importantly He had eternal business from the Father to attend to in Sychar.

2.3.

Jesus now moves north to Galalee a region which contains several villages or towns.

Jesus goes back to Cana while the official is in Capernaum but comes down to Cana to ask Jesus to heal his son

3. Apparent Textual contradiction.

Jesus says “ a prophet is without honor in His home town, but then the text reads that they welcomed him.

Look at verses 4.44-45 Without honor yet they welcomed him.

HMMM....

This seems like honor.

They do welcome him

Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the Roman Census but also to fulfill the prophecy

Verese 43.

Jesus departed for and arrived in Galilee (v.

45).

It is at least 49 miles (79 km) by road from Sychar to Cana (v.

46), a journey that, by foot, would have taken at least two or three days.

Crossway Bibles.

(2008).

The ESV Study Bible (p.

2029).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

v. 44 we don’t really want you or honor you as much as we are interested in what you might can do for us.

We like your miracles.

We saw the water into wine.

2. They are Kind (in their welcome) but Cunning (John 4.45-46)

=1.

skill in achieving one's ends by deceit.

As humans we have a way of using people.

Illustration

“ This is the Hometown of Elvis Prestly”

📷

Why would people in Tupelo Mss care that Elvis Presley was from their little backwater town.

It brings them a sense of pride and Identity.

It is like saying see we are special because Elvis is from here.

We all take advantage of an opportunity to take a photo with someone who is a celebrity or US President.

The celebrity doesn’t show his picture with you to his friends and family.

Why not?

That doesn’t bring them any social status above what they already have, but wait till they meet someone they think is higher than them and they too will act like you did about your photo with them.

We know how to use people to elevate ourselves and we learned it most likely before first grade.

This is what is happening here with Jesus when he goes home.

They welcome him but its not real.

They are using Him.

He feels used and we know this because how he addresses them.

John 4.

In other words, you do not believe in me.

You just want me to do something for you.

You want me to give you that perfect souse, that special position at work, financial comfort, social status, peace, prosperity....but do you want me?

jesus will not be our genie in a bottle,

He will not be our lucky rabbits foot,

He is not the man upstairs

He is not the man upstairs

He is not a good luck charm in life to help you be successful in your financial endeavors.

He is not our physical miracle healer whenever I am the one diagnosed with a deadly cancer

But Jesus is my only hope in this life and in death

Jesus is the only one who hears my soul at the deepest places and can offer peace unending

Jesus is the only one who can bring eternal value and significance to my little small finite life

jesus is the one who beckons me to come so He can explode my soul with over flowing joy and life abundant.

Why can’t we see this Jesus for the treasure He is?

It’s almost like our vision of him is that crusty painting hanging in the foyer of your grandmothers home.

You know the one with the halo over his head, when in reality He is the Lion of Judah, The Prince of Peace, The King of heaven and earth, When we stare into the night sky on a clear stary night and wonder in our soul how massive is this Universe?

He is the one who spoke it into being.

Simply by speaking He unleashed a Universe of stars and galaxies, of people and places.

When you hold a baby in your arms and ponder the precious life you are holding and smell that sweet baby smell it is but an echo of the Goodness of this God.

3. Supernatural Seeing gives birth to Spiritual Vision (Faith)

Yet?

Yet?

In Lepers are cleansed by Jesus but only one comes back and praises God.

It says that one was the Samaritan perhaps the one most outside of the visible church.

Not a Jew.

Familiarity with Jesus or religion can be are great cataracts to seeing Him and treasuring Him for who He is not simply what he can do for us.

In Lepers are cleansed by Jesus but only one comes back and praises God.

It says that one was the Samaritan perhaps the one most outside of the visible church.

Not a Jew.

Familiarity with Jesus or religion can be are great cataracts to seeing Him and treasuring Him for who He is not simply what he can do for us.

Even when we experience miracles it seems we cannot see and treasure Christ.

Secularism or Atheism will Flourish in the soil of 4 things

Existential Security : You have enough money and food

Personal Freedom : (you’re free to choose whether to believe or not)

Using a separate model, Future of Religion and Secular Transitions (forest), the team found that people tend to secularize when four factors are present: existential security (you have enough money and food), personal freedom , pluralism (you have a welcoming attitude to diversity), and education (you’ve got some training in the sciences and humanities).

If even one of these factors is absent, the whole secularization process slows down.

This, they believe, is why the U.S. is secularizing at a slower rate than Western and Northern Europe.

Albert Mohler Podcast July 2018