Sermon Tone Analysis

Go Tell Your World

The Gospel of John

John 4:24-42 (Reading vs. 24-30)

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - October 26, 2014

(Revised July 20, 2019)

BACKGROUND:

*Last week we looked at this great story of a Samaritan woman whose life had been wrecked by sin.

Her own sin and the sin of those around her had led to a string of failed relationships.

She had been through five failed marriages, and was then living with a man outside of marriage.

*This woman was scorned by her neighbors, and broken by her sin.

But then one day she went to the well and met Jesus Christ!

She found out that Jesus knew all about her troubled past, but He still cared for her.

Jesus talked with her and showed concern for her.

He treated her with compassion and respect.

Jesus cared so much for this woman that He was even willing to give her the living water of everlasting life.

*Her life was changed forever when she met the Lord.

She was saved by trusting in Jesus, and she rushed back to town to tell everyone how the Messiah had changed her life.

*Let me ask you: Has Jesus changed your life?

Most of us can say, "Yes!

Praise the Lord, He has!"

And if Jesus has changed your life, then just like this Samaritan woman, you have a story to tell.

*Let's get started by reading vs. 24-30.

There Jesus said:

24.

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

25.

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).

"When He comes, He will tell us all things."

26.

Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

27.

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"

28.

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,

29.

"Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.

Could this be the Christ?"

30.

Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

MESSAGE:

*Christians, we need to be like this woman.

We all need to be more faithful to witness for Jesus.

Howard Hendricks once said, "In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering."

*Bill Bright was the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ.

He was also responsible for the "Jesus" film, which has been seen by over a billion people around the world.

Bright's organization once helped to survey millions of believers.

Sadly, they found out that ninety-eight percent of us do not regularly introduce others to our Savior.

(1)

*Ninety-eight percent of Christians don't witness for the Lord?!?

We have got to help turn that number around.

We all need to be more faithful witnesses for Jesus Christ.

And the Lord will help us do it, just as He helped the woman at the well.

1. FIRST, JESUS WILL HELP US OVERCOME OUR INADEQUACY.

*Many times we feel inadequate to serve Jesus, because of our past failures.

This poor Samaritan woman knew all about failure.

She had a long history of broken relationships: Five failed marriages followed by a relationship too weak for commitment.

Again, her life had been broken by her own sin, and by the sin of people she trusted.

*Her background was troubled, but then she met Jesus and He changed her life forever!

Jesus Christ has the power to change our lives, because He is the Lord God Almighty who died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead!

*That's why Romans 5:6 says: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

And Romans 5:8 says: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Jesus can wash us clean!

He can overcome our shortcomings and past failures.

*Anne Lamott told about some friends who adopted their son through an organization called "A.S.K." -- That's short for "Adopt Special Kids."

Part of the process was filling out a questionnaire where you checked "yes" or "no" on whether you were willing to adopt babies that had been born addicted, terminally ill, having physical "defects," or having mental disabilities.

*Their pastor was helping them work through the process.

And he told their church that God is also like an adoptive parent who says: "Sure, I'll take the kids who are addicted, or terminal.

I pick all the handicapped kids, and of course the sadists, too.

The selfish ones, the liars, I choose them.

*I choose the disobedient ones and the terrified ones, the self-indulged ones and the trouble-makers, the damaged ones and the unlovable ones.

In love, I choose them all.

I will be a parent to them all.

I will end their separation and bring them home to Me." (2)

*That is the power of the cross of Jesus Christ!

Jesus died to take the punishment for our sin, and He rose again to give new life, eternal life to all who will put their trust in Him.

*Jesus Christ can overcome all of the junk in our lives.

He can wash it all away and give us a new life of hope and love.

Jesus can make us a part of the family of God.

That's why Romans 8:15-16 tells Christians:

15. . .

You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father.''

16.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

*And Ephesians 1:3-6 says:

3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.

*That Good News is something worth sharing!

So this woman at the well ran quickly to tell all of the people in her hometown what the Lord had done for her.

What she found at the well that day gave her a brand new start in life.

And she just had to share it with others.

2. JUST LIKE THAT, JESUS WILL HELP US OVERCOME OUR INADEQUACY.

CHURCH: HE WILL ALSO HELP US OVERCOME OUR INHIBITIONS.

*Jesus can overcome all of our fears in witnessing.

Do you think this woman was afraid to talk to the people in her city?

She probably was afraid.

Most women in those days went to get their water later in the evening.

This woman went at an odd time when she didn't expect anyone else to be there.

*She was probably trying to avoid the people who looked down on her.

And she must have been at least a little nervous when she ran to tell those people about Jesus.

Ninety-nine out of a hundred people have fears when it comes to witnessing: Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of saying the wrong thing.

*The great evangelist Billy Graham had fears.

He said that many times his hands got clammy and his knees started shaking before he preached.

Billy Graham also said, "Every time I stand before a crowd, I feel so unworthy to preach the Gospel.

I feel fearful that I may say something or do something that may mislead someone, because I'm talking to eternal souls who have the possibility of living in heaven forever."

(3)

*Almost everybody has fears about witnessing.

But Jesus can overcome our fears!

One of the best things to help overcome our fears is praise.